Spiritual Insight: Social Media and Community

Scroll through your feed tonight and count how many faces you see. Hundreds, maybe thousands — each one bearing the imago Dei, the image of God. Now ask yourself: how many did you actually see?

Isaiah 1:17 doesn't whisper — it commands: "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." The prophet spoke to a people who had perfected the rituals of religion while ignoring the cries at their gates. We've built new gates now. They're made of glass and aluminum, and they fit in our pockets.

A Reformed understanding of common grace tells us that God's goodness extends even into our digital spaces. But grace demands response. When a single mother in your church posts at midnight asking if anyone knows where to find affordable childcare, that's not an algorithm — that's Providence placing a neighbor in your path. When misinformation about an immigrant family circulates in your community group, silence isn't neutrality. It's the priest crossing to the other side of the road.

The Reformers insisted that all of life falls under Christ's lordship — yes, even your comment section. Your keyboard is a pulpit. Your share button is a megaphone. Every post is either a small act of justice or a small act of indifference.