Friday, September
7, 2012
St. Phanourios and
the Asia Minor Catastrophe
In Aivali (Kydonia) in Asia Minor, across from the island of
Lesvos, there was a small church dedicated to St. Phanourios, built well before
the time of the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922. Within this church was an old
wondwerworking icon of St. Phanourios.
August 27, 1922, the feast of St. Phanourios, would mark the
last time the oil lamps in this church would be lit by a woman who was unaware
she was lighting these lamps for the last time, but who later would save the
icon from the impending disaster.
On August 29, 1922 the Greek army abandoned Aivali and
allowed the Turks to take over. Kydonia was 95% Greek at the time, and since
they had no problems with the Turks in the past few years they decided to stay
in their homes and hope for mercy. They figured that if they welcomed the Turks
with gifts and warmth then they would be safe. After all, they figured, the
Koran does say not to kill a person who receives you with honor and as a
conqueror. However there was a tremendous hatred towards the Greeks. Kemal
wanted the complete obliteration of Greeks and Armenians from Asia Minor.
Leaders decided therefore to have all Armenians and those who fought in battle
to flee.
On the 5th of September the last ship with the Greek army
left Asia Minor and the next day the Turkish army was to enter Aivali. They
were to be received with music, food and gifts. However the Turks were informed
that the Greeks were storing weapons in Aivali. The Turks came in and began the
destruction of ecclesiastical and political structures. That same night they
were selling ecclesiastical items at a bazaar in the port. Fear and terror
obliterated the hope of the Greeks that night.
Men were gathered by the Turkish army for execution, but
they needed to receive orders from Kemal to proceed. Kemal stopped the
execution on the basis that the Greeks received them warmly. The Greek plan
worked for about 24 hours.
On September 7th the Turkish army left and the militia
entered. They ignored the command of Mustafa Kemal on grounds that the Greeks
stored weapons and soldiers, and they began a slaughter. Men between the ages
of 18 and 45 were gathered and taken out of the city to the mines of Freneli
and two adjacent canyons. They took them to a hill named Bogia and slaughtered
them with machetes.
Metropolitan Gregory was warning the people from mid-August
that a slaughter was coming. He had been arrested twice by the Turks and knew
of their hatred for the Greeks and Armenians. From that time he was organizing
kayaks and ships to take the people to nearby Lesvos for safety, which he did
till mid-September. In the end, he managed to save thousands of lives this way.
During the days of slaughter, mothers hid their children
from Turks who would enter the houses to kill and rape. They would burn off the
eyebrows and cut the hair of their sons. They would put on them eyeliner,
perfume and dress them like girls. Girls they would stuff their clothes to make
them appear pregnant, and would cut their hair and spread dirt on their face to
make them look old.
On September 18th the Turks gave the people of Kydonia 24
hours to leave for Lesvos. Their hopes were placed on Metropolitan Gregory to
organize for their departure through kayaks and Greek and American ships.
Mothers took their children to the ships for salvation. At one point, Turks saw
an 18 year old boy dressed as a girl board the ship, and they immediately took
him and killed him in front of his mother.
On September 19th a woman left her home with her son for the
kayaks. As she passed the Chapel of St. Phanourios she saw the oil lamp was
lit, and wondered who in this chaos did such a thing. She was pulled to go in
and venerate the icon for the last time. The icon was full of gold and silver
offerings, owing to its wonderworking nature. This icon had become famous all
the way to Smyrna because of its many miracles.
The woman decided to take the icon with her, knowing full
well that the Turks did not allow the taking of any valuables, including icons,
onto the ships. She hid it under the clothes of her child and left.
When she arrived at the ships the Turks checked her for any
valuables, and found under the clothes of her child the icon of St. Phanourios.
The Turks saw this to be an especially valuable icon, so they took it and put
it with the other treasures. But the woman was filled with love for St.
Phanourios and could not bear to see this. She decided to give her only
possession, a ring, in return for the icon. The Turks agreed to the trade. She
was given also another small icon. She took these and boarded the kayak for
Lesvos.
The woman aged and her son grew up and got married in
Lesvos. He left with his bride for South Africa where he gained riches. He
eventually died and his childless wife gave her riches to philanthropical works
and to the Church. She met with the priest of St. George the New Martyr in New
Kydonia, Lesvos and gave him the icon of St. Phanourios to which he was
commissioned to have a church built to house the icon. This was done and it was
consecrated in 2002.
