This is a continuation from last week’s blog about the Ligonier Conference that I attended two weeks ago in Orlando, FL. The theme was “Tough Questions Christians Face.”
You can view each session at www.christianity.com/ligonier/.
I suggest that you make time to watch each streaming video, especially the Pre-Conference Bits, Bytes, Blogs & Bibles: Christian Communication in a Hypersocial World.
The Pre-Conference focused on the so called new social media, yet attendees were reminded that it’s really not new, but how we actually “talk” and interact currently, via IPods, IPads, IPhones, Facebook, Twitter, Email, LinkedIn, RSS Feeds, Text messages, mobile phones, GPS devices and so on. The speakers made important distinctions gave clear warnings, cautions, risks and benefits to how we communicate, especially important for the church at large.
Al Mohler in his “The Hypersocialized Generation”, says there is a shift in our social engagement, the “most fundamental since the human language and the invention of the printing press.” He said there is a temptation to withdraw into our own private world, a propensity to over relate and withdraw simultaneously.
The digital revolution is here to stay and is interwoven in our lives. We’ve become reliant upon this relatedness and “not being connected” is thought of as worse than being dead! Mohler warns parents to take control and not forfeit responsibility and that the rules should not only be about usage of time, but content discussions as well. He said that adolescents shouldn’t have cell phones in their bedroom at night, or have Internet access in their bedroom. Parents must model this themselves.
Although there are Kindle and other e-book opportunities, the absence of reading and silence have created voids necessary for our souls. Multi-tasking is not something to “gloat over”, since our minds are not meant to participate that way, contrary to what we are told. Our lives are nourished by distraction. An interesting phenomenon has also resulted from multi-tasking – the loss of ability to read facial expressions.
We need to find the best use for these technologies and to establish boundaries. The risks seem to outweigh the benefits. The question is how to be connected and remain faithful? Mohler ended his session with, “May God give us guidance.”
In the earlier session with Ed Stetzer, he said that there are “drive-by posters” who are anonymous, others not accountable in relationships, still others who create false community. Also, that we have been reduced to a “sound-bite culture”, so that’s how we communicate, i.e. 140 character tweets! He also said that there’s a tendency to trivialize important things - simplism, reducing things beyond their capacity to be reduced. On the positive, he said that we could assist in inspiration, in introductions, in exhortation and creating community. His warnings included the enhancement of pride and a degree of narcissism in social media, e.g. rankings, the number of “friends”, blogs named after individuals – the creation of a “fake world.”
Tim Challies spoke about “texting/truthing in love”, actually how we should conduct ourselves and the principles of communicating in this digital frontier. Burk Parsons spoke about making the best use of our time and we should be kingdom focused, set our minds on heavenly things, edify the body of Christ, maintain unity and purity in the church and ultimately to glorify God personally and corporately. He ended with the question, “Why are you using this media, for the glory and kingdom of God or the advancement of our own empire?
Again, this is only a summary and brief recap just from the Pre-Conference sessions, so I still suggest that you view them in their entirety to grasp the importance of all of their messages. There’s a terrific Q & A session as well.
These speakers are gifts to the body of Christ. Listen to their warnings and advice and we can save ourselves and loved ones from potential harm and evil. We should all think about how The Lord would have us communicate via this “new social media”, to give Him glory, to preach His Word, to go into all the world and make disciples (not blog followers).