Does Facebook threaten the Church?
February 25, 2011
Professor Richard Beck of Abilene Christian has drawn considerable attention to his argument that Facebook, by introducing a popular new mans of social interaction, is challenging the role of the Church. “Church has always been about social affiliation,” Beck reasons, and Facebook offers a new way of affiliating.
Not so fast, warns Jeffrey Tucker on the Inside Catholic site. The Catholic Church is not merely “about social affiliation.” Beck’s argument, he says, should reinforce the recognition that Catholics look to the Church for the sacraments: for the means of receiving divine grace.
But if Catholics in the pews are not aware of its profound mysteries and its significance, there is no particular reason for them to be at Mass rather than anywhere else.
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Further information:
- Will Facebook Kill the Church? (Inside Catholic)
- How Facebook Killed the Church (Experimental Theology)
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Posted by: Defender -
Feb. 26, 2011 3:21 PM ET USA
There are larger issues than just Facebook alone. Technology is quickly exerting a dominant role in Catholic schools, this includes teachers and administrators who thoroughly believe that "technology will set you free." Unfortunately, many of the "Catholic" things often fall to the wayside. Teaching things "Catholic" cannot and should not be left to the sterility of computer screens and sites that may or may not be in accordance with the Magisterium.
