The Gospel According to Facebook (Part 3)
How to use technology counter-culturally
This is Part 3 of a 3 part series. View Part 1.View Part 2.
As believers, we should utilize technology both cautiously and optimistically. I love Andy Stanley’s leadership principle: This is a tension to manage, not a problem to solve. If we only look at the benefits of technology and simply mimic how culture interacts with it, we’re being naïve. At the same time, if we shy away for technology as a tool to foster spiritual growth and Gospel advancement, we’re missing a great opportunity. That’s why believers should adopt a counter-cultural approach to tech. How do we do that? Here are a few ideas -
Rest from your devices
God designed us to live in a constant rhythm of rest and work. When our phones are always “on” there is constantly something else to read, watch, study, and look at (even if they’re good things). In our home, we’re attempting to grow in this area by limiting our consumption of media and devices on Saturdays. If we watch a movie, it’s a family movie night. We put away individual devices. I try to stay away from all social media and emails on this day. What about you? Do you have specific times that you unplug? Maybe you put all devices into a box at dinner time. Maybe you have a specific day or vacation that you completely unplug. Maybe your small group members place their phones in a box as they enter your living room. Time of rest from our devices sounds crazy to most people but it will better focus our minds and eyes on the people around us.
Use social media intentionally
To my fellow Millennials and GenZers: You don’t have to have every social media platform! Also, you don’t have to spend the same amount of time on it as your “friends.” As stated above, at its best, social media helps us connect. But connecting is different than merely posting and viewing content. I can’t help but wonder how much better social media culture would be if Christians used it to connect deeply with people rather than post content that they hope people will “like”. Those are two completely different approaches to social media.
A few years ago, this thought changed the way I use social media. First, I deleted twitter because all I was doing was endlessly scrolling through the latest hot topics and opinions. I also took a two-year hiatus from Facebook. I got back on Facebook when I joined Fielder Church staff because I wanted to better connect with church members (particularly group leaders). However, although I “friend” acquaintances, I only “follow” people that I physically spend time with every month. For me, Facebook is a digital extension of my physical relationships. For some of you reading this, I’m sorry… although we might be “Facebook friends”, I don’t know what your political opinions are or where you took your last vacation. I only view family, co-workers, and friends I see frequently on my News Feed. I don’t bother with Instagram, TikTok, or others, simply because I don’t take many pictures or videos and don’t view them as helping me deepen relationships.
That’s how I try to be intentional with social media. You don’t need to do the same thing as me. But I would encourage you to
find a purpose and cut anything that doesn’t help you fulfill that purpose.
Redeem your time
This is something that I aspire to more than am an example of. In a world of instant access, it’s easy to pop on a TV show, video game, funny video, ESPN, or any other form of mind-numbing entertainment to kill time. Of course, none of these are inherently bad. There’s a place for entertainment.
But what if we used that time spent in the waiting room, in the car line picking up our kids, or commuting to and from work enriching our lives instead of entertaining?
There were a couple of years that I commuted to work on a train and frequently traveled out of state. It was during this season that I completed a few seminary courses via Podcast and digested about a book per week on Audible. If it’s hard for you to consistently block out time to read scripture, consider having it read over you during your commute from an app like YouVersion, Dwell, or StreetLights.
Maybe the most counter-cultural thing you can do with technology during downtime is not to use it at all.
Leave your phone in the car and talk to the people around you while you wait for your latte. Or even more radical, drive in silence for 15 minutes! The point is that we don’t get sucked into the abyss of instant gratification every time we have a free moment.
Don’t Give Up
Let’s be honest, we’re all getting tired of video calls and watching church service online. I’ve seen online church engagement initially rise and then slowly fall since the start of COVID. We’re getting fatigued. But don’t give up on Zoom meetings. God is still using this technology and others reach people with the Gospel and grow disciples.
In the last couple of days, I spoke to a lady who was hurt by the church re-engage because of viewing online services. I found out that a group of international students is gathering together to discuss sermons they view online. I’ve seen people who are uninterested in visiting a physical church building join Bible studies meeting online.
We have a choice: We can ignore technological developments and culture. We can uncritically and fully embrace it. Or, we can purposefully and counter-culturally use the tools available to us to better know Jesus and make Him known. What will you choose?
