I have too but I have re-engaged by going to church and reading scripture. Tuning in to online influencers or YouTube videos somehow doesn't feel adequate or authentic.
This must be very difficult! I was born a Catholic, then fell away from the faith, and have now returned. What has been very helpful for me recently is speaking openly to my priest and several nuns *in person*, and following their guidance. You’ll be made welcome, I’m sure.
Perhaps a delightful thing about Catholicism in the modern age (among multitudes) is that none of the sacraments can be administered through a phone…apps have zero authority here. Grace is mediated through embodied reality - one cannot be baptised, absolved, confirmed or share in the Eucharist through a screen. The Church has things that require a physical and spiritual presence that internet absolutely cannot give you.
This is a great point about the Sacraments and about the body and mind needing to be whole within the Church, which is designed to be reverent and divine. All of the symbolism aligns so that you need to be there. You are small in front of the Altar. The lines of the cross all mean something, and you are part of it, at its center, and it all connects. Our mystical minds notice that immediately: it feels right and true, and when you receive a sacrament, you know it is the right thing to do. Fantastic point.
Good insight. Its encouraging to hear younger people asking these questions. One of the paradoxes is, with all this connection, we are still lonely and distant from each other. This commodification you write about, as you said, started before the internet but it is peaking now.
What is missed by faithTok is being online does not close the emotional distance that Jesus was always trying to do. He came close and he healed people that others wouldn't touch or be around. Jesus practiced a ministry of presence as a central tenet: Love God and love your neighbor. Love isnt about performance. It is so intimate that we risk getting hurt. Let that sink in.
I have very few Bible related apps on my phone because I would rather go for a walk and listen to God. This is a spiritual practice that is lost on the internet. The danger, as you said, is absorbing content about God but not being with God.
As a pastor I thank you for this helpful perspective, both reasoned and heartfelt. I am sharing it with all of the leaders at my church to help guide our decision-making.
God can draw you into His presence through Christ despite any level of distraction and fragmentation. May He increase your faith!
One of the benefits of being born and raised Roman Catholic pre-smartphone, is that we are aware that cultivating faith involves rigidity and structure. But that does not shield any Catholic from having doubts, especially in a more secular world. We are struggling, but that struggle proves the importance of having faith, and that this faith is worth nurturing.
And so, anytime someone tries to depict an image of Catholicism (or of any Christianity for that matter) that does not acknowledge its difficulties is probably trying to sell you a commodity. The apps might be helpful for some, but ultimately taking that leap of faith, stepping into church, talking to that priest, or connecting with your peers who are into the faith, is still the best starting point.
I love this and I couldn’t agree more. The reason that I am a parish Priest in a couple of rural parishes is it’s not trendy, it’s not cool. It’s just the ordinary people that you meet every day on the street and it’s not even a hobby group or one particular type of person. As a village church, you’ll have everybody from the local Hairdresser to the local Squire that that’s what I love about it. You will sit alongside and rub shoulders with the great and the Good and they won’t always be the same people! It’s for the very young and the very Old for the single mum and the family of 4 it’s for everyone. Lots of love, dear Friend and see you soon. H
As millennial who does college ministry, I have seen more and more students coming to our fellowship (in person) who found their faith via tik tok or IG which is great and so I'm grateful that they're coming out to church/ our campus fellowship trying to understand what it means to be part of a church (not just go to church). Church isn't a building, it's a people. These younger girls that I'm mentoring found it scary to step into "church" and it took a while to overcome that fear, but what they tell me is that because they found a group of people actually trying to live out their faith - not only once a week or connecting mostly through texts/social media, but actually trying to live out Acts 2:42-47 together - they found it has been different and ultimately the way life was meant to be lived.
I whole-heartedly agree with everything written here and I think if the church can live out what God originally designed and described in the Bible with people living out their faith daily (not just coming to church to consume or to give their tithes once a week) then the younger generation who is looking for authentic, meaningful relationships, purpose and trying to understand how they can be fully known and fully loved - they will finally find what they're looking for.
