Think Before You Post: The Four-Way Test

Think Before You Post: The Four-Way Test

Rotary International is one of several service clubs that people can join to give back to their community and the world at large, similar to Kiwanis or the Lion’s Club. There are some very specific and closely held (secular) principles on which it operates. It’s not a church or even a religious organization. In Rotary you can pull together with people from a variety of faith backgrounds across your community to work on service projects beneficial to others. It’s an interesting mix, held together by respect for one another and those common tenets.

One of the guiding principles that comes to the surface quite often is called the Four-Way Test. It was developed in 1932 by Herbert Taylor, a Rotarian in Chicago, when faced with some hard busi-ness decisions. The four parts are as follows: Of the things we think, say, or do… Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Within each of those four questions are some minor points to think about, but the strength of the four main points is immediately apparent.

Sometimes when Rotarians are working together, the Four-Way Test becomes a bit of a flash point, revisited as a reminder or a wake-up call when someone is drifting outside the expected tone of what Rotary stands for. Today, in the divided culture of our nation, I wish we could all make it our first priority to pull up our Christian principles as quickly and easily as Rotarians do with the Four-Way Test. If they can do it, we can most certainly do it, for the Lord’s sake, and for His cause.

Following Christ is a higher calling than anything else on earth, whether careers, political affiliations, community service clubs, hobbies, or any other pursuits of this life. The Bible is replete with guidance directly from God that can be of immediate, practical use to the Christian in daily activities, whether easy or hard, important or minor, peaceful or stressful. A simple yet very powerful one would be, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” (Matt 5:7).

n our social media activities, it wouldn’t hurt a thing for us to think for a minute about Rotary’s Four-Way Test, how it might have been put together by people with a measure of faith and wisdom, and how it stands as a secular challenge to the Christian to at least meet those criteria and many more as they grow spiritually in their walk with the Lord. Then we can explore the many Biblical principals that would enhance our communication even more. Let’s be at least that watchful about what we’re doing online