I occasionally see people post 280-character screeds on Twitter about why they’re anonymous—how their enemies try to shame them for being anonymous because they want to dox them and get them fired, or bring down the wrath of the hivemind upon them. And there is a great amount of truth to this. I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to be anonymous. It is a wiser (or at least safer) route to take when you say things that are going to stir up the ire of the world. I have been anonymous in the past, and I’m currently semi-anonymous on Twitter (although I’ve fairly recently included both my first and last name in my handle). Certainly you should think and act carefully when presenting yourself online. But for all the good reasons for being anonymous, some people do hide behind anonymity to abuse others. Not all anons for sure, but you’d be disingenuous to deny that a good number of anons use their anonymity to attack others without worrying about the consequences that would follow otherwise.

As a Christian, I want to stand behind my words. If I am going to suffer, I want it to be because I am associated with Christ, not because I did something stupid on the Internet. Stepping out from the shadows of anonymity, I hope, will keep me accountable for what I say on social media.