Community Hunger: Reclaiming Christian Hospitality in the Digital Age

By JC Hill

American Christian hospitality is faltering, and one significant reason is our excessive time spent on devices, which detract us from esteeming one another in the faith. Texting, social media, and the internet cannot sustain our spiritual unity, and constant connection through these means subtly fosters discord and breakdown in our relationships. Without consistently demonstrating sacrificial love for one another, we risk disloyalty and are in danger of breaking our covenantal vows or neglecting our responsibility to pursue one another in righteousness (2 Tim. 2:22). The internet hasn't made it easier to love one another sacrificially--it has made it easier to avoid doing so. We've replaced purposeful hospitality with potlucks and parties, trading meaningful fellowship for event-based entertainment. But this avoidance reveals something darker: we've become hostile to our true objective-- to love one another from a pure heart . This is the trajectory of complacent people. America and its Christians have been successfully lured into the internet's "community and customs." This is why we fail to recognize with any urgency our dissolving sense of true Christian community. Unlike our 'wilderness predecessors,' who lacked meat, God is still chastising us but not through material deprivation. Instead, the things we indulge in--social media, texting, tattoos, weak hospitality, and even the casual "I'm sorry"--reveal our satiation. These liberties expose our ingratitude; we don't recognize that our discontent stems from being overly satisfied. We are bored with our freedom, regurgitating our prosperity, and standing in judgment (Jl. 2:12-14). True wisdom transcends cultural "norms" that fail to align with God's will. To stop abusing our Christian privileges, we must redirect our course. What will it take for us to stop loving one another sparingly and reluctantly? We must imbibe the gospel exhaustively, allowing it to transform us into the obedient people God calls us to be. Community Hunger examines how the misuse of the internet erodes our fellowship and community, offering practical insights on how to restore meaningful connection in a digital age. It is the fellowship of the Cross to experience the burden of the other. If one does not experience it, the fellowship he belongs to is not Christian. If any member refuses to bear that burden, he denies the law of Christ...To bear the burden of the other person means involvement with the created reality of the other, to accept and affirm it, and, in bearing with it, to break through to the point where we take joy in it. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F5MZK4BW
• ISBN13: 9798280296022
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 114 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"