I am a Christian who blogs… I am not a Christian blogger.
I am a Christian who hosts a podcast… I am not a Christian podcaster.
I am a Christian who plays Yahtzee… I am not a Christian Yahtzee player.
I am… well you get the point.
I am sorry if it seems like I am speaking out of turn here… but I am a digital disciple who does not get what “Christian New Media” is.
Last week a number of my friends attended the Christian New Media Awards / Conference. For some of my friends it was a chance to meet up with other online friends… and fair play to that! During the awards some good people (e.g. Vicky Beecham) and some great ideas (e.g. YouVersion) received well deserved recognition… and kudos to them for that… but I continue to struggle with the term “Christian New Media”.
Please hear me out… and before you say it… I am not bitter because I was not there or did not win… I guess you need to be “in it to win it” and I am certainly not “in” whatever it is that I need to be in to participate. That said… it would have been awesome to meet up with all the folks I interact with… folks like Johnny Laird, Jonny Rose, Simon Cutmore and Will Taylor.
The thing is… I am a follower of Jesus who thinks the world needs my fellow followers to be in this world but not of it… and I think exclusivity is of the world… just as I think greed, jealously, hatred and violence are “of the world” too. I think “Christian New Media” is an exclusive term.
Again… I am the first to admit I am a hypocrite… with my Apple this and my “bleeding edge” that. Being a neophile who loves to be on the cusp of the next cool “thing” is something I continually fight with… and being someone with a small semblance of a disposable income I can buy things that others only aspire to… so, yes, I get exclusivity. Afterall, listening to bands no one else has heard of is something I take pleasure in.
The thing is… I do not think exclusivity is part of the way of Jesus. I see it more in the Pharisees’ camp.
To me… I see a Jesus who welcomed lepers… disgraced women… tax collectors… political radicals… even the hated Romans. He was not in the business of shunning anyone… He sought to answer the Pharisees’ questions even though they were being massive pains in the bum to Him.
So why then do we continue with our “bubbles”?
Exclusivity is the world of winners and losers… and people who judge who wins and who loses.
Look at the X Factor, for example. People seeking to win… trying to gain acceptance through the opinions of others… happily being judged by an elite group who are happy to judge… as the crowd bays for blood. It tries to tell us what we should want while keeping the elite… those with a vested interest… in gainful employment. I do not like the X Factor… you may have gathered that?
I do not see Jesus in the exclusive. I do not see Him blocking Himself off from those around Him… albeit He did jump in a boat to escape the crowds. He was not about winners and losers… maybe I am naive but I think He wanted us all to win.
Calling yourself a Christian “whatever” is not serving Jesus, in my humble opinion, because it puts an instant barrier up to people who are not followers of Him. It says “I am different from you” and “you must come to me on my terms”… before a connection can be made. They should not have to come… we should go to them!
Surely we should be seen to be different through our love… known to be different through our inclusive love for ALL God’s children… and not because of what we claim we are?
Our actions, afterall, speak louder and clearer than words. As digital disciples are we “out there” living lives of love and sharing the good news loudly and clearly through our actions, interactions, and reactions… as well as our words? If not, why not?
This post is not designed to offend… and I, for one, see the irony of my mumping about folks being “of the world but not in it” on an exclusively Christian website… but I share my thoughts with you… the participants in the Big Bible community… people who can make a real difference in this world.
I long for the Kingdom of God in the here and now… and I can not see that happening as long as we keep almost exclusively to our “Holy Huddles” and “safe places”.
After all… we need to be “in it to win it”.
Tx
Editor’s Note: This post continues a few discussions we’ve had on Twitter/Facebook.. it would be interesting to see other’s perceptions of the awards/conference (where were open to all), which are intended to encourage, inspire and equip in a world where many still don’t see the relevance of “new/digital media” … and the wider topic that Thomas has raised here…
From 2010–2015, the BigBible Project sought to host conversations about the Bible through local reading groups & online conversations. Since 2016, the project has taken a slightly different focus, hosting discussion from experts on Biblical Literacy and Biblical Reception in a Digital World. 
