Christianity Today serves as a unique place for evangelicals of all stripes to convene, where thinkers from a variety of backgrounds can discuss and engage in ideas. We wanted to experiment with CT’s “village green” format and extend the conversation using Google’s new Hangout abilities through Google+.
We start with a topic that has captured the attention of millions of people, most of them women: Pinterest. The relatively new social networking site lets users create virtual boards where people “pin” images related to interests ranging from weddings, food, fitness, and books, to crafts, recipes, and inspiration quotes. Boards offer a mix of cute outfits to mouth-watering caramel chocolate-chip pretzel brownie muffins to IKEA-hacked mudrooms, on bulletin board-like walls that can be viewed and followed by friends and strangers alike. The site has 11 million users, 70 percent of whom are women, drawing especially from the crafty and foodie crowds. Some of you may have embraced the social network and the “Pin all the things!” attitude while others may be holding off or still waiting for an invite.
Last November, regular Her.meneutics writer Laura Leonard wrote on why women are obsessed with Pinterest and what it means to use the site well. We also noticed other posts by Rachel Held Evans (Tennessee), Sarah Bessey (Vancouver), and Rachel Marie Stone (New York) seemed to resonate or aggravate readers as we navigate the pros and cons of any technology. We are always thinking theologically about new tools, engaging in how media can shapes who we are and how we think. Check out the conversation, and please join us in the comments.
Weigh in: Pros and cons to Pinterest? Is there a way to think theologically about the network?
As we consider more hangouts, what would you like to see in the future? Would you be interested in a live format? What works and what doesn’t?
Thanks for tuning in.
