I’m not exactly “Hooked” on Facebook, but if checking it 3-4 times a day is an indicator, I may need to seek a 12-Step meeting for FB. (A Google search for Facebook users anonymous had 23 million hits. Hmmm.

 It’s a fun way to stay in touch with friends, but it also encourages one to snoop around just a bit clicking on the links to friends of friends. I’m especially drawn to because FB says so-and-so and I have 17 mutual friends and I’ve never heard of this person.

But when I read some almost-friend’s ([1] 2 degrees of separation?) profile, I am struck by the inane or missing Info under “Religious Views.” Even among people I know are active in the church just blow it off in their Profile.

So, you’ve got a lot of friends. Assume most of these FB friends know you personally, actually, not just virtually. And so many of these friends know you are active in the church. Why then are you trivializing or hiding your religious views on FB?

Thinking about this, I conclude it is not because many people are embarrassed or ashamed to state a religious thought or conviction in the social network. I think it’s because religious views and convictions are not perceived as interesting, so what’s to say?

Personally, I had this information posted last year: Religious Views: “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but more interesting than a label!” (It still conceals more than it reveals.)

And the reason they are thought to not be interesting is because of the great disconnect of religious views from the rest of life. We compartmentalize our religious views in a different box from all the other things that influence and express our values.

Brings me back to my perceptions of Jesus. For too many Christians, our “religious views” are supposed to be about our faith in or allegiance to Christ. Nothing interesting there because the religion about Jesus can’t/doesn’t compete against contemporary culture. But Jesus himself—the enigmatic figure revealed in the Gospels—never encouraged anyone to be religious.

The “religion of Jesus” (not “about Jesus”) is an allegiance to compassion, generosity, love, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. Maybe it’s time we start putting our Religious Views up there in the social network: “Trying to shape my life by the religious values of Jesus: compassion, generosity, love, forgiveness and self-sacrifice.” I think I will add this as a good way to start a new year.

—Pastor Dan