evangelism in a digital age for christian enquiry agency

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Evangelism in a Digital Age Dr Bex Lewis, Research Fellow in Social Media and Online Learning, CODEC, Durham University; Director, Digital Fingerprint Assigned Creative Commons Licence 4.0 non-commercial http ://j.mp/evang-cea For: Christian Enquiry Agency http://www.christianity.org.uk / @drbexl

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Evangelism in a Digital AgeDr Bex Lewis, Research Fellow in Social Media and Online Learning, CODEC, Durham University; Director, Digital Fingerprint

Assigned Creative Commons Licence 4.0 non-commercial

http://j.mp/evang-ceaFor: Christian Enquiry Agency

http://www.christianity.org.uk/

@drbexl

Image Credit: Stockfresh

SOCIAL Media

Rev Prof David Wilkinson

God is a communicating God: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was God…”.

God is extravagant in communication – he is not a silent God who has to be tempted into communicating with people.

Image Credit: Durham University

Image Credit: The Worship Cloud

The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication, which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore a prerequisite for a significant presence there.

Pope Benedict XVI (2013)

Social Media Activity?

Embedded Practice?

As indicated in my book, Raising Children in a Digital Age, although children aren’t ‘digital natives’ who are ‘fundamentally different from us’, they have grown up in a time when the digital is an embedded part of their everyday life.

Most politicians are clearly not using social media in an embedded way, but as a digital marketing tool, and this is seen as inauthentic. We need to look at the underlying culture and assess whether traits such as collaboration, innovation, transparency, and openness belong solely to the younger generation. Reports such as the Ipsos MORI Who is Generation Next? have indicated what the concerns of the younger generation are, and what they might expect from their politicians.

Young people want to know that they are being listened to, that their voices count, and that they are not being patronised.

https://www.dur.ac.uk/generalelection.2015/news/?itemno=24588

Jesus Daily

http://www.yesheis.com/en/

Darren Hill, The Worship Cloud

All these great Bible verses arrive on my feed without any context, background or explanation. As believers we are fine with this, we of course know the context to any text that appears online… don’t we? But what about everyone else?

http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/11/posts-promises-and-perennial-issues-darrenrhill-digidisciple/

Image Credit: Darren Hill

Brennan Manning

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him by their life style. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

Human Beings

at machines,

not “are

machines”

Image Source: Stockfresh

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=NIV

http://www.christianity.org.uk/

Carl Medearis

Relax, enjoy your friends. Enjoy their company along with the company of Jesus. Point him out, freely, without fear or intimidation. You’re not responsible to sell him to them. You’re simply saying what you’ve seen. You're not the judge. You’re the witness.

@drbexl @digitalfprint

Image Credit: iStockPhoto