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11/10/12

Religion in the News #3

In this article tells the story of the growing popularity of social media in the

Church of England. Whether it be the use of Facebook or Twitter, nuns and bishops all

over have began using social media as an outlet for praise and worship. “In the UK

more than half of the adult population regularly logs in to some form of social media with

more than 40 million people having a Facebook profile. Those numbers alone are a

good reason for churches to be online.” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285).

Here in America social media and the use of cutting edge technology in church is at an

all time high. Churches have caught on quickly to the rapid expansion of technological

advances and are beginning to incorporate them more and more into their messages.

The Church of England has taken note of this and realized that this is an extraordinary

way to reach out to average citizens that otherwise would have been impossible. Ac-

cording to a study by Twitter, “The list of most retweeted people was topped by US

Christian evangelists, whose messages were 30 times more likely to be retweeted than

celebrities like Lady Gaga.” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285). This ability to

impact so many people through the simple tactic of outreach is reason enough for the

Church of England to indeed continue their expanding presence in Social Media.

One issue under analysis in this article is the “darker side to the web” that the

Church of England has come into contact with. Bishops and Nuns have become subject

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to cyber abuse which is also very prominent in the US as well. Critics of the Church use

bad language and post “suggestive comments” which although can be very hurtful, has

been handled extremely well by the leaders of the Church. Sister Elizabeth responds to

this negativity by stating, “We simply reply thinking 'well God loves that person regard-

less of what they're saying they've actually made contact with us - which is good'.

Whether that is abusive or kind, doesn't really matter."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285). This is a philosophical approach that has

proven effective and leaves no room for the growth of hatred.

Social media has simply given every person in the world a voice. Wether it be a

60 year old woman or 12 year old boy, that individual now reserves the right to not only

speak freely, but speak behind a keyboard rather than to someone’s face. I believe this

it what leads to the abuse that almost every person on social media is subject to at

some point. People can post whatever nasty comments they want and never have to

suffer any type of consequence because all they have to do is simply close their com-

puter. Although the Church of England has been subject to cyber bullying I believe that

their ability to outreach to so many people greatly overshadows the negative side of So-

cial media.

The biggest issue up for analysis here is that church and worship have began to

see a drastic shift in their tactics of spreading the word of God. Globally, churches are

starting to embrace the role of technology in the world and are adjusting their methods

accordingly. The Church of England has realized that “worldwide there are over 1 billion

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people on Facebook, and 500 million on Twitter.”

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285). This allows the Church to have the ability to

touch so many different lives without having to hold a single service in the UK. Social

media is rapidly becoming the fastest way to spread news which leaves a great opportu-

nity to incorporate the word of God as well. Social Media sites are also not just for the

young demographic anymore. Twitter and Facebook are operated by every age bracket

worldwide and also incorporated with nearly every single business organization. This

means that no matter who you are or what occupation you hold, every person has the

chance to hear the same message.

I believe that this development within the Church of England is very positive and

a remarkable opportunity for growth and prosperity. The new ability to spread religion in

every corner of the world is something that needs to be taken advantage of and used

appropriately. With over 1.5 billion people worldwide accessing these sites I believe that

this outreach tactic is something that is much needed and very helpful to the overall

growth of the Church of England. Not only do they get to continue to hold services face

to face with people but now also get the opportunity to grow their target demographic

and bring more citizens to their church doors. Social Media also gives the Church a

chance to inform people of important events taking place such as blood drives, helping

with the homeless, and gatherings that spread the word of God. I encourage this growth

of social media in the Church of England and see it as nothing more than an opportunity

for growth, outreach, and prosperity.

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Religion 210

Dr. Mowrey

11/10/12

Works Cited: Lutwyche, Jayne. BBC Religion and Ethics. “How the Church of England

is engaging in Social Media. 26 October 2012.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285.