05/07/2026
Does your doctrine trend??
Everyone knows that the most controversial, topical, spicy-hot takes are the clickbait magnets for engagement. And many pastors and religious "leaders" are eating it up. They're eating YOU up.
The reward for posting the vitriolic content is massive -- enough to make anyone think that the positive outweighs the negative. It certainly seems so when the dopamine and serotonin hit. It seems worth it when their monetized content pays out. And when their constituency is made up of anonymous online usernames, why should they care what harm it can do to a community?
What community?
If there were a stronger warning that I thought people would actually heed, I would voice it.
But was Paul not clear when he said, "an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words produce[s] envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people..." 1Ti 6:4-5?
The saddest part about it is most of these Tiktok Preachers actually think they're doing something good for the world...
They're not.
[2Ti 2:23-26 ESV] 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
How do you spot the madness that you should avoid??
1. Does the speaker mock and scoff and belittle others?
2. Does it promote kindness or vitriol?
3. Is the teacher patient, enduring evil? Or lashing out and snarky?
4. Are they an actual teacher of the Word, or do they only parrot weak doctrine and buzz phrases?
5. Do their words entice viewers to repentance or to continue in sinfulness: revenge, slander, hatred?
I challenge you to consider that it's actually not hard to spot the sorts of behavior and content you should not engage with. The challenge here is: don't engage with it. Swipe away. Put the phone down. It's not kosher. It's not for you.
You know better. You know you don't want to reward evil. You know that you don't need that trash in your mind.
I'm sorry to tell you, but you have "brothers" and "sisters" who want nothing more than to exploit and monetize your feelings. And you're letting them.
Strengthening the body of believers isn't going to happen on social media. Even the basic irony that I have to put this warning out on social media hits me right in the gut, frankly. But I don't need to be the one to tell you to avoid controversies and vain conversations -- Scripture does that.
Listen.
