Discernment and #KONY2012!! (1st of 2 Reflections)

Need I really begin by explaining what "Kony 2012" is? Even if you live under a dang rock, I'm sure someone's mentioned it while passing by your stone abode. Simply by reading this post and, thus, being present on the internet, you guarantee that you're familiar with this video. If not, though, here's the link. In short, there's an evil man in Africa named Kony that kidnaps kids to make them soldiers, and a nonprofit named Invisible Children is trying to bring him down.

The video about this went viral overnight half a week ago, spurring all sorts of celebrity endorsements, Twitter trends, and outspoken critics. Specifically, this guy created a blog to critique the organization and movement, and Invisible Children responded.

I've personally heard just about ever possible response to this campaign, from fervent support to distrust to apathy, both in person and online, and the response brought to mind two concepts that I feel are criminally underutilized, especially within Christianity. I'll talk about the first (discernment) now and the other (personal convictions and calling) in my next post.

I was shocked by the lack of discernment so many supporters showed. Don't misunderstand me: This is a worthy cause to support, and I think Invisible Children is a worthy avenue to use. What I can't wrap my mind around is how people could justify donating money and planning demonstrations after watching just one half hour YouTube documentary.

What if Invisible Children had been a shady organization that just abused this cause for celebrity status, steady income, and effective grassroots marketing? It's not, but the above critique shows how possible that is. Personal experience does, too: I've seen people at my church who care little about kids jump on mission trips and conferences because they're superficially noble ways to go on vacation. Also, I don't want to paint an exaggerated picture of pastors because my brother's one, but there are some out there that are in it for the status and bling.

Furthermore, the content itself could have been dangerous propaganda. If the military funding allegations had been true, donating to Invisible Children would have been promoting the very atrocities it claimed to be fighting! This certainly wouldn't have been the first time something like this had happened.

Emotions are a dangerous thing. They can make someone react to a nonissue, overreact to a true issue, or react with a plan that will just make matters worse. Modern technology is awesome because it allows us as Christians, as citizens, etc., and also humanity as a whole to join together for meaningful causes, but it's scary because any well-meaning goof ball's lame video, or any pile of lies and crap, go viral.

Technology lets information travel faster than we as stupid people can effectively digest it. I pray that we can learn how to discern what's important, what's acceptable, and what's garbage before we support something dangerous or go into an apathetic backlash.

Introductions

I've never watched the birth of a highly successful blog, so I'm not sure how these things get started.

Do internet writers typically open with introductory posts explicitly stating their mission statements, or do they hit the group running with their banal nonsense? Should I tell you what I'm doing, or is that lame?

Well, screw it. I'm going to introduce myself.

My name is Tim, and I'm a journalism major and Sunday School teacher. As of right now, I am also the creator, owner, and sole contributor to a spectacular faith-based blog entitled "Christianity Yesterday and Forever."

I'm sorry that the title is so verbose, but it's a very intentional and meaningful title. Truth be told, my first choice was "Christianity Today," but that's sort of taken already. According to Hebrews 13:8, though, Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so "Yesterday and Forever" is totally synonymous with "Today," right? It's all the same in Jesus' time.

(Sadly, it's not all the same in my professors' time, so my grades suffer from my chronic lateness. That's fine, though. Why fear he who can fail me but cannot throw my body and soul into the Lake of Fire? Right...?)

I'm referencing "Christianity Today" because that's essentially what I'm talking about: Christianity, today. Christian culture is enormous, diverse, and sometimes difficult. In this blog, I will be tackling various thoughts, events, and general conversation topics within the various niches that relate to this faith, specifically in ways that are relevant to today. (I also entertained the title "Relevant," but that, also, is taken.)

The parody blog title is also meaningful because, honestly, Christian culture deserves to be parodied. I'm a believer, so I will not at any point be mocking my Savior, but by golly, we bearers of His name deserve some teasing. I once heard that, by laughing at things that are out of wack, we can get a better understanding of how things should be. To this end, I plan on being a modern day Paul, or Micaiah, using humor as a tool to glorify the Most High and thoroughly enjoy this crazy-but-good world He had made.

So, that's who I am and what this is. Regardless of where you are in your life, I hope you enjoy my thoughts and perhaps even share a few of your own in the comments! And, if the name is too wordy for you, just give it a cool abbreviation like "CYAF" or something. That's not taken, is it?