Online Media: A Potent Tool for Evangelism in the 21st Century
A Keynote Address by Pastor Oluwole Tokede at the 5th Anniversary of Gospel Film News (GFN)
Venue: GOFAMINT, House of Glory, Aseese, Ogun State
Date: Saturday, 26th August, 2023.
INTRODUCTION
Online media, a part of new media, is the deployment of Information Technology (IT) in the field of Mass Communication, which is the dissemination of information quickly to a large number of people. The scope of Mass Communication is very extensive and it deals with a variety of objectives. We have Public Relations (PR), Advertising, and Journalism: print, broadcast, online media. Like all human endeavors, the foray of IT in the field of Mass Communication has revolutionized it in no small way.
Basically, in this paper, we will examine the importance of online media compared to traditional media; why evangelism is important for us as Christians; how to effectively deploy online media in the assignment of evangelism in the 21 st Century. We will try to see the relevance of advertising to evangelism. The paper would consider if we can say that Christian journalism is a missionary work using Gospel Film News as our case study and to relate with the discovery.
Importance of Digital/Online/New Media
Digital/Online media is a term that encompasses all digital technologies used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms including text, images, audio, and video. It includes everything from social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Youtube etc) and website design to digital marketing and advertising.
All in all, digital/online media refers to any media that can be accessed through digital devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and so on. The advent of digital media has not only made it easier for people to connect and interact with one another the world over, it has also drastically reduced the cost of communication. It has made it easier for us to build relationships and interact with people we would never have met.
Digital media has many advantages over traditional mass media like print media (newspaper), television and radio. It is more interactive, more engaging, and it is more accessible. It also provides a more personalized experience for users. Digital media is constantly evolving, which means that there are always new and innovative ways to use it. Digital media has transformed the way we communicate and consume information. It has made it possible for us to connect with people all over the world and share our thoughts and ideas instantly. It has also made it easier for businesses to reach their customers and sell their products and services better.
It gives increased reach; provides richer engagement; provides increased Return on Investment (ROI); engenders reduction in the cost of information dissemination; provides greater flexibility. You can change your content and marketing strategies quickly and easily to respond to changes in the marketplace. It makes data analysis simple, among other advantages.
In summary, Digital media is very pivotal in the way businesses run these days. By extension, it has had a great impact in carrying the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. It can be said that Jesus Christ Himself who knows the end from the beginning knew the important role digital media would play when he mandated his followers in Mark 16: 15-16 “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”. He knew before time the role digital media would play facilitating this assignment which is central to His heart. There is hardly any part of the world without the internet and invariably, the presence of new media.
Why Should I Evangelize?
1) Evangelism is a Mandate from Jesus Christ
This should not be a question from a Christian because once someone has become a child of God by releasing his life to Jesus Christ and he is born again, what he should be living for is to show others “The Way”, “The Truth” and “The Life”, who is Jesus Christ. This is achieved through Evangelism which is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone else. Evangelism should be the lifestyle of every Christian. Jesus Christ left a clear instructions to His followers: “Go into all the world and make disciples of every nation” (Matthew 28:19). Before we can “make disciples,” we must evangelize.
2) Evangelism is an Act of Love.
Love must be the defining characteristic of every follower of Jesus Christ (John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13:1–7). It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so anyone who walks in the Spirit will demonstrate love in dealing with people (Galatians 5:16, 22–23). We possess the best news in the world, and love propels us to share it with those who haven’t heard. Love wants everyone to have a chance to respond to God’s offer of salvation. Withholding news that could save someone’s life is the utmost cruelty; therefore, those who truly love God will love the people whom Jesus came to save (John 3:16–18; 1 John 4:20).
3) Evangelism builds our own faith
Nothing helps us learn a subject like teaching it to someone else. When we make a practice of sharing our faith with those in our lives, we strengthen our own beliefs. Regular evangelism forces us to wrestle through the hard questions, find answers for ourselves, and prepare to respond to the questions of others. We should “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We prepare by studying God’s Word for ourselves, listening to sound Bible teachers, and staying in close fellowship with Jesus. Those practices keep our own lives pure so that we are not hypocrites who preach one thing but do another (Galatians 6:1).
4) Evangelism provides eternal benefits.
Jesus encouraged His followers to “store up treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:19). That treasure consists of rewards for what we did on earth in His name and for His glory. It is not self-centered to make choices that will ensure eternal treasure for ourselves. Jesus told us to! Our service to Him can be as simple as offering a cup of cold water to one of His own (Matthew 10:42). The parable of the unjust steward underscores the importance of doing whatever we can to bring people to faith in Christ (Luke 16:1–13).
