Embodiment over algorithms
Photograph by Camilo Jimenez via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula
We live in a world that is overflowing with information. Scroll long enough, and you will encounter everything: hot takes, political partisanship, theological perspectives, ministry strategies, cooking videos, travel tips, viral outrage, cats doing things, wildly competing visions of happiness.
There are also an overwhelming number of events happening right now. It feels like Fall Out Boy’s updated remix of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is playing on a loop in my mind, with new additions daily: Minneapolis. Gaza and the West Bank. Ukraine. Burma. Declining churches. South Sudan. Nuclear deals unraveling. Climate disasters. Tariffs and trade wars. Farmers and families living on the edge of economic uncertainty. “What else do I have to say?”
We are not lacking in voices and opinions. What we lack is the wisdom to live well together as the body of Christ.
American Baptists have a unique place in our culture to demonstrate what a life of wisdom looks like, if only we take our opportunity to do so.
Many of us feel the strain of polarization. It is felt not only nationally but also within congregations, regions, and denominational spaces. At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling at the clouds, I believe that much of the polarization we face is artificially amplified and systematically promoted in our digital interactions, unlike the authentic experiences of embodied life as American Baptists.
Social media platforms reward speed, intensity, and emotional responses. Algorithms amplify extremes and reduce complex people to simple positions. Over time, they quietly influence how we see, amplify what we fear, and what we assume about each other. They basically disciple us to be suspicious of one another.
Here’s a recent realization I had:
My social media feed is not the same as yours. But we share our churches and a common mission. United in Christ, we are not as far apart as our algorithms would have us believe.
This epiphany does not deny our differences nor naively hope we are the same. It names reality while refusing to accept the lie that difference must lead to division.
What I do know from experience is that when we step away from our screens and into shared life, a different story emerges because we interact differently. In congregations, camps, mission projects, board meetings, and hospital rooms, American Baptists are fully capable of worship, serving, and discerning together across real disagreements. We pray for one another’s children. We grieve losses together. We show up when communities are hurting. Relationships give disagreement shape, limits, and paths toward reconciliation.
The problem we face is not disagreement itself. It is the temptation to let our digital formation override our associational and covenantal life.
That is why the 2026 ABC Nebraska theme "Lead with Wisdom" matters so deeply in this season of American Baptist life.
Our biblical anchors, the Sermon on the Mount and the book of James, are not formulas for winning arguments. They are sources of wisdom for forming communities capable of living faithfully amid complexity. Jesus speaks to ordinary people living under the daily pressures of life, and he identifies them as blessed, salt, and light. Jesus tells them that God is at work among them.
At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling at the clouds, I believe that much of the polarization we face is artificially amplified and systematically promoted in our digital interactions, unlike the authentic experiences of embodied life as American Baptists.
The Beatitudes begin the Sermon on the Mount by blessing people that the world often ignores: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek. These are not qualities to perform or statuses to obtain. They are human realities thrust upon us by loss, disorientation, illness, violence, and vulnerability. Jesus doesn’t tell these people to fix themselves before they belong. Instead, he affirms that they are blessed amid their struggles.
That matters in a polarized church.
Digital life trains us to hide our weaknesses and project a confidence only possible through filters, suggested wording, and background music. Christian wisdom begins by blessing our fragility instead of weaponizing it against one another.
The next movement of the Beatitudes turns outward. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, and the pure in heart are those who come alongside others in actionable love. They understand what James later makes explicit: faith that does not take care of neighbors is dead. Love of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated. We love God by loving others.
This wisdom is communal and actionable. It is not a theoretical or lofty, idealistic life. It assumes that discernment happens together, that holiness is relational, and that love is practiced in shared life.
Finally, Jesus blesses peacemakers, the persecuted, and the insulted — those willing to do the costly work of naming what is broken while remaining committed to reconciliation. These are not people forced to choose between spiritual identity and social responsibility. They know such a choice is false. Wisdom requires holding justice and reconciliation together, even when that work brings resistance.
American Baptists know something about this tension. Our faith story has long insisted on freedom of conscience held within covenant, local church autonomy practiced alongside mutual responsibility, and prophetic witness grounded in shared mission. These commitments are difficult to sustain in digital spaces that reward purity tests, hot takes, cancelation policies, and performative outrage.
Our embodied communities demand more from us. This is why our shared churches, regions, camps, mission partnerships, and national gatherings are so vital right now. They are among the few places where we are still invited to live with one another across difference, to listen before responding, to belong before agreeing, and to practice patience instead of performance.
So we need to say it again, especially when tensions rise:
My social media feed differs from yours. Although we may follow the same friends, groups, sources, and ministries, our feeds look different because algorithms subtly alter what we see. They aim to keep us engaged longer by promoting high-emotion, divisive, reactive content.
We share churches and a common embodied mission, united in Christ, despite algorithms suggesting otherwise. The Beatitudes remind us that blessing isn’t about having everything go our way, but about God’s presence within our challenges, making us part of and witnesses to the kingdom now. Wisdom develops slowly through shared faith. To resist polarization, American Baptists should recommit to embodied practices like worship, prayer, service, discernment, and humble conversation. Our diversity doesn’t have to mean division, but digital distortion risks greater division. Fewer feeds and more embodiment are essential.
Together, we remain the community of Christ united in mission.
Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula is the Executive Minister for the American Baptist Churches of Nebraska (ABC NE). In addition to his regional role, he is the author of “Table Life: An Invitation to Everyday Discipleship,” exploring how shared meals can deepen community and spirituality. He also co-edited “Conflict Management and the Apostle Paul” and contributes articles to publications like Word & Way and The Christian Citizen. Additionally, he hosts the “Mission in 5” podcast, discussing various facets of church life and ministry.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
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