Yesterday I got sucked into a video on YouTube that pitted 2 preachers against each other and I noticed a few things right away.
First, they were both preachers that I like. They have been faithful voices in the church and culture and I respect them tremendously. Seeing their words used against each another was not a pleasant experience.
Second, they didn’t actually preach back and forth to one another nor did they even know that their words would be used in that way. Instead, some third guy was using clips from their messages to prove how one of the preachers was wrong and the other was right.
Third, this other person was using their names to boost his views. In fact, the only reason I clicked the video was because I saw the 2 names and wondered what it was about.
Finally, I wondered how different that video would have been if the YouTuber had been courageous enough to, I don’t know, actually have a conversation with those preachers.
When we value platforms over people, we make accusations because that’s what builds our platforms. But when we value people over platforms, we have conversations because that’s what builds up people.
In a culture of megachurches, celebrity pastors, and basement YouTube stars, let’s remember that God values how we value others, not how we use others to increase the value we see in ourselves.
[Tweet “God values how we value others, not how we use others to increase the value we see in ourselves.”]There’s absolutely nothing wrong with building a platform, but make sure that when you’re finished, you’re using it to elevate people, not humiliate them.
