Blog post
The first imperative is missional. The fact that mission was used to colonise and dominate is not an excuse to disregard its importance and urgency. The content of that missional message is an invitation for people to participate in a reconciliation and justice agenda deriving from a divine source.
The second imperative is motivational. Social media is shaping the public sphere just as did newspapers, radios, and television in the past. The current driving forces shaped by other fields (such as politics, business, etc.) tend be competition, conflict and conformity. There is need for alternative driving forces for the common good, solidarity and cooperation which are inherent in good theology.
The third imperative is meaning making. Social media is shaping what it means to be human. Theology provides richer resources (together with philosophy) to shaping Ubuntu (Untu, Unhu).
The fourth imperative is moral (or better ethical). Social media is too precious a tool to be left to humans alone. The God language must also shape the collective sense of what is right and wrong, not in an imposing way but in a critical and dialogical way.
The fifth imperative is movement building. Social media has become a tool for building movements. Some such movements are personality cults, and life-denying ideologies. Good theology has been pursuing inclusive abundant life, peace and justice for ages; it must occupy this space.
About the author :
Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata is WCC programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia.