Today this church dedicated
to St. Phanourios is at the Church of St. George the New Martyr in New Kydonia
and houses the wonderworking icon of St. Phanourios together with its gold and
silver offerings. From this church one could see old Kydonia across the sea.
Friday,
September 7, 2012
The
Tomb of Saint Kassiani in Kasos
St. Kassiani, best known for her hymnography, became a nun
and founded a monastery in Constantinople at a young age. Later in life she
traveled to Italy with another nun named Evdokia. From there she went to the
island of Kasos near Crete, where she reposed on September 7th around 890 AD.
Her body was placed in a larnax and eventually a chapel dedicated to her was
built over this. This 9th century larnax survives today in Kasos together with
a plaque from that time indicating the year of Kassiani's death with a cross.
According to local tradition, the larnax no longer contains
the relics of St. Kassiani, which at one point were transferred to the island
of Icarus. She is clebrated throughout Greece on September 7th, but especially
on the island of Kasos.
The
Athonite Island of Kyra Panagia
Kyra Panagia (Greek: Κυρά Παναγιά; trans. Lady All-Holy) is a Greek island in
the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos in
the Magnesia Prefecture. The island is also known by the name of Pelagos and
rarely Pelagonisi. In Antiquity it was known as Ephthyros (Έφθυρος) and
Polyaigos (Πολύαιγος). A bay in the south west of the island is named Agios
Petros. Kyra Panagia has belonged to the Athonite monastery of Megisti Lavra
(Great Lavra) since it was granted the island by the Byzantine emperor
Nikephoros II Phokas in 963. There is a monastery, currently (2011) under
restoration and inhabited by a single monk, on the east coast of the island.
With an area of 25 square kilometres Kyra Panagia is the largest of the desert
islands.
The story begins in 963 AD, when Saint Athanasios the Athonite bought the
island from the Byzantine noblemen of Constantinople as a dependency of Mount
Athos, which it supplied with food such as meat, honey, oil, and wheat. It is
well-known that women may not enter Mount Athos, but many will not be aware
that neither are female animals allowed, so Athos's requirements of meat are
met by its dependencies. This is how goat-farming started on Kyra Panagia, and
the system whereby the island is rented from the Great Lavra Monastery by
goat-farmers to graze their flocks continues to the present day.
The island's monastery, built in 1100 AD, is situated on the southeastern side.
Up until 1984 there was still a monk there. The monastery overlooks the sea
from its height and resembles a small fortress, reminiscent of the times when
pirates laid waste to the area. Its natural harbor is exposed to the elements
and caïques can only approach in favourable conditions.
The monastery buildings, simple but impressive, were restored in 1992 with
funds given by the Potamianos family, and is again ready to receive monks who
might wish to go there. It is interesting to see the still-existing old
oil-press and flour mill. From up here on clear days there is an excellent view
of the island of Yioura opposite it, with the rocky islets Pappous and Grammiza
in front of it, and further off the little island of Piperi. In good weather
one can see the flat bulk of Psathoura jutting out of the sea in the distance.
There are many olive trees on the island, which in former times provided the
monastic community with oil and olives. Nowadays no one looks after them and
the harvest is meagre. Similarly, cultivation of the island's fertile plains
has been abandoned. There are many springs on the island, so that in former
times farm animals could be kept. The island's surface is covered chiefly with
scrub-oak and other dry, low vegetation.
Traces of early settlement
Kyra Panagia has two large natural bays: Agios Petros in the West and Planitis
in the East. When North winds blow caïques can shelter in the protected bay of
Agios Petros. Here too the Byzantine sailors moored their ships, and one of
them sank in the depths of the bay; the wreck has still not been investigated
by archaeologists.
In ancient times Kyra Panagia was the centre of these desert islands, which
were not then as deserted as today. Remains of neolithic dwellings have been
found on the island, so Kyra Panagia is reckoned among the earliest of the
Aegean islands to have been settled. (About 6,000 B.C.) Ancient ruins have been
found opposite the islet of Melissa in Agios Petros bay. It is possible that an
entire ancient city was established here, as witnessed by the ruined walls
discovered on the coast of the bay. Certainly the finds have a story to tell to
archaeologists who will study them. The island was inhabited continually up
until the classical era, but became well-known during the dispute between Philippos
and the Athenians. From the 5th century B.C. it belonged to Athens. In 351 B.C.
