Kevin McKenna, technology editor at the NY Times, answers readers’ questions about computers, technology and the future. He notes that digital technology, and especially the Internet, will continue to change many dimensions of everyday life including the way we get our information, shop, get medical care, buy homes, form relationships, practice democracy, etc. The Internet’s impact (intended or incidental) cannot be underestimated.
Pastors, churches and even denominations are realizing the value of online technology and are broadening the scope of not only their web presence but also what their sites can accomplish. What used to be essentially a traditional Yellow Pages (that is “church finder”) is quickly evolving into a usable portal that offers users variety in terms of the information a site can provide and the options for user interaction.
Over the next many months individual Internet use will continue its ubiquitous spread. For Christians daily use might include accessing Bible Gateway each morning rather than a print Bible as a simple way to achieve daily devotions. Listening to a pod cast of a favorite pastor at our desk in the office is followed that afternoon by checking in with an accountability/support group via blog for today’s prayer requests. Evenings are spent evangelizing in online chat rooms or studying a teaching topic of interest. This is a typical wired day.
Kevin McKenna, however, recommends we begin to shift our focus off wired tech and onto the growing impact of mobile technology -
new kinds of wireless applications, the spread of high-speed wireless Internet connections, the growth of hand- held video, etc. WiFi development will ultimately transform our culture and have dramatic effects on all social institutions, including the Church. Any future thinkers want to comment as to how?
