Beware the Powers
If you have ever attended Sunday school or VBS, you likely heard about the armor of God. It comes from a famous passage in Ephesians 6, where Christians are instructed to clothe themselves with truth, righteousness, faith, and so on, to be ready for the challenges of life. It makes a nice lesson for children because, not only is it important, but the language the apostle Paul uses is visual and can be easily remembered. What is not discussed nearly as often, and certainly not in children’s classes, is the verse that introduces and explains this section of Scripture.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) Theologians and Biblical scholars debate what Paul means by “principalities” and “powers.” Some suggest he is talking about spiritual or demonic forces in the world. Others suggest that he is referring to institutions, movements, and ideas that capture the minds of people. I like to keep things simple. I believe he is referring to both. There are spiritual forces at work in our world that we cannot fully understand or explain. There are also worldly forces, such as materialism, consumerism, and secularism, that cause significant harm and are easier to understand and explain.
What we should understand is that these powers are cunning and deceptive and are detrimental to human flourishing. These powers do not discriminate. They are harmful whether you are a believer or not. Because these powers are cunning and deceptive, we need to ask what they are and what they are doing to us.
What powers are at work in society and in my life? What are they doing to me? How are they shaping and influencing me?
One power we may have never noticed is the algorithms used by social media companies. When we hop online, we may assume we are free beings making free choices, but this is not entirely true. The algorithms used by social media companies are designed to be addictive. They are collecting data and learning about who we are and what we like. They are then influencing us to buy products, watch certain videos, and click on specific links. Social media is not a place where we are free to do as we please. We are continually being directed by algorithms that control what we see.
Why are we more polarized and divided than we have been in recent years? One reason is due to social media and the algorithms being used.
We need to pay attention to these influences because every day when we log on to social media, we are being told to hate our neighbors. The message of Jesus is the opposite.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Let’s not allow algorithms to influence how we view and relate to our neighbors. Let’s pay attention to sources that are much older and offer valuable wisdom. Let’s put down our phones, spend some time in Scripture, and we may discover we are not as divided or different as we are being told we are.