Red Letter Christians

I’m Quitting Facebook to Join Faithbook Because My WWJD Bracelet Told Me To

by Kurt Willems Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

The end of the age has come.  No, not the rapture, but the end of Facebook.  There I said it… finished.  As of today, I am shutting down all Facebook communication.

“Why?” you ask.  I’ll gladly answer.

I’m convinced that the God revealed in Jesus desires that Christians avoid becoming convoluted by the world.  We Christians often look more like “world-lians” and today I’m done representing the wrong team.  As evidence of my sincerity, its “goodbye Facebook” and hello “Faithbook.”

I can hear it now.  Some of you are saying… “but Kurt, you have thousands of friends on Mark Z’s dorm room creation.  There’s no way you’re serious!”  Don’t believe me, check out this screenshot from my MacBook (Maybe some good soul will produce GodBook?):

That’s right.  Faithbook.  I was on Facebook a couple days back and came across an ad for Faithbook (probably the best marketing strategy ever to use the secular competition’s ad system to track visitors! Spiritual war = won!).  I followed said link to above referenced site and felt the need to ask – WWJD?… time for a sanctified social swap! So, you’re all invited to join me in the online social network of the faithful few.  It may not have all the special features of Facebook, but it gives us Christians the opportunity to have a safe, de-secularized, prayer-filled, alternative.

Ok, I’ve gone on far enough.

This post contains a couple of errors.  No, I will not be closing my Facebook account any time soon.  And although I believe that the intentions of the founders and users of Faithbook may be fine (my goal is not to mock them as I am confident that their motives were pure*), I want to use Faithbook (like its predecessor, GodTube) as an example of a trend in Christian culture that needs to change.

Christian culture is known for its alternatives.  Think of alternatives in popular culture.  Instead of Dr. Pepper, you can drink Dr. Thunder.  Instead of sugar, there’s Splenda.  Problem… the alternatives never measure up to the original.  Yet in Christian culture, we love to propagate alternatives.  I want to suggest that there is an element of value in designing an alternative culture as Christ-followers.  In theory, the “Christian sub-culture” is not bad.  Unfortunately, Christian culture often expresses the wrong kind of alternative.

In the New Testament, we’re given a picture of the Kingdom people of God who organize themselves around an alternative king, namely Jesus.  The greatest alternative is not a second-rate imitation of things from the popular culture, but rather a community (many communities in local contexts) who together live in a radically different way – the way of Jesus.

The kingdom of God ought to be known as a counter cultural contrast-society, not an “almost as good as the popular culture” or “safe from the evils of all things secular” bubble.  Scot McKnight says it well: “The kingdom of God, in short compass, is the society in which the will of God is established to transform all of life.”**  Some transformative life-signs include:

  • Love of God
  • Love of neighbors within and outside of the covenant community
  • Seeking the welfare of all people
  • Defying hatred and greed
  • Feeding the hungry
  • Resisting the lure of the empire in all its forms
  • Clothing the naked
  • Bearing each others’ burdens
  • Choosing self-sacrifice over the sword
  • Redistribution of resources for the purposes of social uplift
  • Wonderful marriages
  • Love of enemies
  • Sexual purity
  • Healthy conflict / resolution in the midst of conflict
  • Learning more about the Scriptures as an open-minded community of disciples
  • Healings, signs, wonders
  • Justice for the marginalized
  • Dignifying every human person

Imagine if these were the things that the church was actually known for.  Do you think that the popular culture would take notice?  Do you think that as the church follows Jesus that perhaps the world might follow the church? I think this is the kind of “alternative” that the New Testament envisions.

So, let’s determine to show pop-culture what a true Christian counter-culture has to offer.  We don’t need to create second-rate alternatives because the Kingdom of God is far better! Guided as communities empowered by the Holy Spirit, fresh possibilities will come to life.  As a result, the rest of humanity will come knocking on our doors, begging for what our contrast-society of New Creation can do to make the world a better place.  May this be the mark of the church in our generation!

* To anyone who has used “Faithbook.” Please do not feel that I believe you to be in error or that your use of such means that you are not a great person… because you are!!!!  In fact, I am currently wearing a Christian bracelet of some sort and indulge in many things from the Christian sub-culture.  I am critiquing as someone who is part of the family, not attempting to judge you as inferior.  I only use “Faithbook” because it is a clear illustration of a bigger kingdom point. Who knows, perhaps its FB integration makes for some cool features?
** Scot McKnight, A Community Called Atonement, Living Theology (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007), 9.

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Kurt Willems is an Anabaptist writer and pastor who is preparing for church planting next year by finishing work towards a Master of Divinity degree at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary.  He writes at: the Pangea Blog and is also on Twitter and Facebook.


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  • http://georgepwood.com/2011/06/23/the-world-wide-religious-web-for-thursday-june-23-2011/ The World Wide (Religious) Web for Thursday, June 23, 2011 « GeorgePWood.com

    [...] “I’m Quitting Facebook to Join Faithbook Because My WWJD Bracelet Told Me To.” LOL! In the New Testament, we’re given a picture of the Kingdom people of God who organize themselves around an alternative king, namely Jesus.  The greatest alternative is not a second-rate imitation of things from the popular culture, but rather a community (many communities in local contexts) who together live in a radically different way – the way of Jesus. [...]

