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…
The revolution will be hashtagged
“If you are the praying type” many tweets I come across often begin, “my son just died and I don’t think I can go on,” or “my husband, who is also a father of three, has incurable cancer,” or “I…
Your words hold the power of life and death
In the age of social media, it’s easy to forget the power our words have on others. Sitting behind the safety of a computer screen makes it simple for us to say whatever we think with little consequence. With the…
Why doesn’t Twitter ban Europe’s diaspora medical scare-monger prophets?
On Christmas Day, a cousin forwarded me a screenshot of her church’s WhatsApp congregation: “Our pastor was electric today. He warned us, mRNA vaccines are Europe’s plot to change Africans’ DNA, make Black women infertile. Should I change churches?” I…
Toxic masculinity, 24-hour news and complacency fed the Jan. 6 riots
The mob riots of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., have rightfully angered many of us, while also injecting tons of confusion into our national conversation. Which is saying a lot since our national conversation already was in tatters from so…
I’ve been accused of sowing hate
Over the last seven months, I’ve been accused of sowing hate and division with my social media posts. This summer, I lost a lifelong friend because of it. After George Floyd was killed, I began writing posts about racial justice,…
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…
On the struggle bus wondering about authenticity, performance and the pandemic
I was talking to someone I hadn’t touched base with in a while. They said something like, “It looks like you’re doing great,” based on what they saw on Facebook. I smiled and didn’t have the heart to tell them…
Q&A with Christen Green Kinard on pandemic church communications
Christen Green Kinard says she has no formal religious education, but as the child of career missionaries, she knows the right things to educate churches about their online ministry during the pandemic. Kinard is a communications professional and daughter of…