Pastor Bans Church Leaders from Facebook

Last Friday, we asked the question, “Should you unfriend your spouse on Facebook?”  According to this article in the Pioneer Press, one pastor in New Jersey thinks you should not only unfriend your spouse, but delete your Facebook account entirely.

Rev. Cedric Miller of Living Word Christian Fellowship Church in Neptune, NJ has ordered 50 married church leaders to delete their Facebook accounts or resign from their leadership positions.

Why?

He says it’s because 20 couples among the 1,100 members of the church have run into marital trouble over the last six months after a spouse connected with an ex-flame over Facebook.

“I’ve been in extended counseling with couples with marital problems because of Facebook for the last year and a half,” he said. “What happens is someone from yesterday surfaces, it leads to conversations and there have been physical meet-ups. The temptation is just too great.”

When I first saw the headline, I’ll be honest, my inclination was to mock the pastor for overreacting.  But 20 families harmed through relationships initiated through Facebook – that’s a big deal.  At the very least, I think we need to acknowledge that Facebook can lead to inappropriate relationships.  That’s a very real danger.  Agree or disagree?

If you agree, then what’s the best way to protect against that danger?

One option, which Rev. Miller tried earlier was to ask all married couples to give each other the passwords to their Facebook accounts.

Do you have other suggestions?  Or do you agree with Rev Miller that all married people should avoid Facebook?

Read the original post and join the discussion at Pastor Bans Church Leaders from Facebook