Was just relaxing on the couch basking in the glow of the San Francisco 49ers’ win over New Orleans (I’m a longtime Niner fan), and flipped on the Denver Broncos vs. the New England Patriots. I’m rooting for Denver not so much because I like the Broncos, but have been following the career of Tim Tebow — a very public Christian who has been heavily criticized for being so forthcoming about it. It was probably no accident then that Focus On The Family aired a beautifully done commercial simply sharing the words of John 3:16. You can see it below. Wow. Nicely done. Goes to show that you don’t need anything more than the word of God. Truly a means of grace. Precious!
The happy couple is standing in front of the presiding minister. She looks lovely in her white wedding gown – he dashingly handsome in a tuxedo. The church is filled and everybody is eagerly awaiting the pronouncement of marriage. Just as the announcement is on the lips of the pastor, the groom holds up his hand as if to say, just hold on a minute. He reaches into his vest pocket and extracts a cell phone…then another one…for his bride. Then over the next sixty seconds they both furiously work the keyboards on their phones as the pastor announces to the somewhat amused congregation, “They are updating their relationship status on Facebook!” After they are done, the pastor says “They are now husband and wife on Facebook and my book too.”
The video on YouTube has received almost 1,000,000 views. Don’t think Ben and Tracy will be the last to do this. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are now a part, a big part, of the lives of many people. The natural question is are we going overboard with all of these social networks? The statistics are astounding. A study earlier this year completed in the UK estimated that teenagers spend 31 hours a week online, mostly on social networks. My guess is the hours spent on homework aren’t that high.
So is it a parental oversight issue? Perhaps, but parents are spending more and more time online as well. You can be sure that as our digital natives grow up, they will bring their online habits (addictions?) with them. Spending time online is no different than any other pursuit. When I was a boy I enjoyed spending time in video arcades…probably spending more quarters than I should have. But this might be different.
This is not a pastime, but to many the preferred way to communicate. It used to be letters, then email, now networks. There will be something next. There always is. As a Christian technologist the interesting part is trying to find appropriate uses of “whatever’s next” to spread the Gospel and share your faith.
I guess the point of all this is make sure we are asking the right questions. The right question probably isn’t “are we going overboard”, but “are we going overboard in our efforts to share Jesus?” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
I am dedicated to living for Christ and sharing His Good News. Whenever I can I explore the intersection of technology and ministry through writing and conversation. Visit my About Me page for a more complete biography.