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Thank you for your insight and honesty Thomas! I agree with you – I don’t like it when people put ‘Christian’ in front of something – in my experience it can often be read as a pseudonym for ‘naff’! I have similar difficulty with the idea of ‘Internet evangelism’ – it just perpetuates that non-Christian idea of ‘us and them’. It’s missing the point. I was having a similar discussion with someone yesterday about ‘cyber bullying’ – it doesn’t exist, in my view, it’s just bullying in a different context.
I still, however, really enjoyed the day at #cnmac11 and I support what it was trying to do in bringing people together to discuss the interface between faith and new media.
Perhaps a better name for the event would be the ‘Faith and New Media Conference’?
But it *was* a Christian conference! We could have invited people who blog about all faiths and none, but that would be a very different kind of event. My presentation couldn’t have been titled “How to get people to “Like” Jesus” – I would have retitled it “How to get people to “Like” the god or goddess of your choice, and/or celestial life-force, not excluding non-theistic philosophies which can still be valuable and life-affirming”, which is a bit less snappy.
Good point but I think what I meant was that in calling it ‘Christian new media’ it does sound a bit like we’re trying to create a Christian version of Facebook or something rather than being salt and light on Facebook – which is what we were talking about at #cnmac11. Perhaps just the insertion of ‘and’ works here: Christians and New Media conference – although it’s a bit clunky.
I didn’t have an issue with it until Thomas’ blog post here, but I do thing he has made some valid points.
Sometimes though, I think we probably worry a bit too much about what we call things and most people (especially non-Christians) really don’t give a monkeys!
I think there’s obviously a need for places where Christians can gather and talk about being Christians in whatever sphere they find themselves.
However I think there’s a difference between (eg) a gathering for Christians working in medicine and a gathering to support something called ‘Christian medicine.’ And the same with any activity – so a gathering for Christians working in ‘new media’ (however we define that) is not the same as a gathering for Christians involved in ‘Christian new media.’
As I understand it, Thomas is arguing that he doesn’t see his online activities as being part of ‘Christian new media’, and furthermore is asking if any of us should be involved in ‘Christian new media’.
(Apologies if I’ve got that wrong.)
Because I’m involved with an online church, and my Twitter name is @revpamsmith, I’m fairly clearly a Christian working in new media. The i-church site might be described as being part of ‘Christian new media’. Many of our core community members use Facebook to connect with disaffected Christians and non Christians. So I there is both a ‘salt and light’ aspect our online discipleship – being Christians in new media – and a fellowship aspect which is provided through our dedicated community website which could be reasonably described as ‘Christian new media’ (though not perhaps as ‘digicreative’ – which is a label I don’t really understand but which I would not apply to myself.)
As one that has been engaged in Christian “old” media for two decades and Christian “new” media for the last five, I would respectfully suggest that what we call ourselves, our conference, our industry, etc. is less important than what we DO as members of that community. “For God shall bring every work into judgment.” On the name front however, being willing to be identified in your work or profession as a Christian has been a mostly safe label to wear in the west in the 20th century. That is no longer the case. So saying we are a Christian whatever, and in whatever lingual order, Christian who is a broadcaster or Christian broadcaster, should say, “Jesus I love you. I don’t care who knows it. I love others. I’ll die for you if need be.” If that’s not true, then we have more work to do in our walk with God, which is ok too. I certainly do. We’re all on the path. But, isn’t name, positioning, branding, (as important as it is to marketers) really secondary to our hearts and actions?
Respectfully,
Christian Online Missionary
A few quick thoughts:
I think this may be is one of those occasions where the words trip us up.
Christian Blogger? Christian who blogs? Or how about Blogging Christian? Are we trying to say which is the more important term? And, if so, in what context? If you’re on a WordPress tech forum then it’s probably more relevant that you’re a blogger than a Christian.
Are you blogging about Christian/faith matters? If so then Christian Blogger is probably accurate. If you’re a Christian who blogs about (e.g.) photography, then not so much.
