G. Elijah Dann, author of God in the Public Square (2010) and an instructor of philosophy and religion for Simon Fraser University‘s Senior Program, recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post considering what Jesus’ ministry might have been like had it occurred during the age of social media. Dann’s introduction to the idea begins with the birth of Jesus and his use of MapQuest, GPS, Facebook, Google and Travelocity reminded me of The Digital Story of the Nativity. Additionally, he suggests many possible uses of social media for Jesus’ earthly ministry, including:
Into his early adulthood, if Jesus were delivering his message today, popular culture pundits tell us, he’d have to get on Facebook and Twitter to connect with the younger generation to get his message out. Giving some sermon on a hill won’t cut it. And forget long, drawn-out parables to bring the point home. Put it into a tweet. (All of the Beatitudes even fit the 140 character limit!)
Of theological importance, would he have been an iPhone or Blackberry man? If that wasn’t clearly recorded, forget Arius and Athanasius and the First Council of Nicaea — this is a real church council in the making! Would he Twitter or text? Would he put his talks on YouTube? Would he have podcasts easily downloadable to an iPod? And just like other young people these days who try putting aside their social media gadgets for twenty-four hours and reporting feeling “addicted, depressed, irritable, crazy”, how would Jesus fare after forty days and forty nights in the dead zone of the wilderness?
. . . Would the multitudes hearing Jesus ask to “friend” them? That way, instead of following him around in the heat and the dust, they’d be able to just look at his, “What’s on your mind”, news feed on Facebook. Would he allow GPS tracking on his iPhone (or Blackberry) so his disciples would be able to see where he is? And for him to see where they are? No need for omniscience with a tracking device! To embarrass him, would the Pharisees have posted videos on YouTube with him hanging out with prostitutes, tax collectors and other assorted sinners? Would he have the Last Supper with his disciples or would he just stay home and use Skype?
So What?
Social media has changed the way people connect. Many now take for granted the ability to interact via Facebook and Twitter, yet neither of these existed a decade ago. In writing this post, I am relying on two additional means of digital interaction (blogging and YouTube), both of which originated in the late 1990s.
- When did you begin using social media in your ministry? How do you currently leverage social media in your ministry?
- Do you think Jesus would have embraced social media if his earthly ministry happened now instead of in the first century CE? Why or why not?