“GO INTO THE ENTIRE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE CREATION” (MK. 16:15): REALIZING THE UNIVERSAL MANDATE IN THE NIGERIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH THROUGH THE DIGITAL MEDIA

Abstract

When Jesus Christ finished his ministry on earth, his apostles continued the work of evangelization as he enjoined them with the mandate of realizing the universal mission of letting the Good News reach the ends of the earth. The realization of this mandate to the ends of the earth was practically unrealizable because the means of communication was still in their archaic form. Evidence abounds in the Acts of the Apostles how they tried to carry out their missionary journeys in various parts of the Greco-Roman world. Be that as it may, even in the Nigerian Catholic Churches of today that mandate has not yet been realized in every corner. However, with the passage of time, the means of communication in all its ramifications has continued to improve noticeably. More especially, communication technology has continued to witness tremendous progress from analog to digital devices. One could ordinarily presume that the spreading of the Good News will be easier. In the research qualitative methodology was employed to make some literary investigation on the subject matter. The researcher unravelled how far this evident progress in social communication has been gainfully employed in the propagation of the faith in Nigeria. More so, the research exposed the downside in use of social media in the preaching of the gospel. It was discovered that notwithstanding the enormous help the digital technology has continued to offer in the spreading of the gospel, the universal mandate has not been fully realized.