Current Events Monday: Virtual Church–Is It the Way of the Future?
Some people use a popularly nebulous term these days called “Big Tech.” If I understand it correctly, Big Tech usually refers to a loosely affiliated conglomerate of social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…yada, yada, yada. In our divisive culture, Big Tech is viewed by some as the end-all, be-all boogieman who invades and dismantles your life. Others see it as somewhat of a necessary evil and don’t mind a few fake news intrusions and politically motivated drive-by postings as long as they can keep up with friends. Still others fully embrace Big Tech and have jumped all aboard the artificial intelligence train currently barreling down the tech track.
Considering the diversity of views out there today, what’s a church to do with Big Tech?
Elizabeth Dias, a journalist for The New York Times, posted a fascinating article yesterday (Sunday) about what could be the wave of the future when it comes to a relationship between religious organizations and Big Tech: Facebook Wants You to Connect With God. On Facebook. (yahoo.com). One of the article’s highlights is an interesting response in a recent interview from Nona Jones, Facebook’s director for global faith partnerships. Yes, Facebook actually has a faith partnerships department—who knew? Jones said, “I just want people to know that Facebook is a place where, when they do feel discouraged or depressed or isolated, that they could go to Facebook and they could immediately connect with a group of people that care about them.”
At the risk of reading too much into Jones’s statement (or sounding like a grouch), I’d like to point out two few red flags that arise from what she said. Pardon my skepticism, but here goes.
- Jones assumes that a Facebook community is one which immediate caring occurs for those who are discouraged, depressed, and isolated. As the research in the following article indicates, there is a correlation between increased social media usage and clinical depression, especially among younger people: The Link Between Social Media and Depression (verywellmind.com). While Big Tech could be a useful tool for ministry, perhaps churches should be a bit more wary of putting all their eggs in the Big Tech basket.
- Jones’s statement points out a major misnomer about faith and church life today—that spirituality is focused more on feelings than not. Somewhere in the past half-century, Christian churches have (either intentionally or not) placed a heavier emphasis on feelings. We could engage in all sorts of speculation as to why this is the case. Suffice it to say, people seem to gravitate more towards faith groups that give them a better emotional charge or happier feeling. Yet, it is clear that following Jesus is not a bed of roses. Our Lord promised us a fulfilling life, not happiness (John 10:10). It is unlikely that a church’s social media presence—if it is biblical focused—will elicit happiness all of the time. Less good vibes equals less followers. Some churches have to be prepared to be lower on the totem pole in the Big Tech world if they stay faithful to the gospel.
Despite the red flags, Jones rightly shows great concern for those who are isolated and downtrodden. I’m so glad that these things are important to her, especially because of her vocational role. Don’t hear me, then, raining on the Facebook parade. Let’s simply temper our idealism with a bit of realism. Big Tech, when used correctly, can be an especially helpful tool for getting the message of the gospel to the masses. I can hardly think of a better use of resources during a pandemic to reach those who are isolated at home or unable to communicate effectively with others. The great theologian John Stott was right: we should both treat people as if we were Jesus and treat people as if they were Jesus. If we apply Stott’s biblical axiom to social media, then we may find a great many more people willing to become followers of Christ.
The moral of the story is this: Use social media wisely by seeking first the Kingdom of God.