The Gospel & The New
Marketplace
by Glenn White
The New Marketplace
The church historically practices taking the Gospel into the marketplace.There
is new marketplace called the Web and the Web has a language, an etiquette, and
a culture all its own.
The new marketplace is the perfect place for sharing the good news. It's been
that way since the time of Jesus.
Jesus, the disciples, and the early church went frequently to the marketplace
with the message of God's love.
The Language of the New Marketplace
The language of the New Testament was not in classical Greek but in the
language of the marketplace, koine Greek. The good news always found its
way into people's hearts through the marketplace. The is true today when you
write for the web.
Just like in the days of the early church, there is a different language in the
marketplace. Sometimes it is computer language with terms like HTML, Java(and
this doesn't mean coffee), ASCII, RAM, CD-ROM, Bytes, Bits, and the list goes
on and on.
Other times it is email, chat room, and instant messaging acronyms like BTW,
CYL, IMHO, L8R, YTTT, and GLYASDI(God Love You And So Do I).
Then there are emoticons which look like this :-), o:-), or ;-).
Computer language, acronyms, and emoticons are the language of the new
marketplace.
Writing for people in the new marketplace means learning a new language to
communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to them. How do you do that?
Fortunately, you can learn from the web itself. A one-stop web site is NetLingo. Study the language you need in
the new marketplace and you will be an effective writer.
The Etiquette of the New Marketplace
In the every marketplace there is an understood code of acceptable behavior.
Yes, when you communicate with people in the new marketplace there is an
etiquette; it is called netiquette.
Netiquette are the rules for proper behavior on the web.
First rule
Probably the most important rule is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER write anything in all
caps. This is like shouting in emails, chat rooms, and instant messaging.
Notice how you felt when you read the word "never" in all caps. It is
considered extremely rude by almost everyone.
Second rule
Always be kind and courteous online. Rude behavior begets rude behavior in the
new marketplace. When this type of behavior escalates it is called a
"flame war."
I seen this even happen in a Christian writing group but the moderator quickly
intervened and doused the flames. Flaming occurs when this second rule is
broken.
The Culture of the New Marketplace
The culture of the new marketplace is not an ethnocentric culture despite that
English is the predominate language on the Web. The culture of the new
marketplace is a global culture. When you write for the new marketplace you
must think global.
For example, after my first major Web article was published I received an email
from a guy in
It is easy to forget your global reader and write without connecting. When you
write be careful of slang, idioms, or Christianese. You lose the reader when
your message is misunderstood.
Always remember, you are writing your article or story as good news for the
world to read and understand.
You can be an effective Christian webwriter when you learn the language, follow
a few simple rules, and understand the culture. Then you will WriteToInspire!
Related articles:
Why
Write for the Web?
You
Can Write for the Web!
Stained
Glass Words
Copyright © 2001 Glenn White. All Rights Reserved