The Power Behind the Keyboard

With college football "talking season" back in full swing, emotions are running high, especially among passionate fans. (This year's season begins forty days from today!) Last week, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman addressed the crowd at SEC Media Days. Entering his sixth season with a 30–31 record, he's under heavy pressure to win this year – or else! After a respected sportswriter from the state expressed hope for the coach’s success, the backlash online was intense. Comments turned personal, mocking, and downright mean. It was embarrassing.

Just days earlier, news spread of the passing of longtime evangelical minister John MacArthur. Married for over 60 years and having preached at one church for more than five decades, his global influence is undeniable. At the same time, his legacy includes serious concerns, particularly regarding his hardline Calvinism, troubling remarks about slavery, and inadequate responses to domestic abuse. These are not minor matters. Yet even where critique is warranted, what emerged online often lacked grace. Some rushed to pronounce judgment with chilling certainty, all the while claiming they weren't happy to see him go. MacArthur was just like every other person, “having a mixture of virtues and defects.”1 He, and we too, will stand before a faithful, just, and merciful God who will always do the right thing on the final day.

Why does this happen so easily? Why do people say online what they’d never say in person? Because the screen is a shield, and it emboldens what should be crucified in us. It removes the human element, making it easier to speak carelessly, react harshly, or join in a mob without thinking.

Scripture calls us to a higher standard.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29, NLT).

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,” Paul writes, “so that you may know how you should answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

And Peter reminds us: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, CSB).

Whether we’re commenting on football, theology, or anything in between, we must remember that we're Christ’s representatives, even in the comment section. The world is watching. Our words are on display with every post we make.

Let’s not let the power behind the keyboard become a weapon of the flesh. Let’s make it a tool for light, truth, and grace.