My most hypocritical post ever: calling out people who call people out on the internet

First, let me just acknowledge the tremendous hypocrisy with which I am writing this post. I'm using the internet to call out people who call people out on the internet. But I'm assuming that if I haven't killed my credibility with you when I shared my dirty secret or how I responded to the kid who sent my daughter a naughty text, then hypocrisy probably won't sink the boat either.

I'm old enough to remember the era before the internet. I was just a kid at the time. So I acted like a kid, and when other kids acted like kids it was perfectly normal. And when I was around adults, I assumed they acted like adults - you know respectable, responsible, and all that other lame grown up stuff.


Then I grew up, and the internet came along. And the internet changed more than just the way we shop for books and remote controlled helicopters. Social media revolutionized the way we connect with people. It has given us the opportunity to keep up with everyone we've ever known all in one place. And I'm convinced that Facebook is the most powerful marketing tool on the planet, but that's beside the point.

Social media is also a double edged sword. While it's great to see all my middle school friends all grown up with their own families, it turns out that letting everyone share their every thought with the world hasn't been so great for a lot of people.

Suddenly, everyone is on the world's stage. But not everyone seems to realize that what they say actually matters. And some of the people I previously assumed were respectable and responsible adults have really wow'd me.

Blown away by men
When teens post unwise things, nobody's surprised. They're teens. For the most part we understand when our news-feeds fill up with selfies and posts venting about how phony everyone is. We've all been there. We get it.

Then there are... the non-teens. They're everyone else. And they are the ones who are perpetually astounding us with the things they're posting online. Certainly not everyone is doing it, but no category of people is exempt.

They're the parents who are openly and verbally bashing their 'friends' and sibling for being unloving or unforgiving. They're the church leaders who are calling out Christians (and vice versa) for their views on homosexuality and abortion. And the ones that I personally find the most unnerving are the men my dad's age who post denigrating things about the president (I've personally lost massive amounts of respect for men I once looked up to for the simple fact that, on the internet, they don't carry themselves like men). And especially in the last 24 hours, they are the republicans and democrats who can't even seem to muster the maturity to act like civilized people toward each other.

And while I'll readily admit that it's complete hypocrisy for me use my website to call all these people out, I won't do the one thing which I consider to be insanity - I'm not going to try to argue anyone into dropping criticism and pursuing wisdom and love. Instead, I'll just plead for it... since that makes so much more sense ;)

A plea for more love
As a church leader and (I like to think) influencer in my community, I routinely sit across the table from young men who are searching for direction. They want to be respectable, responsible, and successful. They want to be powerful men, loving husbands, great examples for their kids, and they would love to just be able to understand their relationship with Jesus.

There's only one problem. There's an increasing number of adults who's idea of funny is a demeaning joke about Barack Obama. And there are more and more adults who seem to think that it's a good idea to call people out on Facebook for their political or social views. They post 'gottcha' arguments, trying to reduce their opponents to nothing more than simple minded fools. But that's not what the guys from my meetings need.

The young men I meet with need a man they can look up to. And I'm not referring to myself. I'm still too young to be really effective for some of these guys. What they need is a father figure with a powerful and uncompromising character. They are adults, but they're still impressionable. They're the emerging leaders in our nation, and they desperately need to see men who are as respectful as they are respectable.

And more than anything, they are in need of men who are wholeheartedly submitted to Jesus Christ. One great injustice of this age is the growing number of 'mature' men, who's public written legacy is more focused on tearing down a political leader than it is on the unfathomable freedom that comes from believing in and following Jesus.

Men, we'll get so much further with love than we will with arguments and propaganda. It'll be the difference between being just another complainer in the crowd and leaving a legacy. And the guys from my generation, and my kid's generation are watching you. We're looking for an example of greatness. Will you help us find it?

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I'd be interested to hear your feedback, even if you think I'm way off base. Thank you for reading.

Warmly,
Tim