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Tuesday, October 22, 2002

Would Jesus Attack Iraq?

A post to the blog of the EkklesiaProject asks something I have asked folks over the past month or so:

" I find it interesting, however, that not one of my brothers and sisters in the faith has asked the most popular Christian question of the day: What Would Jesus Do?"

I think I may have blogged somethign to this effect earlier. Most simply look at me like I've asked a silly question, and I don't press it, but I want to. I want to say "What?" We're not allowed to ask about that? To most people, Christian ethics go out the window , and there is a total acquiescence to the "powers that be", and this attitude is promoted by such groups as the Southern Baptist leadership, as they encourage believers to "submit to the authority of the magistrate" and base this on a Romans passage (I think chapter 13). Gone is any idea that Christians are sometimes called upon to "speak the truth to power". The right wing factions certainly do this with issues such as abortion. I don't agree with most left wingers on abortion either, but it seems to me that here, the right wingers fail to apply their "resistance" energies to war issues because its been drilled into them that this is not a part of the "Christian platform". As a Christian, I say this is hogwash. Worse than that, it's bullshit.

(to borrow from Tony Campolo, the fact that I just said "bullshit" is likely to upset many conservatives much more than they'd ever be upset at how Christians capitulate to popular opinion when it comes to war issues. And this , to me, is deplorable and Pharasaic. )

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7:07:33 AM

Smart Mob Theological Issues - First Thoughts

I find myself in the position of "straddling" a bunch of new "experiments" with Church/theological websites. We have just gotten ourselves a new Web hosting solution for the Church, and I have already uploaded a few "blog" pages to play around with what a Church blog might be like (not yet ready for prime time , though). I also work in an environment somewhat related to Churches, and many of the same issues about what makes for good Web sites and what we need to extend on the idea of the traditonal/typical Website. My particular concerns (for which I've been having a hard time "enlisting" fellow supporters in either environment) is how any of this helps strengthen communities of interest in the kind of things either of these institutions offer as a business or as a Church community.

Howard Rheingold's new book on mobile technology (and its possibilities for new aspects and empowerments of community ) has me in a mind swirl over what this all can mean for the Church (and/or for companies like the one where I work). If Church people (particularly those active in politics and/or social action out of some call to minister to some segment of society) are to "harness" this coming wave of "Smart Mob" mobility via mobile technologies and services constructed to feed this wave of mobility, there are as usual some theological rationale to ponder and learn to use as "evangelists" for the possibilities that may be there.

Something which I feel will be key to how mobile technology will feed the power of the communal effects will be in the "always connected" faeture it affords. How many times have I had a "mini-ephiphany" of insight and not been near enough to a "bloglet" (IOW: "a blog outlet") to be able to note and even SEND the idea or the thought so that it might be "digested" by an audience of a few others, or a whole group of trusted colleagues. It's akin to having a a placethat not only uses "connection" to facilitate the meeting, but keeps the "brain connections" on and feeding off one another. It seems to be much closer to "how the spirit works"......the face to face meetings that just never come about because we were unaware that someone to whom we were just standing next to in one of those face to face meetings was ponderuing something we would have enthusiastically affirmed as something dear to us as well, could be more often "discovered" through the increased opportunities for exchanging thoughts and reactions, or reporting and sharing a link to something we want others to see and ponder with us.

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6:55:44 AM