I saw this post on someone's FB page.
I will state upfront that I don't agree with his advice.
Social media accounts are not causing the problem; they are revealing an existing problem in the teens.
Oh, and that verse from Proverbs is misapplied; by the poster's reasoning, no one should ever be on his own.
While there may be good reasons for not permitting young children to have social media accounts, a teenager, especially one from a Christian home that has "grown up in church" certainly should be mature enough to handle it. If not, there is something seriously wrong with what has been done.
There is a fine line between "minding one's own business" and "sticking one's head in the sand".
Do I need to know about every scandal in every church? Of course not. But scandal in men that are held up to be "great" examples are valid to put out. The Bible never covers mens sins. I'm really sick of churches covering the evil that their leaders do on the idea that it is a local church matter. If I gave money to a missionary that commits adultery, I have a right to know just as much as the local church.
Illustration: A friend of mine was a member of a church that gave over $18,000 of missions money to a man who was supposed to start a Chinese church. My friend moved away and joined another church. Shortly afterwards (2-3 months), the man was abruptly dismissed. When my friend called the church to ask what happened, he was told "you're not a member here anymore; it's none of your business." He and I discussed it; I thought the church was in the wrong, especially considering that a lot of that $18K was money he had given personally. (He never did hear the entire story, but he had suspicions - he wouldn't tell me suspicions because he couldn't validate them).
Anyway, I've rambled a bit, but I think banning people from social media isn't the right answer; it seems to me that such a solution is treating symptoms rather than the real problem.
Your thoughts?
Last night my wife and I were discussing church drama. It's amazing how much drama goes on in our churches, even among the teenagers.
We narrowed it down to this. When we were growing up, our families NEVER brought problems home. Life was lived in a more simple way. Basically, we minded our own business. Now, with parents and teens having social media, they not only bring problems home, they invite the problems of others into their homes as well.
We must put up guard against this. Parents, if your child has emotional and attitude troubles I highly recommend they do not have a social media account of any type.
Social media can be used wisely but most young people do not have the character it takes to use it wisely. They "friend" the wrong people. They private message people when parents are completely unaware. They "like" inappropriate content. All these things happen and THEN, we wonder why our teens don't WANT to read their Bible? We wonder why our teens have problems with authority? We wonder why our teens have issues with God?
It's because they've been given free reign over their little world. "...but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Proverbs 29:15
I will state upfront that I don't agree with his advice.
Social media accounts are not causing the problem; they are revealing an existing problem in the teens.
Oh, and that verse from Proverbs is misapplied; by the poster's reasoning, no one should ever be on his own.
While there may be good reasons for not permitting young children to have social media accounts, a teenager, especially one from a Christian home that has "grown up in church" certainly should be mature enough to handle it. If not, there is something seriously wrong with what has been done.
There is a fine line between "minding one's own business" and "sticking one's head in the sand".
Do I need to know about every scandal in every church? Of course not. But scandal in men that are held up to be "great" examples are valid to put out. The Bible never covers mens sins. I'm really sick of churches covering the evil that their leaders do on the idea that it is a local church matter. If I gave money to a missionary that commits adultery, I have a right to know just as much as the local church.
Illustration: A friend of mine was a member of a church that gave over $18,000 of missions money to a man who was supposed to start a Chinese church. My friend moved away and joined another church. Shortly afterwards (2-3 months), the man was abruptly dismissed. When my friend called the church to ask what happened, he was told "you're not a member here anymore; it's none of your business." He and I discussed it; I thought the church was in the wrong, especially considering that a lot of that $18K was money he had given personally. (He never did hear the entire story, but he had suspicions - he wouldn't tell me suspicions because he couldn't validate them).
Anyway, I've rambled a bit, but I think banning people from social media isn't the right answer; it seems to me that such a solution is treating symptoms rather than the real problem.
Your thoughts?