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Technology For the Masses: Churches Going Hi-Tech
theodp writes "More and more, reports the Chicago Tribune, churches are embracing the use of tablets and smartphones during services. At Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, the Rev. Otis Moss III preaches from his iPad. 'There was a time in the church when the Gutenberg Bible was introduced,' notes early adopter Moss. 'There was a severe concern among ministers who were afraid the printed page would be such a distraction if you put it in the hands of people in worship.' Tech-savvy churchgoers are also on board. 'In the service, when they say to pull out Bibles, I pull that phone out,' Ted Allen Miller said of using his Android smartphone at Willow Creek Community Church."
FIRST POST FOR JESUS!
That's right bitches. Time to take it to the next level courtesy of the wizardry of a certain Steve Jobs. Keepin it real with an iPad
Attitudes about tech like this vary widely by denomination, and with some groups this is no surprise at all.
Many Evangelical and Pentecostal groups have been using tons of tech and trying to make church look like Vegas for decades.
If these were small town Baptists on the other hand, I'd be shocked.
Just like anything else, it's different so some people will find it weird or wrong in the beginning. Or assume you are looking at porn in service or some equally ridiculous claim. And the only reason this is even a story is because it involves churches which are often steeped in tradition and not generally the first to use tech, although that's really a church by church decision.
I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
It's funny how the same science which is great for developing an understanding of the principles behind all these useful pieces of technology is suddenly useless when it comes to explaining the principles behind the formation of the world.
...is that as more technology becomes available, the true believers seem MORE certain of their faith. I'm not sure if that is a result of the technology or just a shift in the way religions operate, but it seems like questioning your faith used to be considered a good thing and is now very much a bad thing.
Great warrior...hrmph! Wars not make one great.
I know this article will generate legions of flamewars and hostility. However, i would like to mention that belief in a God is not mutually exclusive with belief in science. Many religious worshipers don't think the world was literally created in 6 days, nor is 6000 years old, nor discard evolution.
This has no place on Slashdot. Anyone intelligent enough to be a member here does not worship a zombie god. We don't need articles about modern technology assisting in brainwashing the masses with nonsense.
Maybe we're all just really high tech, but my pastor has been using his laptop in services for ten or fifteen years. Rather than carrying a Bible and notepad, many of us in the congregation have been using laptops with Bible software for following along and note taking. One of the first things my wife did when she won an iPad was to get a Bible program and set up her note-taking system with it. Somehow I'm able to avoid the urge to check my email; I think in part because I have a close network of friends who won't hesitate to call me out if I'm goofing off.
Carrying a digital Bible has many advantages; quickly changing to another reference, access to different versions, cross referencing and Strongs lookups...I'd have trouble going back to paper.
I can tell you that the evangelicals down south have been doing this for years and years and years. I grew up being pointed to Blueletterbible.com too. (I was around 6 when we got AOL 2.0 or something, and around 12 when we got DSL; my dad was an early adopters).
It's funny, in retrospect, that these people couldn't figure out how basic biology functions and yet can manage to pump an image of a jumping and hollering preacher 40' in the air on an enormous projection screen. Hell, some of the churches we went to even had radio shows where they broadcasted the preacher's drivel worldwide.
The church has historically been an early adopter of mass communication technologies, the best example being the publication of the Gutenberg Bible which marked the start of the mass-produced book printing revolution. One Bible mobile app that I think is really notable is the YouVersion app (youversion.com): multiple translations, reading plans, bookmarks, notes, social networking; it has it all. An excellent example of a learning tool.
"We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
Swiping things and making gestures with your fingers can now be considered christianly behavior.
this strikes me as a bad idea... a big part of going to a church service in person has to be human interactions and I'd think all the tablets would get in the way.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
Fuck it.
'the printed page would be such a distraction if you put it in the hands of people in worship.'
Yup thinking for yourself is a terrible distraction, you just might learn something.
sense of security, like pockets jingling...
... never foresaw that religion would become the iPiate of the Masses...
Groucho Marx, on the other hand, embraced technology, although how it got in his pajamas we'll never know.
There is technology and organizations use that technology....How is this news?!
