You Are Not Called by the Algorithm
There is a quiet assumption floating around Christian internet culture:
If something wrong is said publicly,
and you see it,
you are obligated to respond.
“Public teaching requires public correction.”
It sounds righteous. Responsible. Even courageous.
But here is the question no one asks:
Called by whom?
Because there is a difference between being called by Christ and being triggered by an algorithm.
The Internet Has Trained Us to Feel Responsible for Everything
Social platforms flatten reality.
A stranger posts something questionable.
It appears in your feed.
You feel a flicker of conviction.
And suddenly, the burden shifts to you.
Not because they asked you.
Not because you’re their pastor.
Not because you’re in relationship.
But because you saw it.
The modern assumption is:
Visibility equals responsibility.
That is not a biblical category.
“Always Be Ready” Is Not “Always Be Replying”
Christians often cite: “Always be ready to give an answer for the hope within you.”
That verse assumes something specific:
Someone asked.
The context is relational witness, not comment-section combat.
Peter did not say:
“Always be ready to correct strangers in threads.”
Being prepared to answer is different from being obligated to initiate.
There is no commandment:
Thou shalt reply.
Paul Went to Arabia
When Paul experienced a radical conversion, he did not immediately launch a teaching tour.
He withdrew.
He processed.
He reworked everything he thought he knew.
Contrast that with today:
Deconstruct on Tuesday.
Thread on Wednesday.
Podcast by Friday.
When people switch tribes—faith, politics, ideology—they often feel urgency. Relief plus clarity plus adrenaline feels like calling.
But sometimes it is just transition energy.
The internet rewards that energy. It platforms it. It amplifies it.
But formation has never been algorithmic.
Arabia still matters.
Public Does Not Mean Personal
A Patreon page is not the Roman forum.
A YouTube channel is not the Areopagus.
A Substack is not a shared pulpit.
It is someone else’s platform.
If you do not have permission to post at the top level, then they are not actually inviting you into dialogue. They are broadcasting.
Commenting does not create equal footing. It feeds engagement.
If you disagree deeply with someone, you have options:
Block.
Unfollow.
Withdraw financial support.
Write your own piece.
You are not required to strengthen their platform in order to register disagreement.
If public correction is needed, someone can provide it.
But that does not automatically mean you.
Not Every Fire Is Yours
There is a subtle ego trap in online correction culture.
It sounds like this:
“If I don’t speak, who will?”
The Spirit has never been short-staffed.
God has not placed you on digital patrol duty.
Correction in Scripture is contextual and relational:
Paul corrects churches he planted.
Leaders address their communities.
Conversations happen within accountability.
Correction is gifted, specific, and strategic.
It is not compulsory omnipresence.
Urgency and the Myth of Emergency
Much Christian engagement culture runs on fear:
“If we don’t respond, people will be led astray.”
“If we don’t speak up, souls are at stake.”
But there is no visible torrent of humanity sliding past your keyboard into eternal catastrophe because you failed to comment.
God is sovereign.
The Spirit is active.
You are not the emergency response unit for the universe.
Remove fear-driven urgency, and much of the compulsion to argue dissolves.
Silence Is Not Agreement
Another pressure point:
“If you don’t publicly refute it, people will assume you agree.”
That logic makes performance indistinguishable from faithfulness.
Silence can mean many things:
I do not consider this worth engaging.
I choose not to amplify it.
I am building something else.
I am not called here.
Faithfulness is not measured by frequency of response.
Build Instead of React
If a topic is worth your time, write your own piece.
Not as rebuttal.
Not as reactive outrage.
But as constructive clarity.
You do not need to argue inside someone else’s house to speak publicly.
You can build your own.
That is not cowardice.
It is agency.
Calling Is Personal, Not Universal
“Public teaching requires public correction” might be true in principle.
But calling is not collective assignment.
Some are called to polemics.
Some to pastoral care.
Some to scholarship.
Some to silence and prayer.
Some to build alternatives instead of dismantling opponents.
You are not obligated by proximity to a post.
You are not drafted by a notification.
You are not summoned by engagement metrics.
If you feel convicted to respond, respond.
If you do not, you are not in sin.
You Are Not Called by the Algorithm
The algorithm rewards reaction.
It punishes patience.
It amplifies conflict.
It monetizes outrage.
It does not discern calling.
If you comment, it grows.
If you argue, it spreads.
If you react, it multiplies.
That does not make your reaction righteous.
It makes it profitable for someone else.
The Spirit calls specifically.
The algorithm calls constantly.
Learn the difference.
Because not every public statement is your assignment.
Not every disagreement is your responsibility.
Not every moment is Arabia—but some should be.
And faithfulness does not require omnipresence.
You are not called by the algorithm.
You are called by Christ.