The Great Commission in a High Tech Society
By
Sean Herriott
OK,
I’ll admit it—I’m a gadget junkie. If
it’s out there, and it promises to revolutionize my life in some spectacular,
if non-specific, way, I’m all over it. Specifically,
I belong to a subcategory of the gadget-obsessed that is no long interested in
whether the device in question makes julienne fries.
I am a self-professed, unashamed techno-geek.
I own two personal computers, two handheld PDA (personal digital
assistant) devices, a digital camera, and an internet-enabled cellular phone. I am fervently hoping to see a DVD player under the Christmas
tree this year. The cable company
delivers digital cable TV, digital phone service, and high-speed internet, and
just about every room is wired for some electronic device or other.
I
come by it honestly, I suppose; my dad bought a Radio Shack personal computer
back when I was in grade school, one of the first ever available for home use.
It had a whopping 4k of RAM, a cassette tape drive, and was of no
practical use whatsoever. I’m sorry dad isn’t around for the internet revolution
that has truly made this the Information Age.
He and I would have been e-mailing each other stuff like crazy.
It’s not just about the gadgets (although I’d be less than candid if
I said I didn’t enjoy them); it’s about information.
My phone allows me to make business calls, and connect with my wife, no
matter where I happen to be. My PDA
keeps me more organized than I ever thought possible, and actually allows me to
have everything from current news and movie times to magazines and books (not to
mention my address book, to-do list, and memo pad) in something that easily fits
in my pocket.
The
world is getting smaller by the minute, as just about anyone is able to talk to
anyone else anywhere, anytime. International
boundaries are stymied by internet connections, as are rules of commerce, civil
and criminal law, and the FCC. It’s
a brave new world of information, commerce, and e-predators of every
description. Whether you’re looking for a Bible study or contraband
pornography, it’s out there for the taking, and most of it’s free.
The Christian community, like the world at large, is trying to figure out
how to respond to a brand-new medium that is unlike any other in the history of
man.
The
earliest recorded history comes to us in the form of stories passed orally from
one generation to the next, most of which were eventually written down.
The invention of the printing press, the radio, television, and film have
expanded our options and made information accessible to most people (at least in
the western hemisphere), but the basic function of each has been the same.
Until now, media have been driven by the providers, who offer us material
to read, watch, or hear. Television
and radio have channel selectors and off switches; newspapers and magazines can
be read or ignored. In every case,
however, the consumer’s only real choice is whether to consume the information
being offered. The internet offers
true interactivity, first in the form of message boards and e-mail, and now in
the form of information that is customized to the user.
Browsing the web, I don’t have to wait until there’s something on I
want to see; I can go out and find the information I want, pick and choose small
bits and pieces from a dozen different web sites, and create an experience
unique to my interests. If I choose, I can engage in message boards, live chat,
instant messages, and a myriad of emerging methods of connecting with real
people, often in real time. Of all
the media that have been developed, the internet is the only one that is truly
interactive, and the only one controlled by the user.
The
fact that you’re reading this article, available only online, means that you
are engaged, at this moment, in the process I’ve just described.
Whether we are a regular stop on your information superhighway, or
you’ve only just found us, you’re in the process of discovering and refining
the options available to you; whether you read on or move along to something
else, you’re in control of what you see, hear and experience online.
Believers
have seen the impact this technology can have in terms of the great commission.
While not a substitute for true human interaction, a medium that is
instantly accessible to anyone, anywhere, makes going into all the world a whole
lot easier. Like the rest of the
world, the Christian community is trying to figure out what a networked,
computerized world will ultimately look like, and how we’re all going to fit
into it. A couple things to keep in
mind: