We have this notion that churches are dingy institutions and that poverty is equated to holiness. I do not want to denounce anyone’s faith if he or she believes in that, but I just want to tell you, that churches actually benefit from the use of gadgets, too.
This is a clip from Victory Christian Fellowship, a growing church in Manila, which is part of Every Nation, a worldwide organization of churches. This is a meeting of their pastors wherein they were trying out the Wii, as there is a Wii contest which will be held in their upcoming World Conference on the 20th-22nd of July.
Now enough about the church, and onto the gadgets.
See in the video that there were at least three white Macbooks. I think that there was another Macbook up at the center table, but the video wasn’t that clear.
So are we seeing the next generation of Christian churches? In America, there are “mega-churches” like Joel Osteen’s, and there is this nifty church website that my friend and I found: Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In the site, you can access podcasts of their sermons, even sermon notes, service programs, and even sermon videos. Other Christian ministers also distribute podcasts all over the Internet. iTunes carries a number of Christian ministers in its podcast repository dedicated to Religious fare.
Even Internet Radio hasn’t been left untouched by Christians bent on spreading the Word to the ends of the earth. My favorites are The Well Network on Live365, and CMRadio.net, which I had also discovered on iTunes. Check out their The Light station. Not too noisy as in Christian Metal, and neither is it the Gospel music that I just can’t relate to. Some of the selections on The Light are even better-sounding than the stuff Rihanna, Nelly Furtado, and the other mainstream artists put out. It’s amazing how Christian music has evolved. The Well Network is more of uplifting music interspersed with words from the Bible and faith declarations and encouraging prayers, or, to the growing believer, prophetic declarations.
There are so many devotional resources out there on the Internet for the person who really wants to get to know Jesus and find out what is so special about Him. There are even websites dedicated to the Moslem who wants to know the truth about Christ.
So why is the Gospel being sown even on the Internet? Simple. Because the Internet is viral, and it is the one medium that can propagate the Word on a wide-scale basis, with little participation on the sower.
In the “real world,” technology has been a great help. With people feeling uncomfortable in the musty, humid air of the churches of old, air-conditioning has been a help in keeping those who want to concentrate on listening to the Word of God focused on the Word and not on how hot it is and how they really want to go home. Technology has been a great help in teaching the congregations the songs being sung. With projectors flashing the lyrics, and the sermons’ main points being flashed also, things have become easier and more attractive to the new believers.
But over and beyond the pomp and splendor of technology being utilized by the Christian church, there are a few lessons to be learned:
-Our God is a BIG God who, out of His vast riches, can provide over and beyond our needs.
-Material things should not become a god, but they can be used for God’s purposes.
-Technology need not be something to be scared of, for old-school pastors and preachers out there. It
can be used for God!
Spirituality should be balanced by practicality, resourcefulness and strategy. The Rock, the Thread, the Life, and the Alpha and Omega of the Christian Church should be Jesus Christ, and all these things should be used in accordance with honoring Him. The important part for the Christian sowers of the seed of the Word is to introduce Jesus, develop relationships with the people they are to reach out to, and help them develop a relationship with Christ. Gadgets are a great help, but they are definitely no substitute for holding a troubled one’s hand, giving a hug, and saying a prayer to encourage. But to answer the question posed by the title: “Christian Churches and Technology: Are they Compatible?” the answer is a resounding YES. If it weren’t, Christianster won’t be that successful. :p