The technological revolution of the last couple of decades has had a profound impact on our culture. Much of this impact has been good. For instance, this revolution has democratized information so that anyone with access to the internet also has access to a vast amount of information that was previously inaccessible. The internet leveled the information playing field by democratizing it.

There are downsides to this democratization trend. The internet has allowed each of us to have a say and, frankly, maybe we and the world would be better off if this weren’t so. My point is that there are some benefits to elitism, and there are some downsides to democratization. Let me give you a couple of examples.

First, consider the area of publishing. There are benefits to limiting access to those who publish their thoughts. Traditionally, to be published you would have to convince a publisher that your work was worthy of publication. In addition, you would have to submit your work to rigorous review by peers and those banes of human existence, editors. This traditional publication path certainly excluded many from voicing their thoughts, but it also placed a level of quality control on what entered the public domain. On the blogosphere, however, anyone can simply publish their thoughts without any of these quality controls. Words can be published without being vetted.

This democratization has allowed the internet to become a soap box for unqualified opinions and unfounded attacks. I’ve seen friends, groups and ideas unfairly trashed. I’ve seen theological inferiors, in Westminster parlance, tear apart their theological superiors. This is one of the reasons I’ve resisted blogging, because I think there is a benefit in some other qualified person judging the worthiness, accuracy and appropriateness of what I publish.

A second area where we can witness the downside of democratization is in the area of preaching. There is a reason why there are over 60 published volumes of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons—it’s because he was a great preacher. In Spurgeon’s day, it was extremely difficult to publish a sermon, and his sermons were chosen because they were worthy of the work. Today, every preacher, regardless of ability, has a platform for publishing his sermons—it’s called Sermon Audio. Now I understand it is convenient for congregants to be able to listen to a message they missed by going online, and those sermons can benefit people around the world. But there is an element of ego and celebrity in it and, frankly, the Reformed church already has enough problems with the cult of personality. The bottom line is that there are probably a handful of preachers whose sermons are worthy of wide distribution. Personally, I cringe to see my messages on these forums, and even I wouldn’t listen to me!

The democratization of information provides opportunity for Christians to engage in two main sins: pride and foolishness. We can all become consumed with the importance of our thoughts and the power this media affords to disseminate them. The internet can become a breeding ground for the idolatry of self-importance. The book of Proverbs warns us about the dangers of indulging in such self-worship. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18). We can also engage in sloppiness and foolishness by spewing forth words that have not been weighed carefully. The book of Proverbs cautions us in this regard as well. “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil” (15:28). That’s how God’s Word speaks in your world.

—Anthony T. Selvaggio