Amazingly, by 2010 over 75% of Americans (around 204 million) were using the Internet, with over 60% of households having Internet access. In Scandanavia, home usage rates are even higher. The explosive growth of the Web provides the Body of Christ with a profound opportunity to use this new media as a means of communicating God’s message of love and truth to the masses of people throughout the world. The potential for communicating the gospel message over the World Wide Web is truly awesome. And distance is no hindrance. It is as easy to reach a web surfer in Mongolia as it is to reach a web surfer in Malibu, California. And the cost is exactly the same!
POPULARITY OF RELIGION ON THE INTERNET
A research study released by Reuters News Service, found that “more adult Americans use the internet for religious purposes than for gambling, banking or trading stocks.” The survey found that “each day, more than 3 million U.S. adults find religious information online.”
The researchers discovered that most of the users were involved in serious research rather than chat room participation. In fact, 65% of these 3 million daily adults were searching for religious reference material, 50% were looking for information on other faiths, and 25% were seeking spiritual counseling advice. The study found that those most active online were also most active in their local congregations, with 86% reporting that they prayed or meditated every day. The survey indicates a tremendous potential for using the Internet to communicate serious doctrinal truths. It’s a fact, when most people now look for information, they no longer go to a library or book store-- they go to the Internet. And this is where God’s profound truth needs to be presented.
THE FOURTH NEW MEDIA AND ITS GLOBAL POTENTIAL
Among Evangelical denominations, Seventh-day Adventists were pioneers in the use of mass media to fulfil the Great Commission. The work began with James White using the print media, and developed into an extensive world-wide publishing operation. Radio was introduced by the Voice of Prophecy, soon followed by The Quiet Hour, Amazing Facts, and Adventist World Radio (AWR). Then came the television ministries of Faith For Today, It Is Written, 3ABN, and now the Hope Channel.
In the last five years there has been an incredible explosion of the Internet as a 4th media to communicate information to the masses. This new media has the ability to reach “into all the world”, by literally reaching into every home having a computer with Internet access or TV with a web-access box. Through the Internet, the gospel and prophetic message can potentially reach every cell phone with web access, can reach every airplane seat with wi-fi access, and can reach every laptop with mobile-connection or hot-spot access. The message can be communicated 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, in every language and to every nation & culture, propagating the crucial Bible truths desperately needed by the world as we enter into the final generation.
AdventWeb believes that the pioneering spirit of the Body of Christ must now be directed to take advantage of this new media that has a tremendous potential for effective and low-cost global evangelism.
However, Journalists for Christ (JFC), a Christian media group based in Nigeria has urged Christians to effectively use the Internet for evangelism. The group made the call in a statement signed by its Administrative officer, Dayo Emmanuel to mark the World Internet Evangelism Day held recently. It noted that the growth in Internet use in the country offers many opportunities to reach out especially to the youth. “More than ever before, we have to be interested in utilizing the enormous opportunities which the Internet offers us to reach unbelievers who need answers to many questions about the truth of the gospel. “For us to use the Internet for evangelism, we must know enough about how it works and what is possible through the technology that has reduced the world to a global village” JFC stated. The media group implored Church and Ministry leaders to incorporate the use of internet into their evangelism strategy to reach more people. “If we are to fulfill the injunction to take the gospel to the end of the earth, we have no choice but to improve on the use of the Internet. “It is not enough to have websites like many Churches presently have, but it must have enough interactive features to win souls. No matter our reservation for the negative part of the Internet, the truth is that we must wake up to the reality that it is a tool we cannot ignore", the journalists stated |
Research materials culled from WACC and adventweb.org