Ukraine Crisis: What Twitter and Cryptocurrency can Teach the Church

As the conflict continues, it’s interesting to see how technological innovation has impacted the way the invasion has progressed. Not only is this a major international disruption that’s being live-tweeted, but cryptocurrency and access to the internet have also changed the stakes. We’re actively seeing the ways in which these innovations will shape and transform future conflicts as well. 

Ukraine is using Twitter to communicate with the world, and through its official account announced that it accepts Bitcoin, Ether, and Tether as donations. According to research firm Elliptic, more than $24.1 million in cryptocurrency has been donated since Russia first attacked. Cryptocurrency is changing everything, and this should be a wake-up call for every leader to see it in a new light.

Technology is cultivating collaboration among people and nations in ways that we never could have predicted a few years ago. Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister used Twitter to ask Elon Musk to connect Ukraine to the internet, and Elon agreed to do so through a Tweet of his own. These developments are examples of how much can get done through all that technology offers. 

The Church should be inspired to find innovative ways to come together and reach countries like Ukraine in times of crisis as well, especially since almost everyone who is under attack or in refugee camps has a smartphone. 

I remember growing up in Lebanon during a time of war. My family was often in bomb shelters. As a kid there was nothing to do but read for hours on end. War, in many ways, is about hurry up and wait. It consists of rushing to evacuate and prolonged days and weeks in refugee camps and unfamiliar surroundings with nothing to do. During the most traumatic and stressful times of our lives, we question everything we were once certain about. These are the times in which we need answers and hope the most. It’s crucial that now, during this time of crisis, the Church uses technology to reach these children and families directly with the Gospel.

At OneHope, we are working to ensure that those in Ukraine have access to our digital programs, which allow us to target local languages and geography to get the right content to the right people at the right time. Whether it’s for kids needing entertainment through fun programs such as Bible App for Kids, our crisis and trauma response programs, or our What If It’s True? contextualized program that answers life’s hardest questions, we are working to engage the children and youth being affected by this crisis.  

Even more groundbreaking is the ability to do one-on-one digital ministry through online messaging, which we’ve been utilizing in Ukraine. Through this, OneHope trained digital missionaries can personally answer questions from youth across the country, guide them to Biblical resources in their own languages, and connect them with local church assets and trusted partners. 

Prayer is always our first response, but you can also equip the Church in Eastern Europe and share hope with the people of Ukraine by investing in this new field of digital missiology. If you’d like to make a donation toward OneHope’s ministry efforts for Ukraine, click here.