Perhaps (like me) you’re a heavy rock fan and a Christian. But I’m not a Christian Heavy Rock fan. Well, not much 😉
I thoroughly enjoyed CNMAC11 (didn’t attend the awards, just the conference). I think absolutely any “Christian Awards” ceremony runs the risk of appearing exclusive, and I’m sure that’s something the organisers will have gone to great lengths and prayer to avoid. Also, a lot of the focus in the various talks and breakout sessions was on being salt and light in the real/digital realm and avoiding the pitfalls of NOT being “out there”, as you say.
Plus, of course, the real test of the success of any event like this is not how well it went on the day, or what the attendees got out of it, but how we all choose to use the talents we’ve been given and the learnings we’ve enjoyed for the benefit of the Kingdom.
Bryony – agree with your comments and I quite like the “Faith and New Media Conference” title. Partly because the “and” indicates that we don’t think that Christian New Media is magically different technically from any other field of New Media.
Thanks Brian “I think absolutely any “Christian Awards” ceremony runs the risk of appearing exclusive, and I’m sure that’s something the organisers will have gone to great lengths and prayer to avoid. Also, a lot of the focus in the various talks and breakout sessions was on being salt and light in the real/digital realm and avoiding the pitfalls of NOT being “out there”, as you say.” The name for the conference caused a lot of discussion last year … and glad that the ‘salt & light’ aspect is recognised… is v. much an intention to help equip people to live in the “real world” as Christians…
Well… kind of. Having an identity doesn’t always mean excluding others. I am a British citizen working in Sweden – I’m quite happy to say I’m English, and no one seems to think that means I won’t talk to Swedes. A “Christian blog” might be unwelcoming to non-Christians, or it might be all about welcoming non-Christians and answering their questions. There’s nothing inherently exclusive about having an identity – it’s what you do that matters.
The term “Christian New Media” includes anything with a Christian component. If you write a blog that’s aimed at Christians, or you talk about Jesus on Twitter, or you make music about God, or you work for a charity because you think it reflects Jesus’ ideas, then you can say you’re doing something Christian. If so, you might find it helpful to go along to an event where you meet lots of other people who are also doing Christian things, because you probably have a lot in common. None of this is exclusive.
One point that really puzzles me: why is it bad to call yourself a “Christian”, but OK to start your profile description with “Follower of the Way”? Are you hoping non-Christians won’t know what that means?
I (Bex) had a debate with the guys I was training this week… as they wanted to know why the word ‘Christian’ came 3rd in my Twitter bio. I think it was a semi-conscious decision that people may “stop” at that point, but if they see the other 2 bits (Life Explorer, academia/learning), then they will see that it’s an important part of the mix… to me it may be the basis of all, but that doesn’t mean it has to be first in the descriptor. It’s an interesting debate!
Great post.”I am a follower of Jesus who thinks the world needs my fellow followers to be in this world but not of it… and I think exclusivity is of the world.” Love that quote.
Most of the time the ‘in but not of’ thing is used to justify bubble-culture/clic-groups etc – it is a mindset driven by fear of the other, not by love for them, and therefore inevitably leads to exclusivity (fear) as opposed to inclusivity (love), and all too often the Christian prefix is often used, not necessarily for the sake of the creator, but as an exclusive, fear-driven endorsement of the thing for the consumer, so that they know it is ‘pure’ and will not lead them into sin. I guess it’s a good promotional device if you want a pretty stable share in a solid, anchored market (the Christian scene)…
Sounds like you should have been at my session at #CNMAC11 “How can traditional churches and those with older congregations use new media without excluding people?” – Here is a link to the transcript… http://davegroberts.podbean.com/2011/10/19/tickle-cnmac-script/
In short, why do we, as Christians, engage with New Media?
1. We need to be relevant. John Stott once said “We are to have one foot in the Bible and one foot in the world. Double listening. Listening to what the world has to say and then applying the Bible to it…” If the world uses New Media, hten we should be too…
2. It can shows church acting as a community!
3. Gives the excluded and elderly an opportunity to know they are loved, valued and included.
4. Gives those same people, the chance to use their talents and spiritual gifts!
5. Further along those lines it gives them an opportunity to further enhance and be trained in the use of their talents and knowledge!