To facilitate a truly global conversation, we ask Christian leaders from around the world to respond to the Global Conversation’s lead articles. These points of view do not necessarily represent the Lausanne Movement. They are designed to stimulate discussion from all points of the compass and from different segments of the Christian community. Please add your perspective by posting a comment so that we can learn and grow together in the unity of the Spirit.

A response to:

Media and the Gospel: Moving Forward Together – Lars Dahle

I appreciate very much Lars Dahle’s article and the coming consultation of Christian media leaders on holistic mission for the Gospel. For critical awareness of the media, the Christian community needs to maintain a critical distance to the media. Media is never neutral but the form and content always have technological and ethical biases.

For media presence, we need a strong commitment from Christians to take on media as a calling, not only for evangelization, but also for the cultural and creation mandate, to create culture and to nurture the landscape of human heart. This is media presence of incarnation into the marketplace of ideas. This is the mandate of the holistic Gospel.

For media ministry, we need to provide a different worldview and framing of the world. It is good to point out the need for integrated media, the contextual framing, and the critical awareness of technological culture. Technology is more than a tool for a certain evangelistic function. It is also a culture to shape our consciousness.

Furthermore, I would suggest that media and the Gospel in the contemporary context is a battlefield of worldviews. We need to confront and demythologize the secular and ungodly framing of worldly events, and to provide fresh look at the world from the Christian worldview from creation, redemption, and eschatology. We need to move from media awareness to media awakening.

For media presence, we need to take the Gospel holistically. The Gospel is about God and God’s work, His word, and His covenant with human. We need to enter into the struggle for narratives, in this case the media world, to battle for values and worldviews. We need to take on the holistic mission. The evangel is not only for personal faith commitment, but to nurture culture from Genesis to the full presence of the Kingdom of God. We need for move from media presence to prophetic media.

We need to specify not only media ministry, but also media ministers. God uses media as co-creation, tree to bear fruit, sea to raise fish, woman to bear children and others. We are co-creator with God, in His own Image. Media creation is an integration of unity in diversity. We need to embrace differences and encourage unity. Christ is the Mediator, as depicted by author of Hebrews. We need to give up our lives as a living sacrifice to follow the footstep of Christ as the mediator to bridge human and God.

 

Dr. Wing Tai LEUNG, Breakthrough Ministry in Hong Kong