Feb 02 2008
MySpace is whose space?
Since ‘83 I’ve been engaged with the growing migration towards online communities. “Back in the day” it was CompuServe, which of course became AOL. In ‘94 I ran a BBS with a modem bank out of my office. (NeoXenos AOL!) Then in ‘96 I was on ICQ with all my old Columbus buddies, including old Buck, and when he moved to Russia we kept in contact daily with ICQ. Now it’s sophisticated CMS systems like MySpace and its close competitor at http://neoxenos.net.
I was always frustrated by the lack of participation and interest from my beloved brothers and sisters. They seemed to appreciate only one mode of fellowship: meeting in a room somewhere (which is a blast!), but can’t we meet online too?
Suddenly the Millennials come along and changed everything…have you ever wished for something, got it, then reconsidered? I’m not there, but close.
Christian techno-fear
Christians are notoriously conservative and easily frightened by new social developments, as if Christ was too. But isn’t it precisely new technologies and social developments which God Himself employed when He brought The Christ to us?
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, Galatians 4:4 (NASB)
In retrospect we know the Incarnation took place at the most strategic point in history, and by this we mean technologically strategic. Christ came at the dawn of Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”) which was marked by the universality of Koine Greek, Roman roads, and widespread Roman authority which enforced peace and promoted trade. Christianity ripped across the civilized world like lightening. Never since has there been such an opportunity for globalization — until the past few decades. God knew how to drop it while it’s hot, fo sho!
the “information super-highway”, Roman-style
Here’s the rub: if a church council scheduled the Incarnation, it wouldn’t happen. Here’s why:
- Too much social upheaval caused by Pax Romana — legions of dirty, hungry, horny soldiers on the move.
- The pollution of the language by crass Koine Greek — Koine is terribly crude compared to the finesse of Classical Greek.
- Roman highways bring so much filth from across the empire and deposits it at our front doors
All those modern horrors (in 6 BC) surely would have been anathematized by some churches, I presume, but God didn’t. He can use dirty tools.
So it is today: we have the anathema of TV, movies, and PlayStation (read about it). Now “MySpace” is the new “Boogy-man” for many Christians, but it’s impossible to ignore. This essay grapples with the revolutionary issues kids and parents now face, and will demonstrate a biblical approach which is both practical and necessary for this social revolution.
‘The Voice’ Online
So the Web is “the devil’s playground” and “the voice of the devil,” Christians complain. And you know what? They’re right!
watch the documentary at pbs.org
Everyone should watch the fascinating and well-researched Frontline documentary, “Growing Up Online.” If you know anything about Frontline, you know it’s the premier showcase of journalistic craft, irregardless of occasional political slants. They do a good job of balanced reporting in this one, and it’s painfully clear the Internet poses incredibly dangerous threats never before seen which parents should know about and which require strategic answers…
