THINK DIFFERENTLY

The Digital Pastor Pt. 2

A little while ago, I wrote on the future role of the digital world in the life of a pastor. It got some attention, appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, and generated even more ideas for me personally.

Since then I’ve done a little more digging, a little more connecting (with very cool people like Rhett Smith, Anne Jackson, and Tony Steward) and realized, as I put it to my senior pastor, “We don’t even know how deep this rabbit hole goes.” With a dozen or so churches with Internet campuses (and many more contemplating the move to the web), the Church is looking at the Internet as a viable option for true Christian community.

The Denver Post wrote a fascinating article on the role of technology in the church. Among the gems in the piece, this one surfaced as particularly poignant:

“Church is not the Internet or a building — it’s people.” If the notion that a virtual community can be as real as a physical one seems crazy, you may be showing your age.

Thanks to online shopping, online dating, online social networking and online darn-near-everything-else, many young Americans don’t distinguish between their friends from school and those from Facebook.

These youngsters just see them all as friends, said David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, a consulting firm that conducts survey research for churches and other religious groups.

In fact, Kinnaman’s firm predicts that by 2010, 10 percent of Americans will rely exclusively on the Internet for their religious experience.

10 percent. 10 percent! Clearly the Church is facing a change that it must adapt to or face extinction in its current form. American Christians need only look to Europe to see where the U.S. will be in 15-20 years on the coasts; 20-25 years in Middle America. Will the American megachurches of today become the stoic shells of the now abandoned tourist-attraction cathedrals of Europe? They will if the U.S. church does not begin to speak the language of the culture surrounding it. That language, undeniably, becomes more digital by the day.

Rhett Smith points out that the “front door” of churches is no longer a “physical” one:

Do we even realize that the physical building isn’t the front door anymore, but that the online world is the front door? If you don’t have a strong [online] presence, or aren’t telling a good story online, which is the front door–will you be able to bring people from the online world, to the physical front door of the church?

The line between “offline” and “online” is beginning to blur, if not fade altogether. People under 20 don’t view life in “off-” or “online” categories, it simply is “life.” If you (and your church) don’t begin to understand and learn to speak the language of this younger generation, no amount of catch-up and “digital cramming” will help in as little as five years.

Are you seeing these patterns in your church? Do you believe the virtual church can replace the physical church? Or, does technology need to be a means to an end and not the end itself?

I’m attending a free webinar tomorrow where Lifechurch.tv’s Brian Donaldson and Flamingo Road’s Brian Vasil will be taking a closer look at Internet campuses. These are guys who work at churches that are pioneering Christianity’s move to the digital world. It’s a “no-miss” and I’d encourage you, if you have any interest in this at all, to attend as well. Your church will thank you for it (eventually).

Additional Resources:

Rise of the Social Media Pastor on Digital.Leadnet.org

Social Media Pastor Or Pastor with Social Media on Levite Chronicles

Technorati Tags: Anne Jackson, Digital Life, Digital Pastor, Rhett Smith, Social Media, Tony Steward

AC/DC = God’s Messenger?

A friend of mine just popped by my office and told me that AC/DC’s new album, “Black Ice” is #1 on the charts in 29 different countries.

AC/DC. Number one. In 2008.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love crankin’ up “Back In Black” when I’m taking a jog just as much as the next guy, but #1? Really.

But then he dropped another bomb on me, “it’s all because of Guitar Hero.” Guitar Hero. A video game. A video game where you get to pretend you’re, well, a “guitar hero,” playing along to songs as the notes come on the screen. (If you have no idea what Guitar Hero is, get an update here.)

My friend is a youth pastor and interacts with little boogers everyday. He says that on the “likes/dislikes” sheet the students fill out at the beginning of the year, bands like AC/DC, Journey, and Foghat are showing up in the “Favorite Band” category. The link? All of the aforementioned bands show up in, you guessed it, Guitar Hero.

13-year-olds groovin’ on “Smoke On the Water.” In 2008. Something’s up. And that “something” is “Guitar Hero”, or more broadly, video games and the “digital migration” in general.

