In two short months, the political and economic landscape of every country has changed. This has brought out good in some people and the evil in others. This and more on Anglican Unscripted with Kevin Kallsen and George Conger.
In two short months, the political and economic landscape of every country has changed. This has brought out good in some people and the evil in others. This and more on Anglican Unscripted with Kevin Kallsen and George Conger.
One paradigm coming to the forefront is ‘expert’ is the new oxymoron. The well credentialed aren’t having a good year with their research studies being less accurate than common sense.
Yes, it’s becoming increasingly hard to avoid noticing the inverse relationship between ‘expertise’ and common sense. And Christians are by no means immune.
I can’t help being pretty doubtful about the merits of online Christianity; evangelism and information yes – there are great possibilities – but not as a replacement for the reality of a living, breathing church in a real geographical place.
Digital connectedness is an amazing development. But it is also a dream come true for those whose globalist ambitions have no time for God. And it could become a terrible trap for Christians. Perhaps the key is in the word digital. Digital is not reality; it’s the frequent sampling of tiny bits of something real which are then reassembled in another location as if they are real. Moreover, it is completely dependent on those who have the power both to allow (and to block or edit if they wish) what the viewer or listener receives via the system over which they have total control. Ultimately they can switch the whole thing off if it suits (offends) their interests.
True Christianity is all about real day to day living in a real place among real people. For Christian churches to rely on digital communication is the perfect Faustian pact. At last we can be as slick as we want; we can reach the whole world for Jesus; we can shut down our buildings; spare ourselves the inconvenience of physical reality which is intrinsically a part of the local Christian community; we can save mountains of work and a great deal of money. But the price we have to pay is that we must not offend whatever corporate or global political power controls the system. And guess what kind of people are going make very sure they are fully embedded in the power structure which owns and controls that system. Will their vision for our new global connectedness have room for Jesus if he threatens to knock down the new tower of Babel which they are intent on building?
Christians must be local, physically present, autonomous, reachable, touchable, ready to support each other and if necessary to suffer together. That’s what living witness is all about and if it dies out, no faces on screens will replace it. Let’s use the internet for outreach while it serves and for as along as it allows, but let’s never assume it can replace real living Christian communities gathered together in one place. Let’s stay real.
Yes. Many local churches will be hurt coming out of lock down. There will be some big successes with online ministries. Anglicans need not worry too much about Big Brother since there are so few of us why bother. Heck, the LDS cult in America dwarfs Anglicanism.