MIAMI – According to recent Pew Research Study, one in five people share their faith online. The study also found that younger people are twice as likely to share their beliefs on social media! That's certainly the case with Miami resident Orlando Gunn. He is among the group of young adults, ages 18 to 29 years old that are likely to share their faith. Gunn says, "If you hear good news, why would you not want to share it." Not only does post on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook but he also blogs about his spiritual walk.
Barry University Religious Studies Professor Mark Lavalle told Local 10, "From the days when people were writing on walls until now, when people are still writing on walls. It's just a Facebook wall instead of a cathedral wall of a cave all."
Lavalle says grand artistic images like Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," or Michelangelo's Italian Renaissance depiction of David echoed the stories from the bible.
For the modern day church, many stream their services online. Social media has become the new pulpit for many pastors, including mega church pastor Rick Warren, who has over 1.9 million likes on his Facebook page. Pope Francis has over 5 million followers on twitter.
Yet, all this digital discussion of faith does not appear to be a substitute for offline activities such as attending church! 40 Percent of those sharing their faith online—also shared their faith in a "real world" setting.