Mediaboss Marketing

January 23, 2014|11:42 am

Social networking has a reputation. A lot of people make assumptions about it. Such as, "social networking is for narcissists," or " social networking is shallow and prevents us from going deep." I'm a guy who loves social networking and even wrote a bookabout it. But I agree with people who say these things. Let me explain.

While I do believe that her modern technology and culture have afforded us tools we've never had before for sharing the gospel, forging relationships, and making a difference in the world, I also believe that modern technology has brought a whole new set of risks with it. Of course, I would say that about the technology of any era.

As far as I am concerned, the Internet and the social networking platforms that exist on it are tools. Therefore, it's all in how we use the tools. Social networking can be used for good or for bad. And it can bring out the worst of us and the best of us. But so that we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, let me emphatically say that social networking is absolutely a tool that modern Christians need to be using to share the good news of Jesus. We simply need to be on guard.

1. We need to guard our hearts.

One of the most dangerous tendencies that comes along with an active social networking life is the tendency to allow our egos to become inflated by what people say about us online. Social networking, by its very nature, has stimulated a culture of flattery and empty compliments. It is certainly not bad to compliment people. But it can be dangerous if we choose to receive those compliments with a wrong spirit. So we have to learn to self-deflate.

On the flip side is the tendency to take criticism to heart. And online, it is very easy for people to heartlessly fire shots from behind their computers without considering the feelings of others. Whether a simple word of judgmental criticism or outright bullying, the online world can be a cruel place.

To face it well, we need to have our hearts guarded by a strong sense of who we are in Christ. Just as in the real world, it is this well-defined sense of identity that protects us from the onslaught of both praise and criticism.

2. We need to guard our eyes.

When the Bible talks about the temptation that Eve faced from the serpent in the Garden of Eden, it says that she "saw that the fruit was good." The New Testament fleshes out this principle by saying that temptation often appeals to the "lust of our eyes." It's often what we see that gets us in trouble, if we allow it to take up residence in our minds.

More here:
3 Ways to Be On Guard When You're Online