Sostratos, a brigand from Peparithos (the present-day Skopelos) took over the
island and made it his stronghold. Then a little before 346 B.C. Philippos took
it over and chased Sostratos out. The Athenians however, to whom the island
belonged, complained, and Philippos agreed to hand it back to them. In spite of
this the Athenians remained unsatisfied and Igisippos made his speech
‘Concerning Alonnisos', of which only fragments survive. This speech was
mistakenly attributed to Demosthenes, whose own work of the same title is lost.
In the southern part of the bay the plain of Agios Petros stretches down from
the mountain, full of olive trees, and at its end there are remains of an old
monastery.
The bay of Planitis in the East is one of the largest natural harbors in the
Mediterranean. Its entrance is about 80 metres wide and then it divides into
western and southern areas, each several hundred yards wide. Arriving in Planitis
by caïque one wonders why, with such an ideal natural harbour, no settlement
has developed. The fact that the island belongs to Mount Athos appears to be
the reason there has been no settlement in recent history. This is fortunate
for the natural environment, which has remained undamaged except for
over-grazing, and for the present-day visitor who can enjoy the genuinely
natural countryside of an Aegean island.
The katholikon of the Monastery of Kyra Panagia, celebrates its feast day on
the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos on September 8th. In this courtyard
early Christian relics of the 6th and 7th century AD were discovered and there
is a pergola to offer shade to the visitors. The Monastery of Kyra Panagia has
become very popular with tourists and it is fascinating to see the
still-existing remains of the old olive oil press and flour-mill. The main
festival at Kyra Panagia Monastery takes place on 15th of August every year.
An
Illustrated Synaxarion For Children - "My Warrior Saints"
[This
book looks interesting and I thought I would share it as we approach the
holiday season and contemplate on gifts for the children in our lives. This
book is of particular interest to me because when I was a child I still recall
the stories my pious grandmother from Greece would tell me of various
"warrior" Saints. I was fascinated and inspired by the stories of
Sts. George, Demetrios, Eustathios, etc. They are the perfect stories for
children. - J.S.]
An Illustrated Synaxarion for Children - MY WARRIOR SAINTS by
Potamitis Publishing.
Our newest book contains miracles, short lives, dismissal hymns and facts of 12
soldier Saints, among them St. George, St. Constantine, St. Theodore Tyro, St.
Procopius, St. Niketas, etc.
Vividly illustrated in byzantine-inspired style.
"This book will surely delight all with its action and courageous Faith in
Christ." Nina Seco, St. Nektarios Press.
Large Format A4
Hard cover
72 pages
No age limitation
ISBN:978-960-98021-8-5
2009, September
Available: Directly from the publisher, from the U.S. call 410-7342 771 email: orders@OrthodoxChildrensBooks.com,
or dionysiospotamitis@yahoo.com
You can also order it from the Orthodox Book Centre Nikolas Karellos, or from
Stamoulis in Athens, Greece.
In the U.S. you can find it at St. Nektarios Press, Seattle, WA; St. Nektarios
Monastery, Roscoe, NY; Life Giving Spring Monastery, Dunlap CA; more places to
be anounced soon.
By Douglas Groothuis
SYNOPSIS
Social media are growing explosively and are changing the way
people around the globe think of friendship and community. While media such as
Facebook offer us unique opportunities, they also present real dangers.
Christians should realize that not all forms of culture are advantageous to
human flourishing and that every medium has it limitations. We are shaped in
profound ways by every medium of communication. Yet, for all its immediacy and
possibilities, the computer world of social media cannot replace the
significance of embodied interactions. Friendship, fellowship, and community
cannot be duplicated at the deepest levels in social media. Nevertheless, if we
resist gossip and gullibility, and are careful not to overexpose ourselves in
these media, we can engage these forms of communication wisely and usefully. The
following principles can help guide our involvement with social media: (1)
Monitor yourself for unhealthy behavior. (2) Restrict late evening and early
morning for other activities. (3) Avoid narcissism and present one’s true self.
