How the Discipline of Koinonia Strengthens the Church to Overcome the Rise of the Self as Promoted by Social Media

Abstract

This thesis demonstrates the contrast between the negative effects of social media on a believer’s identity with the positive effects of biblical fellowship and how fellowship shapes the identity of the believer in Christ and does so in a way that promotes the health of the church. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction and addresses major works concerning the concept of self, identity, biblical fellowship, and social media from a psychological, social, and theological viewpoint. Chapter 2 surveys a theological defense of spiritual group formation by reviewing biblical group formation in three unique stages of biblical history. Chapter 3 addresses the formation and threat of social media as a leading force in forming an individualistic pursuit of identity. Chapter 4 covers social media’s role in the rise of the modern self. It addresses both the psychological underpinning of the self as well as a philosophical underpinning of social media’s influence on the self. Chapter 5 addresses implications for the church and shows how the church can respond to the threat of social media by cultivating koinonia within the home and in the church.