The War of the Memes

Memes are a big deal these days on social media. A meme is typically defined as an image that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users. It is typically a picture of some kind, with a message included in it (thought it can be a video or even just a piece of text).

Quite often, memes are humorous and people pass them around just for fun. Others are political or are intended to convey some kind of social message.

Recently I came across a couple that had religious overtones, but promoted a point of view that appeared “Christian” on the surface, but actually carried a message that was anything but. This type is often spread by people who either want others to think they are promoting good theology, or who are trying to put down Christianity and Christians.

The first one that came my way was all text. It read:

Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it. But I’m afraid He would ask me the same question. Anonymous.

Now this one can actually be taken in more than one way. Sometimes people who are hurting or are truly distressed about the pain in the world legitimately want to know why God allows suffering. When the question is sincere, Christians ought to be able to compassionately explain that this is not God’s will, but a result of sin in the world.

On the other hand, this can be put out by people who believe some form of liberal theology, and they share it as a way of putting down those who hold traditional biblical beliefs. It is basically a way of accusing God of callously allowing evil in the world, and promoting a “works” approach to solving the worlds most serious problems. In the case of this meme, the person who shared it obviously had the second meaning in mind.

The second meme was a picture of late-night TV host Stephen Colbert, and contained text attributed to him. It read:

“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”

It seems that Colbert is very outspoken about his commitment to his Roman Catholic faith. He claims that Jesus Christ has changed his life.

I am certainly not in a position to judge his salvation, so I won’t do that. However, I can evaluate the statements he has publicly made concerning values issues. It is well known that Colbert is a political liberal, and that he is pro-abortion and gay marriage. These beliefs not only run contrary the teachings of the Bible, but even ignore the teachings of his own Catholic faith.

The statement above cannot be easily evaluated when taken out of context, as it promotes beliefs that do not, on a surface level, go against biblical teachings. However, when you know the context, what Colbert actually believes, and the kind of theology that informs his statement, we can evaluate it very easily.

Of course, Jesus would be all for helping the poor, and He was certainly not selfish. And, while He never actually said to “love the poor,” He did speak of serving the needy and affirmed the teachings of the Old Testament where helping the poor is taught.

The problem with Colbert’s statement, though, is that he promotes this cause as the primary purpose that defines Christianity. It is not! Jesus’ purpose in helping the poor was not so they could have their temporal needs taken care of. That was only a natural side effect of His real purpose. Jesus didn’t come to help the poor and needy have their material needs taken care of. It was to provide for them eternal spiritual salvation that resulted in a changed life. Colbert’s statement sounds warm and fuzzy on the surface, but totally ignores Jesus’ central purpose for incarnating on earth.

The point here is to be on the lookout for false teachings about Christianity. They are everywhere. Even things that may appear to be true and right, sometimes are not. As Christians we need to be knowledgeable and diligent lest we be led astray. It can happen all too easily.

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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