B1gR1ch's Xanga

My Thoughts on the Nines & Diversity

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:35:33 GMT

I know I'm late to the game, but I wanted to throw in my "two cents" about the Nines. For those of you unaware, The Nines was a series of 75 - 9 minute videos by christian leaders, hosted online as a massive video conference by Leadership Network and Catalyst. By most accounts, the Nines was well received. Their site reports, "During the day of 09/09/09, there were over 20,000 total IP addresses that connected at one time or another to watch part of the conference. There were over 60,000 hits to our video servers throughout the day. We used 8.7 TB (terrabytes) of data to stream the more than 1,685 days of viewing time. THE NINES was the most tweeted topic on Twitter for about three hours on 09/09/09. In fact, over 6,000 tweets contained the hashtag #thenines." I watch a great deal (but not all) of the videos.

A lot of people have chimed in (both during and following the event), but there were a least two presentations on a topic that I have not seem people responding to. (Admittedly, my circle of friends does not encompass the thousands who watched.) That topic is ethnic diversity.

Many of you know, the church I work with here in San Antonio is bilingual; I am keenly aware of the issues and struggles in blending cultures into one faith community. (Not to mention my experiences and struggles growing up and working in the South or my ministry time on the outskirts of Dayton.) There is something beautiful and mysterious though when people develop a bond and share life together despite (or even because of) their difference. I believe this is too important to be pushed aside.

So, back to the Nines. Scott Williams of LifeChurch.tv and bigisthenewsmall.com made his video available, but it seems to have been taken down already. I guess that's what I get for waiting a week to post this. I'm hoping they plan to make all the videos available soon.

Mark DeYmaz of Mosaic Church also addressed diversity during the Nines. As a followup, he posted 25 FAQs re. the Multi-ethnic Church. There, he defines "ethnic diversity" and how it exists as a movement of churches:

I intend it as general and inclusive of ethnic, economic, educational and generational diversity within a local church. In fact, I believe that ethnic and economic diversity are two sides of the same coin and that educational privilege is most often a factor of economics. So when I'm talking about a multi-ethnic church, I’m thinking of one that reflects diversity in a variety of forms beyond ethnicity.

I have my reservations about some of the specifics he lays out, and really don't understand his concerns over churches being reflective of their communities (as opposed to meeting his percentage goals), but the issue of churches being so homogeneous (and I believe often intentionally so) is important enough to me that I am willing to consider his points.

So what's the deal? Why are churches so divided? Why is Sunday the most segregated day of the week (to paraphrase MLK)? Seriously. Look around you. The American landscape has changed. I doubted I would see an African American elected as President of the US in my lifetime and am proud to live in time when that is possible (and I'm only 29). It seems like our society has come so far, but as is so often the case, churches are decades behind. And I believe this is an area where followers of Jesus should have been leading the charge.

So I guess I'm left with a few questions. First, why is this even still an issue? And Second, what can we be doing to fix it? If we could just skip trite answers, cop-outs and finger pointing usually associated with this topic, that would be great.

My Thoughts on Constantine’s Conversion by John Janzen

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:06:37 GMT

Peter Rollins recently held a parable writing competition (in conjunction with Paraclete Press). He has announced the winner, "Footprints" written by Kester Brewin.

The second place entry was Constantine’s Conversion by John Janzen. It isn't a long read, but I really like it.

The Emperor Constantine, facing the biggest battle of his reign, looked into the setting sun at the Lilvian Bridge and saw a vision of the Cross of Christ. As he gazed at the cross he heard a voice say “By this sign, conquer”.
The next day he gave up his reign as Emperor, surrendered all his many possessions, and went to live and work among the poor.??And forever after he was known as one of the greatest heroes of the faith for his obedience to the voice of God.

Rollins explained his selection of this piece saying, "I chose this short parable for second place as I liked how it took a central moment in the development of Christianity and employed it to explore the importance of interpretation."

The "historical" conversion of Constantine ushered in a dark chapter in the history of the Christian faith. The fresh breath of liberty to worship was smogged with complicity and the new cross symbolized empirical might instead of self sacrifice embodied by its predecessor.

Oh how things might have been different if Constantine had embraced the way of the cross rather than mutilating its message.

The Future of News

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:13:28 GMT

According to compete.com, Twitter surpassed the New York Times and Wall Street Journal in unique users last month.

ReadWriteWeb and PaidContent both discussed it this week.

