Preach Magazine Issue 5 - Preaching to the unconverted | Page 27

FEATURE
Although a ‘daily act of worship’
of ‘a broadly Christian character’
currently remains a legal requirement
in schools,3 the rules are widely
interpreted or ignored by many. There
is a possibility that many are simply
going through the motions, which
doesn’t sit well in a digital age. People
want to be shown, not told, and when
conviction is lacking, there is nothing
to show.4
Matthew 5:13–16 calls us to be salt and
light in the world, and for thousands
in the ‘digital age’, that world includes
social networks such as Twitter,
Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. The
digital is a part of our everyday lives,
and there are enormous opportunities
available for those who have learnt
how to be critical, constructive, and
confident inhabitants of the digital
environment. Within the UK, 83 per
cent of adults are now online, among
16- to 34-year-olds that increases to
98 per cent, whilst those aged 65+
are the fastest-growing segment of
users, especially via mobile devices.5
It’s important to think about how we
engage within online social spaces
both organisationally and through
those in our congregations who live
aspects of their lives online. Often,
when people speak about the digital,
they talk about it as a ‘virtual’ space.
It is more helpful to think in terms of
online and offline, rather than ‘virtual’
and ‘real’. Online life is part of ‘real’
life, and life is not risk-free. We need to
judge it on its own merits, rather than
measuring it against other forms of
communication:

THE HIGHWAYS AND
BYWAYS OF TODAY
As a child I remember a man called
Derek Hayman coming into school
with paints and puppets to share
the message in an interactive,
entertaining way, which clearly drew
upon strong theological convictions.

EVEN THOUGH IN
PRACTICE, FACE-TO-FACE
COMMUNICATION CAN,
OF COURSE, BE ANGRY,
NEGLIGENT, RESISTANT,
DECEITFUL AND INFLEXIBLE,
SOMEHOW IT REMAINS THE
IDEAL AGAINST WHICH
MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
IS JUDGED AS FLAWED.6

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In a digital age, online relationships
form part of the spectrum of
contemporary friendships. Definitions
of friendship can be quite loose, but
trust and respect for others are of core
importance, and vulnerability and
humour are appreciated. Proclamation
of the gospel, however, unless part
of one’s own story, is not. Preachers
can think of how, within a traditional
sermon, they can provide information
in a style that encourages sharing
of short segments, highly shareable
visual prompts, and opportunities
for interaction, especially within a
context where the congregation can
share alongside aspects of their own
personal story.

KNOWING THE CONTEXT
Just because we live in a digital age
doesn’t mean that everything is digital,
but communication needs to work
within a culture that has been changed
by the digital. People’s expectations
have changed to focus upon shorter,
more personalised, visual messages,
in which listening and interactivity
are crucial, and in which messages
that pull people in by demonstrating
relevance, rather than pushing out
through repetition are key. As Romans
12:1–2 says, while we need to take our
everyday lives (including the digital
elements) and place them before God,
we shouldn’t ‘become so well adjusted’
that we fit in without thinking.7
Awareness and understanding of
that culture, however, allows us to
understand what may be effective,
whether digital or offline! The Big
Bible Project emerged from this kind
of thinking: encouraging both biblical
and digital literacy, enabling Christians
to be good witnesses within the digital
spaces, including a presence in darker
spaces such as pro-suicide forums.8
I recollect that while undertaking
my PhD, Winchester hosted the
evangelistic Walk of 1000 Men.9 Among
my age group, we realised that all
of our friends and activities were
connected with church, and therefore
it was not natural to invite anyone
outside of church to such activities.