I saw this story on CNN about God’s iPod and was immediately ready to go crazy. I am not against using technology – I love it, but it was the guy’s rational for using it that was getting me upset – ready to violently yell at my TV set. His rational was that if Jesus was around today, he would use all the available technology he could to reach as many people as he could. I think reaching people is admirable, but that rational doesn’t jive with the picture of Jesus seen in the gospels.
In the gospels, Jesus is seen often retreating from people and unlike others in his day, stayed out of the large theatres and instead, spoke from hills with poor acoustics and gave many of his profound messages and miracles to a select few rather than to the masses.
In terms of technology…I am for it. In terms of using it for ministry, I am also for it with some provisos. I think technology should be used only if it adds to community and our human, God created, need for it rather than replaces or detracts from it.
For the most part I am in favour of the idea of podcasts for church. I think it is great for those who attend a local community and have missed a week so they can catch up with what is happening with the community. I also think it is a great resource for additional teaching or listening to the Bible in MP3 format. But it will NEVER replace the communal element of church and if it is used to substitute it, I think it then detracts for the very message it is trying to communicate. For those reasons I am for technology but with thought and critique so we don’t blindly accept or institute something that will in fact detract from church and the Good News. The problem is we rarely reflect on the possible effects of using a certain technology before we embrace it.
1) I am just finishing up my semester work for school – It’s been busy (too busy!) . 2) Saw “V or Vendetta” – Awesome!!!! 3) Finished a presentation for my Contemporary Theology class on the Trinity – Learnt lots and have even more questions!!! 4) Realizing Easter has come way to0 fast and know I need to observe Lent somehow next year to spiritually prepare. 4) Prepping for our current and sister Small Group Alias party (www.alias.incipiosermo.com). 5) Finished filming our CSI Easter Video (It turned out better then I expected – I’ll post it online next week). 6) Finally caught up with TV and still lovin’ 24 7) I am about 2 for 24 on Roll-Up-The-Rim – What’s up with that? 8) Reading “Secret Message of Jesus & The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture” in my spare time (the problem is I don’t have enough spare time so it hasn’t gone as fast as I’d like.) I’ll write something about both once I get a chance. 9) I’ve ridden my motorcycle a couple of times already this spring and just got my new motorbike seat in the mail today (my early birthday present). 10) My son Lucas had his developmental goal evaluation meeting this morning for the program he is in and after attending it I thought, “Why don’t I have those in my life where I regularily create and evaluate my goals with others?”
That is a brief snapshot of my life and I promise to write more in the days/weeks ahead – I have several posts I’ve been planning.
Laurie, my wife, is gone for a few days visiting her ailing Grandmother and I am home with our three kids. So far so good but I am still puzzled by the mess they can make in such a short period of time. I think they have the ability to bend every law of physics. We are having fun and it makes me appreciate my awesome wife and all she does even more.
P.S. Although this picture is not of me, it is a good reminder why God didn’t have men carry babies – we would look horrific!
I just finished the reading book Church Re-Imaginedby Doug Pagitt. This book outlines a week in the life of the church, Solomon’s Porch (they are apart of the emerging Church movement). It took me a few months to get through it (I kept getting side tracked with other books) but overall it is mediocre. It is filled with different perspectives and practices on ministry and spiritual formation. Overall though, it didn’t grab me the way I thought it would. Maybe I read it with too high of expectations, but it was a good book with some interesting methodological ideas and practices, some of which are really interesting and unique. I wouldn’t, however, say it was ground breaking or life/ministry transforming. Would I recommend it? Maybe…It depends. It is entirely church autobiographical and methodological without any real theological reflection but it is an interesting glimpse into the life of a unique church using a unique model of ministry.