Hoping nobody creates a Christian version of Instagram.

Dear Christian Culture,

It's me, Jon. Not Margaret.

What's been going on? Did you have a good summer? I did. Ate a lot of popsicles, went to the beach with my family, got Mario Kart for the Wii. Have you ever played that? It's awesome. There's this little wheel you steer with and all the characters are there and you should never pick a motorcycle for Wario's Mine. Trust me on that one. Horrible decision.

So last week I started to think about you. Why? Well Instagram, the most popular photo app in the world, came out with a huge update. It's ridiculous. It's free and it helps you make any photo look artsy. Look at this photo I took with Instagram. It looks like some sort of Warhol meets Willy Wonka modern art piece. It's just my watch on my couch. I call it "watch on couch." 

I love Instagram and hope that you'll follow me to check out all my photos. I'm jonacuff on it. But I do want to have a heart-to-heart with you real quick.

This is serious. I hope you can hear that I am writing this right now with my whisper of importance. Imagine the voice a worship leader uses when he asks you to quietly reflect after you've sung the last song at church, not the "get up and sing" voice he uses before the first song. Look deep into my eyes and hear this in Christian Love:

Please do not create a Christian version of Instagram.

We don't need it. Honestly, we don't. And it's going to be tempting to create one. As a guy whose entire site is a Christian version of another site, I know that temptation all too well. But in this case, put the app development down. Walk away.

Why don't we need a Christian version of Instagram?

Because it's just a vehicle. Like the rented Corolla I drove last week. It just a vehicle for photos. It's not inherently Christian or non-Christian. Just like I could change the radio station if I disagreed with a song in the rented Corolla, people can choose what content they see on Instagram.

If you see something you don't like, stop following that person and you'll instantly never see their photos again. Done and done. (Unless right now you're thinking, "We need to create a Christian version of the rented Corolla.")

This is going to be a hard one to leave behind, isn't it? (Left Behind reference intended.) I can only imagine the names we could have brainstormed. "InstaGod," "HeavenGram," "InstaGrace," or maybe "FaithGram."

Me personally, I would have named it "BillyGram," but let's both commit to not developing that app. I'm tempted too, but this really needs to travel from your head to your heart.

Together, I know we can do this.

Side hugs & Jesus Jukes

Jon