Project Description
2013/07
Should Christians use Facebook?
Facebook fan? You’re not alone! One person in seven worldwide has a Facebook account. For the Christian, this raises questions. ‘Are these networks the next big mission field or an enormous waste of time?’ Or: ‘Should we participate in social networking?’
The answer to these questions is determined by whether we can honestly ask God to bless and use our actions for His own good purposes (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Ecclesiastes is one of the most ‘earthy’ books of Holy Scripture – dealing with issues where ‘the rubber really meets the road,’ expertly guiding through this world. With this book in hand, we subject social networking to some scriptural analysis.
The Negatives
Christians who participate in social networking should be aware of some negative aspects.
- Security
“That which is crooked cannot be made straight” (1:15). Since not everyone on the Internet has pure motives, we should utilise the privacy settings, and be selective as to who is accepted as a “friend” or “fan.” Much content on Facebook is simply wicked to the core; Christians must always steer well clear of this.
- Self-love
Our world has a serious vanity problem (1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23). Facebook prompts us to tell what we are doing at any given moment – and while it is certainly not wrong to post a picture of yourself or tell someone about your holiday or day at work, some respond in excruciating detail. Who cares if you are walking to the shop, your shoelaces become untied, or that you need to brush your teeth later? To feed a ‘look-at-me’ and ‘love-me’ mentality is to fall victim to vanity.
- Sequel
“… God requireth that which is past.” (3:15). No matter where you go on the Internet, no matter how ‘private’ you think your posts are, your ‘footprints and fingerprints’ are all traceable. Assume that everything written is permanent and viewable by everyone. This will cause us to stop and think of the impact our status, photo, comments, or blog posts may have, today, and in the future.
- Savagery
“So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed … they had no comforter.” (4:1). People tend to dump their anger and unhappiness on Facebook for everyone to see. Others think nothing of slugging it out, or using social media as a bullying tool.
All our communications, verbal or written, should be “always with grace” (Colossians 4:6) and be “that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Principled disagreements between the Lord’s people should be handled according to scriptural criteria (Matt 18:15-17), otherwise unnecessary division arises within the church and reproach is brought upon the Lord’s name.
- Seasonable
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven … a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (3:1,7). If life revolves around Facebook, questions need to be asked, including:
Has this become a ‘god’ to me? If Facebook is too important to me, I may need to stop.
Am I stealing from my employer because I am whiling away the hours by tending to virtual crops and penning in sheep at Farmville, or crunching colourful sweets in Candy Crush Saga?
Is Facebook encouraging contentment or resentment (cf 4:4,6)? Am I jealous of how many “likes” someone else’s posts attract? Am I content to shut out real life while hunched over my keyboard?
Limiting the time devoted to social networking sites is both healthy and wise.
The Positives
On the other hand, there are definitely positive aspects of social networking. There is nothing wrong with being friends with people and building relationships, virtually or even face-to-face. With careful use, social media sites can be enormously productive mission fields, facilitating the instruction of 11:1,6: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand”.
Social media allow us to increase our sphere of influence – thus leading to evangelistic opportunities unavailable elsewhere – by reconnecting with old friends and opening up new avenues for sharing Christ. They allow us to engage spiritual seekers, meeting them where they are, and so share the love of Christ; to bring encouragement and spiritual guidance to others; and to pray regularly and knowledgeably for friends.
I have used it to promote the ‘Consider Christ’ evangelistic campaign; to post Bible verses and challenges; to defend Creationism via, ‘I Support Inclusion of Creationism at the Causeway Centre’; and to make announcements for meetings on our church page.
Avoid difficulties associated with Facebook by remembering that God sees all we say, do, and post. May this knowledge prompt every Christian using Facebook to use it well, wisely, and for good purposes, not allowing it to become a stumbling block to ourselves or others (3:11).
From beginning to end – everywhere we go – let’s make the glory of God our goal!
Rev. Ian Brown
