All entries for Thursday 24 January 2008

An aside

I'm currently reading 'Wired for Ministry - How the Internet, Visual Media, and Other New Technologies Can Serve Your Church' (2004) by John P. Jewell. It's a very practical book that for the first part, deals with the pitfalls of technology in the church context. It actually gives some very down-to-earth points, and calls for technology to be looked at from a theological perspective before being blindly used.

Here are some quotes - chosen either for entertainment or because of interesting points they make. I don't necessarily agree with all of them! 

Suffice it to say that the Internet is humungous.

"A computer alone will not help you solve life's problems, save you money, or help you relate to others better... I have a love/hate relationship with computers, and although I rely on them, I'm waiting for the next major solar flare to wipe them all out." (quoted from the I-Hate-Computers.org)

The attempt to define Christian computing is as silly as defining a Christian bumper sticker.

Technolust and the Increase of Urgency.... When we import technology into the life of the church without discernment, we also import the chronic state of alarm that plagues technology.

Four simple words can strike terror into the hearts of thousands...: "The system is down!"

"I suggest we as Christians not view the Internet as technology, but as God's moving to bring the gospel to every man, woman, and child upon the earth." (quoted from The Internet Church, Walter Wilson as an example of the dangers of seeing technology as 'Messianic')

"We need to rethink how to do technology so that technology doesn't do us. The Amish lifestyle sounds pretty good right now" (quoted from Rev. James Wakelin, a student of this book's author)

Technology without theology is a tradgedy for the church.  

: 24 Jan 2008 22:34 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem