I decided to break out my thought on transparency from this post, because it deserves more careful attention. The idea of transparency has deep theological roots, starting in the very nature of God:
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5).
The transparency of new media creates vast opportunities for the Christian message, and of course many potential pitfalls. In terms of the opportunities, the information overload of the Internet allows one to drill down into the details of various issues as no communication platform ever has before. If we have eyes to see, these issues present gospel opportunities.
Seeing is not enough. A common temptation to me as a blogger is to think that just because I can apply “Christian worldview analysis” to a situation, that I really understand it. There is a difference between seeing false presuppositions underlying a specific perspective and understanding the human dimension of those false presuppositions played out.
New media can be a powerful tool, but it is most effective when employed as part of the old school ethic of frontline leadership. Frontline leadership calls us “outside the camp” to understand real people and their problems on the frontlines of our families, churches, vocations and communities. Then we can see clearly to apply Biblical wisdom where appropriate.
Part of new media’s transparency is its immediacy. The irony of the immediacy of new media is that enables one to take a long-term problem-solving approach. Through this, anyone can gain a more willing audience and an influential platform for one’s message. This approach suits the Christian message, which uniquely reveals how Christ alone addresses man’s Great Problem-human sinfulness and God’s holy opposition to it.
So, as we bring the light of a Biblical worldview on various problems around us, we can be patient and work hard to gain a deep understanding of the situational issues. This combining of the spiritual and the natural points to the Incarnation of Christ, the basis of His mediating work to set us right before God. See the connections?
This long-term approach also promises to have a concrete restorative effect on our world, which only strengthens the Christian argument on the truthfulness and authority of Scripture. This strikes me as more effective than the more common approach to primarily advance certain cultural objectives ideologically and politically, rather than sacrificially. By that I mean that by serving on the frontlines with those from other views, and working toward common goals in society, we are loving others as we would want to be loved.
Once we do serve sacrificially on the frontlines of our various callings to help resolve our culture’s primary challenges, who won’t listen to our message?
More on this to come. In the meantime, remember that transparency is a two-way street. I commit to being as transparent as I can in presenting what I believe, how I think through things, and how I live my life. In return, I ask for candid feedback. For this blog to be of enduring value, I need your comments. I will field all of them as best I can.
Thanks.