(4) Pay special attention to specific Facebook friends each month. (5) Be
skeptical of how others present themselves on Facebook. (6) Periodically
abstain from Facebook. (7) Develop a philosophy of what a Facebook friend
should mean to you. For me, this means presenting thoughtful material to as
many people as possible, which includes apologetic engagement.
---------------
With the meteoric rise of social media such as Facebook,
MySpace, LinkedIn, and others, we should ask how these modes of
computer-mediated social interaction are affecting individuals, groups, and
culture at large. One may have hundreds of Facebook “friends,” but what kind of
friends are they? And what kind of “community” is Facebook and related social
media outlets? What are the beneficial elements of social media and what are
its dangers? Consider two episodes that highlight the strengths and weakness of
this new medium.
In May of 2006, a woman left her expensive cell phone in a
New York City cab. Rather than giving it up for lost, she used various social
media to trigger a massive campaign for her cell phone to be returned. The
person who found the woman’s cell phone initially communicated his refusal to
return it by sending a nasty e-mail message, but he was eventually pressured to
give it back when the case was made widely known. The recovery of the woman’s
phone would have been impossible apart from the connections available through
social media. This highlights new forms of social association and action that
would have been impossible previously. Political demonstrations in repressive
regimes have been organized in this way as well.1
On another occasion, a man decides to use a Facebook post to
vent his pent-up frustrations against someone he knows. He attacks the person’s
character and issues false charges. Although both he and the person he vilifies
are Christians, he fails to communicate first with that person about his
complaints (see Matt. 18:15–20). Instead, he issues a broadside in a media
environment where all his “friends” can read the post. This takes gossip to a
whole new (social media) level. Feelings are hurt, lies are broadcast, and no
one is the better for it.
FACEBOOK, THEOLOGY, AND THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY
Although there are other forms of social media, we will
concentrate on the strengths and weaknesses of Facebook, given its size and
influence. The ascent of Facebook has been remarkable. During the first quarter
of 2009, five million people joined Facebook every week. From August 2008 to
March 2009, its membership doubled from one hundred million to two hundred
million and the vast majority of its members (140 million) have joined since
February of 2007.2 Facebook has rapidly generated a spontaneous ordering of
human communication that is unique in history.
Internet technologies have swiftly changed cultures around
the world through their speed, availability, and new contexts for information
exchange, whether through text, audio, still images, or video. The rise of
social networking has raised significant questions about the meaning and
experience of community in the digital domain. Christians believe in
authoritative principles for human flourishing designed by God. Therefore, they
should be especially concerned with how these new and nearly ubiquitous
technologies are shaping ourselves and our society. If the greatest commandment
is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves
(Matt. 22:37–39), then it behooves us to discern the strengths and weaknesses
of these technologies and “hold on to the good” while avoiding “every kind of
evil” (1 Thess. 5:21–22).3 The place to start is at the beginning—the beginning
of humanity. Only this framework is large enough to give us discernment
regarding the wise use of these media.
Human beings, as image-bearers of God, are social creatures.
We were designed by a loving God to demonstrate love for God and for others. In
this context, we are to develop God’s good creation for human flourishing and
God’s pleasure. The first man, even before the Fall, would have been lonely and
incomplete without another image-bearer of God who was fitted to be his partner
and lover. Although put into a garden of goodness with unrestricted fellowship
with God (Gen. 1–2), our first parents listened to the lie of the serpent,
opting to go their own way by doing the one thing that God had forbidden:
eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3).
Despite our wounded, fractured, and fragile existence in a
world east of Eden, God has not abandoned us to our own devices and despair. Rather,
He pursues errant mortals by revealing Himself in creation and in conscience
(Ps. 19:1–6; Rom. 1–2), through prophets, miracles, and supremely through
sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1). God commissions His people
to disciple nations according to His teaching, since He has all authority in
heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18–20). As agents of God’s Kingdom, Christians
should discern the results of the Fall and advance redemptive strategies to
lead people to Christ and to encourage social interaction that furthers God’s
shalom (peace and flourishing for the creation under God). As Jesus said:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses
its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same
way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:13–16).
To be salt and light requires an understanding of culture
and its effects on us all. We should be like the tribe of Issachar, “who understood
the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron. 12:32).
Human culture is multifaceted, variable, complex, and often
invisible. Put simply, culture is the mark that humans make on nature and on
each other (see Gen. 1:26; Ps. 8). However, that mark may be blended into our
lives in ways that we hardly notice. Competent cultural criticism brings the
cultural background into the foreground, as Marshall McLuhan observed. This
allows us to discern what is typically out of view.
