Lynne M. Baab
IVP Books, 2011, 160 pp., $15, IVPress.com
Social media is changing the definition of friendship, and this book explores this complex issue without demonizing technology. Lynne Baab suggests in Friending that friendship requires initiative and listening. Initiative can take advantage of social media, yet listening requires more than a sound bit. Authentic listening gives careful attention to what people are thinking and feeling. This requires a slower pace than many of our electronic communication methods offer.
In researching this book, Baab interviewed people of all ages, discussing their friendships; her book is an invitation to do the same. To explore the characteristics of true friendships and analyze the conditions needed to initiate and nurture friendships that last longer than a Top 40 song. Far more than a book about virtual communication, Baab surveys the genuine friendship God desires to have with and among His people.
