Christ is all. Period. It doesn't matter a lick how much faster/better/larger/smarter we all get and develop and connect. None of those stats included exponentially increasing joy, hope, peace, happiness, love. None of those stats included the numbers of divorces, abortions, abuses, victims, disillusionment that come along with the rapid increase in technology.
So yes, what will the church do with this? That's the right question. Just hopefully what we ought to be doing anyway. Showing the world that every thing is vanity outside of "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God".
I agree. However, I think the crux of the issue, if I can be so bold, is that we don't bother using these things to make sure culture is changed for Christ. We tend to use all of this technology either to post youtube videos of why Harry Patter is bad or how hip our church service is...really! Not to say that people out there aren't leveraging...they are. On the whole though I think we (the church) look at people who are seriously trying to use the web or technology to reach people with the gospel as less "real" than the established brick and mortar buildings. I think we're going to find quite quickly that galvanizing people for Christ through the net is to the church what ebay is to flea markets.
Good point. The technology is certainly a tool to reach the culture. No arguing there. I do hope that what message we convey through the use of it is, like you said, not how 'hip our church is' but how pointless any of it is without Christ. Our building, brick and mortar or virtual, is just a place if we aren't giving people a real reason to get out of bed in the morning.
I don't think we are disagreeing here. It is the fine balance of using the culture and times to reach the culture and times without looking so much like them that they have no desire to come or felt need of what we have. This is why Mark Driscoll is brilliant right? Come to my LCD, black light, Live satellite feed, text messaging church where we all wear jeans and hair product....AND....hear really solid, life changing, sometimes confrontational, Reformed theology that is not caving into what society is doing.
Well what a way to end. "What does it all mean?"
ReplyDeletePrecious sweet nothing, really.
Christ is all. Period. It doesn't matter a lick how much faster/better/larger/smarter we all get and develop and connect. None of those stats included exponentially increasing joy, hope, peace, happiness, love. None of those stats included the numbers of divorces, abortions, abuses, victims, disillusionment that come along with the rapid increase in technology.
So yes, what will the church do with this? That's the right question. Just hopefully what we ought to be doing anyway. Showing the world that every thing is vanity outside of "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God".
I agree. However, I think the crux of the issue, if I can be so bold, is that we don't bother using these things to make sure culture is changed for Christ. We tend to use all of this technology either to post youtube videos of why Harry Patter is bad or how hip our church service is...really! Not to say that people out there aren't leveraging...they are. On the whole though I think we (the church) look at people who are seriously trying to use the web or technology to reach people with the gospel as less "real" than the established brick and mortar buildings. I think we're going to find quite quickly that galvanizing people for Christ through the net is to the church what ebay is to flea markets.
ReplyDeleteGood point. The technology is certainly a tool to reach the culture. No arguing there. I do hope that what message we convey through the use of it is, like you said, not how 'hip our church is' but how pointless any of it is without Christ. Our building, brick and mortar or virtual, is just a place if we aren't giving people a real reason to get out of bed in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we are disagreeing here. It is the fine balance of using the culture and times to reach the culture and times without looking so much like them that they have no desire to come or felt need of what we have. This is why Mark Driscoll is brilliant right? Come to my LCD, black light, Live satellite feed, text messaging church where we all wear jeans and hair product....AND....hear really solid, life changing, sometimes confrontational, Reformed theology that is not caving into what society is doing.
So yes. I agree with you. There. :-)