The Next Step in Using Technology to Spread the Gospel
No, this article is not trying to predict the future. While I enjoy trying new things with technology, that’s not the point of this article. I have no way of knowing what the next big thing is when it comes to the online and digital world.
Instead, what I want to think about is why we use technology, especially as it pertains to spreading the Gospel. Through the last several decades, technology has changed and, thankfully, many have been ready to use those new technologies to share the saving message of Jesus Christ. From radio to television to the exploding world of digital technologies, people have leveraged these to share sermons, lessons, and more (like, oh I don’t know, blog posts? haha).
But, when we send out those messages, what do we hope is the next step? I think that, in principle, there is an inspired concept found near the end of two very brief letters in the New Testament.
Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face-, so that our joy may be complete. (2 John 12)
I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. (3 John 13-14)
John was not saying that the technology of his day–pen and ink–were bad things. Obviously, he was writing, and doing so by the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. John was simply leveraging the technology of his day to share a message that people needed to hear.
But what did he want next? He wanted personal contact. As he said it, he wanted to “talk face to face.”
Why do we have A Legacy of Faith blog posts and podcasts? Why do works like the Gospel Broadcasting Network or The Light Network exist? Why does an organization like Apologetics Press have a robust website for research and reading?
Yes, our ultimate aim is to help lead people to Christ. But that is not done through one article or one podcast or one TV show.
Instead, our goal in spreading the Gospel through technology is the next step people take: to connect face to face with Christians who will help and encourage them. That is something we simply cannot lose in our digital world.
We leverage technology to spread the Gospel, and we should honor God by being good stewards of these technologies. But if we fail to try to help people meet other Christians face to face, we are forgetting a vital step in evangelism: that of being part of a family of faith.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
