Christian Scandals, Political Rage, and the Slow Erosion of Our Credibility

That was the last time your posts about politics or scandals had any real impact.

But now it’s 2026. The social media landscape is very different. And some of us are still operating with what I’ll call social media arrested development syndrome. We are stuck in a time capsule of assumptions about how these platforms work.

There was a time when posting online could actually persuade people. Articles were shared and read. Conversations happened. Disagreements did not automatically turn into character attacks, and changing your mind was not treated like betraying your tribe.

That world feels almost archaic now.

Today, much of what is shared on social media is not engineered for thoughtful dialogue or careful discernment. It is engineered for speed, clicks, and emotional reaction. All of it is part of a monetary reward system designed to ensure we remain engaged. And nothing keeps us engaged like outrage. The Bible, in its timeless wisdom, anticipated this long before algorithms ever existed:

Proverbs 18:2 – Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

Everyone is being trained to share those opinions louder and faster. Christians have been no exception to taking the bait: a public scandal breaks, a political headline drops, a ruling is handed down, a clip goes viral. Almost instantly, everyone chimes in. Different subjects, same response.

Christians feel the pressure to post quickly: to clarify, condemn, defend, draw lines, and signal where they stand. The impulse is understandable. In many cases, it comes from a genuine desire to shepherd people through confusing or volatile moments.

But it isn't working.

When emotions are high, persuasion is low. When people are activated, they are rarely curious. Whether the issue is a Christian leader’s failure or a political controversy, most people are not actually listening. They are braced, defending, and already convinced they are right. James speaks into this dynamic with unsettling clarity:

James 1:19-20 – You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Social media is carefully and intentionally curated to pull us in the opposite direction of righteousness.

This is an uncomfortable observation, but an important one.

Christian scandal posts and political rage posts function identically. They activate tribal instincts and reward anger or fear. What often begins as “the courage to speak out” is, in reality, outrage masquerading as conviction. More often than we want to admit, our anger is simply a way to hide our fear. As a result, our goal becomes reinforcing who is in and who is out. Who is safe and who is not.

But the algorithms do not care whether something is safe or not. They don't even care whether the outrage is theological, ideological, or political. They only care that it spreads. And so, we post. Engagement spikes and the comments fill up with amens, applause, and affirmation. Our side cheers, and the other side digs in.

So here's what I'm asking. Maybe it's time to reflect on this toxic merry-go-round and ask some better questions. Questions like: "Is this actually working? Is anyone actually being changed for the good?" To use Christian vernacular, "Are people actually being discipled?" Sadly, I think we all know the answers if we're being honest with ourselves.

In fact, if we're being really honest, we just want people to hear us. To empathize with us. To agree with us. In so doing, we end up engaging online in a way that is no different from the political figures who throw red meat to their base. The message lands because those people already agree. Engagement rises, but persuasion does not. The Apostle Paul warned his protégé, Timothy, that this dynamic would play out even among Christians:

2 Timothy 4:3 – For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.

Agreement is not the same as growth. Volume is not the same as influence. Noise is not the same as efficacy.

I will say this plainly. I do not want an eternal digital record of every reaction I have had to every scandal or political moment. New information emerges. Context shifts. Stories evolve. What felt righteous in the moment can later appear rushed, incomplete, or poorly framed. Sometimes, if I am honest, my instincts were simply wrong. Not because I was trying to deceive, but because I was reacting.

When that happens, the options are limited. Either you walk it back, or you dig in. Retractions are rare. Defensiveness, rationalization, and self-justification are far more common. And once we dig in, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell whether we are defending truth or just defending ourselves.

Proverbs 29:20 – There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

Wisdom often needs time, and social media seldom allows for that. But there is an even deeper cost...a not-so-hidden cost.

Christians are supposed to have a meaningful number of people in their lives who have yet to believe. That includes their social media spaces. These people are watching quietly. Observing how we speak and how we disagree. They are paying attention to how we handle power, failure, conflict, and politics.

Do we really want their primary exposure to Christianity to be Christians locked in constant public battles, arguing in comment sections, and reacting to every cultural flare-up as if it were a crisis of faith?

Colossians 4:5 – Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

Wisdom means considering not only what we say, but when we say it, where we say it, and what our words are likely to produce in that moment.

If our reactions are eroding our credibility, what can we do instead? At least, that's the question I'm obsessed with when I think about my own social media usage.

(1) Post About Underlying Themes Before the Scandal or Crisis Happens

If we only speak when a scandal breaks or a political crisis erupts, we will always be late. By then, people are already defensive, and postures are already set.

A better approach is proactive formation. Meaning, we should regularly engage the deeper themes that sit beneath the surface before the problem arises. Themes such as:
 

• Power
• Character
• Humility
• Repentance
• Justice
• Truth
• Grace
• The limits of political solutions
• The danger of moral shortcuts
• The call to faithfulness over visibility

When we address these themes before they are attached to a cultural crisis, we build credibility and increase the likelihood that people will actually listen. In other words, these conversations land very differently when people are not already triggered.

Luke 6:45 – What you say flows from what is in your heart.

That means we should speak to people’s hearts before they are locked into a theological or ideological turf war. When that groundwork is laid, responses to difficult moments are far more likely to be shaped by earlier, healthier conversations. What we say in a crisis should be an overflow of what we have already been teaching and posting.

(2) Move the Hardest Conversations Offline

I agree that some moments are too significant to ignore. That is true. But our responsibility is not to disciple the internet. Our responsibility is to engage with the people we know, the people we are accountable for, and the people who can ask us real questions.

That means moving conversations into in-person spaces whenever possible. Living rooms. Offices. Classrooms. Coffee tables. LifeGroups and other church settings. These are the environments where nuance is possible. Where disagreements do not automatically become dehumanizing. Where people are not hiding behind screens or keyboards.

Hebrews 10:24-25 – Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together.

Meaningful formation only happens face-to-face.

A fair response to an article like this is to point out the irony. After all, this is a public post about public posts. But it is a post urging restraint in a world trained to react. Personally, I am learning to choose the former whenever possible.

You may disagree. But is your way working? Do you see things getting better? So, maybe it's time for a pause, some reflection, and a different approach.  

That doesn't mean we never speak out publicly. That's not really the issue. The issue is whether our patterns of speaking are actually forming people or simply keeping us active in the same outrage cycles we claim to resist. There is a difference between speaking with intention and speaking on impulse. A difference between conviction and compulsion. A difference between shepherding people and catering to an audience.

And most of us can feel it when we have crossed that line. Tragically, others cannot.

What the world needs from Christians right now is restraint. The ability to engage cultural issues without becoming captive to them. The internet is unlikely to change for the better, but people can. And Jesus is still forming men and women who listen for His voice rather than the crowd’s reaction.

That means we need Christians, and Christian voices online, who are more hopeful than the internet itself. I, for one, believe Christians need to stay engaged with social media for this reason. But walking that line will not be easy. We will make mistakes. Most of us have felt the pull to react quickly and speak loudly, only to realize later that we should have slowed down. Thank God, there's grace. And growth requires grace.

Maybe we can grow in this together. We do not have to mirror the culture to reach the culture. We can be slower. We can be wiser.

And instead of merely bringing the news, we can bring good news.

Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessings if we do not give up.