Technology

Technological Passivity

By Jim Tune The workshop was called “Technology, Social Media, and the Church.” As the presenter spoke enthusiastically about opportunities new technologies offer the church, he explained that technology is neutral, and that it can be used for good or evil. The important thing, he said, is that we use it to advance the gospel. I”ve made similar remarks. While it”s true technology can be used for good or evil, I”m not so certain it is neutral. Christians say, “The methods change, but the message stays the same.” Not so. The medium always affects the message. In the mid-1960s Canadian

February 8, 2017

Lost in Translation

By Jim Tune I wrote my message quickly and fired it off. Just seconds after clicking Send, it dawned on me with mortifying clarity that I had sent the text message to the wrong recipient. My message fortunately was not overly sensitive, rude, or confidential. Still, it left room for both misunderstanding and embarrassment. I”m guessing this experience is not unique to me. We”ve all been in a situation where someone reads a message intended for someone else that potentially could lead to misunderstanding and conflict. I was relieved when the unintended recipient responded graciously and with minimal offense. It

January 22, 2017

How Social Media Is Hurting Your Ministry

By Michael C. Mack “Are we willing to quit social media (and other distractions) if the temptations are too strong . . . to overcome?” Brian Jones asks this question on Senior Pastor Central (www.seniorpastorcentral.com). Jones says for years he was convinced that switching from the study of God”s Word and sermon preparation to distractions such as checking social media, text, or e-mails didn”t hurt him at all. After reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, however, he says he better understands the costs. Newport warns about what he calls “attention residue,” the lingering effects from switching back and forth between

January 17, 2017

Beyond Facebook

By Mark A. Taylor Last fall a Facebook friend was protesting a political comment I posted. “I”ll be glad when this election is over!” she wrote, as if she thought disagreement about politicians would end after November. But instead of retreating, the rancor has ramped up. Perhaps we should expect that from the voices talking over each other on CNN and Fox News. They, and their counterparts cluttering talk radio, keep their ratings by stirring controversy and pandering to the perspectives of their audiences. But the time has come for Christians to move on. This doesn”t mean that government is

October 23, 2015

There”s an App for That

By Greg Swinney Advertisers for software applications constantly remind us “There”s an app for that!” A simple Internet search will find more than 200 million websites with apps for everything we need””computer games, grocery shopping lists, gasoline prices, travel maps, and more. Floating messages across a crowded computer screen try to convince us there”s an app for every need of our lives. Still, can a multicolored icon on an iPad or smart phone really meet our deepest need? Our struggles with past failures and shortcomings seem to haunt us. Sometimes doubt threatens our certainty of God”s unconditional love for us.

December 8, 2014

Your Privacy Policy

By Chris Jefferson Almost every church and parachurch ministry has a website, and many collect data from those who visit their site.Â To manage this information well, the first step””too often overlooked””is a privacy policy. At no time since the Pax Romana have ministries been better equipped to share the gospel and fulfill their mission than in this digital age. Back in the first and second centuries, the intricate road systems of the Romans allowed missionaries””gifted with common Greek and ease of worldwide travel””to connect with cultures far and wide to spread the gospel. Today, digital connectivity provides a new

September 2, 2014

This Week”s Decisions about How I”ll Use the Internet

By Mark A. Taylor Among the many (too many!) Internet posts I”ve skimmed in the last week, a few have led me to some decisions about my own behavior on the worried World Wide Web. The Internet is good for much; I”m not saying we should learn to live without it. But I”m concerned about the way we Christians sometimes decide to use it. What I”ve decided: 1. We can”t relate to each other via the Internet alone. If my opinion about another Christian isn”t based on an out-of-web relationship, then I”ll think twice about discussing him or her on

August 15, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Online Ministry: The New Front Door of the Church?

By Michael C. Mack More and more churches are transitioning to online ministry. The most widely known example may be LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, which uses the Internet globally, and with impressive results. David Russell, online campus pastor of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, says the church”s online ministry maintains a local focus. Their goal is eventually to see web-only visitors walking through the doors of their church building, to, as he puts it, “turn virtual connections into face-to-face relationships” (Leadership Journal, Summer 2013). The church provides a live stream of its weekend service as well as interactive elements,

August 1, 2014

Real Issues, Real Talk

By Jennifer Johnson After Real Life Christian Church (Clermont, FL) began broadcasting its weekend services on a local TV station, it started brainstorming ideas for a second show. “So much Christian TV is so lame, and we didn”t want to create something like that,” says Marc Naugler, creative video director, and Chris Gingrasso, communications pastor at Real Life. “Our church name reflects who we are””real people talking about real issues in a real way and helping people find real faith. Real Talk extends those values in a new format to a new audience.” Justin Miller, Real Life”s lead pastor, hosts

April 22, 2014

How Would Jesus Use a Smartphone?

