Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Facebook YES or NO? Not a new question I know but one that keeps coming up. There are those who have strong opinions when it comes to social networking and whether they are in the yes or the no camp those opinions seem to lead to a categorising of people with a different opinion as well, less than astute shall we say. From my part I find this very much the case within Christians circles. There are avid supporters and there are as avid critics BUT it is words from the latter group that I find a little difficult to understand.                   I know there are inherent dangers and I find it incomprehensible how people can use social media to berate others, often to extremes and how too people can live out their ever waking moment by tweet? However they are but the minority, I believe, and for most, like myself, who see Facebook or twitter or LinkedIn as real opportunities for good and for maintaining relationships that in the past when we lived without this technology would have died or faded because of distance in time and geography! Just by way of example, in the last twelve months even living as I am now back in Tenerife I have been able to reconnect with two colleagues that I hadn’t seen or spoken to in over 30 years. One of those men sadly died a few months ago BUT thanks to Facebook we had the opportunity to share our testimonies and encourage one another in our ministries and just talk about the goodness of the Lord. As another example, my wife and I have gone through and continue to go through a difficult period which we shared on our Facebook page and when you are going through such times, far away as we are from family and best friends, it was such a blessing to our hearts to have so many respond with promises of prayer for us..Those folks kept us going as they reached out to God and to us. Most importantly however has been the ability to keep people up-to-date with our ministry in Tenerife and from here with the use of Facebook reach out across the Island and the world with the message of the Gospel.  

                                                                                                                                                          These are but a few examples and I have umpteen more so I really find it hard to accept when a brother or a sister considers me or any other Christian to be ‘less than spiritual’ because I or they use social networking????? Oh yes I fully accept that there are those, some of which I have already mentioned and others such as those who post items that hardly glorify God or edify anyone at all and certainly do give good cause for the critics who then say ‘I told you so!’ BUT in the words of a good old idiomatic expression, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” AND for ALL of us using the web as our means of ministry and of fellowship perhaps we can apply the words of Paul not only to our thoughts but to our posts and give no one reason to criticise or question your spirituality, “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think (WRITE) about these things.” Philippians 4:8.

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