Technology (text messaging, social media sites, the internet and yes, Guitar Hero) has a profound effect on the lives of the youth. I heard on the radio that males 18-25 are the hardest age group for advertisers to reach. (I would also tack on “and the church” at the end of advertisers, as, speaking from my own experience, young men in this age range are few and far between.) Ad execs (and pastors) are largely left scratching their heads when looking at this age group saying, “What the heck do these guys want anyway?”

Enter video games. Ask the execs at Nintendo if they’re having trouble reaching men 18-25. I think you’d find that your answer would be a resounding, “Nope, no problem here!” Same with XBox. Same with PlayStation.

Politicians are picking up on this phenomenon, so much so that Barack Obama is buying advertising in video games.

Karl Barth insisted that theology had to be done with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Translation: As a Christian, you need to be aware of what’s going on in the world around you. As people in ministry (and if you’re a follower of Jesus, that’s you!), what can we learn from this? How do we “play ball” in a field that is becoming increasingly digital? How does the Church engage the culture at this level?

I’m certainly not suggesting churches buy a virtual ad in “Madden ‘09″, but what does a digitally fluent Church look like?

Technorati Tags: AC/DC, Barack Obama, Black Ice, Christ and Culture, Church, Guitar Hero, Madden 09, Millenials

Christ and Culture.

I read this the other day in a book that I’m reading. It blew me away. Read for yourself:

“The problem raised by Gnosticism regarding the relations of Christ to religion and of religion to culture became more rather than less acute with the development of so-called Christian civilization. There can be no doubt that medieval society was intensely religious, and that its religion was Christianity; yet the question of whether Christ was the Lord of this culture is not answered by reference to the pre-eminence of the religious institution in it, not even by reference to the pre-eminence of Christ in that institution. In this religious society the same problem about Christ and culture appeared that perplexed Christians in pagan Rome, and similarly divergent efforts at solution resulted.”¹

If you’re a Christian and have ever been perplexed by the Scriptures that call us to be “in the world but not of it,” you are not alone. Seems we’ve always had this problem.

Update: My friend and fellow theologian, Dave, gently corrected me with the following: “I liked your posting this morning, but you ticked a pet peeve of mine… “in the world and not of it” is not actually a scripture. John 17:14-16 is probably closest, but as best I can tell “in the world not of it” was popularized by a My Utmost for His Highest reflection on Galatians 6:14. It might actually originally be a Sufi proverb (Islamic mystics).”

1. Christ & Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr, pg. 89. [↩]

Technorati Tags: Christ and Culture, Postmodern, Theology

Facebook + Be Deviant = BeFaceDeviantBook.

If you’re a fan of BeDeviant.com and you’re a fan of Facebook, why not combine two things you already dig on and become a fan of this blog on Facebook? Make sense?

Check out this link and join the throngs of fans of BeDeviant.com over on Facebook… All one of them (as of this writing). Join the party today.

(Mad props to Jake over at JakeBouma.com for hooking me up with this idea. Go visit Jake and tell him Justin from BeDeviant.com sent you!)

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Facebook, Technology

My weaknesses.

According to Facebook, here are my “areas to work on”:

But what does stupid Facebook know? I’m switching to MySpace.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Manners, Satire

What makes you so sure?

I was listening to a talk show today. One of the guests was a businessman who made it abundantly clear that he wanted to beseen as an Evangelical Christian who had a very clear set of political views.

The more I listened, the more I wanted to ring his neck.

He was arrogant, brash, rude, and disrespectful to anyone who did not share the exact same views as him. Anyone who wasn’t lock, stock and barrel with the way that he saw the world was misinformed at best, ignorant at worst. The tone of his voice was condescending. His attitude towards another person on the show who disagreed with him was dripping with arrogance.

Here is a man who verbally spouts a set of doctrinal beliefs, yet the words of his mouth betrayed the very life that he, as a self-confessed Christian, is called to live. The last time I checked, Jesus did not say, “blessed are those who verbally berate others who do not agree with them, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.”

As I listened, I found myself literally asking the question, “what would Jesus do?” How would Jesus respond to someone who respectfully disagreed with him? Would he respond like this self-confessed follower of Jesus? With arrogance and selfish pride? With a religious spirit so thick it gave a tangibility to the radio waves beaming through the air?

