Only Christ Can

I have mixed feelings about Facebook, the social media juggernaut. On one hand, I just can't bring myself to sign up and dive into the chit-chat. However, I do enjoy reading my wife's account just about every day, so what does that tell you?

So, while I'm a sucker for a good Facebook/Twitter skewering, I can't stay away entirely. That's why I liked these comments from Andrew Peterson, an excellent Christian musician. He gives social media some credit, but shows the limitations and points to something bigger and better in a Christ-centered way.

Interviewer: You’ve said that you hope that people would come away from your concerts “feeling less alone.” In a world in which people have more access to others than perhaps ever before—and with mediums like email, instant messaging, and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.)—why do you think that people might still feel so alone? What hope do you wish to communicate to such men and women?

Andrew Peterson: I think Facebook is our culture’s answer to the disappearance of the close-knit, small town community. Finding out on Facebook that so-and-so has a cold, or stubbed their toe, or is reading a certain book is the 21st Century equivalent of strolling the town square or having pancakes in the diner. It’s small talk. And small talk is okay. You wouldn’t necessarily call your friend to find out if his toe got stubbed; it’s just nice to know. The thing is, even small towns have secrets. I know because I grew up in one. There were murders. Suicides. There was bigotry and alcoholism and despair. Beneath the surface is the same darkness you see on the news in big cities and war-torn countries. Small talk doesn’t address that secret loneliness. Neither does marriage, for that matter. Only Christ can. Only he has the power to step in and throw back the curtains.