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to New Media Communications Home Page Quentin Schultze's book is the first I've seen to approach the topic of the significance of the Internet for the theological community. I ran across his Web site and fine set of links on the Web, and immediately wrote him to compliment the variety and extensiveness of his list. It is high time that someone publish a book that tells the publishing world that Christians don't have their heads in the sand on yet another new media development.
IFC asks many of the right questions., and is a good reference to the kinds of helps to be found on the Internet for any church, organization, or individual seeking spiritual growth, interaction, and friendship. The audience seems to be those who want to have some ammunition for helping to convince their own church or organization to pay more attention to the possibilities for using the Internet for communication and resource sharing.
Best of all, Schultze maintains his own Web site and bi-weekly newsletter updating the information that's in the book. This is the only way to go for publishing today, not only because we can, but also because the existence of the Net itself makes information much more fluid, much more demanding on us to keep our information current.
The book would also make a good guide for taking a group through Internet introductions. This seems to me to be a "ministry" in itself. Since I feel that to be conversant with our culture and its technologies is a help to us in communicating our values and priorities to each other and the world at large, I would naturally see an importance in providing help to those who do not yet feel comfortable or familiar with the online world of the Internet.
Once this groundwork is laid, then we can get to the business of what is offered on the Internet that can be valuable for ministry, and how an individual or an organization can create some content of their own, and do an effective job of it.
Schultze's basic premise is one which I consider basic to a proper theological approach. At it's simplest, this is that the Internet is quickly becoming a major channel for all kinds of communication, both personal and commercial. It is a large representation of the "marketplace"; of society. Therefore, we need a presence there, and it needs to be of quality.
Schultze has also put the FAQ list online which comprises chapter one of the book.
Return to this page for updates on what is happening on IFC and other pages like it. I will update this page with new information as I find more of these useful sites and resources for the theological community on the Web.
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