If I ever had the chance to speak to this man, face-to-face, I think my first question to him would be, “what makes you so sure?”

What makes you so sure that the way that you see the role of the Church in politics is correct?
What makes you so sure that the disconnected way in which you live your life of faith is correct?
What makes you so sure that you are right and everyone else is wrong?
What makes you so sure?

I can tell you this, I love Jesus Christ more than anything in my entire life and I did not agree with one peep that came from this man’s lips. So I ask again, “what makes you so sure?“

Christian or not, have you ever experienced someone like this? What was your response to them? What did it make you feel?

A conversation with a friend yesterday surfaced these prophetic words, “God will change the entire face and expression of Christianity in one generation.” Maranatha, let that generation be ours!

Technorati Tags: Christian, God, Iowa, Sermon on the Mount, What Would Jesus Do?

Hitting a nerve.

So last week I posted on ignoring a homeless beggar that I saw on the side of the interstate when coming into work. He was young, comfortably dressed, and smoking. I chose to ignore him and not give him money because in one hand he held a sign that said, “Hungry - Please Help,” and in the other was a lit cigarette.

He chose smoking over food.

I think many of you felt the same way I feel - struggles and all. This is what some of you said:

Andrea: “In those moments I have to think not of the earthly person “begging” but of the Heavenly Father who for whatever reason has allowed them to cross my path that day. For me to keep driving (and I sometimes do) would move me one step further from being the life of love that I so desire to live. Whether they need it or not is none of my concern.”

Dave Sandell: “I used to have similar struggles with this issue, and after much soul-searching, I think what’s most important is that I believe Jesus works with your heart’s intent. So if you give the beggar with a cigarette $5, you’ve given Jesus $5.”

jwagnerdsm: “Regarding professional beggers, they provide a service by assuaging our guilt about not doing more to help the poor by making it easy to slip ‘em a few bucks and then get on with our uncomplicated lives.”

It looks like a lot of you have experienced this phenomenon of beggars and the struggles that follow. My question today is this, “does it really matter if they use the money we might give them for food or shelter or cigarettes?” In other words, even if they say they will use the money for food and instead go and use it to buy a beer/cigarettes/meth, etc., should that really matter?

I seem to be revolving around the fact that those who are truly less fortunate would welcome a hot meal over a few bucks any ol’ day. But, does kindness happen when we give or when what we give is used to benefit said person? In other words, is kindness when I place $5 into the hands of a beggar or does kindness happen when that $5 is used to buy food/beer/cigarettes, etc.? Is it in the act or the benefits of the act?

What do you all think?

Technorati Tags: Beggars, City, God, Homeless, Hunger, Mercy

I ignore beggars.

So here’s my predicament: I ignored a beggar on the off-ramp today while coming to work. And when I say, “ignored,” I mean “totally did not even acknowledge his existence - no eye contact, no wave, nothing.” Just to be clear.

As I passed him, I noticed the sign he was holding. It said, “Hungry - Need food, please help!” Instantly, I became angry. I was angry at a presumably homeless beggar on the side of the road. I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, this pastor sure is compassionate. Where do I sign up to go to his church? I bet they not only ignore the homeless, but punch gentle elderly folk in the face and gamble with the offering dollars!” Trust me, I felt awful about my initial reaction as well. It was a struggle that has followed me around since the incident this morning. Allow me to let you into my struggle…

When I passed this man, I noticed something very peculiar:

He was not old, he was young. He couldn’t have been older than 30.
He was holding a sign about being hungry, yet he was smoking a cigarette with the pack in his other hand.
He was dressed not in rags, but in fairly decent clothing. I wouldn’t have chosen his clothes, but he looked presentable.

This puzzled me.

I am of the belief that knowing the background of any given situation will change the reality of that situation almost 100% of the time. For instance, a father on a subway with seemingly no control over his screaming and out-of-control children looks a lot different when you learn that he just came from the hospital where his wife died and he has no idea how to tell his kids. Compassion breaks forth when you learn of this and a mild irritation becomes a heartbreaking scenario.

