Christianity and Media continued

Another use of media has been viral video testimonies. A popular site is call I Am Second. It reinforces the idea that Christians try to put God first in their lives over themselves.

http://www.iamsecond.com

This site posts video testimonies of well known people or of people with really relatable/applicable scenarios. Some big names they've interviewed are Brian Head Welch (former guitar player of Korn), Lecrae (well-known Christian rapper), Josh Turner (Country singer) and Stephen Baldwin (you see him in commercials all the time!). They categorize the testimonies into struggles, so people can find a video based on what struggle they most relate to. One video that I thought was cool that they shared was one girl's testimony that was based on her being adopted and living in a pre-dominantly white society.

Christian Hate Tweets?

*Picture is from the CNN article

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/09/my-take-a-word-to-christians-be-nice/


My last post regarded the positive effects of Christianity and media but what about the negative? The use of media can be a double-edged sword (or however that saying goes). On the one hand, it is being used to promote the Good News. On the other hand, the Christian message is getting lost and turning people away from Christianity. An example of a negative relationship between Christians and media is "hate tweeting". 

In the article, a pastor is asked about hate tweeting from a person with a popular Twitter account. "He was asking because some of his 1.3 million Twitter followers claim to be “Christian,” and some of the meanest, most perverse hate-tweets he receives come from these self-proclaimed Christians."

Interestingly enough, when some Christians that are the creators of these hate tweets start to receive fire about what they post, they retaliate with “all who live godly will suffer persecution.” 

 I would agree with the author's response to this issue. He points people back to what the Bible says:

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” (1 John 2:9,11)

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3:9,10)

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

My lesson of the day: Be careful of not only what you say but what you tweet :)

Christianity and Media

I saw this skit a few years ago at a conference called Acquire the Fire. This skit represents a powerful story about the love and power of Jesus Christ to free us from temptations and worldly distractions. I mainly wanted to share this video because I think it's inspirational and powerful. However, I also think it's interesting how Christianity has evolved with media. This video has had around 20 million hits. Back in Gospel days, spreading God's word/message was limited to face-face interaction and word of mouth. Now, with a click of a button, this message can be spread in an instant.
Do you think instantaneous messages and media have made an impact in Christianity?
Should media be treated/viewed as a double edged sword?