Redeeming the Internet is of vital importance for the cause of Christ in the 21st century. In addition to those who write Christian content, we need Christian readers who intentionally redeem the Internet. Below are seven actions readers can take to help redeem the Internet.
We are well aware of problems created by the Internet. Pornography is an epidemic far worse than any bird flu. It is a lion seeking to crush our families, decimate our churches, and maul our culture. In addition to pornography, online gambling and other Internet addictions cut the throat of so many others.
Thinking about how sin leverages the Internet, we might wish it had never been invented. Yet, as Tim Challies pointed out:
We cannot run away from digital technology — mobile phones and computers and the Internet and television are likely to be with us in one form or another for some time . Nor would we necessarily want to run away from them. Certainly, not all technology is harmful or dangerous . Is there a way, then, to live virtuously, immersed in this strange new digital reality?
Challies asks (and answers in his recommended book) the right question. How can we live virtuously in the digital age? We must recognize that the Internet also offers powerful opportunities to share the truth. Thankfully many are writing quality content. Yet, it is not enough for material to simply be written. It needs to be read. This is where the many readers of Christian web sites have a great opportunity to help redeem the Internet.
Redeeming the Internet: Seven Actions
1. Pray as you Click – We are in a war (see Abraham Kuyper’s famous quote). Our struggle is not against one and zeroes or Silicon Valley. Satan is real. He would like nothing more than to ruin our lives. We need a war-time lifestyle.We need the urgency of soldiers on D-Day.
Thinking about my own reading of blogs, there are too many times when I yawn when reading a post about an important doctrine because it is something I already know. Instead, I should pray fervently, “Lord, would you use this post today to open eyes to the truth of the Gospel, save lives and cover over a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20)?
- Let’s pray for those who write Christian content.
- Let’s pray for particular posts.
- Let’s pray for local churches represented by the posts.
- Let’s pray for those who are under attack because they have the courage to post about controversial matters.
2. Click as you pray – First, simply by clicking through to a web site, you record a vote that search engines notice. Perhaps more than anything else, search engines determine who gets read. Second, you will also encourage the author. Those who subscribe to blogs by either RSS feed (explained here) or email should consider clicking through to the site if you see a quality post. Christian clicks count! (Though it should be pointed out that repeated clicks from the same person on the same page don’t help. The web is smarter than that).
3. Click on Affiliate Links – If you are buying something from Amazon, then click through an Amazon graphic such as the one on Vitamin Z’s blog .( He didn’t ask me to promote his site). Amazon purchases will not cost you a penny more, but a church planter (The Vine, Madison in Z’s case) will get a very small commission. For the record, I do not have an Amazon Affiliate account because Amazon and the state of Illinois hate one another.
4. Comment – Without feedback from readers, Internet authors work blind. We especially need those of you where inclined to be silent on the Internet to enter the conversation. We know that may be a bit apprehensive about it. But your input is needed. Comments increase traffic, drive home the message, encourage people to open up the Bible, and continue the conversation. It should go with out saying that we need to be charitable!
5. Link – Search engines favor sites which are linked to by other quality sites. If you have a blog, then you need to be linking to other quality sites. This will help you be noticed by them, and it will help the other sites be noticed by the search engines. Again the point, we need search engines to point to quality Christian content.
6. Share – Here’s your chance to justify your Facebook habit. Do the math. If you have 250 friends and you share a quality link on your Facebook wall the opportunity to have a viral impact is impressive. It would only take five of your friends sharing the link for the reach to quickly reach thousands. Granted, it was already available to an unlimited number of people on the Web, but apart from trusted people sharing links, quality links will not be read.
7. Write for Wikipedia – Have you noticed how often Wikipedia shows up when you Google something? The reason is because the Wikipedia domain has a tremendous amount of authority with the search engines. This means that if someone wants to do research on something like “forgiveness” (just to grab a random topic), the Wikipedia article is one of the first things to be read.
If thoughtful and articulate Christians offer quality contributions to Wikipedia that point to the resources, then this will influence traffic. By definition, Wikipedia articles can not be written by authors who point to their own work because Wikipedia considers this self-promotion. We need Christ-centered people to interact with Wikipedia articles in objective and thoughtful ways.
For the record, I am not suggesting that we do research through Wikipedia. Rather, the point is that Wikipedia is read by many. (For you SEO experts – – – I am aware that Wikipedia links do not formally count. My point is that Wikipedia pages are read).
Any other suggestions? Or any corrections or clarification on what I have said? I am a pastor and theologian, not an Internet or blogging expert, so someone may need to tweak what I have suggested.
See also:
Justin Taylor: Why So Many Guys are Addicted to Porn and Video Games
Albert Mohler: A Christian View of Gambling
Good morning Chris, Thanks for this article. I find myself too easily grumbling about the technology, or more to the point, the people who seem to be connected to it.
I also plan to pray about your upcoming book and look forward to reading it.
Christ is All, Tom
This is excellent, Chris. Thank you.
I clicked over because my friend Patricia linked this on here Facebook page–see, she’s following your suggestions already.
And, yes, I think it’s so important that Christ’s followers not yield a single square inch to the enemy.
And, Amazon and the State of Connecticut don’t play together nicely together.
Nancy, thanks for stopping by. Patricia is a good friend to have! Amazing how we can interact between Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois . . .
Thanks for all your encouragement. I like the look of your new blog…and last night I saw some picture of a fence that made me homesick for Iowa.
Thanks Tom. I really appreciate your encouragement.
Thank you for the suggestions.
I like the emphasis on prayer. Too often we don’t get the way prayer should saturate all we do. Along with that we cheat ourselves on an awareness of the presence of God. That helps in every situation, especially in the fight against sin. Good post.
Chris this was an excellent article and I shared it on Facebook asking people to come and read this. I want to thank you too for the part about praying for those of us who blog. We need that prayer as we want to be on target to bring glory to the Lord. You were also correct in saying that we need feedback. I wish more of my readers would take time to respond to what I post. It leads to accountability and also gives us a sense of whether we are hitting the target for the Lord. This is a much needed look at our digital age and how the Lord might use us. Thank you!
Barb, thanks so much for the encouragement.