The unique human touch takes manifold forms— involving the
sartorial, the architectural, the orchestral, the automotive, and so on—and
extends to various discursive communicative media such as spoken language,
smoke signals, forms of signage, and written language. More recently, it has
included electronically mediated communications, such as the telegraph,
telephone, radio, television, and Internet. The latter has afforded us, in a
very short time, a plethora of possibilities for communication, from e-mail to
text messaging to blogs to what is now called “social networking,” a phenomenon
that occurs on the Internet by broadening the kinds of computer-mediated social
contact offered by e-mail, blogs, or Web pages. This creates a digital agora,
but with no one there in the flesh. Bodies are absent, but interaction is very
present in this new electronic forum.
In his insightful book, The Church of Facebook, Jesse
Rice repeatedly emphasizes that new technologies produce unforeseen and unique
effects. Radical new patterns of association emerge. He sets forth three
principles at work with social networking technologies and structures the book
around them. (1) There is a force that is capable of synchronizing a large
population in very little time, thereby creating spontaneous order. (2) This
spontaneous order can generate outcomes that are entirely new and
unpredictable. (3) These unpredictable outcomes require the affected population
to adapt their behavior to more adequately live within the new spontaneously
generated order.4
To put this in Neil Postman’s terms, technological change
produces “ecological” effects that go beyond minor adjustments in a culture.5
For example, television changed American culture economically, politically, and
intellectually. It was not merely another medium added to newspapers, the
telegraph, and radio. Thus, political debates in American politics went from
being intellectually robust exchanges, often lasting for hours, to televised
events in which the one with the best looks and one-liners wins.6 In fact,
Postman claims that the sensibilities fostered by television affect our very
sense of truth and falsity. This observation could be extended to say that all
forms of electronic communication shape our ways of approaching and
understanding the world. It therefore seems important to explore some basic
cautions in navigating this new world before giving some specific principles
for engagement.
SOME BASIC CAUTIONS
Facebook and related social media tend to foster the overexposure
of the underdeveloped self by facilitating the mass distribution of text
and images related to oneself. The problem is that one may expose a self that
is not mature enough for that exposure. As the Book of Proverbs so often says,
the wise hold their peace, but fools proclaim their folly. One should choose
confidants carefully (see Ps. 1). Some aspects of one’s life should be
concealed. There is much folly, frivolity, and triviality in social networking.
Not everyone should know everything about everyone. While secrecy
wrongly conceals vices or wrongdoing, confidentiality is prudent because
it shields things that need to be kept out of view. Social networking makes the
broad distribution of text and image virtually effortless, and many lack the
discretion required to hold their peace. One Facebook post lamented that a
woman’s husband had treated her harshly in a way that never happened while they
were dating. This was a cry of pain, but Facebook was not the place to air it.
This confidence belonged in a marital discussion, in prayer, and perhaps in a
pastor or counselor’s office.
One should also be careful of gossip. Given the nature of
Facebook, gossip can spread rapidly and widely. Gossip can be defined as
repeating unfavorable things about people for no good reason. Biblically
understood, gossip is sinful and should be repented of. Some of the statements
may be true, but they are unedifying and without constructive purpose.7 Paul
includes gossip in several of his “sin lists,” putting it alongside adultery,
murder, and so on (Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 12:20).
Moreover, there is a time to retreat from words entirely, as
the Preacher of Ecclesiastes warns: “The more the words, the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?” (Eccl. 6:11; see also 5:1–2). The same is
true for images. Many Facebook users recklessly post photographs of themselves
in immodest and/or narcissistic poses. Even innocent photographs may be
misunderstood given the often-ambiguous nature of the image. Facebook comments
and images have come back to haunt their authors, as when potential employers
assess the Facebook pages of those they are considering hiring.
What is called social media may become profoundly
antisocial. Some who are immersed in social media prefer such media over
face-to-face encounters. This furthers the technological problem of “the absent
present”: although someone may be right next to you, she is immersed in her
cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, or laptop. For example, students in the classroom
may use their laptops to take notes or perhaps look up something related to the
lecture. As a teacher, I have found that quite often students are not using
their laptops in these ways, however, but are doing any number of other things
online, including checking social networking sites such as Facebook and eHarmony.
