Scot McKnight on Rob Bell and Social Media

Scot McKnight shares 10 important lessons learned from the Love Wins controversy over at Relevant Magazine. The entire article is great, but in light of recent conversations here I thought the first point was incredibly poignant.

First, social media is where controversial ideas will be both explored and judged. We no longer read books patiently, type out letters to denominational offices, find common agreements and then summon the Christian leader behind closed doors to ask questions and sort out concerns. It’s all public, it’s all immediate and everyone weighs in because social media is about as radical a form of democracy as exists. To be sure, this means the uninformed heavy-handed can weigh in as easily as the patient, careful, critical and balanced reader. But social media is not going away, so we should realize what we are getting into before we walk into the room.