Someone from the pulpit pointed to me mid-sermon and asked me where my scriptures were. He had caught me looking at my PDA.
I held up my palm pilot, and continued reading the verses he was interested in us following.
He shook his head and said it was amazing that someone could hold the scriptures in such an itty bitty device, all those years ago.
Now, as I teach lessons at church, I'm "annoyed" because sometimes the kids are doing something OTHER than following the scriptures on their phones, and sharing it with others in the class.
I know that sometimes the word of God isn't the most enjoyable subject to be studying, but it's pretty disrespectful to be such a distraction during class.
Have you ever put any thought into.. If Jesus was born in Bethlehem then it should be Jewish or Muslin.
Churches could create an app that displays the relevant verses/other information at a given time so you don't have to search for them. It could be implemented either by using a wifi network or a predetermined schedule.
I would assume it was a Unitarian Universalist (UU), which is what I am. I remember going to Sunday School, learning about Noah’s arch, playing the evolution game, practicing medication, being taught how the brain works (The instructor brought in real human brain in formaldehyde – we were 9).
Theology and Science are two very important methods of thoughts – designed to asked different questions - Why are we hear and how things work.
UU are Existentialist in matters of faith. i.e. You personal belief (or non-belief) is based on your own personal experiences and not on external facts. And the best way to celebrate faith is to get together and explore it communally. That is, you believe in God because you have had a personal experience, not because Rabbi points to a burning bush while a priest point’s to a hole in the ground. As such there is a wide range belief. You can have people of Christen, Buddhist, Earth Centric, and Secular Humanism all in the same congregation.
Your comment about modern translations is also confused. The Jews have a taboo on the pronunciation of the Name in Hebrew. This is why Jews may cheerfully say "God forbid" or "from your mouth to God's ears" - the word "God" in English isn't forbidden. (and I wouldn't directly print even a transliteration of the name on Slashdot, despite being an agnostic.) The nonexistent word "Jehovah" arises precisely because pointed versions of Torah used to point the name with the vowels of Adonai to remind the reader to substitute Adonai instead, and insufficiently educated Christians thought that it was a real word.
The real problem with the laity reading the Bible without sufficient education turned out to be entirely justified. The fear was that, through lack of scholarship, they wouldn't understand what they were reading, and would start up deviant sects. The existence of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, which began in exactly such a way, makes the point. The really weird thing to my mind is the fundamentalist Evangelicals who combine the non-Biblical overemphasis on Jesus to which you (in my view correctly) allude, with a ridiculous misunderstanding of the way to understand Genesis.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
LifeChurch actually wrote one of the most popular Bible apps out there. My pastor at my church has started telling people to pull out their phones and tabletts for about a year now. I went with a friend to a very traditional church at one time, and the pastor there, in his 70s, was preaching from his phone. It's still the Bible, no matter what form it takes. The electronic form makes it easier to make notes, cross reference, post to Facebook and Twitter, look up stuff online, and easier to carry. I actually find myself reading it more as I can easily carry it with me in my phone. It is probably the greatest advancement to the Bible since the Guttenberg press, with the NIV and other translations being the second greatest advancement (which you can also get in the Bible apps)
An interesting observation. But it was not the established Church that adopted the Gutenberg Bible -- printing and reading the Bible in the local language was actually heavily resisted and forbidden by the established Church of the time.
Rather, communication technology like the Gutenberg Bible played a central role in the reformation of the Church. It allowed those dissatisfied with the established church to learn and organize for themselves, and establish a new church, the Protestant movement, that was more to their liking and better suited their needs.
What will be interesting to see is not so much how established churches adopt new technology, they are generally quite slow and resist such technology. Rather, it will be interesting to see if today's disruptive communication technologies enable people to start new movements to reform the church, or create a new church better suited to our times. You may read up on the Emerging Church Movement to get a taste of what that may be like.
I think we're misusing the word zombie here.
It's my understanding that a resurrection is a complete respawn with original stats.
