Gospel.com Blog

Like all technologies, television can be used for good or for evil. It can broadcast art or profanity or some mix of the two. Whether you adhere to the tv parental guidelines or some other system, we’d like to know: How do you determine what’s okay to watch on television?

Share your thoughts!

What would it be like if God called you up on your cellphone? Back to the Bible has an interesting ministry called 411God that provides an idea of how that might work: you sign up for an account, and then you get a daily call to your cellphone with one minute of Scripture.

The service is free to use; and if you’re curious what the daily calls sound like, you can listen to past ones online at their archives. (There’s also a free album from the band Vota available for download.)

411God’s an intriguing idea, and I wonder if we’ll see the concept spread to other forms of daily spiritual engagement, like devotionals or prayer. How many of us don’t spend enough time each day in Bible reading or praying because we just can’t seem to find the time? This program sidesteps that excuse by bringing the Bible to you instead of waiting for you to find time to come to the Bible. If you give it a try, leave a comment below to let us know your impressions.

Earlier this month, Out of Ur hosted an interesting conversation about the advantages and drawbacks of “internet campuses” for churches. (When you read the post, be sure to check out the excellent discussion in the comments as well.) But what really caught my attention this week was Bob Hyatt’s post arguing that there is no such thing as a virtual church.

Hyatt’s point is a compelling one, and puts words to the vague unease that many Christians (even the most tech-savvy ones!) have about the role of online churches and worship communities. Hyatt’s argument is that while an online church community can reproduce many of the things that define a true church, they simply cannot replicate the low-key but critical face-to-face interaction from which real, everyday Christian ministry springs.

At an online church, Hyatt argues, you’ll never hear Bob Churchgoer gripe about his difficult work week, or Jane Choirmember recount her ongoing struggle with migraines. And without those little interactions, we’d miss out on countless small opportunities to serve others and meet their needs (maybe inviting Bob out for coffee to relax, or volunteering to watch Jane’s kid next time a migraine knocks her out of commission.)

I almost agree with Hyatt… almost.

At this point in my life, online church isn’t for me, for many of the reasons Hyatt describes. I think Hyatt would be correct if he were arguing that few or no online churches active right now can replicate the intimate fellowship that happens in a face-to-face church, with all the Christian encouragement and ministry that spring out of such things.

But I’m not comfortable saying that online church can never meet those needs. I don’t know about you, but I’ve encountered plenty of online forums—not even Christian or church-related ones–where people share the same everyday gripes, praises, and pleas that they would in a face-to-face environment. This might be an indictment of my poor socialization at church, but I actually learn as much about prayer needs and praise reports through Facebook as I do from the post-service cookies-and-coffee break where most congregational chatting takes place.

There are many things an online community would have to do to (some of them quite difficult) to create an environment of authentic fellowship, but I don’t see any reason why it’s impossible. I can think of several reasons why it could actually be a good idea—for one thing, you can’t have been on the internet at any point in the last ten years and failed to notice that people tend to open up online about their ideas, opinions, and problems in ways that they might rarely do face-to-face.

So while I sympathize with much of Hyatt’s concerns, I’m a little unsure whence comes his insistence that virtual church is a complete spiritual dead-end. A follow-up post is promised, so I’ll be watching Out of Ur to see where he leads the conversation. What do you think? Have you experienced genuine church worship and fellowship online?

[image from flickr user shadysidelantern]

Reflecting on Sony’s recent announcement of e-readers to compete with the Kindle, Mart De Haan wonders whether or not moving our Bibles to digital devices is a good idea:

But here’s what I’m really interested in. As I continue to find Bible software enormously helpful in doing research, and even though online searches provide far more information that I could get from most of my paper books, I sometimes wonder whether I’ve lost some of the “personal relationship” with my Bible.

Obviously, we here at Gospel.com believe that the Bible and Biblical resources can and should have a place in the digital world. But should digital resources replace print versions? I’m not so sure myself. There’s something about holding a weighty mass of paper in my hands that connects to me spiritually.

What do you think? Do you think that Bibles inherently need to be physical? Or do you welcome the availability of God’s word on your iPhone, Kindle, laptop, etc.? How does having a digital Bible change your Bible Study habits?

The Youth Specialties blog is written by and for youth workers. As someone whose last involvement in youth ministry was attending youth services in high school, I find it a great place to read about the issues youth leaders face today.

In a recent post, Brooklyn Lindsey discusses some of her thoughts on cell phones and youth ministry:

I recently returned from a summer mission trip where we made the unfathomable decision to collect cell phones for an entire week. A few students needed us to help them through the night sweats and uncontrollable shaking, but for the most part, by day two, all was well in the world.

We ended up having a week of deepened relationships, focused conversation, and focused service to others. Students could call their parents from the adult leaders’ cell phones but other than that, they were free…so to speak.

Three days after our trip I found myself in our local college/ young adult ministry setting. We meet in a local coffee bistro with live music and awesome discussion. My husband is the leader, so I love the ministry, 30 Below is something I look forward to every week. However, one thing was really obvious to me after having a week free of technological interruption, everyone around me (dozens of people sitting around tables) sat in this all too familiar conversation with eyes darting every few minutes to their lit up phones. Even if it was to simply “check the time”, we were all there…but not really. I started to wonder if I too, if our phones have become our safety, our fall-out plan.

