About this ebook
Winner of a third-place award in the church professional category from the Catholic Media Association.
Popes Benedict and Francis have called upon Christians across the globe to embrace the internet as a new “digital continent” and think of it as mission territory, a place where we can—with careful thought and discipline—accomplish enormous good.
Even as we strive to be faithful to our Christian values, many of us still show up on social media and behave in ways unbecoming a follower of Jesus Christ. Rather than practicing compassion, truth, honesty, and communion online, we sometimes are mean-spirited, inflammatory, and untruthful. Garrido tackles the problem head-on by providing practical tools, theological guidance, and spiritual inspiration for being the person God wants you to be online.
Garrido offers eight practices, rooted in Catholic tradition and teaching, that will help you avoid doing harm, and instead equip you to be a force for good through your social media presence and activities:
- clarify your purpose
- know your sources
- understand bias
- value the person
- lead with curiosity
- talk about intent and impact
- privilege face-to-face encounter
- manage your energy
The book includes simple exercises to help you assess your social media behaviors and integrate Garrido's suggestions into your online communications as well as the opportunity to join a community of concerned Christians striving to live these habits.
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About the author
Ann M. Garrido is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri, where she previously directed the school’s Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching program. Garrido has served as the Marten Faculty Fellow in Homiletics at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning Redeeming Administration, Redeeming Conflict, and Let’s Talk About Truth. She travels nationally and internationally helping communities discuss the topics they find toughest to talk about—conversations that always involve questions of truth.