Take my puzzling situation from this morning and I will fully admit to you that my compassion was tested. It was tested because of the questions in my head:

“If he’s hungry, then why is he smoking cigarettes? Why couldn’t he take that money and buy a meal? Or even a hamburger? If there is money for cigarettes, why could there not be money for food?”
“If he is hungry, and as young and as healthy and well-dressed as he appears to be, why can he not go and get a job? Even manual labor can provide a livable wage - what is the hang up here?”

So this is what I struggle with. Maybe you have struggled with the same question? The question of, “when do I give to the poor and how much?” This question, regardless of religious affiliation, is a uniquely human one. Even as a committed follower of Jesus, this question still hangs over my head like a cartoon thought bubble made of bricks. (What makes this matter even more difficult is the increasingly common stories of “beggars” who make $100,000 a year sitting on the corner, begging for a living. They are professional beggars. They don’t beg because they need it, they beg because, quite literally, it’s an easy buck or two… or one thousand.)

How do you answer this question? Would knowing the background of every beggar that you meet change if and how much you give? Why or why not? Would you give even if you knew the person would spend the money on something else than what they needed? Where does the line for benevolence begin and the line for personal responsibility end?

Some of the things I’m considering on a Tuesday morning. Peace to you…

Technorati Tags: Beggars, God, Homeless, Iowa, Mercy

Hollywood Trash.

I am in charge of taking out the trash for our family. A few weeks ago we were making chicken and placed the trimmings (read: disgusting fat strands that make we want to wretch) in our garbage. The bag was full so I closed it up and took it out to our garage and placed it in the larger collection can. Then we went on a trip and I forgot to take the collection bin out to be emptied. That was a mistake.

Seems as though chicken entrails, enclosed spaces, and warm temperatures don’t mix. We came back and the smell that had permeated our garage was a violation to the senses - a mix between a room full of soiled diapers and sweaty feet pressed directly into the nostril. Needless to say, that will be one of the last times I forget to take the garbage out

I was reminded of that story as I was listening to the morning show on a local radio station in Des Moines. The show has a segment called, “Hollywood Trash.” It’s basically a time for one of the co-hosts to dish the latest celebrity gossip - who’s dating who, who got arrested, awards show results, etc. Normally, this show is a very good, high-quality production that is a safe alternative to the raunch that normally goes on during the morning show hours.

As I listened today, for the first time ever, I realized what I was listening to: Trash. (With a segment named, “Hollywood Trash,” you would think this would be fairly obvious, but I can be slow to learn at times.) By naming it “Hollywood Trash,” the producers/hosts of the show picked a name that we normally reserve to describe the items that we do not want anymore - the things we find useless, old, gross, slimy, moldy, or unfit for human consumption. Simply put, it’s waste that smells awful in most cases.

Proverbs 17:4 says this, “An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.” I was reminded of this as I listened to “Hollywood Trash” this morning and determined that I won’t listen to it anymore. Not in a, “you pagan media vultures! Judgment be upon ye sinners!” But in a, “I don’t want to fill my ears and mind with something that is labeled ‘trash’.”

Think about it - trash. Do you want to fill your life with something that is essentially useless? What trash do you see in your life that needs to be removed? There’s a reason why no one lives in a landfill…

Luther + Culture.

Martin Luther is reported to have said the following:

“If you preach the Gospel in all aspects with the exception of the issues which deal specifically with your time you are not preaching the Gospel at all.”

I was struck by the pertinence of Luther’s words along with the appeal to speak a culturally relevant language. He illustrates the fact that you can have an amazing message to communicate, but if you do not speak the language of the audience to which you are delivering this amazing message, you have failed.

You’ve failed.

If I, and English speaker, want to tell a German-speaking audience how to make a million dollars selling the trash from their trashcan on eBay and I do not translate that message into German, they will not hear it. They won’t hear it and the power and relevancy of that life-changing message will be lost.

So it is with the church. We need to be speaking a culturally relevant language - “the issues which deal specifically with your time” - in order to communicate the life changing message of the Spirit of Christ.