For class, we are reading "Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes your Faith" by Shane Hipps. I found found this book very useful and provocative. Three especially interesting points from the first few chapters:
"A medium is anything that stretches, extends, or amplifies some human capacity" (32)..."When we fail to perceive that the things we create [like the internet] are extensions of ourselves, the created things take on god-like characteristics and we become their servants" (35)
The internet is a form of media, a type of mass communication, just like the printing press originally was, and similar to the way fax machines, xerox machines, and old fashioned pen and paper can work. Unlike these other instruments, of course, the internet has the capability to broadcast information instantaneously to a enormous network of people, with the click of a button. The internet allows us to access information, news stories, gossip, and anything else, instantaneously from the couch in our living rooms, in a way never before available. The internet, as such, has incredible power to "stretch, extend, and amplify" human capacities to acquire knowledge, share information, communicate, fund raise, and do all sorts of other things.
But, the internet remains, and always will remain, an extension of God-created human capabilities. The internet allows us to do things more efficiently, with a greater network, and with a wider community, in a way never before seen, but all of these things simply amplify the God-given talents and gifts we each possess. As we continue to work with technology, we must always remember that the internet, and all technology, is a TOOL, which we are called to use for the good of the world (just as we are called to use all our gifts, abilities, and tools for the good of the world). The internet is not a being created by God, it does not have wants, or needs, and it is not included in God's salvific plan. As we proceed, we must always remember that the internet is available for our use, but we should be the masters of it...not it the masters of us.
There are four dimensions to all media: 1) "amplification or extension" (of human capabilities) 2) "every new medium makes an older technology irrelevant or obsolete" 3) "every new medium retrieves some experience or medium from the past" 4) "every medium, when pushed to an extreme, will reverse on itself, revealing unintended consequences" (37)
I found Hipps' articulation of the four dimensions of every form of media very helpful both because it emphasizes the ways in which the internet is just like other, older, forms of technology, and because of the ways in which (the fourth dimension in particular) highlights the potential pit falls of technology. While I do not think it is helpful to either whole-heartedly and unhesitantly accept all aspects of the internet, nor do I feel it is helpful to shun the internet in its entirety either. Being able to identify the ways in which new media can be helpful, as well as the ways in which it can be misused allows us to journey together with technology into the future, albeit with caution.
With regards to the internet in particular, Hipps highlights that the internet, while intended to increase access to information, can lead to too much (potentially incorrect) information, which can be overwhelming to the seeker, and which can lead to greater confusion rather than clarity. Similarly, although the internet was created to increase communication abilities in society, when taken to an extreme, the internet can become the sole method of communication, which can be detrimental to communities and individuals. In order to prevent any new form of medium from reaching the extreme point at which it reverse back upon itself, it is necessary to always remember that mediums are supposed to be TOOLS of which we are the master, not the servants.
"Unfortuantely, the Information Age does little to encourage the development of wisdom. [Wisdom] requires time, experience, contemplation, patience, suffering, and even stillness to obtain. But the churning sea of information never settles long enough to allow for the emergence of wisdom. We are left instead with 'the conceit of wisdom rather than real wisdom' and become a burden to society rather than a boon" (72)
In his chapter preceding this quote entitled "Subliminal Messages", Hipps chronicles the ways in which information and wisdom has been shared throughout the years--from pre-literate societies through today. He argues that in pre-literate societies, individuals relied on the community to pass on information and wisdom from generation to generation. The invention of writing instruments allowed some of these pieces of information to be written down. Writing gave people "the luxury of thinking apart from the tribe without the concern or those thoughts disappearing" (56). In the shift between pre-literate societies and print societies, the gospel message went from being concerned about the community to being primarily concerned about the individual. "Community" in the modern age is come to be understood not as a group of individuals working together for the common good (as it was necessarily in pre-literate societies), but as "a collection of discrete individuals working concurrently on their personal relationships with Jesus" (57).
While the information that was retained and passed on in pre-literate societies was understandably the information which was most pertinent to survival of the tribe, the information available in the print age, and especially in the modern age, is EVERYTHING. Individuals are bombarded by news stories of various importance and veracity, and left to their own devices as to deciding which of these stories is the most appropriate. The bombardment of our minds with information (which is "often contradictory, and random data with no center or periphery" 68) is generally unhelpful. Individuals no longer learn how to evaluate and critique information and often have a hard time deciding what information is important. Hipps describes this plethora of information alone as "strength without coordination" (71). Individuals today may have a great deal of information, but often don't know what to do with it--especially our younger generations. While our younger generations know how to access INFORMATION, they need help with the dissemination, critique, and application part. The Church should see this as a great opportunity to encourage inter generational events and conversations, because our older generations DO possess the wisdom so desperately needed by our children, youth, young adults, and, even by fellow middle-aged and senior citizens.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Initial Questions and Thoughts
My initial questions about this text include:
- Why are verses 18-20 omitted? (So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20added to them all by shutting up John in prison)
- What is the significance of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with water?
- How would the early hearers of this message understand baptism? Was baptism practiced in their community? What did it mean? How is Jesus' baptism different? (or is it?)
- What do we do with the unquenchable fire and John's promise that Jesus will burn the chaff? What (who?) is the chaff today?
- Why are people baptized according to Luke's gospel? In other gospels, we know that it is for the forgiveness of sins, but what is its purpose for Luke?
- Why is God well-pleased with Jesus at this point? Jesus has yet to actually DO anything (we are told in the following verse, verse 23, that Jesus was 30 years old when he BEGAN his work)
- Do others hear the voice from heaven? Or only Jesus?
