Twitterpated

This is the throwaway sentence & graphic acknowledging my title-checking a Disney classic with an extraordinarily weak pun. You may now continue reading the actual blog post.

A good friend of mine (hi, Stephen "Want a Blizzard, Loser?" Weaver) asked me yesterday:

Would Jesus have used social media... twitter, facebook, and other... is there any biblical principle that gives us a hint? other than the obvious low-hanging fruit of twitter being based on following?

I thought my answer might be of interest to a couple of you... of course, I took the opportunity to clean up my dashed-off response and make it sound more erudite before releasing it into the wild.

Would Jesus have used social media? Hmm... maybe that's not the best way to ask the question. (It's kind of like asking "would Jesus have bombed Hiroshima?" - it's not an option He had living in 1st century Palestine and trying to answer the question is simply an adventure in speculation.)

How about this instead:

Q: In light of Paul's clear Biblical admonition in 1 Corinthians 9:22 to "become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some," what are some reasons we SHOULDN'T use social media to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?

A: I can think of three pretty quickly...

1. addiction - some people are unable to use social media without it consuming their "real" lives... that could be as obvious as the temptation of porn or as subtle as the gnawing suck of time spent hidden behind a computer screen
2. wrong context - if the community you're trying to reach isn't using it, don't waste your time... though this is becoming less & less of an issue as more & more well-seasoned adults (isn't that PC?) are using Facebook & Skype to connect with distant family members & friends
3. cool factor - using social media (whatever site is the "cutting edge" this week) BECAUSE it's the hip new thing is oopidstay... use it because it helps you do what you're called to do - "cool" is such a fleeting & elusive thing to be chasing

Otherwise, Paul has it right - use"all things" and "all means". The message of the Gospel is worth sharing!