Hold Fast Apologetics

On December 16, 2023, Christian author Reagan Rose wiped every one of his social media accounts. In an age where digital presence is practically required, the move looked bold—maybe even reckless—for someone leading an online ministry such as Redeeming Productivity. Publishers routinely ask for an author’s social media metrics, and those platforms are typically considered essential tools for promotion.

So why did Reagan quit social media?

After attempting to “leverage the good parts” of social media through moderation, Reagan eventually realized that these platforms were actually hindering his ability to be a “faithful steward” of the responsibilities God had given him. In his assessment, the costs created by those hindrances far outweighed any potential benefits of staying online. The following five points unpack the key reasons behind his decision to step away from Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms.

1. A Hindrance to Focus.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Reagan explains, “I want to live a life of faithfulness. I want to walk in the good works that the Lord has prepared for me in advance to walk in. I want to be an effective steward of my short life, and this requires focus; it requires me not to get distracted. Paul writes to Timothy, ‘you know a soldier doesn’t get involved in civilian affairs’ (2 Timothy 2:4). You have to have a single-minded focus, and social media is an enemy of focus. And it’s by design. The goal of social media of the companies is to keep you on their platform for as long as possible. We all know this, and the algorithms are getting better and better by the day. And for whatever potential benefit social media might offer you with one hand, I feel like it takes it away with the other in focus; your attention is spread out.”

2. A Hindrance to Joy.

“Life is obviously full of ups and downs. [Which is why] you fight to have joy in the midst of all the trials and tribulations you face. You’re fighting to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ in the midst of [difficult] circumstances and discouragements. But I found that there was one thing that really doesn’t help me fight for joy, and that is when my social media feed is backing up like a dump truck and just unloading seven metric tons of discouragement on my timeline every day.”

3. A Hindrance to Worship.

“Addiction problems really are worship problems.”

“A lot has been written about addiction in social media. They’ve designed it as this casino where the currency is your attention, and it’s designed to keep you pulling that lever right. It’s designed to addict you. Think back 5 years, even if you’re like, ‘I didn’t use social media that much,’ and now you’re like, ‘Why am I constantly scrolling?’ Like, ‘What even is this?’ It’s gotten better at hooking you (as I argued back when I wrote my book on video games). Addiction problems really are worship problems. It’s an issue of the heart. And Christians, we joke sometimes about being addicted to our phones or social media, but it’s not really a laughing matter, is it? You know the God who called us to love him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and might meant that, and when you have an inordinate amount of time being spent on whatever it is you might call an addiction, there’s a heart problem there.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-8

Your affections are misaligned, and a part of you is satisfying itself in that thing, with something that you ought to get from God. For example, you might be looking to social media for affirmation, right, which you ought to get from your identity in Christ. You’re hunting for something. You need it. Something has gone wrong in the heart when that happens.”

“And the other aspect of this is the problem with what we call addiction is that we are submitting ourselves to another master who is not the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12, ‘”All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.’ And so you might say that social media is lawful for you, and that it’s okay if you use it right. And that it’s not sin to use it if it’s helpful for you. But I’m like, no. [While] social media is lawful for me, I am being dominated by it. It is taking over to such a degree that it’s actually a problem. I found that I wasn’t in control of how often I was using it, and this I recognized was ultimately a worship problem.”

4. A Hindrance to Holiness.

“Yes, you have to exercise self-control when when temptation comes upon you, but why are you willingly walking into it?”

“We’re called to be holy as He is Holy, right? We want to be sanctified, expelling sin from our lives — turning it all over to the Lord. And yet we put ourselves in the way of temptation through social media more often than we realize.”

Rose continues… “Lust is an obvious one. But there are also many other sins that social media tempt you to, that are no less serious. They’re still sin. For example, the temptation of discontentment. Or the love of money, right? If all you see are photos or stories of people who have what you want, it’s hard to keep an attitude of contentment. You know you’re thinking about, ‘I wish my house looked that way.’ ‘I wish I had that car.’ Or, it can manifest in full-on covetousness… which is like an unlawful desire for something that’s not yours. It’s actually one of the Ten Commandments!”

“Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,”
Proverbs 5:8

“I think that we all sort of feel the effects of this the temptation to sin when you’re on social media, but we don’t identify it for what it is. What I mean is: you scroll social media for a while and you come away feeling kind of like… yucky. You’re just like, ‘Ah, I’m not glad I did that.’ Maybe the reason you feel yucky after you spend 30 minutes scrolling is because you spent 30 minutes scrolling temptations to sin in your heart… whether it be lust, or covetousness, or discontentment, or lust, or whatever it is. What if that’s the problem and you’re just putting yourself in the path of those temptations?! We’re told to flee temptation… Yet, with every swipe we’re willingly subjecting ourselves to these things! People say that they just need to exercise self-control, but that’s not what Solomon said. I agree self-control is important, but he (Solomon) says, ‘Don’t go that way son! Don’t put yourself in the way of temptation!’ Yes, you have to exercise self-control when when temptation comes upon you, but why are you willingly walking into it? I think social media exposes us to a lot of heart.”

5. A Hindrance to Eternal-Mindedness.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Colossians 3:2

Finally, “social media has a way of magnifying the insignificant. The older I get, the more I’m interested in investing myself in things of eternal value — things that last. And social media favors the ephemeral over the Eternal. It trains you to dwell on trivial stuff instead of lasting stuff.

“I want to invest in relationships with real people, in real life, and not fall for the deception that the people that are following me on social media are the same as people that I have a relationship with in real life. I have limited time, limited focus. I want to focus my energies on what has eternal significance. When am I going to have the time to think the big thoughts about God? It’s not going to be when I’m on my phone. Less social media will help me be more eternally minded.

So, maybe you’re thinking, ‘I should quit social media.’ One thing I wish someone had told me… I’ll tell you: You are allowed to quit. You’re allowed to quit.

If you are hearing, ‘You know you’re Christian, so you have an obligation to be a positive influence on social media,’ [please know that] you don’t have to do every type of ministry; you’re not required to be on these platforms, especially if they’re a hindrance to your faithfulness. I’ll leave you with this: We have such limited time, and I for one want to produce work that lasts. I want to think on what matters; I want to live a faithful life. And in my experience, social media (for all its many benefits) stands opposed to those goals. So I will willingly forsake social media’s potential benefits in favor of a life of depth and focus and faithfulness, and I’m not going to apologize for that.”🔥

AMEN.