AAR Meeting Book Display

AAR Meeting Book Display

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Interview with Paul Edwards

http://www.faithtalk1500.com/podcasts/podcasting_localhost.aspx?localhost=9

Yesterday I was interviewed by Paul Edwards, on the Paul Edwards Show out of Detroit. You can listen to the podcast of it here. Just click on the Oct 25 podcast. You will find my segment about 25 minutes into the program. Paul did a great job of interviewing, keeping the conversation rolling and asking some great questions. Thanks Paul!
At one point he asked if we need to do away with the 11:00 AM traditional Sunday church service all-together. I answered No, as long as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, then there will be cause to gather together on Sunday morning. But it's still a good question. We should always have a reason for doing what we do. When we can no longer articulate a reason for going through the motions of church, for going to church on Sunday, then we know that our tradition has become a hollow shell.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Nov 7th event

Sunday, November 7, 4:00-5:00, at Lillington Baptist Church, 210 W. Lofton St. in Lillington I will introduce THEOLOGY REMIXED: CHRISTIANITY AS STORY, GAME, LANGUAGE, CULTURE, I will talk about the book and be available for book-signing. Reception and refreshments to follow.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

PreOrder

Breaking News in the world of theology!
40% discount on pre-orders of THEOLOGY REMIXED from InterVarsity Press. Offer expires Oct 30th.
Call 1-800-843-9487 or go to ivpress.com and use the following source code: 506-279

Only $12.00!

THEOLOGY REMIXED will be released in November. Exciting!

I'm not sure this advertisement counts as a legitimate entry in a theology blog site, but oh well...

Here is the latest blurb on the book by Campbell University: http://www.campbell.edu/news/item/campbell-professor-shakes-up-theology-in-new-book

Friday, October 1, 2010

Earbuds and blogsites

Starting, just yesterday, my first blogsite, I have already begun to think about the effects on theology if it is done on the platform of a blog. How does technology help and hinder the work of theology? 
There can be no hard and fast rules. Consider the iPod, “the most familiar, and certainly the most desirable, new object of the twenty-first century.”[1] Apple’s personal music gizmo, was announced in October of 2001, just one month after the September 11 attacks that brought down the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. Since then, the pocket-sized MP3 player has become a trendy success, both economically and technologically. Surely the introduction and proliferation of the iPod must register some effect on society, but what? Is it the popularization of musical eclecticism, the privatization of musical experience, or the deterioration of opportunities for interpersonal exchange (if everyone in public is preoccupied with the sounds coming through their earbuds, who will be available to entertain conversation)? Or is this just a new-fangled gadget, with no real import for anything beyond itself?
The example of the iPod goes to show the difficulty of measuring the effects of something new (in this case, technology) on a society. As Christian disciples and communities strive to stay faithful to the Bible and to the true worship of God, we will have to interact with, use, and sometimes distance ourselves from different facets of our culture. Christians of ages past had to negotiate the movie theater, alcohol, playing cards, and the like. In our generation, the iPod and Facebook present their own unique challenges.
The real question has nothing to do with restoring some lost utopia or sealing Christians off from the world in a “Christian culture” bubble. The real question is: how should those who claim Christian identity participate in every sphere of life? We all have multiple allegiances, multiple affiliations – social, familial, political, national, economic, and so on. How should we deal, as Christians, with competing allegiances and cultures? These are real questions. …


[1] Alan Jacobs, “Present at the Creation: Review of The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness, by Steven Levy,” Christianity Today.com (October 24, 2006), www.christianitytoday.com/books/features/bookwk/061023.html.