Putting our faith in social media

A study into Christian social media habits highlights a few speed bumps, but also plenty of exciting opportunities for creativity in online faith sharing.

Although a regular user of social media—mainly Facebook and occasionally Twitter and Instagram—one area that remains something of a quandary for me is sharing my faith online. Just how ‘Christian’ do I want to be online? If I post lots of preachy statuses, will my non-Christian friends be turned off ? If I don’t post any, will people think I don’t love Jesus enough? Can I be honest about my struggles, or will that look like God isn’t big enough to help me? But is God looking for spin doctors anyway?

Just what is the modern-day Christian to make of the challenges and opportunities social media presents? That’s something David Giles, who oversees Th e Salvation Army’s online presence at International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, wanted to fi nd out. And so for his MA thesis in Media Communications, he explored what it means for people to ‘put their faith in social media’.

Four hundred and sixty-six people, most of them Christian, took part in a survey David ran from January to June last year. Almost 72 per cent were from the UK, with 8.7 per cent from the US, 6.6 per cent from New Zealand, 4.2 per cent from Australia, and 2.4 per cent from Canada. David combined his survey findings with other research to give a fascinating insight into today’s faithbased online interaction.

#ToShareOrNotToShare

Just over three-quarters of the Christians who took part in David’s survey said social media was an appropriate vehicle for sharing their faith, with only 6.6 per cent saying it wasn’t. Comments included:

• Social media is a platform for sharing the things that are important in your life … If faith is important to you, I can’t see how it’s not at least somewhat refl ected in the content you share online.
• People share pictures of cats! I don’t like cats but love church … can I not share my passions?

But there were misgivings:

• I’m scared I’ll get a lot of hate I don’t want to deal with.
• Social media tends to be too open a forum … It usually polarises people and inevitably it causes people to become entrenched in their view and then any ensuing debate becomes very closed and defensive.

Of those who thought it acceptable to talk about faith online, when they were asked whether they actually did this, the numbers reversed. This time, 75 per cent said they felt ‘somewhat uncomfortable’ or ‘very uncomfortable’, with fear of negative responses putting some off .

David says the ‘most surprising’ result in the survey was that while 33 per cent of Christians said they ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ received a negative reaction to their posts from non-Christian social media contacts, there was an almost equal likelihood (30 per cent) of receiving a negative response from another Christian. ‘I think that gives us much food for thought about our behaviour online,’ he says. ‘Are we demonstrating grace in the digital space?’

When it came to sharing faith-related content, there was a greater level of comfort in sharing quotes from Christian leaders (60.7 per cent), than in sharing quotes from the Bible (48.2 per cent). The most positive reaction was to posting content from Christian churches or charities, with over 70 per cent saying they did this ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ on Facebook (and 87 per cent on Twitter).

‘Trusted faith-based organisations could and should capitalise on this to create shareable content that fellow believers will be comfortable using,’ says David. But since ‘diversity is the recommended order of the day’ on social media, this would ideally mean a mix of textual, image-based and audio/video content, he adds.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) and the Pope (@Pontifex) were praised for ‘making an effort to make Christianity more accessible’. Of Archbishop Justin Welby’s tweets, one respondent said, ‘Speaks the truth sensitively. Encourages. Praises good practice.’ The Archbishop’s use of Facebook Live to stream Bible studies was also applauded —something The Salvation Army has also started for its ‘One Army Live’ studies.

#BetterAccess

Given the cheaper availability of video streaming services, along with free apps such as Periscope and Meerkat, it is easier than ever before to stream video. David describes this increased availability of video-based social media as ‘potentially a defining moment’—a development ‘professional practitioners in the realm of faith-based communication will be keen to explore’.

A benefit of live streaming events is supporting better access for disabled Christians. Dave Lucas, a UK visuallyimpaired advocate for the rights of people through his Disability and Jesus social media presence, says, ‘This is a big issue for disabled Christians—getting to conferences. Just the actual, physical getting there—the journey—is too difficult. The venue might not be great, that sort of thing. But when an event is live-streamed, via Periscope or whatever else, then they’re able to take part in a way they couldn’t otherwise. Even a live Twitter feed where people are tweeting from the event … enables people to feel that they are part of something.’

He and others David spoke to highlighted the Anglican YouTube-based TGI Monday initiative (Thank God It’s Monday—tgimonday.show), a 10-minute online panel show where viewers can submit questions. One of the co-presenters, Ros Clarke (who is also Online Pastor for her local diocese), says the anonymity or pseudonymity offered by online discussions is helpful. ‘Online you can lurk, you can listen, you can ask a question but not feel put on the spot when someone answers it.’

#GetCreative

Overall, David reports cause for ‘great optimism’ around the ‘enormous creativity exhibited by Christians keen to share their faith online’.

