The False Prophet of New Media.
We are a society in constant motion; it seems we never find the time to rest and relax. It could be moving up the corporate ladder, going to our kids' activities, or becoming the next big influencer on social media; hyper-speed seems the standard for the twenty-first-century person in the western world.
But if the pandemic of 2020 has taught us anything, it’s nothing permanent.
We found out that the corporate ladder can disappear, kids' activities can disappear, and our influence that we think we have can disappear. It can all be lost but stuck in the middle of everything is the new media.
In her book, Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape author Angela Gorrell coins this term. She would define new media as…
““Encompassing many forms and devices, including blogs, the internet, podcast, social networks, streaming services, e-books, computers, cell phones, e-readers, and so on.”[1] ”
The value and validity of new media as a whole is a topic for another time. We are focused on, and one of the main questions she posed in the book is…
Where is Jesus in all of the new media?
Is it possible to be the light of Jesus in the face of an ever-changing media landscape?
In her chapter titled, Online Jesus, she brought up a great point about Jesus and his possible reaction to new media, backed with scripture.
““It seems, then, that while using new media, Jesus would not feel the need to search for self-fulfillment or meaning by cultivating an excellent brand; rather, the source of his identity would be God’s unchanging, unconditional, relentless love.”[2] ”
To strengthen her argument, she referred to Jesus in the desert with Satan to highlight the fact that Jesus did not give in to Satan’s test because he did not need to perform for Satan to be seen or recognized. [3]
What is at the heart of the issue and what churches need to understand is our identity as followers of Christ is only found in God. Anything leading away from that point begins to take churches down a slippery slope.
We must be anchored in the truth of Jesus' work on the cross. It is only through that understanding that we begin to navigate the world of new media. And we must navigate it because it is not going away; in fact, it is ever-changing.
So, what does that mean for followers of Christ?
How can we blend the truth of the Gospel with the changing media?
In all that we do, Jesus should be elevated to his proper place, and that is out in front. Our faith is relational. The trinity is relational. We were built for community, and the new media can be used for connection in ways we have never seen before.
As followers, what people see, will be what they believe to be true about followers of Christ. Our image and likeness now extend beyond just our personal self but how we interact with new media.
So let us conform to the ways of Jesus and put God above everything else, steering away from the temptations of Satan in the desert. Putting down our selfish nature and desire for affirmation in the form of likes, clicks, and views and picking up the mindset of our spotless lamb who sacrificed it all for the sins of the world.
[1] Angela Gorrell, Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Landscape (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2019), Kindle. 2.
[2] Gorrell, Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Landscape. 89.
[3] Gorrell, Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Landscape.90.
