in defense of twitter
We now Twitter, or tweet, or whatever you want to call it.
(It's foggy today)
We are going to try and be responsible with this :) If you notice, there are no tweets about the coffee I'm drinking right now or the details of life. They bore me, and I'm living them! I think we may need to bring the mundane back into faith. A little Brother Lawrence to save us from American Idle.
(Ran out of shampoo, had to use spouse's: hair feels funny)
And of course, the first tweet I receive from someone sent from their iPhone in their car, especially if it is a hybrid, will be met with the most stringent of Church discipline. If sent while on streets I regularly travel, even excommunication.
(mmmm, what I really want right now is some bulgogi tacos...)
I don't know how to make Twitter something more dynamic, as in "you can post on it too," so if you want to shout something, email me or the office and we'll push it through the ole twitmachine.
(what if the disciples thought that they were actually going to beGods?)
Poking around some social commentary sites, I've seen lots of reflections about the fragmentation of this generation's communication and worldview Twitter seemingly represents but c'mon - that's the low lying fruit. We get it. real relationship is hard. As opposed to the Medieval peasants in Europe who where largely connected, loving people. Ah, the good old days.
(omgz, People who talk loudly on the cell phone in public places are sooo rude!)
Let's talk about the ethics of technology, instead. Or how it is that Jesus heals in the midst of pouring ourselves out. I feel like there is a great practical schism between a lot of wonderful theology and where people are at, leaving a gaping hole for televangelists and megachurches to shape our souls with a theology sculpted by the technology they are utterly dependent on. (Radio, TV, satellites, Cars, Cameras, Computers, even the printing press...oh wait. Kindle, Audio video equipment,...)
But I'm not joining facebook or linkdin: it all looks like spam to me :)
(It's foggy today)
We are going to try and be responsible with this :) If you notice, there are no tweets about the coffee I'm drinking right now or the details of life. They bore me, and I'm living them! I think we may need to bring the mundane back into faith. A little Brother Lawrence to save us from American Idle.
(Ran out of shampoo, had to use spouse's: hair feels funny)
And of course, the first tweet I receive from someone sent from their iPhone in their car, especially if it is a hybrid, will be met with the most stringent of Church discipline. If sent while on streets I regularly travel, even excommunication.
(mmmm, what I really want right now is some bulgogi tacos...)
I don't know how to make Twitter something more dynamic, as in "you can post on it too," so if you want to shout something, email me or the office and we'll push it through the ole twitmachine.
(what if the disciples thought that they were actually going to beGods?)
Poking around some social commentary sites, I've seen lots of reflections about the fragmentation of this generation's communication and worldview Twitter seemingly represents but c'mon - that's the low lying fruit. We get it. real relationship is hard. As opposed to the Medieval peasants in Europe who where largely connected, loving people. Ah, the good old days.
(omgz, People who talk loudly on the cell phone in public places are sooo rude!)
Let's talk about the ethics of technology, instead. Or how it is that Jesus heals in the midst of pouring ourselves out. I feel like there is a great practical schism between a lot of wonderful theology and where people are at, leaving a gaping hole for televangelists and megachurches to shape our souls with a theology sculpted by the technology they are utterly dependent on. (Radio, TV, satellites, Cars, Cameras, Computers, even the printing press...oh wait. Kindle, Audio video equipment,...)
But I'm not joining facebook or linkdin: it all looks like spam to me :)
Reminds me of a conference I was at where a gentleman asked the speaker how he felt about technology, bemoaning the trend of churches using debit cards, websites, etc. as means for giving, instead of say writing checks like the good ole days. I wish I could have reminded the questioner that way back when, check writing was actually a 'technology,' as opposed to bartering with chickens and eggs. But how quickly we forget, or more likely fail to realize the technology all of us have embraced already without thought. A technology by narrow definition is a mechanism for modernization. As Ray would say, when Jesus stepped into that boat in order to get a better vantage point for preaching, he was using 'technology' for the sake of the gospel. You can draw a straight line from that boat to the satellite in the sky beaming info to us today. I take that to mean that technology is a tool which can be used to promote communication, and to a degree relationship, and a lot of other worthy things, but as Jesus also modeled for us, it's not a great substitute for real relating. Using twitter to gather people together in real space and time, which is something we hope to do, is something I hope delightful surprises us and on occasion, leads to something that looks like kingdom life.
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