To be ratioed means that the reaction to something you’ve said is overwhelmingly negative. It’s a term which began on Twitter for the times when the ratio of replies (negative) out number the likes of a tweet. Basically it means what you wrote kicked a hornet’s nest.
This past week there was an article by Kevin DeYoung and a video by Matt Chandler which created a bit of backlash. This is the tweet with the Chandler video. And this is the DeYoung article. I don’t think you can say that either were technically ratioed, but it was interesting to me to see the pushback on this video and article.
Matt’s video was calling believers to give one another the benefit of the doubt and stop being jerks to one another. DeYoung’s was an exposition of Romans 12:15, noting that the call to “weep with those who weep” is not a one-sided exhortation void of wisdom. As an example we don’t rejoice with the Taliban for taking Afghanistan and we don’t mourn with those who are saddened by godliness. I would wager that ten years ago both of these would have hardly caught our attention.
In my estimation both Matt’s video and DeYoung’s article they are basic biblical truths. But they were both ratioed—and maybe deservingly. Let me explain.
Biblical Truth Wrongly Applied, Stinks
When I teach on Job, or train others in something like biblical counseling, I inevitably make the point from Job’s friends that good theology (biblical truth) wrongly applied, stinks. If you apply a biblical truth at the wrong time then it can be more harmful than helpful. Job’s friends were sharing things which were theological true but they did not fit Job’s situation.
Likewise, what Matt Chandler said about biblical community is good and helpful and healthy, at least it would be in a context where narcissistic abusers haven’t been platformed for a few decades. But we aren’t in that context. The last ten years we’ve witnessed our little slice of evangelicalism be decimated by scandal after scandal. We were told for years to give the “benefit of the doubt” to these leaders. After all, they were heading up growing ministries in difficult locations. The kingdom was advancing. We’d do well to overlook some of these flaws and not listen to the critics. But in many instances, the critics were correct.
So we cannot listen to Matt’s words the same anymore. That is a consequence of decades of spiritually abusive leadership. It’s a consequence of our platforming those with competence over character. We’ve lost the benefit of the doubt.
In the same way, DeYoung’s article at face value isn’t wrong. But we live in a day and age of the subtweet. What pastoral situation is motivating DeYoung to write this? Is it all of the talk we’ve been seeing about empathy? Is it possible to read this without considering some of the backlash that TGC/DG has been experiencing? It’s possible that it’s just an innocuous article which DeYoung penned after doing his quiet time on Romans 12. But we’re not living in an age when that “benefit of the doubt” is going to be granted.
A Way Forward
Biblical truths should not be ratioed. We are in real danger when exhorting others to principles of basic Christian community incurs backlash. Now you might be thinking that I’m going to exhort those who are kicking against these biblical truths to repent and stop reading articles through their perceived hurts. I’m not. I’m actually going to use one of the beloved phrases of Mr. Leader Man to place the onus for change where they say it ought to be.
“Everything rises and falls on leadership”. That’s what we’ve been told for years. I think that certainly applies in this instance. So I’m going to say that leaders need to labor to rebuild trust…even when trust which others have broken. We have to have a long season of being people of integrity. We need to earn back the benefit of the doubt. And until then, we cannot afford to speak as if we’ve earned such a thing. Our words will continue to be poorly received.
As a leader I have to be aware of the environment in which I minister. I have to know that the cover has been lifted and the hurt is being exposed. We’re not ministering in a season of scabs and scars but of open and festering wounds. Bruised reeds we should not break.
Yes, there is something to be said for those who are triggered (whether the triggering happens easily or after much circumstance). I am a leader, but I’m also a limping leader. I have my own hurts (some festering). And I have to take responsibility for my triggers and be sure that I’m responding in a godly fashion. But I’m putting more of an onus on leaders. We have to take responsibility for this season we find ourselves in, and we must work to regain the trust which was abused and now forfeited.
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As a side note, nothing I’m saying here is specific to Matt Chandler or Kevin DeYoung. I’m merely using this situation to make the point that we can’t speak as we did 15 years ago. We’ve lost that. It may take years to build back, but it’s worth every bit of our effort.
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