Have you tried Twitter? Are you on Facebook?
The new world of status updates has its pros and cons. Brevity wins readers, but it’s hard to be concise and precise at the same time. Like Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”
But have you figured out how to gossip the Gospel 140 characters at a time? Consider:
We “need to write even more clearly and simply for the new media than for the old media.” How much more important is this when our subject matter is the gospel?
Combining brevity with gravity and levity with wit on Twitter and Facebook has been a challenge I’ve really enjoyed lately. Grace Fellowship is there too (follow us at @forgodsfame and become a fan on Facebook to keep up).
You can also find serious folks like John Piper and C. S. Lewis (sort of), and not-so-serious folks like Fake John Piper and the must-follow @XIANITY.
What do you think? Is this all just a colossal waste of time? Or is it one of the most important ways to communicate in the 21st century?
I think it’s a morally neutral thing. While Facebook, Twitter, etc. . . can lead us to wasting our time, it is obviously a great communication tool when used right.
A friend of mine just commented to me on being disgusted at a local church service he attended when he saw a row of guys all sitting around fiddling with their phones and not talking with anyone. While many of these guys were probably communicating with someone, it was at the expense of others standing right in front of them. Granted, you don’t need these new technologies to find something to do that will allow you to not engage others face-to-face and personally.
Having resources electronically available for study and the ability to make / keep contact with others more easily is a great thing which can be used for incredible good. So long as we are taking the opportunities standing right in front of us to actually communicate and care.
In some ways, the new social media reminds me of the Police song “Message in a Bottle”. We wake up each morning to find ‘a hundred million bottles washed up on our shore’. It’s great to have a bunch of those bottles contain the message of the hope of the Gospel, but how much better it is for the message to be delivered personally.
I have really wrestled with the Facebook thing.
Cons…
1) If I’m on too much I find myself thinking about what I am doing throughout the day and what would be status quality. Me,me,me. next thing I know I’m caught up in the world of me and not focusing on Christ and the important investments in front of me, like my family, friends, and personal responsibilities. I can’t help but wonder if it is the enemy’s way of fattening a self-centered culture. I am aware it is a gray issue…I just can see it swing that way sometimes. Too much on the me thing can lead to depressed people who in turn become even more unsatisfied.
2) There is such a wide range of people on there that it is so hard to invest personally in a few. I used to pick up the phone, have more people over. Facebook makes it so convenient to get to the point and be done with it. It leaves you with a feeling that you have invested alot in relationships, because of the quantity of people you have spoken with. While this may be great on the surface, I wonder how many encouraging phone calls or deep conversations over a cup of tea I’ve missed out on.
3) I see people with concerns, prayer requests, fears, and want to help them, but too much time doing that and I spread myself thin at home. I can leave it feeling guilty of not being a good friend by not helping them.
4) Sometimes it is too personal. The personal advertising can just freak me out! 🙂 It accommodates your age, your area, and your stores. Whoa, too much info and you’re pegged. Kind of like a Big Brother feeling. Everyone you accept as a friend knows you, your friends, your family, etc…It can be a shocker at first, if you don’t have an understanding of what the computer is capable of.
5) Hackers. People can get your password and have conversations with others pretending to be you or others. We tend to trust the computer more than people and then bam, we realize that we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, even on-line as well!
5) Not enough oversight to my kids. There are so many avenues my kids can take on Facebook. Trying to set up guidelines and perimeters can be challenging if I’m not computer aware of what is out there for them to expose themselves to. I’m still trying to process through that. 🙂
Pros…
1. There are more people you can impact with the Gospel, or engage in conversation on your status. Those that do not comment can read from the outside and hear the good news; like a fly on the wall, without the feeling of needing to engage. Basically, it allows people to hear conversations that take place in a church without actually stepping foot inside of one just yet.
2. Because people feel alone in front of the computer, those that are introverted tend to feel less threatened and will speak more freely. It is a small gateway to connecting with those in the church body and seeing ways to minister to them.
3. If you are sick, bed ridden, or way too busy at home it is a great way to keep in touch with family, friends and fellow believers.
4. I now have conversations with family members, and friends in the church I would not have if it were not for Facebook. That has been a neat experience for me. While the depth of them may not be much, it is a start for when I do see them in person.
Still left with wrestling between the 2 sides. Thanks for posting this, my mind has needed to put these thoughts in writing.
Sorry…one more pro. I have grown personally in my walk, by reading good articles, sermons, and videos posted that I may have not otherwise been exposed to.