Social media has given everyone a microphone through which to broadcast their opinions. We have the technological ability to denounce and rebuke whoever we like.

The “punchier the better” might well be the rule if you’re trying to get the most shares and likes, and the positive feeling that generates.

But it’s not just online where people can feel that expressing strong criticism of others is a helpful technique. I heard someone who’d risen very high in one of the world’s largest multinationals say that they key to success in a big company is to be “a straight talker”.

His approach had worked really well for him for a time in a particular culture.

People didn’t always take kindly to his somewhat brutal persona and it led to a major setback.

However, David, the psalmist, offers a different perspective. He prays to God for help to be moderate in what he says.

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips,” he says in Psalm 141.

I take this to be a caution against giving unloving feedback and expressing ourselves carelessly.

Offering criticism is a very easy thing to do, but most people don’t like to receive it, at least when it’s harsh.

And offering criticism of people when they aren’t around has an uncanny ability to flow back to the victim.

David also encourges us to consider feedback carefully. “Let a righteous man … rebuke me—that is oil on my head,” he says.

Note that he’s not asking for feedback from everyone.

The key word is “righteous”. In a sticky situation, it’s easy to get advice that lacks integrity, that kicks a problem into the future, that suggests obscuring the truth.

The Christian way, however, involves facing up to what we’ve done. God knows already, so we can’t hide our deeds.

That’s why Anglician liturgy places such an emphasis on regular confession. But unlike secular systems, it also involves forgiveness.

It’s a profound call to deal with reality rather than hide the truth.