CHARLES HARRIS: Proverbs for social media

Words can hurt. On Dec. 20, 2013, a PR executive for internet giant Inter Active Corp. tweeted a comment that seemed to link skin color with AIDS. She did so as she was taking off from England for South Africa. During the flight, her tweet was shared more than 2,000 times and went viral. By the time she landed, she had lost her job and her name had been forever tainted. Wisdom and discretion would have saved her that fate.

What does the Bible say specifically about social media and its use? Nothing. However, there is wisdom to be found that would guide us in the use of this public platform. The Proverbs teach us several aspects of speech.

There are times when it is best to be silent. “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19) “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” (Proverbs 13:3) “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23)

One must also learn to think before one speaks/tweets. “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) “He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:27)

We may want to make sure our motives are good. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives.” (Proverbs 16:2)

There are people who will never hear sound reasoning. “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you.” (Proverbs 9:8) “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.” (Proverbs 23:9) “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him.” (Proverbs 26:4)

We should be wise about what we are publishing about ourselves. “A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.” (Proverbs 12:23) “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.” (Proverbs 13:16) “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.” (Proverbs 14:16)

No matter the time period in man’s history, there have always been opinions to express, comments to make and injustices to right. We need to make sure that what we publicize matches up with who we claim to be as saints and citizens of heaven. We could lose more than our jobs by our comments, and we do not want to taint the name we wear.