A few days ago our Communications Director, Cameron, posted a question on the Grace Presbyterian Church facebook page:
Would Jesus twitter?
She included a quote from Rob Bell:
You have to be so totally disconnected from the pain of the world to think that blogging and twittering are somehow a redemptive use of your time.
I’m a huge fan of Rob’s writing. Velvet Elvis and Sex God have been significant influences on my thoughts around church and faith. I find the NOOMA videos to be incredibly well done and have used for both teaching and just to watch for myself.
But I think Rob’s being a little hard on social media. I wonder is watching a NOOMA video is really any more redemptive than posting or reading a blog on a similar topic.
Perhaps there’s a question behind the question – would Jesus twitter? Does social media connect or distance us from one another?
I'm still figuring this out but so far I've found social media especially facebook and twitter (blogs a bit less so) to be highly connective. I've reconnected with old friends, received and shared pastoral concerns from people around the world, learning of causes that touched my heart, been introduced to new ideas that challenge and inspire, shared experiences with family and friends.... somehow that all begins to sound like a redemptive use of time.
In fact right now, if you are reading this blog, we are engaging in a dialogue we might not otherwise have had – well “engaging” if you comment.
I agree with you, Doug. I too find social media to be a connective pursuit. (Of course, my natural penchant is always to tell Rob Bell to settle down!) No doubt there is the opportunity for social media to rob us of authentic "connective" experiences. I am sure that there are some folks out there who have manias and addictions associated with Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. However, I have found, specifically with Twitter, a great way to hear some random thoughts from friends and family that have started my wheels turning in some very interesting ways.
ReplyDeleteWould Jesus tweet it up? Well, that question feels similar to the lyrics of "Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar. Judas says to Jesus: "Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land? / If you'd come today you would have reached the whole nation. / Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication."