Spreading the Good News is a particular issue that has always been fundamental in the Lord’s church. Those of us who have had the blessing of grasping the Truth in faith know the urgency of this mission, for we believe that our true and ultimate destiny can only be found in Jesus. Therefore, as we continue moving into the new millennium, today we need to ask ourselves what should the church do as advancement in modern communication technologies is quickly becoming part of every body’s daily life.
The most obvious answer probably is that we need to embrace this opportunity and take advantage of it. The Internet is a powerful tool being used by everyone everywhere. Christians need to use it in their favor. Have you noticed how computer prices have declined dramatically? Haven’t we also noticed that the Internet connection is increasingly faster and more affordable? What all this means is simply that, with every passing day, more and more users around the globe are accessing the World Wide Web. Consequently, opportunities for people to find the real gospel through the Internet are greater than ever. But the challenges are big.
The Internet itself is creating very distinct users. Whoever browses through this medium will quickly notice that it is is overflowing with attractive, flashy, and magnetic “messages.” Thousands of diverse, interesting and pleasant options await any one who “clicks” her way through the Internet. You can have complete freedom of expression. You can practically live several alternative lives on the Web. You can have totally different identities in the virtual world. How can we attract these users to the Truth of Jesus Christ in mist of this vast number of attractive and often misleading ventures? Can a plain web page or text document displayed on a computer screen capture the attention of a young cyberspace user?
The truth of the matter is that people today use the Internet for much more than just getting information. I am afraid that most young users, most of the time, enter the Web not to do research, or find the Truth. Do they know that Truth can actually be found? Do they really care? The Internet for them is not primarily the Information Super Highway as we originally conceived it. It is rather a place of entertainment and a new way to socialize. Unlike the old users, the younger generations are now accessing the Internet for reasons other than reading the news, finding out the weather, or getting some other data. Buying and selling on the internet is now child’s play. Kids also download all kinds of music, videos and games. Besides they maintain their network of friends in the Internet. Additionally they also use the mouse of their computers to define and redefine their life as they wish. There are almost no limits. An eight year fat girl, for instance, can very well become an eighteen year old model. However, each time this happens our young users are being removed farther apart from all authentic reality. It all becomes just virtual worlds that happen to appear and feel very real.
The Internet has changed considerably since its beginnings. It is like a living organism that keeps growing and evolving, constantly challenging the Church, In these days what we need is more than a billboard hanging in a corner of the cyberspace which no one visits. We need dynamic options where authentic Christians can become the salt and light of the cybernetic world, where they interact with other users.
