Thinking theologically about Social Media

Not enough faith lead- ers stop wringing their hands over the per-ceived impact of social media on worship attendance long enough to ask deeper theologi- cal questions about the changes that accompany the rise of social media today. Exploring such questions might enable religious leaders to help shape its impact.

For example, consider this issue: Christians take embodi- ment seriously we believe in a God who became flesh, after all but is embodiment limited to face-to-face, in-the-flesh interactions?Tired arguments over what is real engagement and what is not real persist, usually sug- gesting that face-to-face is real and virtual interactions are not. But if we apply some robust thinking to this issue, these categories don’t hold up.People move seamlessly between virtual and face-to- face interactions all the time, and they don’t experience one as real and the other not. Sure, sharing a laugh on Facebook is different from getting a cup of coffee with a friend.But is it any less real that a telephone conversation with your mother? No. So then, how is Christian community embod- ied well online?Or think about this. The mod- els of church that structure a faith community’s thought and practice will have an impact on its ability to embrace or resist social media influences.What can we learn about social media when we think theologically about models of church?And what’s new about new technology, anyway? Faith communities have adapted to new technology before – the printing press and the tel- ephone, to name a few.We’ve done so without los- ing core beliefs, right? Wrong. Core beliefs have changed. The earth is round and it rotates around the sun, after all.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.