Digital technology is being used to carry out functions of the church: worship, ministry, evangelism, discipleship and fellowship.
Considering all other great questions of the day, how big of a deal is this intersection of technology with the Church?
For sure, it’s producing fascinating theological discussions.
You don’t have to be, and by no means am I, an expert in theology to appreciate the significance.
An online search turned up an assortment of papers, speeches, presentations and blog posts.
(The following links are provided for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent my views.)
Seven views of being the Church online
1. Theology in a Digital World, David Lochhead, Professor of Systematic Theology, Vancouver School of Theology
“In the world of generalized communication, the world in which everything concerns the transmission of messages, we have to discover anew what it means to be Church. This society could be a Babel in which everyone speaks but no one listens. No one attempts to understand.
One of the roles of the Church is to engage those voices – to listen, to understand, to challenge.”
2. Hacking the Divine: A possible metaphor for theology-technology engagement, Stephen Garner, 2005 Virtual Theology Colloquium, Auckland, New Zealand
“We hack – create technological novelty – because we are made in the image of a God who hacks. We have been called into the world as creatures, who through working with our Creator, can be agents of change through our technological endeavors.”
3. Theology and Technology, Thomas L. Erekson director of the BYU School of Technology when this devotional address was given on May 8, 2001
“Theology provides a value structure for developing and deploying appropriate technologies. Technology provides the means for communicating the good news of the gospel and its theology to the inhabitants of the world and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the operation of the Church.”
4. Cybermissions: Towards a Theology Of Technology, a presentation given during The International Conference on Computing and Mission by John Edminston, Chairman and CEO of Antioch Internet Bible International and operator of cybermissions.org
“Very few Christian pastors or theologians are addressing these issues or the challenges that we will face as we fully enter the Information Age, e.g. Robots & Humans, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Transplants (how much of the human body can we replace and still be human), Intelligent Avatars, Trans/Post Humanism, Abortion of people with ‘criminal genes.’”
5. How Facebook Killed The Church, Dr. Richard Beck, Associate Professor and experimental psychologist at Abilene Christian University
“Why are Millennials leaving the church? It’s simple. Mobile social computing has replaced the main draw of the traditional church: Social connection and affiliation.”
6. An Ecclesiology of Twitter, by Richard Clark Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Christ in Pop Culture and classroom technology manager at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
“Believers set aside this time to encourage one another through fellowship, corporate singing, prayer, and mere physical and mental presence. Any primarily individualistic activity tends to conflict with the concept of a biblical church service.”
7. Can the Church be the Church Online? Defining a Virtual Ecclesiology for Computer Mediated Communities, Paper presented by Holly Reed at the annual meeting of the National Communications Association, Communicating Worldviews: Faith, Intellect, Ethics, Chicago, IL, Nov. 15, 2007
“Roger Haight asks: ‘By what stretch of the imagination can one choose the church of Carthage in the mid-third century to represent the whole church?’
“If his question is legitimate, then,” Holly Reed says, “we are surely asking the wrong question by asking if the church can be the church online. Rather, we need to ask how the church is the church online and just how the Kingdom of God is breaking into our world anew, moving our virtual realities into a reality that speaks of an old reality in a new way.”
A time for understanding
The Internet is the greatest communication technology ever invented by man, and it is imperative that those who follow Christ understand how to use it well. Dave Bourgeois
How is the Church the Church online?
The answer could change the future of church operations. With theology and ecclesiology intact, the Digital Age may bring about a paradigm shift in methods, strategies and leadership development.
Biola University is offering a summer course to help the next generation of leaders prepare for those changes. Called Using the Internet and Social Media for Ministry, it is taught by Dave Bourgeois, Associate Professor of Information Systems.
A time for action
Answering theological questions related to technology is a vital process. But, because technology is so complex and multi-faceted, has so many nuances and variables, trying to understand it completely can sometimes lead to infinite debate and arguments. Philosophical gridlock can occur, while the world marches on.
I like what Pastor Mark Batterson said. “We can get so busy arguing about theological nuances that we lose sight of the Great Commandment and Great Commission.”
We should run uses of technology for church ministry through a Scriptural filter. Sift out the inappropriate. Then, go with boldness to the new digital lands God will shows us.
Doing God’s work has always been a really big deal, wherever we go and whatever means we use to get there.
Question: How should the Internet be used for ministry?
