The Internet, the great equalizer, has influenced the way in which Christian media is consumed. The overwhelming presence of Christian culture on the web makes it easy to access blog posts and videos geared towards Christians. The countless blog posts and videos on Christian culture gives believers easy access to pertinent information. The wide range of topics covered gives Internet users access to opinions on almost all aspects of the Christian faith. While this can be a useful tool for sharing the gospel and people’s personal faith testimonies, it is also quite problematic. When the Internet functions as a leveling platform, it gives equal weight and visibility to multiple perspectives that may not all be deserving of the same level of legitimacy. For Christian culture, this has led to the further decentralization of spiritual authority.
Decentralization in Christianity is not a new phenomenon and dates back to the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. In 1517, Martin Luther (pictured above) published his “95 Theses” which “protested the pope’s sale of reprieves from penance, or indulgences.” Luther, John Calvin, and Henry VII “challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes” (“The Reformation”). This movement placed the Bible in the hands of the everyday man. In the centuries following the Protestant Reformation, the church continued to divide and new denominations sprung up. Spiritual authority was no longer concentrated with the Pope or a few select religious leaders, but was rather shared among a network of theologians, pastors, and Christian leaders, spread across various schools of thought.
The rise of the Internet and digital media platforms has introduced a new realm of decentralization within Christianity. The power of the Internet to equalize voices and opinions has furthered the decentralization of spiritual authority beyond those of Martin Luther. Today, personal blogs have the same influence as theological analysis, and people are as likely to turn to Instagram posts for their spiritual nourishment as they are likely to study their Bibles. Among Christians today, people rarely approach priests or pastors as spiritual authorities to discuss matters of faith, but instead use the Internet and social media as primary authorities on spiritual needs. “According to Philip Clayton writing in the Princeton Theological Review (2011), whilst 40 years ago people were influenced in their judgements about religious matters by their priest and editorials in the religious section of their local newspaper; today online blogs which congregants choose to follow are a far greater influence” (Kessler 28). In the digital Christian world, everyone is an expert, and everyone has the power to influence anyone’s faith, if that opinion is appealing.
It should come as no surprise then that the overwhelming presence of Christian material on digital platforms leads to poor theology. The sheer volume of Christianity media means that it is not always critiqued, and so it is very easy for inaccurate and misguided information to reach a high number of people. Furthermore, these sources are amplified by the fact that Christians are often seeking guidance and answers to complex questions of faith. Although the Bible is often clear in its instructions for living and God’s purpose for humanity, it also contains elements of mystery that leaves believers unsure of why God does what He does or how scripture should be interpreted. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.” There is an inherent difference in how humans think and operate and how God thinks and operates, which creates a divine mystery about God. However, mystery has the potential to make people uncomfortable and often pushes them to seek answers wherever possible. The people that are most often drawn to Christianity are those that want certainty, but a careful reading of scripture affirms over and over that Christians are called to live with a healthy dose of mystery. In fact, one cannot have faith without uncertainty. And yet, Christians are constantly seeking concrete answers, and when these answers come from unreliable blog posts and other media, it can lead to unsustainable and ineffective faith practices. It seems that the reach of pastors, theologians, and priests is unable to effectively compete with digital Christian content that spreads like wildfires.
Sources:
History.com Staff. "The Reformation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 03 May 2017.
Kessler, Edward. "Social Media and the Movement of Ideas." European Judaism: A Journal for the New Europe46.1 (2013): 26-35. Web. 5 Feb. 2017.
The rise of the Internet and digital media platforms has introduced a new realm of decentralization within Christianity. The power of the Internet to equalize voices and opinions has furthered the decentralization of spiritual authority beyond those of Martin Luther. Today, personal blogs have the same influence as theological analysis, and people are as likely to turn to Instagram posts for their spiritual nourishment as they are likely to study their Bibles. Among Christians today, people rarely approach priests or pastors as spiritual authorities to discuss matters of faith, but instead use the Internet and social media as primary authorities on spiritual needs. “According to Philip Clayton writing in the Princeton Theological Review (2011), whilst 40 years ago people were influenced in their judgements about religious matters by their priest and editorials in the religious section of their local newspaper; today online blogs which congregants choose to follow are a far greater influence” (Kessler 28). In the digital Christian world, everyone is an expert, and everyone has the power to influence anyone’s faith, if that opinion is appealing.
It should come as no surprise then that the overwhelming presence of Christian material on digital platforms leads to poor theology. The sheer volume of Christianity media means that it is not always critiqued, and so it is very easy for inaccurate and misguided information to reach a high number of people. Furthermore, these sources are amplified by the fact that Christians are often seeking guidance and answers to complex questions of faith. Although the Bible is often clear in its instructions for living and God’s purpose for humanity, it also contains elements of mystery that leaves believers unsure of why God does what He does or how scripture should be interpreted. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.” There is an inherent difference in how humans think and operate and how God thinks and operates, which creates a divine mystery about God. However, mystery has the potential to make people uncomfortable and often pushes them to seek answers wherever possible. The people that are most often drawn to Christianity are those that want certainty, but a careful reading of scripture affirms over and over that Christians are called to live with a healthy dose of mystery. In fact, one cannot have faith without uncertainty. And yet, Christians are constantly seeking concrete answers, and when these answers come from unreliable blog posts and other media, it can lead to unsustainable and ineffective faith practices. It seems that the reach of pastors, theologians, and priests is unable to effectively compete with digital Christian content that spreads like wildfires.
Sources:
History.com Staff. "The Reformation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 03 May 2017.
Kessler, Edward. "Social Media and the Movement of Ideas." European Judaism: A Journal for the New Europe46.1 (2013): 26-35. Web. 5 Feb. 2017.