- 09/05/2020
- Categories: Commentaries, Press Release
Yogyakarta, May 8th, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the society’s way of life, including in religious activities that are usually carried out in places of worship, which are now turned into worship activities from their respective houses. This situation triggered the initiative of religious leaders to use social media and other digital platforms as a means to spread religious teachings. Seeing this trend, the Center for Digital Society (CfDS) has presented two digital preaching practitioners, namely Nafilah Safitri from AIS Nusantara and Yohanes Tri Atmaja who currently serves as CEO of The Messenjah, to talk further about the phenomenon of digital preaching and its development in the era the COVID-19 pandemic at the 23rd series of Difussion, which was broadcasted through YouTube platform on Friday (8/5).
The Developments of Digital Preaching
“Digital preaching is not a new thing, since long ago in Christianity, there has been a delivery of religious material through the means of cable television known as tele-evangelism,” said Yohanes. Starting from a t-shirt business, Yohanes has a ‘calling’ to spread Christianity through modern media, such as infographics and quotes taken directly from the Bible in the Instagram and YouTube platform. Not only does it spread religion, The Messenjah also has a mission to convey Christian’s unrest about the spread of religious teachings that turn away from the Bible.
Even in Islam, we are familiar with shows like kultum which have aired on television or radio. Starting with an initiative to widely publicize the activities of santri and pesantren through online platforms in 2016, AIS Nusantara has grown rapidly and brought peace as the main value in spreading the teachings of Islam. “This effort is also intended to counter the narrative of Islamophobia that often occurs after the 9/11 tragedy in the United States,” concluded Nafilah.
Public Response to Digital Preaching
AIS Nusantara received a relatively positive response from the general public, but the digital literacy gap between the older and younger generations remains a challenge. Although those who propagate the preaching are pesantren teachers who have clear theological references and bases, AIS Nusantara is not free from criticism. Nafilah believes that the criticism is based on differences in views or perceptions. Continuing to what has been delivered by Nafilah, Yohanes sees criticism based on differing views is natural, because one’s theological basis can never be compared to another. The wide reach of social media also becomes a challenge in planning the content of the sermon, so that the sermon doesn’t trigger a negative backlash or misperception from the public.
The Effectiveness of Digital Preaching
Digital preaching is indeed an effective platform to spread religious values, especially in a pandemic situation like nowadays. Caution when accepting preaching should also be emphasized, because everyone can spread their teachings online without a clear theological foundation. “The delivery of physical preaching remains irreplaceable, because the spiritual and emotional connections between the community and the priests only occur physically,” concluded Yohanes. For people who do not have time to study directly in pesantren, digital preaching is a new alternative to explore religious teachings. However, direct meeting is still considered more effective by Nafilah to avoid different perception and misinterpretations. “In receiving digital preaching, the audience should remain critical and thorough to avoid misinterpretation,” explained Nafilah.
Author: Christophorus Ariobumi
Editor: Raka Wicaksono