By Mark A. Taylor Scene One: We sit in a restaurant and look across the aisle at a young woman and her husband, out for dinner together. He”s playing with the digital ordering device at the table (it includes games), and she”s intent on her smartphone screen. They”re eating in the same booth, but they”re really not together. Scene Two: We”re at a beautiful time-share at the beginning of a weeklong vacation with Christian friends. After dinner we settle into comfortable chairs and the sofa in the living room, each of us with a laptop or tablet computer in our

January 21, 2014

What We Watch and How We Behave

By Mark A. Taylor Does what we watch on TV affect how we act in everyday life? Those broadcasting sex, violence, and other vices into our living rooms would likely say no. “Our programming is a reflection of the culture around us, not a cause of everyday behavior. Our job is to entertain, not to educate.“ I didn”t believe it when I first heard the words from network executives” mouths almost 30 years ago, and I don”t believe it now. But I must admit I was surprised to hear a college professor interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR) support my

August 27, 2013

Want to Try Digital Detox?

By Mark A. Taylor Earlier this summer I accomplished something new for me. I went 14 days with no cell phone or computer. My two weeks were completely free of digital connections””no Internet, no texting, no Facebook updates, no e-mail or web browsing. And I must admit it was not comfortable””at least at first. My wife and I were part of a Christian group cruising around Italy and Greece. We enjoyed a taste of a dozen different destinations, including several we”d like to visit again. And if that is ever possible, I will certainly consider a technology boycott like the

June 14, 2013

A Lesson in Christian Separation, Engagement

By Jennifer Johnson In 2005, three former PayPal employees launched YouTube. Today more than 800 million people, 70 percent of whom live outside the United States, visit the site each month to watch more than 4 billion hours of its free content. People also upload 72 hours of footage every minute, making YouTube the site for video sharing. In 2007, four investors launched GodTube. It grew quickly to almost 3 million users before dropping to 690,000 in 2009. The site was rebranded as a social network named Tangle, and it was acquired by Salem Communications a year later. In his

May 14, 2013

Pondering a Digital Future

By Mark A. Taylor “Misery loves company,” the old saying goes. And, while attendees at the annual Evangelical Press Association conference, May 1-3 in Nashville, seemed to relish each other”s company, their mood was everything but misery. This group of magazine editors, writers, marketers, and designers clearly enjoyed the chance to talk shop together. Workshop sessions covered most aspects of Christian journalism””everything from interviewing skills to photography techniques. The digital revolution was in the background of many conversations. And, while most of these editors are extending an online presence, all are working as if print isn”t going away anytime soon.

March 3, 2013

ASL Version of Bible Released as Mobile App

By Jennifer Johnson Deaf Missions, producer of The Bible: American Sign Language Version, recently released this Bible translation for the deaf as a mobile application for smartphones and tablets. The free app, Deaf Bible.is ASL, was developed by Faith Comes By Hearing, a leading audio Bible ministry based in Albuquerque, NM, using the video content translated and produced by Deaf Missions. The entire New Testament and 22 books of the Old Testament currently translated into American Sign Language (ASL) are included, along with the 2001 English Standard Version text of the whole Bible. The mobile app also features the sign

October 18, 2012

Keeping it Christlike on Facebook

I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions. Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone. Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American

May 19, 2012

iChurch

By Kent E. Fillinger A recent Family Circus cartoon showed Dolly telling her mother, “Billy says he doesn”t hafta” go to church anymore “˜cause his phone has an app for that!” The reality is, Billy may be right! The top-ranked online search topic in 2011 was “iPhone,” beating out Casey Anthony, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry. Technologies like Facebook, Twitter, mobile websites, and smartphones are changing the way individuals live and organizations operate. Church growth consultant Barry Whitlow wrote, 70% of the people living in most American communities now choose not to get up and go to a church service

February 16, 2012

Speak the Truth””Even on the Internet

By Eleanor Daniel I have a confession to make. Some days I wonder why I even bother to teach the Word of God to others. I”m not sure they take it in very seriously. I”m not talking about teaching the Word to unbelievers. It often takes a long time and a lot of effort for them to come to belief in the Lord and to submit to him. Rather, I”m talking about good people who have been Christians for a long time and who, by all expectations, should demonstrate markedly different behavior than nonbelievers. Nor am I talking about gross

August 9, 2009

A Revolution Is Coming Your Way

Â by Jim Musser I recently visited with a 40-something Christian friend and mentioned that our campus ministry uses Facebook. Her blank expression told me she had no idea what Facebook was. Do you? What about MySpace? Twitter? YouTube? According to emarketer.com, these are some of the most popular Internet Web sites for college-age young people and they are sweeping the nation like wildfire. Unlike my friend, you probably have heard of these. But have you given much thought to the impact of the Internet on the mission of the church? From where I sit, on a college campus, I

August 5, 2009