It might not have been the exact question on Hamlet’s mind, but it has been on mine for the last few years as the communication revolution has continued to gather pace in 21st century Britain. As a Pastor the last thing I want to do is invest precious God-given time on something that’s not going to have a healthy return for eternity. On the other hand, if a trend is a) not sinful, b) is becoming an integral part of popular culture and c) can be redeemed and utilised for kingdom purposes, then it cannot afford to be ignored.
As is so often the case we Christians tend to play catch-up with our culture. Sometimes this is a positive thing: we want to weigh up new trends, see how they road-test in practice, avoid compromise and slippery slopes, and assess their effectiveness for gospel purposes. However more often than not it’s because we don’t like embracing change and aren’t able to grasp the redemption opportunities new trends bring.
Today we accept without question things in church that were once radical innovations: comfortable seating, central heating, musical instruments, amplification, data projection, even carpets! What positive innovations will the current revolution leave us with?
I started a sermon recently by quoting some statistics to illustrate the massive shift in communication that has taken place over the last 10-15 years. Did you know that:
- In 2009 90 trillion emails were sent?
- Over 65 million tweets are sent every day on Twitter?
- Facebook now has 600 million active users – 50% of them logging on every day to communicate with friends?
- There are now 126 million blogs on the internet (make that 126,000,001 now)?
Which is one of the reasons I’ve decided to blog.
It’s an experiment. I’m going to feel my way. I’m not going to let it distract me from the more important priorities I have as a Pastor. I’m going to keep it under review.
But ultimately I‘ve come to the conclusion that if guided by some KEY PRINCIPLES there are some GOOD REASONS to blog and that it could be a helpful way to prepare God’s people for works of service, continue to build up the body of Christ at Woodgreen and help us all grow to become more mature as disciples of Christ.
And that, after all, is my primary job as a Pastor (Eph 4:12).
More about those key principles and those good reasons next time…