Great insight! A true relationship with Jesus is just that, a relationship. I went to church as a child and young adult because I “had” to but everything changed for me when I actually started studying the bible and getting to know God. When I realized how much He loved me that’s when I started perusing the relationship He was waiting all along to have with me. When you realize the depth of God’s love you will not be able to get enough of Him and you start living your life the way He created you to. You are absolutely right, nothing can be a substitute for the real thing and the relationship between you and God is real and nothing or no one can ever take it away from you. God Bless you sister, I pray your Christian faith will continue to grow stronger
Much of what you write is and should be taken Much more serious in this generation. I've read the physical Bible (1611 KVJ and 1599 Geneva) over 50 times cover to cover. Yes, the Bible is absolutely incredible verse by verse, page by page, cover to cover. Raised Roman Catholic, trained to be a Jesuit Priest from my very baptism and confirmation, and later converted to Scottish Presbyterian Covenanter. That was a massive leap if you know anything about the Jesuit order, or anything about the reformers and the 3 great reformations. The "literal sense" interpretation of Scripture will change your Roman Catholic views to reformed Presbyterian in time. Keep reading the most faithful translations and avoid the Roman Catholic Catechism as your final source of God's authority. Use the Bible as your primary standard and the Westminster Standards as your subordinate authority. Write me with any confusion.
The sincere Christian is about Relationships: first with God (the vertical) and then with like-minded fellow Believers (the horizontal). If there’s one thing the Social Media tsunami has taught us, it’s that true relationships must be nurtured over time through regular in-person interaction. Virtual reality and gamification won’t cut it.
Interesting.
My take has been the abundance of convenience has created a scarcity of meaning.
And even in its shortest forms, faith is an enduring vessel for just that.
I’ve personally found the Catholicism I grew up with far more resonate in recent years.
I have too but I have re-engaged by going to church and reading scripture. Tuning in to online influencers or YouTube videos somehow doesn't feel adequate or authentic.
Indeed. Without some sort of belief in a higher power you’ll know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.
Hello dear Freya,
This must be very difficult! I was born a Catholic, then fell away from the faith, and have now returned. What has been very helpful for me recently is speaking openly to my priest and several nuns *in person*, and following their guidance. You’ll be made welcome, I’m sure.
Perhaps a delightful thing about Catholicism in the modern age (among multitudes) is that none of the sacraments can be administered through a phone…apps have zero authority here. Grace is mediated through embodied reality - one cannot be baptised, absolved, confirmed or share in the Eucharist through a screen. The Church has things that require a physical and spiritual presence that internet absolutely cannot give you.
Many blessings, and you’re in my prayers 🙏🏼
This is a great point about the Sacraments and about the body and mind needing to be whole within the Church, which is designed to be reverent and divine. All of the symbolism aligns so that you need to be there. You are small in front of the Altar. The lines of the cross all mean something, and you are part of it, at its center, and it all connects. Our mystical minds notice that immediately: it feels right and true, and when you receive a sacrament, you know it is the right thing to do. Fantastic point.
Now this, this is a great point.
Good insight. Its encouraging to hear younger people asking these questions. One of the paradoxes is, with all this connection, we are still lonely and distant from each other. This commodification you write about, as you said, started before the internet but it is peaking now.
What is missed by faithTok is being online does not close the emotional distance that Jesus was always trying to do. He came close and he healed people that others wouldn't touch or be around. Jesus practiced a ministry of presence as a central tenet: Love God and love your neighbor. Love isnt about performance. It is so intimate that we risk getting hurt. Let that sink in.
I have very few Bible related apps on my phone because I would rather go for a walk and listen to God. This is a spiritual practice that is lost on the internet. The danger, as you said, is absorbing content about God but not being with God.
I wrote this essay last year on the importance of social proximity to Jesus: https://theologyandtechnology.substack.com/p/would-jesus-have-a-smartphone?r=2f8wkh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
As a pastor I thank you for this helpful perspective, both reasoned and heartfelt. I am sharing it with all of the leaders at my church to help guide our decision-making.
God can draw you into His presence through Christ despite any level of distraction and fragmentation. May He increase your faith!
Ah, but there is an answer for what you seek. It’s 2,000 years old. Jesus in the Eucharist. The Catholic Church awaits you when you’re ready.
we went from people binging markets to church to church being a product in the market
That is why Jesus cleansed the Temple and said, "take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise..."
