The New Pentecost

Early on in the book of Genesis, we come across this astonishing assertion: “the whole world spoke the same language, using the same words” (Gen. 11:1). Really? The whole world? You mean young and old? Rich and poor? Moms and teenagers?

Shortly after that, we’re told about a migrant people who begin building a tower in the city of Babel. They hoped that it would reach to the heavens, thereby making a name for themselves. But God, eager to save them from their pride, “confused” their language so that they couldn’t understand one another. The tower collapsed, the people scattered, and communication became increasingly difficult.

This confusion lasted for many centuries, yet the people held a lingering hope. Somehow, someway, they trusted God would heal this disarray.

And then one day, it happened. In a small upper room, an electrifying event unwound Babel’s mess: Pentecost.

In the book of Acts we discover hundreds of Jesus’ disciples gathered fifty days after the Resurrection. In a whirlwind of light, they receive the Holy Spirit. Streams of fire shoot down from the sky. The disciples become fueled with God’s power. And many of them begin speaking in tongues.

Yet for the first time since Babel, there was no misunderstanding. Shocked witnesses asked of those speaking in tongues, “how does each of us hear them in our own native language?” Though the people came from numerous countries and spoke many different languages, communication was finally clear.

This turn of events at Pentecost shows us precisely how God works. Since Babel, God has been moving the world toward a community of understanding, a state without confusion, a humanity beyond disconnection.

A lot has happened since that first Pentecost. Today, linguists estimate that there are over 6,000 different languages spoken in the world. Yet even in the midst of this Babel-like incoherence, God seems to be ushering in a New Pentecost of sorts, a fresh movement of connection.

Email, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs—technologies that Pope Benedict XVI has called “gifts from God”—have emerged to unite all people. Regardless of age, race, or even geography, humanity is beginning to again “speak the same language”—the Digital Language.

Eighty-percent of American adults are now active online—along with 93% of teenagers. Over 500 million people have a Facebook account. And last year alone, Americans sent a mind-boggling 1.8 trillion text messages (an average of 6,000 per person.)

People are communicating with each other like never before, which is a huge boon for Christians. More connection means more opportunity to spread the Gospel, more chances to share our faith. For instance, we now have the ability to reach millions who would never darken the doors of a church, but who feel comfortable exploring religion over the Internet.

Which finally brings us back to Babel. In his message for the 24th World Communications Day, Pope John Paul II explained how the history of communications is a kind of journey, beginning with the disarray at Babel and culminating with the clarity of Pentecost.

As we near Pentecost this year, may we remember the dysfunction of Babel, and may we hope that God continues to clean up the mess. May we trust that God is still in the business of connection and understanding. And may we hold out hope that God will introduce a New Pentecost—a Digital Renewal—through the power of new media.