Many students are prone to this, since they have grown up
with multitasking as a habit. The idea of undivided attention strikes them as
strange and uninviting. But trying to divide one’s attention between the
classroom (the lecture, student comments, the textbook) and social media
impoverishes the classroom, vitiating it of its unique possibilities for
learning through lecture and dialogue. John Medina argues that the brain itself
is incapable of multitasking effectively, whether in the classroom or elsewhere.8
For these reasons, I have banned laptops from my classes at Denver Seminary and
have added the following comment to my syllabi: “No laptops are allowed in the
classroom. While many students will use them responsibly, many will disappear
behind the screens. For this reason, I am banning them from the classroom. The
classroom needs to be a zone for knowledge and inspiration. Knowledge needs
students and students need knowledge. We need to breathe ideas together without
the distraction of alien mediation. Therefore, please print out the class notes
for the day and be ready to take notes and discuss the material face-to-face,
voice-to-voice, soul-to-soul.”9 I find that the unmediated classroom is far
better than one mediated by computers and their manifold distractions.
PRINCIPLES FOR ENGAGEMENT
Rice recommends several specific principles for using
Facebook, which I have adapted somewhat and to which I will add some of my own:
1. Practice regular check-ins. Since social media can induce
“out-of-body experiences” (digital interactions apart from personal presence),
we should monitor ourselves in the midst of using Facebook or similar
technologies. What are we feeling and thinking? How are we responding to this
world? Given the hyperconnectedness that Facebook affords, it is easy to get
swept into the data flow without being mindful of what is happening on the
screen and in the soul. Think of Jesus’ admonition, “Therefore consider
carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18), which applies to Facebook as well as to
face-to-face situations. Many people post immodest photographs of themselves
online. If we tend to ogle such photographs, we should not; we should repent of
this. This may mean not perusing online photo albums— or it may mean getting
off of Facebook entirely. Jesus was very serious about this particular sin:
"You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit
adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matt.
5:27–32).
2. Resolve not to go online immediately before bed or
immediately after waking up. These significant times of the day should be reserved to
memorize Scripture, meditate on it, and pray (See Ps. 119). One should start
well and end well.
3. Practice authentic Facebook engagement. Facebook caters to
narcissism, with many people presenting flattering images of, and words about,
themselves that are unreal. Therefore, we should evaluate the “presentation of
self in everyday life” on Facebook.10 Does the content we post reflect our
God-given nature? Are we being authentically ourselves here, or are we
hyperactive and hyperconnected pretenders? God knows: “For God will bring every
deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil”
(Eccl. 12:14).
4. Focus on one or two Facebook friends for one month for
special involvement.
One’s involvement in Facebook can become more meaningful by picking just a few
people to focus on, instead of distributing one’s attention more widely but
superficially. Keep your other friends, but pay special attention to these
souls. Pray for them; send messages only for them; post photographs with them
that are meaningful, and so on. Then consider whether this has deepened your
relationship with them.
These four recommendations are sane and solid. I often
challenge people to develop a philosophy of Facebook to guide their involvement,
and Rice’s encouragement should spur reflection. On the basis of my experience
with Facebook, let me commend three other principles.
5. Practice skeptical Facebook activities. Just as one might give a
false impression of oneself through doctored photos or hyped-up words, one
should realize that others are likely doing the same thing. In other words,
Facebook may not be the best source to fathom someone’s character or skills.
The image presented may not be the reality reflected by the person herself. It
is unwise to grant very much trust to someone only known through Facebook,
especially given all the scams and frauds out there.
6. Abstain from Facebook or other social media if you find
yourself obsessing on it or if your interaction is bearing bad fruit in your
life. One’s
spouse can be a savvy observer for this. It is easy to lose track of time or
not notice what so much time online is doing to one’s character. If a spouse or
another trusted person is concerned about your involvement, hear them out and
take stock of your situation before God. According to the Book of Proverbs, one
of the qualities of a friend is their willingness to challenge the attitudes
and behavior of the one he or she cares about. “Wounds from a friend can be
trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Prov. 27:6).11
7. Decide carefully what a Facebook “friend” means to you. There are at least two
schools of thought on this. On the one hand, the Facebook user may retain a
more biblical meaning of the word friend and allow only those people
with whom he or she has a significant relationship. This principle will cut
down on the volume of “friends,” but increase the quality of the interaction.
