Hey let’s not kid ourselves, we’re living in an age of definition and transition like never before. Anything and everything in our post-modern world is up-for-grabs in the world of interpretation and application, and the rules in this arena have changed dramatically. Up until now our level of knowledge was primarily based on two specific avenues- information gained from authors/experts on a particular field…and from our own personal experience (both learned and perceived). But now that has all changed with the social media arena. In addition to knowledge gained by the so-called experts in the field, we now have shared-learning…brought to us by social media.
We can now read an on-line book…publish our own thoughts and perception, and then share that knowledge with the world…who in turn can also share their insights (think Wikipedia!)…all in a community patrolled arena where there are few (if any) single rules of engagement, but rather a mutual respect and acceptance of shared/communal learning, interpretation and application of knowledge and information.
I recently came across this article from Tech Crunch that is casting the bible into this social media arena. You can read the article, but the skinny is that having the bible on Social Books (ReThink Books) will allow users to add their own commentary and interpretations…as well as adding art, video, audio, etc…to its contents. Now that isn’t necessarily intrinsically bad…after all…we can certainly learn from one another’s knowledge and insight. But what it does allow for is inaccurate interpretation to be circulated in a learning forum, and for those without any solid training and understanding of biblical interpretation…well…it could messy for some people’s understanding of theology and doctrine.
So let this be a call to learn the basic foundations of what we believe, why we believe it, and why it matters…and for a great read at any level, I would suggest Chuck Colsons book, The Faith, for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith, or for those who have questions, doubts and skepticism towards it. The bible is open for different applications to its teachings as our culture changes…but not to changing interpretation (see this link for a great, short summary of how to accurately interpret scripture in a changing culture).
What are your thoughts on the bible being used in this social media arena?
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