5) Evangelism is an overflow of the “hope that is within us”
When two people fall in love, they cannot help but let everyone around them know it. Joy shows on their faces; stars glitter in their eyes. They are eager to tell anyone who will listen about the wonderful person they love. So it is when we’ve fallen in love with Jesus. We cannot help but tell people about Him every chance we get. We think about Him all the time. We’re drawn to His Word, to worship services, and to others who love Him. We look for opportunities to share His truth with someone who is far from Him. If Jesus is not at the forefront of our minds, we have a spiritual problem and need to address that first before we can share the “hope that is within us.” Hebrews 6:19; 1 Peter 3:15
6) Evangelism pleases the Lord.
The Christian life must never be lived according to “should.” Yet we hear that word often in relation to Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, and other Christian practices. “I should do that, but . . .” The but is a bigger problem than we want to admit. God’s children will naturally want to please their Heavenly Father; it is their greatest delight. So our compass is set with God at the true north. In everything we do, we feel the magnetic pull toward pleasing God. Even mundane tasks can be completed with joy because we are doing what God has given us to do (1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:9). Teaching other people how to have a relationship with Jesus is one way to please Him. And in pleasing Him we are most fulfilled (Galatians 2:20).
7) Not Evangelizing has grave consequences
Ezekiel 3: 18-19 18 “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul”. This is very scary.
Online Media and Evangelism
The pervasive impact technology has attained in the 21st century is beyond the expectations of its developers. The 21st century has ushered us into the era of convenient and effective communication. Winning souls for Christ has equally benefitted from the development. Today, there are online media devoted to Christian activities in various ways. An example of it is Gospel Film News. Perhaps the popularity of the medium today wouldn’t have been as it is if it in printing form. Religious organizations are beginning to realize that the Internet is one of the greatest tools for information dissemination, a tool which if properly deployed will facilitate the spread of the gospel. In whatever shape or form the religious organizations are, they are expected to propagate the doctrines of their faith to people across the world, with a view to converting them. Many religious organizations with a wide followership are beginning to find respite in reaching them through Internet-enabled communication channels. As churches continue to embrace the Internet and create virtual branches, it does appear that the innovation is fostering ties between churches and their members. The Internet is creating an opportunity for a psychological link between churches and members, an opportunity that the physical church has not sufficiently created. Digital communication is giving us the opportunity to form more relationships and deepen existing ones. The Internet is shaping and redefining evangelism in the era of new media in the 21 st century. Many groups in churches today are in one WhatsApp group or the other. Its impact on religious organizations in reaching their members and non-members is observably remarkable. However, not many Christian organizations have embraced the lofty opportunities the Internet avails. Some people either out of sheer religious fanaticism, apprehension, ignorance or misinformation, have written off the Internet as some “unrighteous” thing that is apparently not fit as a channel for religious messages. They have literally thrown away the baby with the bath water. Their position was predicated on the many ignoble, vicious and immoral posts on the Internet via the social media platforms. Yet, it can be contended that like any other medium, what one does with the Internet technology is purely one’s choice. The medium itself is not the problem and can never be. You would observe that most of the feelings against the use of technology as a means of propagating the gospel paled into thin air at the advent of COVID-19 when the whole world was literally shut down. One wonders what would have happened to our faith without the internet after the pandemic would have gone.
Meanwhile, the number of new media users in a church will determine how far-reaching and engaging the messages via the Internet will be on its members. It is argued that since a great many new media users are youths, their spiritual gratifications could be derived from contents other than religious messages. We should bear in mind that if we are interested in reaching the youth for Christ in the 21st Century, it is very important not only to engage the social media but to be very creative in its deployment as a means of evangelism. This is where youths are today. That is where they sleep and wake. They are inseparable with social media forms of new media comprising Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and YouTube among others.
Today, things are getting better in the entertainment industry as a result of the big roles technology is playing in there. Christian artistes today are better off than before when piracy was the other of the day.
Before, films or songs would have entered the market before their official release. Through the online means, things are far better these days. Activities of pirates are curtailed. Thanks to the use of digital platforms.
Drawing Relevance of Advertising to Evangelism
Advertising is an essential part of modern businesses. It is the practice of using various forms of media to disseminate information about a product, service or idea with the intention of persuading the audience to take a specific action, such as buying a product or using a service. The goal of advertising is to reach a large audience, increase brand awareness, and establish credibility with the audience. Top-five Nigerian companies with the biggest advertising budget in 2022 were the Nigerian Breweries which spent N24.86 billion; followed by MTN Nigeria – N15.14 billion; Dangote Cement came third with N12.18 billion; Access Bank spent N11.32 billion in the period under review to emerge as the fourth biggest spender while Fidelity Bank spent “ONLY” N9.59 billion to get the fifth position. One may begin to wonder why these well-known companies spent so much on advertising. The reason is simple. In no time they would be forgotten if they refuse to advertise.