I prefer NOT to use technology for most bible reading. At times it helps as I can look up things quicker, but, I often get distracted and do something else non-related. As a leader of youth (12-14 yr olds), I see lots of iPods and such. Yes, they have a bible app, but, they are also doing other things that are not related (texting, games, etc). I think each person needs to carefully weigh the pros and cons of using technology. For me, I'm much more productive using the printed bible.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has two official applications for smart phones. "Gospel Library" includes not only the Scriptures, but our hymnal, monthly magazines, and worship curriculum. The other application is a directory for the congregation - names, email addresses, phone numbers, and callings. It even includes a congregation calendar.
My biggest complaint is that currently only English content is available.
...of theists who actively deny science (evolution, global warming, complete lack of evidence of their favorite deity, etc.), yet they still get to use the fruits of all the technology derived from it.
I cringed when those ExxonMobil commercials came on during the Masters telecast... I mean, seriously - in a science test out of 31 countries, we came in 17th place?!?
I suppose Rick Santorum might think even that's too high; what else should you expect in a place where the intellectual bankruptcy of "intelligent" design is given equal weight in the classroom with evidence-based science?
I guess ipads arent just for looking smug and pretentious sitting in starbucks anymore where people go to sit and drink a 6 dollar coffee and browse facebook hoping people will think they are writing a novel just for the sake of being seeing using an ipad at starbucks. Now churchy people can go into church and show everyone that they to can spend money on a ipad.
Now they can strut it around church and say "Look at my ipad that can display a book written thousands of years ago that has been re-written and rewritten and rewritten, then revised by kings, then re-re-re-rewritten again by the church, then rewritten and rewritten and rewritten, then changed by the pope, then rewrriten again and all based on stories that happened hundreds of years after they happened by people who couldnt read or write"
Filling pews with them is a not-insignificant expense. Perhaps it might be cheaper to access them online. Or add a geek factor by tying the e-hymnal to a MIDI church organ for a follow the bouncing ball sing-along.
Dear Jesus in heaven, thank you for giving America the brilliance to design (in California) such a wonderous device. Thank you for giving us the cunning to use filthy brown savages in the east to bring such a wonder to the (unwashed) masses at such a low price point. Please bless our heathen slaves understand that their lives are unimportant in the big picture...even more now that we're using iPad to glority You (we always intended to...it's just the fucking Bible apps are so tedious to write). I, pastor Doston, being of sound (right wing conservative) mind, promise never to use this device to download Grindr and seek out M2M action at rest stops and never to browse gay personals looking for that which I (oddly) RAIL against to my flock each Sunday. Please grant me the courage and to only use the toilet at any rest stops I may come across, the strength to hold the iPad and my shameful member at the same time and the wisdom to know the difference between a fellow worshiper and an undercover cop. Jesus, most important of all, grant me the ability to continue everything I do and still call myself a good Christian. Amen.
Friends of mine were reading their bible and taking notes on an a handheld electronic device since the Palm Pilot was introduced in 1997. My congregation has been posting sermons online since 1998. Kindles and iPads are very common among my congregation these days, although the latter is primarily used by the children to play games before they're dismissed to their classes.
Modern American churches have latched onto the latest in communication technology for many decades. Think, "Amy Semple McPherson".
Often this is done without a lot of reflection on effect and appropriateness.
I'd recommend the work of T. David Gordon, on media ecology. His lectures here (Reformed Worship in the Electronic Age) on the subject are quite good, though I think he gets some aspects of chirographic culture wrong.
(And if I never see another Powerpoint presentation in a service of worship again, I'll be most happy.)
After 3000+ years, religion has finally finished with hides, scrolls, codices and books, and moved back to tablets?
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
I came here hoping for some lame puns, witty observations, and amusing church technofail anecdotes. Instead it's all rage, so I'll try to make with the funny.
I was writing down a song in powerpoint for use with the church's overhead projector. When a stanza was repeated, I would just put " x2" at the end of it, to save time and space. Like "Oh happy day x2". Well for the last verse of this song, you don't sing any words, you just sing the melody as "la la la". I wasn't thinking clearly, so when they got to that verse, they saw the phrase "La x47". This wouldn't have been such a big deal if the sermon hadn't been about laziness. There were some programmers there too, and I caught them counting to make sure I had the number right!
For the entire service I felt like Ned Flanders when Reverend Lovejoy was preaching a sermon titled "What Ned Did".