We’ve all been around someone who can’t stop fidgeting with their phone or some other piece of technology, and I’m sure we’ve all wondered if they were really paying attention or if they were off in another world. It’s interesting to hear of youth ministers physically taking devices from teenagers in an effort to bring about some semblance of normalcy to their lives. Perhaps it’s a discipline we should all practice from time to time.

Do you think technology can keep us from fully experiencing our relationships with people? Or do you think our relationships can be made better through the use of always-on tech? And more importantly, what about your relationship with God? How do those bundles of circuitry help or hinder your connection with God?

Arab Vision is a media ministry that produces television programs for the Arab world. They have Arab Christians working at every level of their ministry in order to produce quality Christian programming for countries largely untouched by Christ.

Some facts about Arab countries from Arab Vision’s profile:

• Almost every Arab family has a television set
• Half of all Arab homes has a satellite dish, which allow them to view channels beyond government censorship
• At least half of the Arab population is functionally illiterate

Here’s a translation of what one Algerian had to say about the ministry:

The thing I like about you is that you adapt Christianity to our own people. The Kabyl language and the culture make things relevant and it does not seem strange for any one to accept Christ. I have read the Kabyl New Testament and I was surprised to see my heart opening up.

On one of my trips to France, a Kabili evangelist told me about Christ but I declined the invitation. Another opportunity was given to me by a group of Christians but I declined it too. A third time, I was invited by the Copts on one of my trips to Egypt, and I refused again.But when I saw you speak in Kabili about Jesus and who Jesus is, I couldn’t resist, and now I want to accept Him in my life. Would you be willing to help me to find a church in the neighborhood? I have heard there is a church somewhere not too far from where I live. Thanks for your help and your availability.

Read more about Arab Vision.

There’s no telling how severely, or for how long, the current economic downtown will affect giving to churches and ministries. While some experts suggest that church giving may remain stable for the near future, others are suggesting strategies for churches and ministries to adopt in anticipation of a crunch in giving.

It’s interesting to see some novel approaches to ministry fundraising in this climate. While reading through a list of online ministry tips for ministries at UrbanMinistry.org, I noticed an interesting new site that aims to help ministries raise funds by letting its supporters do the talking: MinistryAmbassadors.org.

MinistryAmbassadors lets your ministry set up a fundraising page where people can donate online to your cause, as you might expect—an idea spearheaded by sites like Fundable. But MinistryAmbassadors adds a new twist to the idea of online fundraising: anybody can put together their own fundraising page where they can sing the praises of, and raise money for, the nonprofits they love. It shifts the focus of fundraising to the people who already support your ministry, on the theory that people who are excited by your ministry will make better ambassadors for your cause than yet more fundraising letters or email appeals from the organization itself. (Note that MinistryAmbassadors retains a small portion of donations it processes, to cover the cost of the service.)

It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the concept takes off. Are your ministry’s supporters excited enough about your ministry that they’d become online ambassadors for the cause? Time will tell if the idea is sound, but regardless, it’s an intriguing effort to combine the vast reach of social networking with the age-old challenge of ministry fundraising.

There’s no shortage of Christian conferences out there to attend—there are leadership conferences, revival conferences, marriage conferences, and countless others, all aimed at cultivating your talents, relationships, or faith. But the more technologically-oriented among you might be interested in Godbit’s list of Christian tech conferences in 2009.

They list several tech conferences taking place this year that have a specific focus on the intersection of faith, evangelism, and technology. First up (in February) is the Ministry 2.0 conference, followed by BibleTech in March, Dynamic Church in May, and the Echo Conference in July. Whether you’re a veteran techie, a blogger, a church leader, or just want to explore how Christianity does and should make use of media and technology, take a look at these conferences and see if one of them is a fit for your schedule and interests.

Do your kids use MySpace or other social networking sites? (And if your answer is “no”… are you sure about that?) Horror stories about online predators on MySpace make it tough for technology-challenged parents to address the issue without overreacting. In a new series of articles at Al Menconi Ministries, Brian Dixon walks parents through the steps they can take to make sure their kids are staying safe on MySpace. Staying informed and keeping open the lines of communication with your kids is more effective than simply denying them use of MySpace–so find out what you can do to safeguard your family!

In the past several years, Wikipedia has become a popular source of information on everything from higher mathematics to your favorite TV shows. TechMission hopes to bring the spirit of collaboration which makes Wikipedia a success into the realm of Christian community ministry, with their Encyclopedia of Urban Ministry wiki.

The wiki is intended to be a constantly-expanding resource, covering four main topics: how to run a Christian community computer center, addiction recovery (especially from pornography), urban youth ministry, and short-term missions and volunteer management.

If you’re looking for youth technology curricula, information on discerning your calling, or tips on how to protect yourself and your family from internet dangers, the Encyclopedia of Urban Ministry may prove quite helpful. Since it’s a wiki, you’re invited not simply to learn, but to share your knowledge. If you’ve got something to contribute on one of the topics, stop by and share your knowledge–and help the Body of Christ profit from the diverse gifts of its members!