Becoming #DigitalChristians is a class exploring the relationship Christianity has with Technology: how we got here, how it's changed us, and what we should be doing in the future.
Episode 2: Three Leaps
We'll look at the three technologies that have changed communication - and sharing the gospel - more than any others: Paper, Television, and Internet. Oh, and filmstrips.
5. #DIGITALCHRISTIANS
“All the believers were together and had everything in
common. They sold property and possessions to give to
anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet
together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes
and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God
and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to
their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:44 - 47
EPISODE 1: GROUND RULES 5
6. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 1: GROUND RULES
WHY THE TEMPLE COURTS??
▸ Old Testament ways were
put to death with Christ
▸ Home of the exact same
people who “killed” Jesus
▸ Building a coup in front of
the king
▸ Is this where to find new
converts?
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7. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 1: GROUND RULES
TODAY’S TEMPLE COURTS
▸ 87% of the United States
has internet access
▸ 1/7th of humanity is on
Facebook at least once a
month.
▸ 56% of Americans have a
social media profile
▸ 55% of Americans 45-54
have a social media profile
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10. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 1: GROUND RULES
BEGINNINGS
BIASES
BEHAVIORS
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In this class, we’ll discuss three major themes
How Christianity and Technology created the relationship they have today
How Technology changes our paradigm, particularly related to Christianity
What we should be doing, and why we should be doing it
15. #DIGITALCHRISTIANS
Guess the technology AND quote source:
“[This technology] is bigger than any story
it reports. It’s the greatest teaching tool
since the printing press.”
??????????
EPISODE 1: GROUND RULES 15
17. #DIGITALCHRISTIANS
Guess the technology AND quote source:
“[This technology] is becoming the town
square for the global village of tomorrow.”
??????????
EPISODE 1: GROUND RULES 17
19. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
FUN WITH QUOTATIONS
“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our
reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is
normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the
way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re
fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and
revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against
the natural order of things.”
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Douglas
Adams
21. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
MEDIA is not THE MEDIA
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▸ The Media: the collection of persons, companies and
outlets that create and distribute content
▸ Media: Two or more methods of communication
(plural of medium)
22. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
GOD CARES ABOUT MEDIA
▸ “These are the commands, decrees and laws the
Lord your God directed me to teach you to
observe in the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess…”
▸ “Talk about them when you sit at home and when
you walk along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on
your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:1, 7-9
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MESSAGE
MEDIUM
23. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
EARLY CHURCH MEDIA
▸ “Some six years later I was in my second year working with the
Central congregation in Houston as educational director. The
elders made a survey and found to their dismay that 200 of the
people in the church directory had not attended an assembly of
the church for two years.
All the elders and staff accepted assignments to visit these people
and see if they could be helped. When I visited the non-attenders
who were listed for me, I found that all of them were seriously
deficient in their knowledge of Jesus and His church. I decided
then to find some means of teaching prospects more thoroughly
so after they were baptized, they would remain faithful to the
Lord. This is how the idea for the filmstrips was born.
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24. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
EARLY CHURCH MEDIA
▸ “Some six years later I was in my second year
working with the Central congregation in
Houston as educational director. The elders
made a survey and found to their dismay that
200 of the people in the church directory had
not attended an assembly of the church for two
years.
All the elders and staff accepted assignments to
visit these people and see if they could be
helped. When I visited the non-attenders who
were listed for me, I found that all of them were
seriously deficient in their knowledge of Jesus
and His church. I decided then to find some
means of teaching prospects more thoroughly
so after they were baptized, they would remain
faithful to the Lord. This is how the idea for the
filmstrips was born.
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29. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LAYERS
THE ACCIDENT OF THE PRINTING PRESS
▸ “The competitive landscape doesn’t include silence on the
part of amateurs.”
▸ “The media landscape we had in the 20th century literally
can not stand the shock of inclusion we’re currently living
through.”
▸ “All of a sudden, everyone’s got a publishing voice.”
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32. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS 32
It used to be that, all you needed to win was a camera,
some lights, a phone number, and a big enough TV tower.
36. #DIGITALCHRISTIANSEPISODE 2: THREE LEAPS
LOOKING PEOPLE IN THE EYE, DIGITALLY
1. People online are still people. Even if they often don’t act
like it. Ok, usually don’t act like it.
2. People are still tuned into WIIFM: What’s In It For Me?
3. YOU are the medium for God’s message.
4. No one else will care unless you care about them first.
5. Look for something - anything - that will give you
CONNECTION.
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