I think its over generalizing to depict extreme examples of Christianity that you learned about in the media. Irregardless of the flamewar in this thread, lets return to the topic at hand. Its the use of technology in congregation. While I believe we all have a right to worship how we see fit (and if you choose not to, that's your choice) lets put this in another context. If you were in an assembled group of people for anything, be it a conference, some work related function, or even church, do you not think that technology has the ability to detract the attention span? Here you are with the boss, leader, or pastor presenting some sales pitch, training or sermon. While technology could be great at delivering visual aides and helping you reference things, it can also hinder your ability because you are shifting your attention and have the capability to become distracted. I can see some advantage in using technology to supplement a teaching, but I feel like you need balance to make that human connection.
I am absolutely in agreement with you on the doctrine of the Trinity; it isn't to be found in the Bible but is an accretion as the early Church become the State religion of the Roman Empire, in both Eastern and Western flavors.
Where I disagree is that you have a very simplistic view of the history of the Churches. Your idea that " its history is rife with individuals trying to make their church more popular by blending in local non christian concepts, softening the tone of unpopular language, and removing or changing phrases that might offend" applies to the early Church and much missionary activity in Africa, but is a complete misrepresentation of the actual mainstream history of the Church, which has been trying to get back to a more authentic Christianity in many variants for a long time, from the Irish Church in the Dark Ages through the Cathars and the mainstream Protestants, along with renewal in the Catholic Church itself (the Reformation and Liberation Theology.) The simple fact that attempts at Catholic renewal have largely failed, so that the present Pope looks backwards to the Roman Empire rather than forwards, doesn't mean that there are not many Catholics who privately side with Hans Kung, for instance.
Unless you have studied the historic background in real depth - and I haven't, I am no expert - it is a great mistake to pontificate about the origins and development of Christianity. The Bible may be wrong in many respects about factual matters, but it has a significant impact on world affairs right down to the election of American politicians. It needs to be recognised for what it is: a very dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. I forget who said it, but there is a saying that the calibre of big ideas is more important even than the calibre of big guns.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
FWIW, the third level spell is Animate Dead.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I started using a bible "app" on my Palm III back in 1998. Granted, I had to pay an exorbitant amount of money to double the internal memory to install them.
As a former Pastor, I was utilizing a Fujitsu Tablet-PC running XP to do the same things referenced in this article around 2002. (Even had the hymns and liturgy in PDF format, as well as sermon, and a separate Bible program.)
The only 'new' thing is that the technology is now dumbed-down enough for anybody to do it. (Which is cool, but doesn't strike me as 'early adoption' in any way.)
Your comment, and the article you cite, should rate as insightful, and you have put it most succinctly. At the very least, the educated tend to think more deeply about why and how things are as they are, and to consult more widely. They also may well feel more strongly about ideas than the uneducated.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Thank you for that, it appears that the one I attend may be one of these (WSCC). Here's a link for the lazy to what wikipedia says about the "emergent church" -- which I'd not heard of. So thank you again for expansing my knowledge.
Free Martian Whores!
>adults with imaginary friends
The Rev. Landon Whitsett, Vice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) preaches from his iPad. I've seen him do it. Fantastic!
Putting scriptures on an tablet/phone is just the beginning (no, not the beginning in Genesis 1:1). The faith to which I subscribe uses the web for record keeping, congregation member and leadership directories, calendaring, live video streaming of worldwide services, social networking, etc. (www.lds.org) It also uses crowd sourcing for various projects. Most articles on our website contain posting links to Facebook, g+, Delicious, and Twitter. We have a YouTube channel. We even have a site dedicated to technology projects with active users who are both professionals (paid) and volunteers - tech.lds.org. In relation to the article, our canon of scripture, as well as monthly magazines and teaching manuals, have been published on iPhone/Pad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm, WP7, and webOS. *steps down from soapbox*
Religion, just like any other organization, has a lot to gain from using technology wisely.
Thanks for the reply. I'm curious, do you attend church at a Sports Car Club? Or is the link wrong?
Weren't they the ones that Moses brought down from Mt Sinai?
(Thank you, I'm here 'til Thursday).
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
The link was wrong, sorry, here's the correct one.
Free Martian Whores!