I'll have a bit to say on culture wars in future posts as it's a pretty big topic, but the Christmas season and social networks such as Myspace and Facebook serve as a good intro.
Social networks are great. You can start a group or join a cause and invite others to join them. You can also (secretly of course) look down on them when they don't join your cause. Shame.
Some causes have immediate purpose and are fairly personal. My wife recently joined a group explaining her uniquely-named friend is in fact a real person and should be allowed to have an account. It also had an immediate effect as it worked.
Beyond that we get into the tricky part. My "end poverty" out ranks your "keep prayer in the school" and so on. And what shall we call Christmas? Simply put, who has the best cause?
I do think that drawing awareness to things we care about is good, especially when we're strongly convicted about them. I also believe (as I'll discuss in later posts) culture wars tend to lose sight of individual and church wide responsibilities. But the moment I turn the whole thing into a competition I lose sight of the point.
I can click and show my support for feeding the poor, but if I don't show love to people outside of my comfort zone and spend time with them it means nothing.
What's the best way to keep Christ in Christmas? Followers who reflect Him by giving meaningful gifts to each other and to others in need, with purpose. (By the way, I see this happen a lot during the holidays and it encourages me. The church is hungry for opportunities to serve and give.)
It seems common sense, but in an age of point and click, easy entertainment, easy service, easy evangelism, it's worth a shout-out at least.
In the meantime, I have to remember where values need to be. In ending poverty.
No, seriously. My causes are better.
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