A Black Baptist pastor in Arkansas was suspended from Facebook May 30 without explanation. Wendell Griffen, however, believes he was removed from the social media platform because of proposing a 12-month moratorium on permitting data centers, AI campuses and cryptocurrency…
Cracks in the fascist facade
A remarkable thing happened this week. I don’t know how to explain it or what to do with it. Last Friday, my grandson Sam (a high school senior in Charlotte) texted me a question: “What do you say when people…
Zuckerpunched: Meta silences MAGA resistance
Editor’s note: After this column was written, historian Heather Cox Richardson reported that some of her daily posts on American history and life have mysteriously disappeared from Facebook. About a month ago, Presbyterian Outlook, the magazine of the Presbyterian Church…
The death of truth
Remember way back in 2017, when it felt sort of quaint for Kellyanne Conway, then special adviser to President Donald Trump, to introduce the term “alternative facts” as a euphemism for the lying that characterized Trump and those around him?…
Senators grill social media execs about child safety ‘crisis’
Republicans and Democrats came together Wednesday to criticize executives from Meta, X, TikTok, Snap and Discord for creating a nationwide “crisis” by putting profits ahead of protecting children and teens from bullying, harassment, exploitation, mental illness, sexual trafficking and even…
Facebook is stopping a stupendous amount of religious hate speech, but there are dangers in knowing what should be off-limits
The United States has a vital role to play in ensuring social media companies develop new policies and technologies to better protect religious freedom and human rights online, a federal agency reported. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also…
As Facebook evolves to Meta, what is the future of consciousness and control?
On the heels of the recent whistleblower accusations against Facebook, the social media company has decided to change its primary organizational name and logo. Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted the irony of the name-change timing during the launch of Meta, Facebook’s new parent…
Is it time to separate church and social media like we have separated church and state?
This summer, Elizabeth Dias, who covers faith and politics for the New York Times, wrote an article titled “Facebook’s Next Target: The Religious Experience.” Published July 25, it chronicled Facebook’s efforts to partner with a wide range of faith communities…
Facebook is the new voice of temptation whispering to the church in the digital wilderness
In my various stints as a pastor, I have at times joked with friends and colleagues that one way to raise more money for the church would be to sell ad space in the bulletin or offer title sponsorship of…
Evangelical leaders explain why skeptical evangelicals should get vaccinated
Evangelical Christians can overcome their suspicion of COVID-19 vaccines through a renewed focus on missions and a form of patriotism that engenders unity instead of division, Russell Moore said during a recent webinar hosted by the Facebook for Faith learning…
What the Big Bang and wholeness have taught me about Facebook
In the fall of 2009, I finally gave in and signed my life over to Facebook. I figured it would be a great way to reconnect with friends and family. Over time, I began to enjoy sharing my thoughts on…
Social media behavior a reflection of faith, theologian says
“What we share in status updates and how we talk to other people – what we rejoice over and what we lament – says something about what we believe about God.”