Filipinos’ Christian Heritage Came About Through Evangelization, The New Frontier of Digital Evangelism Is Worth Pursuing

Today the global Filipino Christian community is celebrating Easter and the risen Christ because of Catholic missionaries who came to the Philippines some 500 years ago. That evangelization is responsible for the Philippines being the only predominantly (near 80%) Asian-Christian nation. It is also the third largest Catholic country in the world with some 85 million adherents, and this figure does not include the massive Filipino diaspora communities around the world.

So those in our Filipino community who love of our relationship with Jesus Christ and our cultural and religious practices like those during Lent, Holy Week and Easter have Catholic-Christian evangelists to thank.

Spanish missionaries in the 16^th century had to sail thousands of miles in treacherous, dangerous, and unknown conditions to spread the Gospel.

Hundreds of years earlier during the cradle years of Christianity, St Paul used the Roman road system, often dangerous to travail with lurking bandits, to share the good news of Christ’s mission. It’s said that St. Paul traveled over 10,000 miles in his journeys to Syria, Turkey, and Greece. Historians say if it weren’t for St. Paul and early evangelists like him, Christianity would have remained a sect and not the cosmopolitan religion it is today.

Digital evangelism
While physical missions are still needed, it’s an exciting time for Christian digital evangelism, which is the strategic use of the internet, mobile, social media platforms, podcasts and apps to share the Gospel with the online world.

Digital evangelism also makes it easy for more people to be involved and reach out to our global neighbors. We know the difficulties and rejection that evangelizing can have when taking the door-to-door approach. But with digital evangelism, reports show that people are more open to engage or at least listen.

One wildly successful example is the Hallow App which is designed to help people deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided prayers, Bible readings, a daily Rosary, daily Gospel, daily novenas, and saints. Hallow is now the number one Catholic app in the world and number one Christian prayer app in the U.S.

The Roman Catholic Church — which has been active in spreading the Gospel for 20 centuries — is also on board with the new frontier of digital evangelism.

Pope Francis said, “to be a Christian is to help carry the mission forward: to bring the good news of Christ to all creation.” In Matthew 28:19, it says embodying Christ’s call is to “go and make disciples of all nations.” And how do you do that? You must go where the people are. Young people are spending most of their waking hours in front of a computer screen or phone. The Church can be a beacon of hope and light in this often cold and impersonal digital space.

In the Roman Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality last October, it recognized that the internet is not just a tool but a culture which we are called to “enculturate” with the Gospel. A working group called the “Mission in the Digital Environment” was formed. In addition, a “Synthesis Report” was presented, supporting development in the Church’s approach to digital evangelization.

The report states, “Digital culture represents a fundamental change in the way we conceive of reality and consequently relate to ourselves, one another, our surroundings, and even to God.” Further, “the digital space is recognized as a vital arena where the Church is called to respond to Jesus’ call to go to the ends of the Earth and share his Word with the same fervor and adaptability it has demonstrated throughout nearly two millennia of missionary work.

“We need to provide opportunities for recognizing, forming, and accompanying those already working as digital missionaries while also facilitating networking amongst them,” the report states.

Digital presence of the Church can go beyond spreading the Gospel, but to also open communication with church members, hear what their concerns are, and engage people in issues important to the Church like caring for migrants and the environment or peace-building efforts and support for families.

Not a substitution for in person connection
While digital evangelization is a necessary modern way to reach out to people using modern tools, a caveat is that it should not be a replacement for in-person social connection, in-person gatherings such as attending digital mass for in-person Mass.

During the height of COVID-19 isolation, that’s when digital evangelization and digital connection started to grow. But we’re no longer there and in-person connection, and Mass in specific, is the ideal choice. After all, we can’t receive the Eucharist in a digital mass.

However, for its supplemental value and its practicality in reaching people in today’s modern lifestyle, certainly the Church must be involved in this new frontier of digital evangelization.

Happy Easter
During this Lenten season, Holy Week and Easter, we are once again reminded of God’s presence in our lives. As many in our Filipino community embrace Christianity, we join you in our gratitude for Jesus’ mission of taking on the suffering of the cross for our sins and salvation. We also recognize the importance of our many time-honored Filipino cultural-religious expressions that arouse deep spirituality and our deep connection to God. May you all have a Happy Easter. Jesus Christ is risen.