According to the data provided by Research and Markets, as of 2021, the worldwide advertising market reached a value of $590.3 billion. It is expected that this market will continue to grow and reach a value of $792.7 billion by 2027, displaying a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.04% during the period
of 2021 to 2027.
Let’s also see how global brands prioritize advertising. As far back as 2016, Google advertising budget was $3.2 billion, making it the second highest on advertisement. Coca-Cola spent $4 billion to make it the fourth highest spending brand the world over on advertisement. Toyota spent $3.6 billion. The huge expenditure of these companies on advertising underscores the importance they attach to advertising. It is a fact that Coca-Cola is known the world over. It was even said that there are some parts of the world where the name of Jesus Christ is never heard, but they know Coca-Cola there. Placing appealing innovative advert copies about Jesus Christ in the online media space would go a long way in selling Him to the world in the 21st Century manner.
Christian Journalism as Missionary Work? GFN as Example
I will like to close by taking a look at the evolution of the baby (Gospel Film News) whose fifth birthday we are celebrating today. His father (The Publisher, Mr Oluwafemi Dosu) in 2018 got an inspiration to start a news outfit for gospel films in Nigeria which he named Gospel Film News. The online news platform gives accurate and reliable news reportage of gospel films, film makers, film schools, stage drama and generally anything that has to do with gospel films. This has enabled him put into practice the training God has been taking him through for years in film acting, production, and journalism. According to him in an interview, “The vision of Gospel Film News started on the 30th of March, 2018 and has been able to put Nigeria Gospel Film sector on the global map with daily and robust news reportage. God dropped the vision in my heart during a conference in Lagos. It was the state conference of All Nigeria Conference of Evangelical Drama Ministers (ANCEDRAM). At that time, there was nothing like professional news publishing for gospel film industry”. According to him, “I was scared of acceptance. Nobody knew me. How will they accept me and the vision, will the vision ever survive, will they be willing to grant me interview, will they be willing to give me exclusive? Those were my thoughts”. More importantly, he was scared of where the funding will come from. The money to build the website, running of the medium like buying data, expenses to cover events, among other things that would be needed to sustain the medium.
“I will say that Gospel Film News started professional gospel film journalism in Nigeria by the grace of God. And the unique thing about our vision is that we only publicize Gospel Films and drama, no other thing. In the past five years, the site has scooped millions of readership spread across different continents like Africa, America, Asia, United Kingdom, among others. Expectedly, the medium still struggles with finance. “Finance has been a serious thing but God has been so helpful and graceful to us. Many people believe we should publish their stories for free, some believe it’s their right to be on our website, some call us out on social media that we are biased in picking of stories, some people say that data is all we need to be in business. They have forgotten that we pay for website maintenance, we buy data, every year we pay for domain name. We buy fuel to power our generator, pay salary to staff, we have families we cater for, etc. I think everything still boils down to orientation/ perspective”. They will have to pay rent as well, I suppose.
“I laugh at times when people spend a huge amount on a film project and believe Gospel Film News should see their location pictures on social media and pick it to publish for free. Although we don’t charge but we expect that a reasonable amount be earmarked for publicity if truly you need us. Many times, we Finance Gospel Film News from other sources of income generated by individuals. This is not to say that we don’t have some of our fathers in the drama ministry who are also supporting us financially. We place on record our appreciation of their assistance. Our eyes are on God. We solely depend on God our supplier. By God’s grace, we are gaining more acceptance and grounds every day”.
Going by this interview, the publication is a call to ministry, it is a vision from God. And if it is a vision, the One who gives the vision will make the provision. However, in Deuteronomy 25:4 the Bible says: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain”. The scripture is even talking of how animals deserve a share of the fruits of their labor, then surely any person who participates in bringing about some benefit should share in some form of reward. Even I Corinthians 9:13 says something similar. “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live off the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
I also want us to note that Christian online medium cannot practice journalism as non-Christian medium. For something to be called news worthy in conventional journalism, it must have any of the following elements- Proximity; Timeliness; Prominence; Conflict; Human-interest; Oddity. This is at variance with what we have in Isaiah 52: 7 NIV. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”. We can take this to be the definition of a Christian journalist. Simply, the focus of the two types of journalism/journalists are not the same. Sometimes in conventional journalism, If it is not bad/tragic it does not qualify to be news. This cannot be the case with Christian journalism!
GFN for instance would NOT be looking for negative gossips from or around the people it was established it to serve. But that is what sustains some popular blogs and they live big on it. What an average reader who is not born again (and unfortunately, even some brethren) is interested in are dirty/negative stories about these people. That cannot be gospel news. Since GFN cannot do that, and the people behind it use their call for the promotion of the gospel, then there is the need for a symbiotic relationship between the people behind GFN and the people God established it to serve for the propagation of the gospel, and by implication, the expansion of His Kingdom.
Thank you all for listening!
