Comments on: Obama, Community, and Technology

By: Show and Tell: Links of the Week for 1/31/10 | thejakers

Show and Tell: Links of the Week for 1/31/10 | thejakers — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:56:50 +0000

[...] post by Timmy Brister on Obama and the privatization of religion through technology. Yes, they’re [...]

By: Pastor Dave Bissett

Pastor Dave Bissett — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:35:52 +0000

For what it’s worth — a brother who knows the Chaplain at CAMP DAVID, says the Obama family has always attended services there when at the camp — which is quite often.

The larger question about participation is good — for regular attendance at corporate worship, and times of teaching & fellowship, are vital to living the Christian life. I can hardly believe that a (willing) long-term, non-attender has a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I base this on first on John 15, then teh broader metaphors about the nature of the body of Christ.

By: Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e103v2

Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e103v2 — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:23:11 +0000

[...] The President and the e-Church phenomena. [...]

By: SteveM

SteveM — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:50:15 +0000

What about the police officer, firefighter, military member overseas in a war zone, or simply the blue collar factory worker who is not able to attend and be part of a local fellowship due to work obligations? I have worked in law enforcement for a little over ten years and this has been the case for most of my career. I desire nothing more than to be part of a local body. I pray almost daily about this situation but the majority of churches in my area have only Sunday morning worship. I went to the leadership of my previous church and asked them to start a Saturday evening or Sunday evening worship service and they showed no interest. At least the Catholics care enough about their members to insure there are a variety of times when their people can attend church (which does not mean I am giving credibility to Catholicsm). Some people are quick to judge others. I love the Lord and long to be in fellowship with His people.

By: Benji Ramsaur

Benji Ramsaur — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:43:15 +0000

“Is it possible to be a faithful Christian without regularly participating in biblical community? Why or why not?”

I can think of three possible reasons why it would be:

1. There are no Christian churches around.
2. There are only apostate [and thus so called] Christian churches around.
3. The only legitimate Christian churches around would make one sign a confession [in order to become a member] that contained content that one could not sign in good conscience.

When it comes to #3, I suppose a Christian could “show up” [and that might be his best option], but would not be able to become an official member.

By: zachmabry

zachmabry — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:04:31 +0000

In short, no it’s not possible. Unless it is impossible. The folks I think of when I say this are our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith in such a way that they cannot meet with each other. I think of people like Richard Wurmbrand or more recently Gao Zhisheng who have been imprisioned and totally isolated from other believers. They have been completely cut off from the community and I believe are supernaturally sustained. However this is not the way we were created. We were created for community with each other. And try as we might we cannot effectively replicate real-life community through the use of technology. I think that Marshall McLuhan was right when he said that the “medium is the message”. The medium we use to communicate automatically determines the depth to which we relate. If we do forsake the gathering together of ourselves the depths of our relationships will get continually more shallow. The internet, Blackberries, iPhones, and Twitter only create a pseudo intimacy that deceives us into thinking that we’re closer than we are.

By: Another One of Those Responses « AntoineRJWright.com – Temp V.1

Another One of Those Responses « AntoineRJWright.com – Temp V.1 — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:16:20 +0000

[...] is the case with this post (Obama, Community, and Technology) which was forwarded to me through a brother-in-Christ at Twitter. There’s more on this I [...]

By: ARJWright

ARJWright — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:01:38 +0000

Was just pointed to this via a friend over at Twitter – someone I’ve never met in person but would totally define the friendship as that of a brother in Christ.

Also, my mobile phone is my laptop, phone, music player, cable box, camera, etc., so my use is a bit closer to Obama’s in some cases.

To your question:
Is it possible to be a faithful Christian without regularly participating in biblical community? Why or why not?

If you are defining biblical community as “a fitting of like-minded, believers who are accountable to one another and utilize their relationship with one another to bolster their relationship with God and community” then the technology doesn’t matter at all. It is as its always been, a window towards intimacy.

What the article that you quote doesn’t, or cannot, get into is the depth of Obama’s relationship to those people whom he does remain accountable with. Nor can we, despite media’s ability to figure out such things, determine who and how often he engages within accountable fellowship – sorry, we just don’t get that lens into his or anyone’s life.

A faithful Christian is and has always been one who devotes their life to God through believing on Jesus Christ and this faith becomes manifested in the love and depth of relationships they forge with persons around them (the 2 greatest commandments). How they forge these relationships should never come into question – because if we are going to use the oft quoted “forsake not the gathering…” verse, then we need to understand that it was that they were denying accountability with the Body, not forging it through a different lens.

As a tool, mobile and web allow *some* people to maintain intimate relationships that would otherwise not be possible. These tools also allow people to find their way towards God where traditional media and methods have not been so successful. The implications of self-seeking with web and mobile have yet to be determined, but its probably going to be something along the lines of another revolution for the Body. This can only be assessed when the mobile and web have met their plateau – not when those persons to whom the tool isn’t native ascribe former methods to them. Assessment has always been done in this wise of every biblical trend.

If we want to foster biblical community, then we need to teach accurately the implications of the tools used and the culture lived – both of these are changing drastically from former generations. Biblical community, as I defined above, hasn’t changed in definition, only in how its being lived out. This is natural for the faith (its not always been orthodox), and will be continual until Jesus returns.

By the way, I also run the website Mobile Ministry Magazine (mobileministrymagazine.com). It makes a lot of sense to understand the intersection of faith and mobile tech… its something the Body should do more often for everything that intersects with this beautiful faith.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:41:15 +0000

Recently I preached a series of sermons on community which generated significant backlash. The only thing to which I can attribute the stunning response was that the individualistic, pietistic, gnostic Christianity (if can be called that) that is prevalent in our culture can stand very little talk of biblical community. The blackberry is symptomatic of the phenomenon, in my view. How can biblical one-anothering happen in a meaningful way without face-to-face contact, and in 160 characters or fewer?

Seems our president truly is leading the way after all.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:52:32 +0000

Church is not made of wood and stone. The Body of Christ is made of ‘lively stones. Only God knows President Obama’s heart…or any heart.

1co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

2co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We depend way to heavily on tradition.

Good post. Thanks.