Yesterday I turned 35 and was wished "Happy Birthday" from people I haven't heard from in years, from countries all around the world. All of that came about from the phenomenon called Facebook.
I joined Facebook about a year ago, and I have been very pleased with the connection I've made with long-lost college friends, former students from Israel, and people I've never met but have something in common with me. It's a great tool for social networking, and I've recommended it repeatedly to people that want to network or connect with other people through the internet.
We were discussing it recently at a family gathering. All of us were remarking on what we like best about Facebook (finding old friends), what we don't like (getting notifications about stupid stuff), and why everyone should use it.
Some churches are already using their own social networking site for their individual church, a Facebook facsimile for Pasadena Assembly of God, for example. People could network in groups for their individual ministries, and announcements like, "Fine Arts practice is moved to Tuesday night" could just be added to the group page. I can see why people would want to use a tool such as Facebook. I mentioned that I had heard recently about a "Christian" Facebook alternative.
My question was, "Why do we need a Christian alternative?" It seems like we reinvent whatever wheel is popular and useful, with a Christian spin. In my humble opinion, I think that most often it is done to protect ourselves from the world. We prefer to connect or network with other people just like ourselves. I have to wonder, if Jesus were on the Internet, which social networking site would He use?
I joined Facebook about a year ago, and I have been very pleased with the connection I've made with long-lost college friends, former students from Israel, and people I've never met but have something in common with me. It's a great tool for social networking, and I've recommended it repeatedly to people that want to network or connect with other people through the internet.
We were discussing it recently at a family gathering. All of us were remarking on what we like best about Facebook (finding old friends), what we don't like (getting notifications about stupid stuff), and why everyone should use it.
Some churches are already using their own social networking site for their individual church, a Facebook facsimile for Pasadena Assembly of God, for example. People could network in groups for their individual ministries, and announcements like, "Fine Arts practice is moved to Tuesday night" could just be added to the group page. I can see why people would want to use a tool such as Facebook. I mentioned that I had heard recently about a "Christian" Facebook alternative.
My question was, "Why do we need a Christian alternative?" It seems like we reinvent whatever wheel is popular and useful, with a Christian spin. In my humble opinion, I think that most often it is done to protect ourselves from the world. We prefer to connect or network with other people just like ourselves. I have to wonder, if Jesus were on the Internet, which social networking site would He use?