According to 1 Corinthians 1:18 the Gospel itself is the
power of God to all those that are called. The method of its disbursement is
through the economy of preaching; or to put it another way, by word of mouth
marketing. This ancient strategy, of what is now called Social Transmission,
should never be under estimated. Word of mouth transmission is what makes a
thing contagious. Whenever there is the human element attached to setting forth
an idea it telegraphs a passion. Only people can do that. Newspaper
advertisement campaigns cannot nor can radio ads. These, as good as thy might
be, cannot transmit human vision or passion.
The Transmission of
Experience
Whenever person A tells person B of a thing, it is because
person A has had some kind of experience of importance what that thing. This
can be either a positive or a negative experience. Whatever the case, the
impression is both strong and memorable. It is, however, more than simply
strong and memorable it is usually actionable.
For instance: If I tell you that I have had a terrible
experience with a certain health product you would most probably steer clear of
using that product. On the other hand, if I testified that a certain health
product did wonders for my overall health you might be tempted to give it a try
yourself. Either way you have acted upon my word of mouth transmission of an
experience.
Social Transmission
and the Gospel
When Jesus healed the man possessed with a legion of devils,
He told him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell
them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion
on thee.” Mark 5:19 Christ was commanding the man to give a ‘word of mouth’
testimony of what God had done. When something is important, people talk about
it. That is what makes things contagious. It is the real-life story which generates
a buzz and draws people, beginning with friends and neighbors, into the
experience. It is often the personal experience shared by others that makes
their hearers want to experience it themselves.
The Psychology of Sharing
Why do people share things? Why do people share experiences?
Usually it is because they are important, memorable or exciting. Worldly people
share worldly things. That is what is important to them. To this fact we should
not be surprised. What should surprise us is when Christians are consumed with
sharing worldly things rather than the things of God.
The Reformation and
Word of Mouth
The Reformation was a word of mouth event. All Luther had to
do was post his ideas on the door at Wittenberg for people to start talking.
Word of mouth, i.e. social transmission, did the rest. It didn’t matter that
the original writing was in Latin. Once the ideas were translated into the
common tongue they caught on like wild fire.
Why was Luther’s ideas so contagious? Obviously, people were
ready for it. It resonated with the common folk. It spoke to something that was
already in the subconscious of the masses and they ate it up. They took action.
The Reformation promised life changing results. It viewed the World as God’s
World and His Law was the organizing tool for society’s redemption. Every
institution was to be subservient to the King of Nations. The idea that God’s
Law was to be applied to every area and realm of the culture was something new.
Until that time the world was divined into the sacred and the secular. The
Reformation would change that. The Reformation challenged the status quo. Now people
saw that everything belonged to God and everyone was to come under His Lordship
as Lawgiver, Judge, and King.
Social Media and the
New Reformation
I believe today’s social media was providentially introduced
into the world to inaugurate a New Reformation. Its success is predicated upon
its ability to unify the saints for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. However,
while Social Media can be a path for a new Reformation it is also a test to see
who will use it profitably for God.
Social media is a word of mouth tool. It is to be used to
encourage, galvanize, challenge, and equip the saints. It is a vehicle where
the saints can share Kingdom advancement strategies and tactics. It is a
globally conspicuous market place of Biblical ideas hatched and refined for the
Glory of God. Sadly, I am afraid that it is not being used to the extent or
purpose intended.
The Social Media Temptation
Kingdom building is not about what one person can do alone.
It is about what the entire Body of Christ can do in concert, working together
for a common God Glorifying, Christ-o Centric end. Within the ranks of
Christendom, social media however has turned into a soap box for self-proclaimed
gurus in order to advance their economic agenda. Every theological pendant is
being tested to see whether or not they are seeking to advance God’s Kingdom or
their own. Social media often devolves into a battle ground for innuendo,
slander, verbal abuse and sarcasm. Instead of equipping Reformed Christendom
and galvanizing it to work as a unified Body, social media seems to have
divided it further. This is because we
have forgotten what social media is for.
Generating Word of
Mouth
Social media is not simply Face Book. It includes Twitter,
email, blogs, chats, websites, Skype, Google Plus, Go to Meeting, conference
calling hubs, Sermon Audio, and a host of other internet venues that are
flooding cyberspace at this very moment. These are tools. Tools for the
advancement of the Kingdom. These should be effectively used for generating
conversation, for generating word of mouth experiences, challenges, strategies
and tactics. They are for the advancement of Christendom. They should be used
for that end.
