(This blog originally posted on myspace, July 15, 2008)

Should Christians be online? What about a Dung-pile?

I sent the following thoughts to a great Christian friend who says they want to delete their myspace and facebook profiles.

Dear ” ” –

I’d encourage you to pray about removing yourself from your online communities. Being salt and light takes both energy, responsibility and – yes – even risk. As Christians we are called to demonstrate Christ and to live the reality of the Resurrection: speaking and living life where death is – not just in the little bubbles we so oft put ourselves into, but in all aspects of our lives. If all Christians removed themselves from Myspace and other places – then these places would be places of filth and darkness in their entirety. Hope exists wherever it is found – because Christ is manifest in the life of a person somewhere and in someway. You are not the best judge to determine where and what God can necessarily use. This is the greatest reason why the church fails to reach people for Christ because they they fail to understand that they are separated unto Christ, yet integrated into the world. We think our message is better if we just tell it to ourselves. But the true Glory and Power of God are unleashed not in the singing of a song service or a great sermon preached to believers – but your own light shining into places like this. The scripture is very clear. The power and the essence of the Gospel gets it’s vitality and power by being shared where it is unexpected. If it is not put “out there” it is worthless and “fit to be trampled under the feet of men,” “not even worthy of the dungpile.” It is important to note that even a dungpile – in the old testament, could eventually be seen as a source of fertilizer. Our message is not just worthless if we don’t share it – it is permanently worthless and cannot be restored by any measure of anything – except fixing the thing that rendered it useless to a dying world to begin with.

Advertisement