When I’m not blogging on religion and pop culture for Idol Chatter, my academic research centers on faith and youth, so when pop culture enters the picture in that realm, I pay attention. That’s why I’m excited to read “The Church of Facebook: How the Wireless Generation is Redefining Community” by Jesse Rice. The title pretty much says it all. What a great idea, right? Obvious, once you think about it, but Rice got there first.
“In a conversation with Rice about the impact Facebook is having on the Church, Rice says, “I think that part of the challenge to the church is–the gospel of Jesus is this embodied gospel, God came to show us his love by taking on flesh and being with us and here we are interacting so much in this disembodied environment. I think the challenge for the church is to learn how to embody this gospel in the flesh in this digital world. I think part of the way we do that is to be intentional, humble and authentic in that space.”. . . In the end, The Church of Facebook is a powerful read and boldly necessary for anyone who seeks to build a stronger–and redemptive–connection in the world of social networking.”
In another positive review, the Examiner focused on the central questions that Rice addresses:
“What is spontaneous order? How did Facebook become the phenomena of Social Networking? Is there really power in your online profile? How Social Networking consumes us almost unintentionally? What is the nature of a relationship; must it be geographically bound? In this new Social Networking World, what are some prudent limitations?”
As someone who writes on college student culture in particular, “The Church of Facebook” sounds like a must read. I can’t wait.
Read Previous Post