Here's one that is more significant to me. Digg.com has been beating the pants off of them for sometime now. For those of you not familiar with Digg,"Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users." Basically, Digg is a user submitted new site. More people are getting their news socially than from traditional sources.

I would be more surprised if newspapers weren't such tired dinosaurs that have been teetering on the verge of extinction for years. They were so late to the internet game. Even later on social media. They have been clinging onto a dead business model for dear life. At this point, it seems their only chance for survival rests in an endless stream of bailouts and government intervention (which doesn't exactly bode well for their integrity, not to mention long-term viability).

So, what does this mean for the church?

First, we cannot hold onto traditional methods of communication. I know if is so cliched and overplayed, but we cannot be married to methods. Too often I hear, "we can't do it that way, because [fill in the blank with appropriate minority of staunch opponents to progress] won't buy into that." Life and all that is good is quickly leaving them behind. We will be left behind if we let "them" (whoever they may be) dictate what we do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting we leave "them" behind. I'm just suggesting that we don't let them hold us back.

Second, stewardship is crucial. Without getting lost in the details, these social ~~media~~ communication models are much more efficient (not to mention cheaper). In many cases, this is why traditional models can't keep up; they aren't cost effective.

Let's adapt.

This was originally posted on epicdialogue.com.

Video Worth Watching: Non-O-Biography

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:06:46 GMT

Non-O-Biography from Boat Safety Films on Vimeo.

Typically we are defined by what we value and what we do. What we are not and what we fail to do can also deeply impact our identity. Non-O-Biography got me thinking (which I'm sure was not it's intention), what are some things I hope to do that I haven't yet. A couple of year's back I stumbled upon a book called "101 Things to Do Before You Die" and made my own list. In retrospect the list may have been a little ambitious (especially academically). In fact, in the two years since I wrote the list, I have only knocked one thing out. I saw Bela Fleck live in concert.

What do you want to do before you die?

This was originally posted at epicdialogue.com.

Watching TV Socially

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:02:24 GMT

TV still dominates viewable media, but young people want more social media options. Read more at ReadWriteWeb.

This was originally posted at epicdialogue.com.

Open Source: Free Books and the Future of Christian Education

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:46:29 GMT

ReadWriteWeb featured Flat World Knowledge on their blog today. "Flat World Knowledge started out with a revolutionary idea, which was to start creating and publishing college textbooks that were absolutely free online." This business model has been launched with $8 million from venture capitalists. What I find more exciting than free college texts books, is that Flat World is integrating social reading tools into their system.

Someone need to hop onto this model quick!!

Mobile Learning: iPhone, Kindle 2 and the Future of Christian Education

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:55:48 GMT

Earlier this week, I posted about the Future of Ministry Education and a discussion going on at The Road Less Traveled. The way it currently stands, when most churches identify someone they want to serve in the ministry, they send them to a Bible College or Christian University. But, what if there were no limits, traditions, or built in assumptions. What would be the best way to train people to do ministry?

Last week I took a few students from Castle Hills Christian Church, where I work as youth & young adult minister, on what we called the "Spring Break College Tour," visiting Christian Colleges and Universities here in Texas. I had never stepped on the campus of Abeline Christian University or really even interacted with ACU until this trip. Right away, I was impressed, especially by their Mobile Learning Initiative.

ACU Mobile Learning from ACU Videos on Vimeo.

At first, giving iPhones to incoming freshmen seemed a little gimmicky, but the longer I listened, the more I liked it. ACU truly seeking to integrate cutting edge mobile technology into the college experience. They have 22 ACU exclusive apps, everything from mobile quiz taking and downloadable class lectures, to a map of campus. As a result of the Mobile Learning Initiative, Alcatel-Lucent selected ACU as one of the first recipients of the Dynamic Enterprise Award.

I am not saying that ACU has achieved perfection in the arena of Christian Education (let alone ministry training). What I am saying is that they are doing something well. Most churches and Christian educational institutions are so far behind on technology. And, for so many people (especially 18 to 20 somethings, like those typically found enrolled in college) mobile technology is (like say the iPhone) integrated into their everyday lives. I believe many educational institutions are now realizing that the traditional models and methods of education won't cut it any longer. Unfortunately, many of these institutions are caught in the "deer in headlights" type position. If this isn't soon remedied, they will get run over. Students are becoming less and less tolerant of outdated education.

