{"id":11188,"date":"2017-01-26T07:27:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T15:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dminlgp.com\/?p=11188"},"modified":"2017-01-26T07:27:31","modified_gmt":"2017-01-26T15:27:31","slug":"can-we-could-we-should-we","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/can-we-could-we-should-we\/","title":{"rendered":"Can We, Could We, Should We?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In Stephen Garner and Heidi Campbell\u2019s fascinating book, Network Theology: Negotiating Faith in a Digital Culture, <\/em>the authors brilliantly discuss how Christians need to reflect on technological advances and consume these advances with a theological framework.\u00a0 In five concise and structured chapters, the authors aim to influence readers in the development of a theology of \u201cnew media.\u201d<\/p>\n

REFLECTION<\/p>\n

As stated in the introduction, \u201cNetwork Theology thus highlights and analyzes how religion is practiced both online and offline in our information-based society and shows the digital practices and innovations in religion online often point toward larger cultural shifts in how faith is perceived and shaped offline (p.14).\u201d<\/p>\n

As an undergirding principle, technology exists for the \u201cattainment of specific goals (p.21).\u201d\u00a0 The authors do understand that these are not the only goals for technology, but they are primary.\u00a0 For instance, a computer can be used to make life easier, more efficient and more organized.\u00a0 The authors point out that the printing press of the 16th<\/sup> century was used to spread knowledge.\u00a0 Technology always advances because it is helping humans reach a practical need whether it is work or pleasure.<\/p>\n

While reading this book, I found myself writing on almost every page one simple question that I think should shape our theology when it comes to technology.\u00a0 It is not a question of \u201ccould we.\u201d\u00a0 Man has proven quite capable to achieve the unthinkable in so many ways.\u00a0 No, the question for the theologian is \u201cshould we.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let me break it down simpler.\u00a0 When the arrival of video church campuses roared to the forefront of Christendom, many adopted the process.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, I worked at a church that adopted the video campus model.\u00a0 While we looked at the technology to make it work, and we worked on systems to streamline the process, we never met to discuss whether we should do this from a theological perspective.\u00a0 Now, please do not misunderstand me.\u00a0 I am not saying the issue is wrong or right.\u00a0 I am simply saying that in my context, we never asked the question.\u00a0 We never asked and wrestled with the implications it had on discipleship.\u00a0 We never researched if it would ruin community.\u00a0 We never contemplated whether we were conditioning our people to be attached to a screen rather than a body.\u00a0 All of these are \u201cshould questions.\u201d\u00a0 They have real implications, and we this must be a theologians starting point as it contemplates technological shifts.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/p>\n

While Google and other entities explore the realms of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and use new virtual technologies, they often times are not exploring the \u201cshould,\u201d but rather they are focusing on the \u201ccould.\u201d\u00a0 They are companies that push the technological limits without always understanding the ethical implications.\u00a0 It is the role of the church, pastors, and theologians to have a voice in this arena asking the ethical question of \u201cshould we.\u201d As Garner and Campbell would say, \u201cA networked theology requires that Christians think deeply about technology and media, and not just as tools to be used or put aside.\u00a0 We are, rather, to think about the values, inherent character, and environments created by technology and media as wider socio-technological systems.\u00a0 Networked theology confronts us with the question of what it means to love God and love neighbor in such a world (p. 147).\u201d\u00a0 In other words, our responsibility as Christians is to think more about the \u201cshould we\u201d questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Stephen Garner and Heidi Campbell\u2019s fascinating book, Network Theology: Negotiating Faith in a Digital Culture, the authors brilliantly discuss how Christians need to reflect on technological advances and consume these advances with a theological framework.\u00a0 In five concise and structured chapters, the authors aim to influence readers in the development of a theology of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[790,13],"class_list":["post-11188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-campell","tag-garner","cohort-lgp6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11188\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}