The Church and Facebook

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Recommended: Social Networking: “How Does It Affect My Life

There are over 350 million active Facebook users and 70 different language translations. More than eight billion minutes combined are spent on Facebook per day worldwide. Of the 350 million Facebook users, 5.4 million of them claim some denomination of Christianity (Zuckerberg 1). Facebook has been knocked by the media for issues such as online predators, hackers, and low productivity. A bigger issue to be concerned about is the overuse of Facebook replacing the imperative physical relationships we need to fellowship with each other. It is a sad truth that we are so busy we cannot find time to carve out an hour in the week to go to church. Out of convenience, more people turn to Facebook as a place to spill their frustrations and praises to the status update question: “What’s on your mind?” If people are confessing and fellowshipping on Facebook, what is the job of the Church in the virtual world? Although the overuse and abuse of Facebook has negative outcomes, it is so widely used that it makes a strong evangelical tool for Christians to connect and encourage each other as well as reach out to others in need.

Facebook is used all over the world, so it is easy to connect with friends and family who do not live close to you. For example, a friend of yours is having a hard time, and you really want to be there to help them. The problem is they live on the other side of the country. It would be illogical to drop your job, school, and family to fly across the country for a few days. This is where the convenience of Facebook comes into play. You cannot give a friend in need a “virtual hug” and expect the same outcome as a physical embrace. You can however give them words of encouragement on their wall or keep up with their lives and...

... middle of paper ...

...ther on Facebook and changed someone’s life. The Church is not a building, and God is not bound by walls. If using Facebook can show someone the love of God, then why shouldn’t it be used to further His kingdom?

Works Cited
Gosier, Cicely. "Young Christians Bring Faith to Facebook ". The Christian Broadcasting

Network. November 15, 2009 .

Nash, Diana "A Facebook lesson for churches." Christian Science Monitor 15 Oct. 2009: 9.

Academic Search Complete.EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.

Rand, Lenora "The church on Facebook." Christian Century 126.13 (2009): 22-25. Academic

Search Complete. EBSCO. Web.3 Nov. 2009

Rice, Jesse. The Church of Facebook. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009.

Zuckerberg, Mark. "Facebook". Facebook. 2009 .

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