"Theology and the Church After Google: How This New Age Will Change Christianity" is both an article about how theology is shifting and must continue to change as well as an example of such change. It is written by an academic (Philip Clayton, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Claremont Graduate University and Ingraham Professor at Claremont School of Theology) and was published in an academic journal (The Princeton Theological Review), however, it now appears online in its Read More …
Social Media
Reasons to Tweet (#0289)
Frank Viola is an author and popular Christian conference speaker. He has written numerous books on the deeper Christian life and radical church reform, including From Eternity to Here, Jesus Manifesto (co-authored with Leonard Sweet - read my review here), and Pagan Christianity (co-authored with George Barna) as well as Finding Organic Church, Reimagining Church, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. To connect with Viola, friend him on Facebook, follow Read More …
Being a Welcoming Church 2.0 (#0288)
Elizabeth Drescher is a religion writer and scholar of Christian spirituality. She writes commentary on religion, culture, and social media for the online magazine, Religion Dispatches and multiple other journals. Drescher's first book, Tweet If You Love Jesus: Practicing Church in the Digital Reformation, will be published later this year. Currently she teaches in the undergraduate program in Religious Studies and the graduate program in Pastoral Ministry Read More …
Internet Replaces TV News (#0282)
Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center released the findings of their latest national survey about Americans' main source of national and international news. The survey was conducted in December 2010 and included 1,500 adults. The chart at right illustrates how the results of this survey have changed over time. Among the significant changes: From 2002 to 2010, television showed a 16% decline (from 82% to 66%) In 2010, for the first time, the internet has surpassed Read More …
Is Virtual Community Real Community? (#0278)
While most followers of Jesus who have been on the journey of faith for many years grasp both the theological and pragmatic need for community, newcomers to the faith may be unfamiliar with the concept given the increasingly individualistic society in which we live. Many local congregations would benefit from a renewed focus on Christian community. One helpful example of restoring an intentional emphasis is Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Circle Pines, Read More …
A Christian Way of Being Present in the Digital World (#0265)
On January 24, Pope Benedict XVI shared his message for World Communications Day: "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age." Writing for the Associated Press, Nicole Winfield, noted, "The 83-year-old Benedict is no techno wizard: He writes longhand and has admitted to a certain lack of Internet savvy within the Vatican." His speech and actions, including significantly enhancing the Holy See's online presence, are signs that while he may not Read More …
The Structure of an Effective Blog Post (#0261)
Michael Hyatt is the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. You can connect with him by reading his Intentional Leadership blog, following him on Twitter, or liking him on Facebook. Earlier this week he shared the basic components of his blog template in "Anatomy of an Effective Blog Post" Lead Paragraph Relevant Image Personal Experience Read More …
What I Learned from Writing 100 posts in 100 days (#0260)
I did it: 100 posts in 100 days! After taking roughly 21 months to write my first 160 blog posts (roughly 7.6 a month), I needed just 3.3 months (100 days) to add another 100. This dramatic change in writing habits revealed: Blogging can be a spiritual discipline Writing more frequently led to reading more online content (I read more blogs than I ever had before, engaged several people I didn't know previously, and plan to continue to interact with those people and their work) Read More …
Pastors: Embrace Social Media or Quit (#0257)
Maurilio Amorim is CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN that consults with some of the country’s largest ministries, leading churches, and Christian publishers. Founded in 2001, The A Group has transitioned from a traditional marketing agency into a marketing technology and branding firm, leveraging social media and mobile technologies. To connect with Amorim, friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or read his Read More …
Studying the Beatitudes in Real Time (#0238)
A few days ago, I blogged about my ongoing quest to learn more about Jesus. In that post I suggested that 2011 may be a year I devote considerable time to examining Jesus' preaching via the Sermon on the Mount. Since that time, I learned of a unique opportunity to study the Beatitudes, which lead off Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). Kimberly Knight, Circuit Rider and web admin for the Beatitudes Society, recently blogged about a new interactive live Read More …