Faith 2.0

May God's Word and Love be communicated through creative, innovative and meaningful ways. May God's hand touch the hearts and transform the lives of this digital generation. May the Word be known, understood, spoken, incarnated and experienced through the language of this digital generation.

Faith 2.0 is based and inspired by Web 2.0., the latest trend in most educational systems all over the world. It makes use of the Internet, most especially the social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Multiply, Plurk, Friendster, MySpace, etc.) It makes use of digital arts in communicating the Word of God as well. in relaying and sharing information. Hence, it aims to spread and communicate the Word and the Love of God in a modern, digital, innovative, creative, meaningful and relevant way. This is a creative and gradual movement from the traditional and conservative approach in evangelization. It is an obvious fact that some traditional and old methods in evangelization and spreading the Word are no longer effective and relevant in the present generation. This poses a great challenge for us Christian educators/pastors/preachers to devise new ways on how the Word and Love of God will have more impact and relevance in this generation.

Faith 2.0 is a faith revolution and theology innovation. It is the most contextual and appropriate evangelization tool and approach in the 21st century. It is the act of making sense of our faith in the digital world. This is the innovative approach that will be utilized to address the needs and concerns of the 21st century learners. Faith 2.0 is a creative and gradual movement from Faith 1.0, the traditional faith, that we used to know and grew up with. Faith 2.0 is characterized by shared responsibility, social networking, experience-centeredness, interactivity, social interaction, creativity, collaboration, dynamism, knowledge-sharing, youth empowerment, community and nation building, global awareness, meaning and relevance, information literacy, multimedia arts and technology utilization. Social networks play a very vital, significant and indispensable role in Classroom 2.0 and Faith 2.0. As of March 2010, Faith 2.0, an online community and a Facebook cause, has more than 400 members and supporters coming from students, teachers, alumni, parents, educators and other people from different parts of the world. These are people who want to make a great difference and impact in the lives of others by bringing God to them in this innovative and creative means. (Faith 2.0 Facebook Cause and Faith 2.0 Multiply Group).

For the past years, we have been using social networks as our tool in evangelization, and we find them very effective, relevant and meaningful for both teachers and students. You may check our online Christian Living Education class, Jesus is My Big Brother Multiply Site, which is one of the active educational sites in the World Wide Web. You may also visit Faith 2.0, the High School Spiritual Development Program site of Colegio San Agustin, Makati, which is one of the most visited and used sites. The abovementioned sites are venues for teachers and students to hold our online CLE classes, catechism, evangelization, bible sharing; share testimonies and reflections through blogs; and pray for each other in our virtual prayer room. Truly, social networks are of great help in education and evangelization. We do not only evangelize and minister to students via social networks, but to CSA employees from different departments as well. We have The SPA, our online Augustinian community in the Facebook, which is composed of both former and current CSA employees all over the world. It is a venue for us to spread the Word of God by sending inspirational reflections/articles, listening to Christian audio teachings, downloading mp3s of prayers and Praise and Worship songs. It is also a great venue for us to update each other regarding our monthly caring group gatherings. Moreover, we owe to the social networks the success of our online classes, relief operations, and important announcements that should be relayed immediately to both CSA employees and students. This online Augustinian community is also an effective means for us to grow not only in our relationship with God, but with our fellow Augustinians as well. It bridges the gap and tears down walls of divisions among the different departments in the CSA family.

We are challenged now to make sense of our faith in this digital generation amidst the, changes, trials and challenges in life. We must look for ways how the Word of God will have new meaning, more relevance, significance and sense in the people's lives. Isn't this what God did? He sent His Son Jesus Christ, His Word, so that His Word would be translated, communicated and experienced in the language which the people could understand then. God considered their needs, context and situation so that people could make sense of their faith. This is the reason that Jesus used parables, spoke their language, satisfied their needs, healed the sick, liberated the oppressed, suffered with the poor, died and rose again.

For Jesus to have relevance in our world today, we must utilize ways and strategies that will fit in our context and situation, speak the language and satisfy the needs of this world, the digital world. The language of the young people today is really different from the language of the people many decades ago. Ergo, a different, creative and innovative approach should also be employed to bring the Word of God to them. The Word of God took different forms in the history. It was expressed and translated in different forms, ways and manners, depending on the culture, context and language of the people in a particular place at a particular time.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1-3, 14).