Wednesday, July 11, 2007
religion on and offline
Christchurch bloggers: please pass this on … Do you use, or want to use, web or cell phone in ministry? Need to consider the influence of new technology for church and faith? Then check out: Building Christian community: What the internet can teach offline church, with Heidi Campbell, BCNZ Christchurch, 70 Condell Ave, 28 July, 2007. More info here
And calling all on-line bloggers: what we are going to do is try to run this seminar on-line and off-line. Heidi’s notes will be placed on-line 24 hours before kickoff. We will also try to Skype her seminar and thus anyone in the world can ask questions via website. Could be a fun mixing of on-line and off-line, so pass it on.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
iGod in New Zealand
Just had an email from Heidi Campbell, who is a bit of an academic guru on internet and spirituality:
I am working on a project in how individuals involved in the emerging church discourse use and speak about new media in their ministries. I was wondering if you can recommend other people it might be good for me to connect with while I am in NZ. I will be in country for the entire month of July.
She is going to be with us in Christchurch Saturday July 27 for a interactive seminar on religion, internet and new media. If people around New Zealand want to connect with her, drop a comment.
And here is my initial list of links of individuals involved in the emerging church discourse in New Zealand who use new media in their ministries.
Cityside Baptist: check out their Stations of the cross and their Lenten files as a multimedia and internet resourced approach to Lent.
the kitchen: which includes an active blogroll and often posts interactive stuff on their website, like these Kingdom of God cards
In my Out of Bounds Church? book
Steve Garner is probably NZ’s leading academic in relation to technology and theology, while Tim Bulkeley leads the way on hypertext and the Bible (and built my first website last century).
Use of cellphones: for communion here and for benedictions here.
Blogs: lots of blogs by Christians. Some good blogrolls are maintained here (scroll down the left under Cession) and here and here
Videoblogging: discussion here around whether these videoblogs are becoming 3 minute theology
Blogs to enhance seminary learning: here
Podcasting the Bible: here
Who and what (in New Zealand) have I missed?
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
whats the internet point 2
NB. The post is not designed to induce guilt in any readers.
As an academic, I make my mark by writing and publishing. It’s called publish or perish. As a blogger, I live in an instant world, where yesterday’s post is old news. It’s called publish or persish. Academic publishing takes months and years. Blogging is instant.
(I am also a pastor, parent, partner, coffee drinker, but I will stick with the academic and blogger at the moment.)
Sometimes these values clash. For instance, late last year I delivered a paper on a postmodern monastery. It would shape up nicely into a journal article, but that might not be released until the end of 2004. Yet I mention on my blog that I had given the paper – on postmodern monasteries – and there are LOTS of requests for the paper. So do I go academic or go blogging? Academic writer vs blogger are in tension.
So I decide to make the paper I delivered a PDF, surround it by creative commons copyright and blog it. I decided to ask that if people downloaded it, they would offer some comments, sort of like tossing me a bone, sort of like fair trade. I wondered it this would resolve the tension between writer and blogger, because I can blog it, but if people give me feedback, that might improve the academic paper.
So I put the paper on postmodern monasteries on my blog, and asked for feedback.
My web stats tell me that over 120 people downloaded that PDF, while only 9 people commented.
Which sort of leaves me back at the drawing board. How to manage the book writing and the blogger instant demand? Which leaves me very unsure over what to do with my PhD on the emerging church once it is passed. There is a book there, but people want it instant.
I am yet to be convinced I can do both.
whats the internet point
I have wandered into another evangelical canon, over here. I am “pandering to pagans”, and “driven by culture”, and “same as the Catholics.” [Quite a mix really!]
So a complete stranger has got something off their chest by flaming me. It is so bizarre reading someone else’s interpretation of your website and realising how little you have in common. If there was some common ground we could probably start a dialogue and I could do some learning and growing. Instead, flaming the chaff results in a scorched earthed policy. Oh well, I hope they are feeling better.
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