He gives the example of a UK Christian who shared a haiku for every day of Advent—telling the whole Christian story from creation to the resurrection, with Christmas the central focus. A keen haiku writer, she wrote them all one evening, paired them with pictures and was ready to post. ‘There were many, many more examples of such creativity,’ David says.

Humour can be a helpful. Jeff Piepho is a US pastor and co-creator of 'Church Meme Committee’, a satirical Facebook page. He says believers shouldn’t take themselves so seriously all the time. ‘The death of Christ, the resurrection, the spiritual matters, Creator of the Cosmos … too often we deal with these weighty things and forget that we can laugh, it is okay to be humorous, it is okay to poke fun at ourselves, and to not take ourselves so seriously all the time’.

#LetsPray

Although The Salvation Army was not the main focus of his study, David says the Army’s social media engagement seems healthy, particularly in ‘closed’ Facebook groups devoted to prayer. ‘One very sad case study focused on a young UK Salvationist who was injured in an accident while on holiday away from family in Australia. A Facebook group was established to support her, her family and friends. Although, ultimately, the prayers were not answered in the way many had hoped with the young woman passing away, the group continued to provide mutual support as a place for people to mourn.

‘Many had never met each other, and may never do. But the unity, openness and commitment to each other was perhaps something that was achieved more fully online than could have been realised geographically. Also, despite the tragedy, at least one participant found the experience so touching that it nudged them back to a personal relationship with God.’

#WisdomAndGrace

As an unexpected social media trailblazer, Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival on Twitter in December 2012 was heralded by the Vatican in advance, so his @pontifex account already had a quarter of a million followers by the time he issued his first tweet. David notes that after a first tweet of greeting, the Pope’s second and third tweets gave a clearer indication as to the potential he saw in this new means of communication:

• How can we celebrate the Year of Faith in our daily lives?
• By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what he tells you in the gospel and looking for him in those in need.

However, some who responded to David’s survey indicated that while their denominational leadership wasn’t actively discouraging social media, there was a lack of positive endorsement. This, David says, could be interpreted by some as ‘tacit disapproval of the medium and therefore act as a deterrent’. He suggests leaders could do better at encouraging and resourcing ministers and others within their churches.

Given the likelihood of negative reactions to faith-related social media posts, David suggests more could also be done to equip Christians for the theological debates that arise online. But this needs to be done with grace and sensitivity, not just clever rhetoric. He points to the ninth most-tweeted Bible verse of 2015: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.

‘As social beings, can we interact with one another with gentleness and grace, even where there may be disagreement? Can we demonstrate the vitality of our faith with clarity and creativity? And can people of faith behave as a community not just of believers, but of fellow humans engaging on an equal footing?’

David’s Top Social Tips

1. Make friends: Follow interesting people on Twitter—not just Christians. Comment on their updates, prefacing your message with the originator’s @-handle.

2. Use hashtags: Many Twitter conversations include one or more hashtags (eg, #SalvationArmy). This makes it easier to search for particular themes. Facebook has got in on the hashtag act as well.

3. ‘Do’ God: If your faith shapes who you are, you’ll want to talk about it. Have you been to your corps (church) today? Tweet about it. Thinking about a Bible passage? Share it in a Facebook status. Praying about something? Tell people. Celebrating answered prayer? Tell even more people!

4. Avoid jargon: According to the vast majority, CO is ‘carbon monoxide’, not ‘corps officer’! Use straightforward language.

5. Share others’ content: Official social media channels are no substitute for personal relationships. Your voice and your network is important. Retweeting Salvation Army social media messages helps us reach a wider audience and at far less cost.

6. Be yourself: Don’t just rehash other people’s material —you’ve got something to say, too. Why are you a Christian? Why do you belong to The Salvation Army? What are your interests and how can you speak into conversations of those sharing your passions?

7. Don’t leave it to someone else: See something unfairly critical of The Salvation Army? Make sure you’re certain of the facts, then put the record straight in a gentle, kind and truthful way (without making up Army policy).

8. Be salt and light: ‘Your tweets should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone’ (Colossians 4:6, my paraphrase). Social media can dispel misconceptions about the Church and Christians. Have integrity. Don’t brag. Be honest.

9. Include pictures, videos and links: Social media content works best when people can see what you’re talking about. Why not use Vine to create a six-second look at Sunday worship? Or Pinterest to curate your own view of the Salvation Army world?

10. Pick and choose wisely: Not all social-media content claiming to be Christian is edifying. Don’t feel railroaded into re-sharing dubious content, but also don’t be deterred from taking part in awareness campaigns, especially from bona fide organisations.

---

by Christina Tyson (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 28 January 2017, pp6-9
You can read 'War Cry' at your nearest Salvation Army church or centre, or subscribe through Salvationist Resources.