Purpose: In this discussion board, we’ll work together to explore how the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) applies to the behaviors and activities of Christians online.
Post: In your post, choose one of the following four questions to answer in a 300-350 word post. Your original post should respond to all elements of the question, and should reflect on some specific online practice or behavior. Please indicate which question you are answering in your post.
The question choices are:
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- Question 1. Matthew 5:1-16 contains a series of blessing statements called “Beatitudes” and Jesus’ teachings about the disciples as “salt” and “light”. The Beatitudes aren’t a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” but rather statements of the upside down values of God’s kingdom. How does the worldview that the Beatitudes convey differ from the kind of world we find and participate in online? Where are they more similar?
- Question 2. Matthew 5:17-48 presents a series of moral commands structured as “antitheses” (ie: “you have heard it said,. . . but I say to you. . . “ Locate a reputable news article that talks about an online behavior that is either identical or parallel to a one discussed in this section in Matthew. What does your article claim about the ways the internet facilitates either the behavior Jesus commands OR the behavior Jesus warns against?
- Question 3. In 6:1-18, Jesus addresses some religious practices and the appropriate way to engage in them. Based on your understanding of that passage, evaluate this claim: “Based on Jesus’ teachings in 6:1-18 and the broader Sermon on the Mount, no Christian should post about their faith on social media platforms.” State whether you agree, disagree, or agree, but only under certain conditions. Then, describe your reasoning.
- Question 4. Choose one command Jesus gives in 6:19-7:12. What does obedience to that command look like in people’s online practices, and what does disobedience look like?
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