- Luke recounts that it is after Jesus is baptized, WHILE HE IS PRAYING, that the heaven is opened and the Holy Spirit descends. This suggests that the descent of the Holy Spirit wasn't so much dependent on Jesus' baptism, but on the act of praying
- Following this, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness"--as soon as Jesus is baptism, he is led out to the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil. After he struggles with the devil, and doesn't succumb to the devil's temptations, "Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit"--it's almost as if Jesus received the Holy Spirit at his baptism (and subsequent time of prayer), but doesn't have the POWER of the Holy Spirit until he does battle with the devil.
- It is this baptismal event (together with the voice from heaven) that establishes Jesus' identity and authority on earth, and begins his ministry.
- Other people are baptized at the same time of Jesus, but (apparently) the voice from heaven only speaks to Jesus. This raises the question of the ways in which our own baptisms do (and do not) bring about the same promises/implications/results as Jesus' baptism.
The Baptism of our Lord gospel text
This coming weekend, January 9-10, I will be preaching at Abiding Presence, my home congregation, in Burke, VA. I will be preaching at the Saturday night vespers service, the Sunday morning "contemporary" service, and the Sunday morning "traditional" service. These three services provide distinctly different worship experiences, and tend to attract different crowds. The Saturday service typically only includes the Gospel reading, the contemporary service typically includes both the Gospel and the psalm, and the traditional service generally includes the Old Testament reading, the psalm, the letter, and the Gospel. I enjoy preaching on multiple (usually two) texts, and have asked on other occasions for multiple readings to be included at all the services. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to stick solely to the Gospel reading for this week's sermon (this has been a very eventful week for my church because we just voted to call a new pastor yesterday!, the interim pastor is just returning from vacation, and I am in Gettysburg for the week).
This weekend, we celebrate the baptism of our Lord. I will be preaching on Luke 3: 15-17, 22-22
This weekend, we celebrate the baptism of our Lord. I will be preaching on Luke 3: 15-17, 22-22
15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Technology: a value-neutral resource?
The pervasive and all-embracing nature of technology ensures that technology itself is not value-neutral. The power and familiarity of technology, especially the internet, grants it an "all-access pass" to our lives that is rarely examined with critical eyes. Although the internet, specifically, and technology, generally, can be a helpful resource and tool for ministry, its strength, ability to morph, and the ample opportunities it provides for misuse, should cause us to pause. While technology holds great promises for congregations and ministries, it should not be whole-heartedly embraced without first being examined for its practicality, opportunities, and potential downfalls.
Jacques Ellul believes that "people deify the technical device. [A technological device is] universal and spectacular; it defies my attempts to master it; it performs that would usually be called miracles; to a large extent it is incomprehensible. It is thus God. We are justified to give up any attempts to control it and simply ask for its services". He seems to have resigned himself to the overwhelming power of technology and his seeming inability to properly control it. Van Der Laan, in his article "Internet and Religious Life" goes on from Ellul's comment to argue that the presence of the internet and technology threatens to lure Christians into worshiping "two masters" (277), which, of course, we are told in Scripture is impossible. Both Ellul and van der Laan seem to believe that the ways in which technology can be, and often is, misused, negate all of the possibilities and opportunities technology presents, and therefore strongly warn Christians, especially Christian leaders, from playing with the "fire" that is the internet.
I believe that both Ellul and van der Laan fail to properly engage the possibilities offered by technology, or consider it's advantages. While the internet can be a scary, and threatening, place, technology (in all its forms) is, and always has been, the way in which the gospel is communicated to God's people. The internet and technologies available today are certainly different from those used historically, but their purpose (reaching God's people) remain the same. Technology is a very powerful medium, that can be used either for good or for bad; like all technologies that have been used to communicate God's word throughout history, it deserves to be critically examined, and not merely either accepted in all ways, or rejected in all ways.
Jacques Ellul believes that "people deify the technical device. [A technological device is] universal and spectacular; it defies my attempts to master it; it performs that would usually be called miracles; to a large extent it is incomprehensible. It is thus God. We are justified to give up any attempts to control it and simply ask for its services". He seems to have resigned himself to the overwhelming power of technology and his seeming inability to properly control it. Van Der Laan, in his article "Internet and Religious Life" goes on from Ellul's comment to argue that the presence of the internet and technology threatens to lure Christians into worshiping "two masters" (277), which, of course, we are told in Scripture is impossible. Both Ellul and van der Laan seem to believe that the ways in which technology can be, and often is, misused, negate all of the possibilities and opportunities technology presents, and therefore strongly warn Christians, especially Christian leaders, from playing with the "fire" that is the internet.
I believe that both Ellul and van der Laan fail to properly engage the possibilities offered by technology, or consider it's advantages. While the internet can be a scary, and threatening, place, technology (in all its forms) is, and always has been, the way in which the gospel is communicated to God's people. The internet and technologies available today are certainly different from those used historically, but their purpose (reaching God's people) remain the same. Technology is a very powerful medium, that can be used either for good or for bad; like all technologies that have been used to communicate God's word throughout history, it deserves to be critically examined, and not merely either accepted in all ways, or rejected in all ways.
Introduction
Hello! My name is Caitlin Glass and I am a second year student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. I created this blog for my January "Preaching and Technology" class. I look forward to using this blog to gather ideas for sermons, share stories, and communicate with people of God throughout the world. I look forward to "meeting" you!
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