facebook? twitter? the internet? by all means!
I am sometimes asked why I devote any of my time as a pastor to social networking. The question always comes from a sincere person who is genuinely interested in knowing why I consider these arenas of communication worth my time. After all, they reason, if you're the impatient priest who wants every minute to count for eternity, then why waste even a moment on such time drains like Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and the like? Sometimes their curiosity even drifts into skepticism and, on rare occasions, outright criticism.
In every case -- for the enquirer, the skeptic, or the critic -- the answer is the same. And to be sure, the answer is both theological and ecclesiological in nature.
Theologically, we are incarnational people who are following the example of our incarnational Lord. That is, just as Jesus left the comforts of heaven and entered into the culture of first century Judaism for the sake of his gospel, we too engage the world around us for the same reason. In his letter to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul said it this way:
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)
Ecclesiologically, as a missional Church our purpose is to share the good news of Jesus' present and future reign with those who have not yet heard, considered, and responded to it. By God's grace, we do so in many creative and faithful ways; exploiting social networking tools so that others can come to understand the love of their heavenly Father is just one of them (in much the same way that we used the newspaper advertisement, the church newsletter, and the telephone-based prayer chain in the previous generation). Again, the apostle Paul is helpful here, as his words to the church in Corinth capture the essence of our motives:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, italics mine)
In the end, my prayer is that every follower of Christ will regularly ask how he or she can use every means possible for saving the lost, edifying the church, and glorifying God. In the meantime, however, I am simply grateful that this blog has given me a platform for inviting you more deeply into the incarnational, missional Christian life.
kyle | 2 Comments
Reader Comments (2)
New ways of sharing the gospel of Jesus always generate conflict within the body. I expect Facebook, blogging, and Twitter to do the same. Like most organizations the church tends to try and stay within its comfort zone. The pioneers that brought rock bands, dance, drama, and movies to church faced the same criticism. Now these same elements are required in churches that initially rejected them. Over time, Facebook, Twitter, etc will become an acceptable means of communicating the gospel and our skepticism and criticism will find a new target. Chapter 19 of Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices by Brian D. McLaren and Phyllis Tickle explains this very well.
I believe used correctly, these tools can spread the gospel of Jesus rapidly to a large audience. We should leverage them to the best of our ability. But, the message of Christ requires us at some point to become relational. As a church, if we rely solely on these tools without planning or learning to engage face to face and heart to heart then we will lose all we have gained. God’s resources are vast, but we are limited to the tools and skills he has given our body. We need to be cautious not to become so technologically (or drama, music, etc) focused that we miss opportunities to look into the eyes of the person Jesus put right in front of us. In the meantime, you can find me on Facebook chatting with some of my lost friends.
I think Shane said correctly, if used properly.. and correctly.
Kyle, I have no doubt your heart is to reach people with the message of God and using every available tool to do so.
However, facebook, twitter, blogging all have the potential to serve ones ego over serving Christ. Thinking of oneself more highly than they ought to. I think it is absolutely great that people ask/question your intentions because they are checking your motivations. Making you accountable.
We can all be tempted by the sin of pride. Facebook, twitter, etc, can give people the "lie" that its ok to use these things because it serves God, but in reality it is filling a need to feel important, a need to feel loved, and a need to feel worthy. All needs God can meet.
People need to know where your coming from. If you use these tools to express your heart for the lost, than great. If you just want to communicate life with your friends, no problem either, but when its prideful, or self serving, its not of God. Like Shane said, face time is more valuable.
Interesting discussion- Glad to discuss! Obviously months later from when this discussion began, but nonetheless, glad to discuss.