Recently I’ve written on the possibilities of Twitter for ministry (see ‘Harness Twitter for post-Sunday communication‘, and ‘Tools for Twittering‘).
It’s not uncommon now for conference attendees to tweet during a conference, updating their ‘followers’ about what’s happening, and what they’re learning. In the same vein, some churches are adopting and encouraging the use of Twitter during church.
Both Joshua Harris and John Piper have written about some of the potential dangers and problems with this practice:
- Harris – Should we use Twitter during church?
- Piper – More on not using Twitter during worship services
Two comments to provoke thought from each article:
“There is an assumption that Josh and I share, which is not understood or embraced by all. Preaching and hearing preaching are worship. Preaching is expository exultation. The preacher is explaining the Bible and applying the Bible and EXULTING over the truth in the Bible. The listener is understanding, and applying, and joining in the exultation. Hearing preaching is heart-felt engagement in the exposition and exultation of the Word of God.” Piper
“I wouldn’t encourage anyone to make “no tweeting in church” some sort of law or to judge people or churches that have a different practice than you. I appreciate the comments pointing out the fact that God is concerned with our hearts. We can be distracted and cold-hearted with a pen and paper in our hands just as easily. I’m simply sharing here why I don’t plan to actively encourage my congregation to use twitter during worship.” Harris
Thanks Andrew, for letting me know about these posts.
John Piper writes again on Twitter, this time his post is entitled “Why and how I am tweeting”.