Living the meme life …

I recently posted a well-written, insightful article (written by someone else) on a Facebook group page. Shortly after, a lady commented, “TOO LONG!!!”

My response was to let the lady know this was a fully developed article, NOT a meme!

Welcome to “the meme life”!

Yes, many people have finally reached a place in their lives where they have fooled themselves into believing all the reading they need to do in order to learn, grow, even “study” the Bible, can be done through the reading of memes during their daily saturation of social media.

That’s a lie.

It’s true that some memes shared on social media platforms are quotes that are intelligent, insightful, even real nuggets of wisdom that can be beneficial if thoughtfully considered and applied. These can be of value to our learning and growing, but they are not sufficient unto themselves, just like a single meme with a scripture verse is not adequate for daily time in the Word, and they certainly are not a form of “Bible study” … or are they?

Are they?

Some church leaders have so reduced their challenge and encouragement to Christians for daily Bible reading and study that they have already taught doing something like opening a Bible app on their smartphones and reading a “verse for the day,” with some contemplation tagged onto that, sufficiently qualifies for “daily time in the Word.”

So if people get their “daily verse” from a meme instead of a Bible app, what does that matter? If reading a single sentence of scripture is adequate daily time in the Word, then living the meme life qualifies for the daily recommended minimum of scripture intake, doesn’t it?

Is it any wonder that churches today are filled with biblically illiterate people who profess to be Christians? And maybe I should add here, how have we come to have church leaders who utterly fail to challenge their flocks to read and study the Word daily to a degree that can shape their spiritual formation but instead foster the meme life? Have we really become like this …

A candidate for church membership was asked, “What part of the Bible do you like best?” He said, “I like the New Testament best.” Then he was asked, “What Book in the New Testament is your favorite?” He answered, “The Book of the Parables, sir.” They then asked him to relate one of the parables to the membership committee. A bit uncertain, he began …

Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves; and the thorns grew up and choked the man. And he went on and met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave that man, sir, a thousand talents of silver, and a hundred changes of raiment. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously, and as he was driving along under a big tree, his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging there! And he hung there many days and many nights. The ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and he fell on stony ground. And it begin to rain, and rained forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in a cave. Later he went on and met a man who said, “Come in and take supper with me.” But he said, “I can’t come in, for I have married a wife.” And the man went out into the highways and hedges and compelled him to come in! He then came to Jerusalem and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed, and he said, “Throw her down out of there,” and they threw her down. And he said “Throw her down again,” and they threw her down seventy-times-seven. And the fragments which they picked up filled twelve baskets full! NOW, whose wife will she be in the day of the Judgment?”

The membership committee agreed that this was indeed a knowledgeable candidate!

Well, at least that’s more than you can learn from a meme … or maybe that was the consolidation of a variety of memes!

How about you, have you given in to the meme life?

Scotty