Theology of Social Media
A Christian Vision for the Digital Age
Social media is easy to pick on. It’s the low-hanging fruit of your favorite pastor’s critiques on things that are contrary to the Gospel. Everyone, even its advocates, has issues with the way it’s wired to be distracting and addictive. So most Christians choose to categorize social media as a negative, destructive time-waster.
But what if Christians could redeem social media?
What if the Church could take what the enemy uses for evil, and transform it for the glory of God?
“you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20, ESV
With every generation that has lived since Christ’s ascension, we’ve been challenged to engage with a culture who has a distinct mission from the kingdom of God. And I would like to challenge your understanding of social media by pointing to the immeasurable amount of fruit that could be gained from it.
A Meeting with First-Century Paul at Starbucks
Think through this example with me. Imagine you get to have a 25-minute conversation with the Apostle Paul at a local Starbucks, in which you get to tell him about the future. Paul, who spent years simply traveling from place to place, would be mesmerized by technology that could transmit messages instantaneously, instantly break through language barriers using technology trained for getting people’s attention, and provide direct access for people to access the Bible.
Paul would’ve maximized his missionary work using this tool, and so should modern Christians.
Let’s take a look at three principles to maintain in our pursuit, the “Theology of Social Media”
In the world, but not of the world
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18
Just as Christians have influenced the world through art, science, medicine, and literature, social media emerges as a new medium in which Christians can reach our culture. As we prayerfully discern boundaries and best practices to avoid becoming too reliant or infatuated with social media, Christians can integrate the Gospel message into online spaces in a way that reaches both Christians and non-Christians. This means that social media becomes not just a tool to tend to the flock, but an evangelism outlet for people inside our communities.
To the ends of the earth
“you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Back to my illustration with Paul, it is undeniable that social media has the capacity to connect people and broadcast messages throughout our world in an instant. In our fallen world, we’ve seen this system abused; messages of things like political ideologies or others that are counterfeit to the Gospel spread rampantly and divide people from each other.
Still, Christians have an opportunity to redeem social media. We can only control what is ours with the hope that the culture around us will be influenced by the Gospel. So Christians should steward what they have well. Create excellent media, use discernment in prayer while communicating online, and preach the Gospel implicitly and explicitly in their content.
Excellence in everything
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Something that frustrates me in 2026 is seeing secular companies invest extraordinary amounts of time and money into building their online spaces, while churches treat social media as an afterthought. Burger King is successful in marketing their fast-food empire on a global scale because they treat social media as an investment, while Christian creators and churches invest a fraction of their time and giftings into making the Church into a space where people could encounter the risen Christ online.
This blends into a larger-scale problem with how Christian culture has moved away from excellence in the arts. My call for Christians in 2026 is to embrace the legacy of the saints like Michaelangelo, Johann Sebastian Bach, and C.S. Lewis; Christians should dominate the world’s creative spaces because we are empowered by the Spirit of the ultimate Creator.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re a passionate creative or simply a social media user, remember that God intends for the Church to glorify Him through everything we do. The heart of our mission at Reformed Media is to impact the next generation in a way that’s never been done before through Churches stewarding their online channels well. We will not shy away from social media, but maintain our saltiness (Mark 9:50) in the world around us.
