MySpace: For pastors???

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

I spent some time this afternoon trying to decide whether or not a MySpace profile is right for me and for the ministry that God has called me to. As part of my decisionmaking process, I surfed the Web to understand the experiences of others. What I found is that there are basically two opinions about a minister's use of MySpace. One perspective is that MySpace is bad and Christians should have no part of it because you are, in a manner of speaking, accepting the inappropriate things that are a part of MySpace. The other perspective is that MySpace isn't bad. The MySpace community, just like any other, contains elements and perspectives that are considered by Christians to be inappropriate. Rather than hide from this, Christians should be staking our presence in that community, reaching out, and leading individuals toward Christ.

This second perspective, after much reflection, became the reason that I set up a MySpace profile. I believe, as Jesus is recorded as saying in Matthew, that the light of God should not be hidden from men. I believe that God's light should be shining into the world from those that believe. The MySpace community, just like any other community, is made up of a diverse set of individuals - each with their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. I think that is only appropriate that Christians are a part of that community; doing what we can to allow God's light to shine on the world.

You can find my profile at
http://www.myspace.com/chadmbarrett