What ACU is doing, may not be enough though. Their model is still mostly limited to the come here and experience model. At some point, I believe, students will begin asking, if I can view all of my class lectures and take all of my quizzes on my newly acquired iPhone, can you explain to me why I have to pay you $30,000 a year and come to you? Is it all together possible that the future classroom will exist wherever you happen to be?

The iPhone has become a huge open-source market. Apple has given away development tools, and is encouraging developers to distribute their apps. This is an open door for Christian educators, churches, and ministry mentors to take the iPhone technology and run with it. They sky is the limit.

Along similar lines, I think the Kindle 2 is a completely untapped resource for [Christian/ministry] education. Completely portable. Under $400. Over 245,000 book are already available for download (and you can send a ~~harassing e-mail~~ request to the publisher of books not available). There are 2 features that I believe make the Kindle prime for educational use. One, you can highlight text, make notes and e-mail them. Can you say book report? Two, you can e-mail Word or PDF documents to the Kindle, like say class syllabus, notes, or assignments.

It doesn't exists yet, but the ability to read socially via the Kindle doesn't seem far off. If someone at Amazon saw potential for Kindle as an educational tool, I'm sure a software update would come quickly.

Discussions about educational technology do not answer larger questions of educational philosophy, but I believe they must be at the forefront of any discussion regarding changing how we train people for ministry. Technological advances fuel the future. We cannot be married to technology, but we also cannot let our inability to be innovative (technologically) handicap us. Unlike many of our predecessors, we must unshackle ourselves and utilize the cutting edge.

This was originally posted at epicdialogue.com.

The Future of Ministry Education

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:49:24 GMT

Let me point you to an article written by my friend Aaron Saufley called "Bible College or Church?". Aaron is a church planter, blogger, and all around decent guy. In his typical, atypical perspective of church and christian spirituality, Aaron questions if there may be a better way to prepare people for ministry than what we typically do.

"I’m wondering why we insist on sending guys who want to be preachers and church planters off to Bible college and seminary for four years (or more). Would it not be more beneficial for a guy to be mentored and coached by the staff of his local church? He could learn the ins and outs of ministry on the field instead of in the abstract theories of the classroom. And he wouldn’t amass a huge amount of college debt that will take him at least a decade to pay off… and the chances are high that he’ll be out of “professional ministry” a few years before he gets his education paid for."

It seems to have drawn out some helpful conversation and has got me thinking. If there were no limits, traditions, or built in assumptions, what would be the best way to train people to do ministry? I will try to wrap words around my initial thoughts in a few posts over the next week or so. In the mean time, show Aaron some love.

This was originally posted at epicdialogue.com.

Jet Blue Ad that made me laugh

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:44:21 GMT

Is God Concerned With Self-Awareness

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:30:21 GMT

The other day I was reading through Genesis 3 and something stood out to me. Genesis 3 opens with the introduction of a new character: the Serpent. Adam and Eve are living in the garden, naked and unaware. The Serpent convinces them to eat of the tree in the middle of the Garden (the only one they were told not to) and they realized they were naked. Familiar story. I hadn't previously noticed, at least not in this way, what takes place in verses 9-11.

The LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked?" (ESV)

God seems almost unaware of their naked state. He asks, "who told you that you were naked?" Why?

Is the God of Genesis 3 limited in knowledge? A God who can't even keep track of the actions of the only two people on earth seems inconsistent with the God of Genesis 1 & 2. I'm sure some scholars would say this is further evidence of multi-author redaction of the text. Besides the fact that I am not inclined toward those types of theories, this would seem to be so blatant that even the most daft of editors would not allow these texts to co-exist. Not to mention that it seems an unnatural understanding of the text. So did God know or not.

It seems obvious, at least to me, that the author believed, and expected us to as well, that God did know that Adam and Eve were hiding because of their nudity and that the Serpent was involved in their education. So why does an aware God ask the question?

Is it possible that God wanted Adam to think about why he was hiding and discover for himself what was wrong? Did God want Adam to do a little reflecting? Was God concerned with Adam's self-awareness? How about mine?

In any theology, Genesis predates Descartes, Locke, and Frued. I have always felt that the typical modern western Christian (myself included), tends to over emphasize self. Our faith has become deeply, and almost exclusively a personal experience. The problem is that the ancient Mediterranean (the time/land from where both Jesus and the Bible hail) seems far less interested with the self and much more interested with the community/group.

So I am left wondering, to what extent is God concerned with my self-awareness?