Ten years ago Facebook was introduced into my life.  My wife Julie was talking with a friend about this new thing that you could do on your computer.  People had individual accounts and you could post pictures or share your thoughts.  There was even a place to put in personal information.

I decided to give it a go.  I sat down at my personal computer and signed myself up.  That was a game changer.  It was a life changer.   I was able to learn about long lost high school classmates and friends from church camp.  It was even a way to connect with family that lived far away.  It was exciting to see new friend requests or waiting to find out if someone had accepted my request.  I learned that the kids I went through grade school with were now responsible adults with real jobs and a family.  Their children had a faint resemblance to the kid I went to school with.   There was a lot of bragging and boasting, and sharing of information that put folks in an extremely positive light.

In the last decade a lot has changed.  The political and social climate has gotten fierce.  People don’t seem to be as nice as they once were.  I scroll (on my smartphone) for quite a while to find posts that aren’t ads or memes.

The tenor of posting has changed as we move through the political seasons.  Many people get all of their news through Facebook and are deeply influenced by the posts they read.  I try not to post too much of my political views, but I have a deep suspicion that those who disagree with me have either ‘unfollowed’ or ‘unfriended’ me.

It is a huge ethical dilemma for me, if someone keeps posting things that upset me: Do I ‘unfollow’ or ‘unfriend’?  If I ‘unfollow’ or ‘unfriend’ someone, then I never have to see their posts.  ‘Unfollowing’ someone seems to be the easy and safe choice.  They might not ever find out that you did it, and they will go on blissfully unaware that you are no longer interested in their posts.  However, “unfriending’ someone is a blatant cut-off.  Eventually, they’ll discover that you are no longer friends.  That might cause an awkward exchange in the future.   If I tell them that I am offended by their posts, will that really change their attitude?

I post things that I think people may be interested in knowing.  Usually they are silly observations about life.  I try not to do much trash talking, or get baited into arguments about religion, sports or politics (those are my touchy subjects).  The last thing I want to do is get in a virtual argument with friends or strangers who happen to be friends of my friends.

Many people don’t have a Facebook account.  Some hold it as a badge of honor.  Churches have Facebook pages because they understand that the public swims deep in the waters of social media.  Seekers and church shoppers can go inside a church before they grace the threshold of a church.  This pastor has an account, but it not an “official” pastor account—it is my personal account.  It represents who I am in the office and when I am not.  My account does not speak for the church, and the views expressed are my own personal views.

So, back to the question: to unfriend or unfollow.   What do you do?  If someone posts some things you don’t agree with, what do you do?

If Jesus were on Facebook, what would Jesus do?