This was excellent Freya.
One of the benefits of being born and raised Roman Catholic pre-smartphone, is that we are aware that cultivating faith involves rigidity and structure. But that does not shield any Catholic from having doubts, especially in a more secular world. We are struggling, but that struggle proves the importance of having faith, and that this faith is worth nurturing.
And so, anytime someone tries to depict an image of Catholicism (or of any Christianity for that matter) that does not acknowledge its difficulties is probably trying to sell you a commodity. The apps might be helpful for some, but ultimately taking that leap of faith, stepping into church, talking to that priest, or connecting with your peers who are into the faith, is still the best starting point.
I love this and I couldn’t agree more. The reason that I am a parish Priest in a couple of rural parishes is it’s not trendy, it’s not cool. It’s just the ordinary people that you meet every day on the street and it’s not even a hobby group or one particular type of person. As a village church, you’ll have everybody from the local Hairdresser to the local Squire that that’s what I love about it. You will sit alongside and rub shoulders with the great and the Good and they won’t always be the same people! It’s for the very young and the very Old for the single mum and the family of 4 it’s for everyone. Lots of love, dear Friend and see you soon. H
Really looking forward to seeing you. My father was another and I must get that first draft of the book finished before you come over. Not long now!!
❤️
There aren’t many good examples for young people to follow in modern life but you are one of them Helen! Lots of love xx
As millennial who does college ministry, I have seen more and more students coming to our fellowship (in person) who found their faith via tik tok or IG which is great and so I'm grateful that they're coming out to church/ our campus fellowship trying to understand what it means to be part of a church (not just go to church). Church isn't a building, it's a people. These younger girls that I'm mentoring found it scary to step into "church" and it took a while to overcome that fear, but what they tell me is that because they found a group of people actually trying to live out their faith - not only once a week or connecting mostly through texts/social media, but actually trying to live out Acts 2:42-47 together - they found it has been different and ultimately the way life was meant to be lived.
I whole-heartedly agree with everything written here and I think if the church can live out what God originally designed and described in the Bible with people living out their faith daily (not just coming to church to consume or to give their tithes once a week) then the younger generation who is looking for authentic, meaningful relationships, purpose and trying to understand how they can be fully known and fully loved - they will finally find what they're looking for.
Great insight! A true relationship with Jesus is just that, a relationship. I went to church as a child and young adult because I “had” to but everything changed for me when I actually started studying the bible and getting to know God. When I realized how much He loved me that’s when I started perusing the relationship He was waiting all along to have with me. When you realize the depth of God’s love you will not be able to get enough of Him and you start living your life the way He created you to. You are absolutely right, nothing can be a substitute for the real thing and the relationship between you and God is real and nothing or no one can ever take it away from you. God Bless you sister, I pray your Christian faith will continue to grow stronger
You get it once again! Thank you and keep writing.
Such a great perspective and so well written Freya!
Scathingly accurate
Much of what you write is and should be taken Much more serious in this generation. I've read the physical Bible (1611 KVJ and 1599 Geneva) over 50 times cover to cover. Yes, the Bible is absolutely incredible verse by verse, page by page, cover to cover. Raised Roman Catholic, trained to be a Jesuit Priest from my very baptism and confirmation, and later converted to Scottish Presbyterian Covenanter. That was a massive leap if you know anything about the Jesuit order, or anything about the reformers and the 3 great reformations. The "literal sense" interpretation of Scripture will change your Roman Catholic views to reformed Presbyterian in time. Keep reading the most faithful translations and avoid the Roman Catholic Catechism as your final source of God's authority. Use the Bible as your primary standard and the Westminster Standards as your subordinate authority. Write me with any confusion.
The sincere Christian is about Relationships: first with God (the vertical) and then with like-minded fellow Believers (the horizontal). If there’s one thing the Social Media tsunami has taught us, it’s that true relationships must be nurtured over time through regular in-person interaction. Virtual reality and gamification won’t cut it.
For more on this important topic, check out the brief Devotional on this link: https://www.intouchaustralia.org/read/daily-devotions/the-process-of-sanctification