  • LightByGrace

    Thank God you were joking! :) I think Faithbook and Godtube are fine, but definitely think that it is important not to cloister myself away from ‘the world’…

  • http://twitter.com/MightyTimbo Timbo

    Especially in this area though, what could possibly be the need for something like this other than to simply create another cheese christian knock-off? The bible says we are supposed to be in this world but not of it. What better way to so than be fully connected to everybody through facebook (and any other social networking sites). It allows you to have any community you wish with christian friends, and to be real about your faith publicly before your secular friends at the same time. Why in the world would I take away that opportunity by joining a holy huddle website that effectively says “Atheists not welcome?” Faithbook isn’t a bad idea because it’s a knock off, it’s a bad idea because it will keep those conversations from taking place in the public eye. Godtube isn’t a bad idea because it’s a knock-off, it’s a bad idea because it keeps those videos from being posted on you tube where anyone might come across them and be affected by them.

  • Alan Messer

    Jesus very specifically told His followers to ‘go into the world’. That certainly means that staying in our comfortable little Christian enclaves is not the way that Christ sees His Church. Go into the world, be a part of the world that God Himself created. Show the love of Christ to all of our friends and workmates through our lifestyle and through our words. I love Facebook, I love the way that it allows me to be a part of so many peoples’ lives and the Church should take an even bigger part of it.

    I am a 62 year old Baptist Pastor in Scotland UK and I think that the opportunities offered by the internet in general and Facebook in particular are truly tremensous in the language of mission.

  • http://twitter.com/coreycorndog Corey Willems

    So Christianity being an alternative to all other religions is easily dismissed, yes? 

    Also, the word “alternative” simply means a “choice between two mutually exclusive possibilities” it does not give any more or less value to any of the alternatives, that’s left to the interpreters opinions ;)

    This all read like more of a logical train-wreck than an informative essay but that’s faith for you; illogical.

  • http://twitter.com/clunkienz Jo Malone

    and I’ll be using http://www.seekfind.org/ instead of Google… LOL

  • http://justoneministry.org Chris Meyer

    In his book Real Christians Don’t Dance, (with the Don’t crossed out) John Fischer talks about this.  He says, to which I agree, we don’t need more Christian music, we just need more Christians making music, same with art, writing, ______,______,_____, etc.

    The last thing we, and the world, need is another Christian Anything…only more Christians doing something.

  • EllieAnn

    Man, great post! Good stuff. I find it especially applicable to my artform: writing for YA. Most Christian alternatives to YA “secular” books are simply not as good. There are a few stars in the mix, but I feel like the genre is behind about ten years. Why is Christian art synonymous with bad quality? Thanks for your thoughts brother, good stuff!

  • Bliamkratky

    Interesting.  In our area we have had an “alternative Yellow Pages” offered by a “Christian” publisher.  Having owned my own business for 17 years I was approached by a sales representative who was extatic to find that I was a Christ Follower and had been for a significant portion of my life.  The phone book was called “The Shephard’s Guide” and he promised that I would be seen by “good customers” within their market segment.  He was shocked when I declined.  I told him that “The Shephard’s Guide” was, at least to me, the Bible.  When it came to phone book advertising there was no substitute for the real thing, simply the Yellow Pages.  Withdrawing into a cloister is one of the Church’s greatest errors when it does error.  Enjoyed your post very much.  As the Yellow Pages are the real thing, so too is our Lord and Savior…but He is so much more.  Spread the joy, the love, the good works, the authenticity.  Let’s not crawl under any bushels with “Christian” as their label.

  • http://thepangeablog.com Kurt Willems

    Come on @twitter-14482521:disqus ! I remember you authentically knowing Jesus.  Care about you no matter your philosophical view.  Hope your doing good and glad that you felt me worthy of reading / comment!

  • Jim

    hi, it seems like Christians are down on just about everything.  Version of bible, politics, church affiliations, presidents, red letter, God’s will, women preachers, men preachers, gays, race, interpreting the bible, rapture, tongues, democrats, repubs, foreigners, Islam, wealthy people, clevage, ok…. now I am tired.  Emergent, Hell, abortion, weed.  There has got to be a better way.

  • Meghan

    This reminds me of the conumdrum of witnessing and various methods of doing so. Sometimes it feels like in our zeal to bring the Gospel to others/make sure we act appropriately, we do some pretty odd things. When this goes wrong it can be downright unbiblical. For instance, I took a youth ministry course once where the instructor approvingly cited the method of befriending/converting popular kids so that the kids around them would also convert. In doing so, the youth minister would ignore the less popular or “reject” kids, because no one would follow them. That was one of the most disgusting suggestions I’d ever heard, and I told him so.

  • Jennifer Roberts

    You don’t mean to mock? But mocking is so fun! But really, we can’t all retreat into a little Christian cult or clique. We need to get out into the real world and meet real people and realize that the candy-coated Christain world can’t connect with gritty real-world life. I don’t think Jesus would go near Faithbook, except to call members back out to meaningful interation with the rest of the world. Christian sub-culture is okay only when people don’t get too sucked into it, because it can be as damaging and isolating as any other sub-culture.

  • Aubreylaw

    I highly suggest joining the “Church of Facebook” Look it up, read it. Or find my review on Christian Ethics Today.

  • Perpetua

    Many great points being made here in response to a wonderfully well written article.

     Can i make a somewhat embarrassing confession? The first night i discovered God tube my husband and I spent hours looking up old DC Talk videos/songs and even a lil Carmen,  he he he. Anyone remember Carmen? :-)                        

    One Godtube marathon of childhood songs was enough to last me awhile. I don’t need an alternative. We CAN be discerning if we are in Christ and He is in us. The sheep don’t need labels to read to know if something is ‘nutritional’ for us or not. Just love and patience from one another and to those around us. We know his voice and He gives us ears to hear. Thank you Jesus.

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