Clout Christianity

“I feel like your blog is…well, for lack of a better word, heretical”

“I’ve been talking with some of the other girls in our group and we all agreed…you should post less pictures of yourself”

”Have you ever heard of Girl Defined? They talk about wearing makeup in a God-honoring way, you should really check it out”

“Wait, he’s gay? And you’re still friends? Aren’t you like…shining a negative light on God?”

Sigh.

These are all real things that people have said to me. These are actual statements made by actual Christians. And this is only a handful of things that have been said to me regarding my faith.

Today’s blog is going to be a little different, y’all. Buckle up.

I want to talk about Clout Christianity.

I want to talk about the side of Christianity that tries to make Jesus “trendy”. I want to talk about the side of Christianity that cares about favorites. I want to talk about the side of Christianity that wastes energy on nitpicking. I want to talk about the side of Christianity that is so focused on other Christians that it has completely lost sight of the ultimate mission.

This side of Christianity (which I have nicknamed “Clout Christianity”) is becoming more and more prominent. I see it all the time on social media - Christians picking fights with other Christians about the tiniest of things and tearing each other down in the name of “correction”. They spend so much energy criticizing one another, and then they call it “being loving"“.

Here’s the thing though: Clout Christianity is not loving. It just portrays itself that way. It’s very sneaky - its words can look like a kiss, but in reality, they’re a slap in the face.

Clout Christianity cares about one thing: clout.

Favorites. Likes. Double-taps. Views. Shares. Comments from other Christians saying “preach!” or “amen!” All things that can be great - to an extent.

You see, at some point, those posts that they claim are “to share truth” become a way to gain popularity. Their content becomes more targeted towards those that are already saved, which, in turn, gains them more likes and more followers (who are all - yes, you guessed it - saved).

Not only that, but they spend a lot of their time starting arguments on social media - and most of the time, these arguments are with other Christians. The topics of these disagreements vary, but if I had to use one word to describe them, it would be nitpick-y. These arguments are masqueraded as showing truth to one another, but are actually based on proving who has more theological knowledge.

“But Bailey, we’re called to lovingly correct our brothers and sisters in Christ! Haven’t you read Matthew 18?”

I’m so glad you asked, because yes…yes I have.

Let’s go over it together, shall we?

Matthew 18 verses 15 through 17 -

“If another believer sins, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If they still don’t accept, treat them as a pagan.”

So yes, we are absolutely called to correct our brothers & sisters in Christ - but correct them in what?

SIN.

The only time that you are called to correct another believer is if they are blatantly sinning. If they are doing something detrimental to their faith -

Not if they wear too much makeup.

Not if they have gay friends.

Not if they read a different translation of the Bible than you.

There will always be room for dispute when it comes to translating the Bible. It is the word of God, but how many times can one verse be translated among different people? I mean, look at how many different denominations there are!

My point is, stop focusing on the things that don’t matter. Stop tearing down other believers. Everyone who believes that Jesus died for our sins & conquered death is on the same team - and it’s about time we start acting like it.

Church, when did we become so dang nitpick-y?

We have got to stop judging one another and calling it correction. Once we realize that we all have the same end goal - which is to grow the kingdom of God & spread the Good News to those who don’t yet know Him - there is so much more room to put love on display. Once we realize that, we can truly be a people bent on changing the world - an unstoppable force that is not hypocritical, but full of truth, love, and righteousness.

So, Clout Christian, I leave you with this question: who are you really posting for? Are you truly trying to reach the unreached, or are you trying to get a “yes & amen” from an audience that’s already saved?