Recently, Forbes announced
that NBA legend Michael Jordan has become the first billionaire professional
athlete. Jordan’s net worth certainly can be attributed to his prowess and
accomplishments on the basketball court, but what really made him a billionaire
is his ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets and, more importantly, his
brand.
Jordan was arguably the first
and most successful athlete to leverage his name as a brand. His partnership
with Nike to create the Jordan line of athletic apparel was a game changer in
its day and has paved the way for a myriad of superstars to follow in his wake.
Today, celebrities, athletes
and business professionals alike seek to advance their personal brands and
build their platforms in order to increase influence and affluence. Where
entourages used to consist of trainers and accountants, they’ve now been
replaced by “brand strategists” and “platform gurus.”
Social media
has become one of the primary vehicles to accelerate one’s brand. Twitter and
Instagram followers represent influence, and self-promotion is the name of the
game. In fact, the very idea of social media carries with it at least a slight
hue of narcissistic presumption.
Of course the church is not
immune to the cult of personality and the culture of self-promotion. High-profile
Christian celebrities and pastors are easily criticized for manipulating book
sales, buying Twitter followers and using speaking engagements to promote their
brands.
But what if I told you this
allure toward pride is not limited just to the big shots? At the root of this
is every man’s sinful desire for self-importance. Each of us seeks his own way.
Each of us craves attention, significance and recognition. Even in a wholesome
desire to serve the Lord and to make a difference for his kingdom, we can be
easily sidetracked to make much of ourselves, whether intentionally or
unintentionally.
I don’t think most Christians
have a calculated, self-conscious plan to build their brands. At first blush,
we recoil at the thought of pride and self-promotion. But the incipient nature
of pride works its way into our thoughts and actions quietly. What we think are
noble aspirations to build his kingdom can sometimes be tainted with a desire
to build ourselves up. It’s a vice we must all fight.
Added to this is the relative
newness of social media. For most of us, we’re still evaluating this
phenomenon’s virtues and vices. This article is not a knock on social media.
I’ve used Facebook and Twitter for years. I enjoy the personal interactions
afforded, and I’m fascinated by the way it’s woven into the fabric of our relationships.
Social media can be a powerful and helpful tool, even for Christians. As with
any tool, we must be wise how we use it.
Simply stated, Christians are
not brands. We are disciples. And as disciples, we should emulate our Lord. In Philippians
2:3-5, Paul exhorts believers to reflect Christ through humility, doing nothing
out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
The Bible is clear that God is
the one who raises up individuals to places of influence. In his sovereignty,
he often gives us platforms, but they’re to be used for his glory, not our own.
I’m always encouraged to see Christians who get this. The Lord obviously has
his hand on them and has given them a strategic voice, and they aren’t trying
to leverage it for their own glory.
How do we guard against pride
in our uses of social media? How do we emulate our Savior’s humility across a
medium that tempts us toward self-promotion? To some degree, this is a matter
of conscience, but here are a few places to start.
- Check your motivations. Before you tweet something, stop and consider your goal. Are there any hidden desires to make yourself look good or important?
- Take inventory of your social media posts. Occasionally, I look over the last six months of Tweets, Facebook posts and Instagrams and ask the questions, “If someone only knew me by what was posted here, what would they think? Is this an accurate portrayal of my life, or is it what I want people to think about me?”
- Avoid sharing or retweeting good things about yourself. If someone posts something nice about you, it’s OK to like or favorite it or even to reply with a thank you. But reposting kudos is self-congratulatory. This includes putting a period in front of the reply or quotes around it followed by “//Thanks” so others will see it.
- Beware of the humble brag. This may be a new term for you, but it’s basically when someone publicly pats himself on the back in a seemingly humble way. For example, someone may tweet, “Grateful to give $1 billion of my own money to a local charity.” The line here between thankfulness and false humility can be fuzzy. He may be genuinely thankful, or he may just want to tell everyone how awesome he is.
Honestly, I’ve been guilty of
all of these. Pride knows no bounds in our self-conscious, depraved hearts. But
by God’s grace we can guard against pride and build the kingdom instead of
building our own brands.
--This article appears in the March 10, 2015 edition of TEXAN Magazine.