On the other hand, someone may want a large audience for one’s posts. If so, a
“friend” does not mean someone existentially significant, but rather a person
who may benefit from what one posts. I have adopted the latter strategy.
Because I am a teacher, I endeavor to use this forum to educate and edify
people through my own pithy comments (sometimes in the form of aphorisms or
epigrams); quotations from Scripture, classic literature, or philosophy; and
links to thoughtful articles or (more rarely) videos. I keep personal comments
to a minimum in order to avoid self-absorption, and because I have a larger
base of Facebook friends than those who limit Facebook friends to “real-life
friends.”
In some cases, I am able to have meaningful interaction with
strangers who are Facebook “friends.” Recently, a troubled young Christian from
Asia sent me an instant message about her fear of betraying Christ and never
getting free of sins that hinder her obedience to God. Although her English
writing was rough, I tried to understand her plight, sympathize with her, and
offer her biblical counsel. We exchanged messages for about fifteen minutes and
I assured her I would pray for her and that she could contact me if I could be
of further help. While this kind of interaction is far removed from real
pastoral counseling or the accountability of a small group, it seemed that I
was able to offer this troubled soul some spiritual substance through Facebook.
As a Christian philosopher, I also seek to defend the truth and rationality of
the Christian worldview wherever I find a healthy opportunity to do so, even if
it is on Facebook (1 Peter 3:15–16). If I sense in the Facebook interlocutor a
genuine interest in my arguments, I will continue to interact. But if there is
flippancy and belligerence (all too common in social media), I disengage, not
wanting to “cast pearls before swine,” as Jesus said in Matthew 7:6.
VIRTUAL CHURCH?
Some engage social media outside of these boundaries. Some
even advocate social media as a form for the church meeting itself. One author
proposes “SimChurch,” in which people congregate not in the flesh, but in
virtual environments through the use of avatars (graphic digital identities).12
In the summer of 2009, I was on a BBC radio program with someone who pioneered
“Saint Pixels Church,” which caters to those who want their fellowship virtual
instead of embodied. But I argued that those who sponsor such innovations have
a deficient view of culture, the body, and the church.
Given that human culture is fallen (James 1:27; 1 John
2:15–17), we must not embrace every innovation that emanates from the innards
of a computer. Some things that can be done ought not to be done. As Paul said,
“‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not be mastered by anything” (1
Cor. 6:12). While I cannot here offer a broader critique of the use of avatars
in virtual worlds,13 we should consider that virtual representations of one’s
self typically do not correspond very closely to the person behind them. One
may argue that this masquerade is allowable in some entertainment settings
(virtual or otherwise), but the virtual self should not be embraced carte
blanche. Leaving one’s body behind (as one does in SimChurch or St. Pixels)
allows for numerous cartoon-like possibilities, but it does not honor the
biblical understanding of fellowship.
Both the apostle Paul and the apostle John longed to be
physically with the people to whom they wrote their Epistles. Consider the
words of Paul as he began to pen the Book of Romans: “I long to see you so that
I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you
and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom. 1:11–12).
Although Paul was writing some of the most profound theology imaginable, he
still desired to be together with those in the Roman church. The apostle John
affirmed the same: “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper
and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that
our joy may be complete” (2 John 12; see also 3 John 13–14).
The most profound elements of church life are not possible
online, since they are embodied. One cannot offer “the right hand of
fellowship” through an avatar, nor can one partake of communion or baptism, the
laying on of hands, the anointing with oil, or corporate worship—all
constitutive parts of church life and fellowship. Whatever our social media
involvement may be, we must not let it eclipse the God-ordained structures of
the local church.
SOCIAL MEDIA: LIMITS AND POSSIBILITIES
Social media provide fast, far-reaching, and free interaction
with a huge number of people. Yet we should not become intoxicated with this
rapidly expanding and easily addicting social world. While it offers the
benefits of interaction with those outside of our general vicinity and can be
used to communicate the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), it lacks significant
elements of meaningful friendship that are found only through more embodied
interactions. It can never substitute for the local church. However, if used
intentionally, prayerfully, and with restraint, it can add a new dimension to
our social interactions that might otherwise not be possible.
