I am reading a book called Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps about how the message of Jesus IS changed by the methods we utilize. It is a fascinating book that is rocking my perspective on teaching and technology. Shane tells the story of sharing the Gospel message to his friend John.
"At one point in the conversation John said, "I don't get it. Why do I need to believe in Jesus to go to heaven?" Taking a page from "The Four Spiritual Laws," I offered what I understood as the most succinct answer to this question: "Well, there is a huge gap between us and God because of our sin, so God sent Jesus to bridge the gap for us." Having established this, I prepared for the typical follow-up question like, "But how did Jesus accomplish this?"
"The question never came."
"Instead, John responded by saying, "I don't think there is any gap between me and God, so I guess I don't need Jesus."
"I wasn't prepared for that, but I pressed on. I informed John that the Bible tells us there is a gap between us and God. He cordially responded, "I realize that, but the Bible is your authority. Don't get me wrong; I think that's cool. It's just not my authority." Over the course of the conversation I emptied my arsenal of apologetic munitions on him - C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, Bill Hybles. He was polite, but none of it stuck. It was like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall."
"I began to realize that I had all the answers to the questions no one was asking."
Shane goes on to describe how technology changes the way we think. He shares about the telegraph bringing a new viewpoint of life and truth into the world. Enter then the current phase of the World Wide Web and now ideas, images, and versions of truth are presented. Shane writes: "As the telegraph wrapped the world in a web of wires, it began to whisper a new subliminal message: Truth itself must be a lot like information. The idea of 'Truth' becomes 'entirely idiosyncratic; history is irrelevant; there is no rational basis for valuing one thing over another.' Because our thinking mirrors the pattern of media, eventually we find it only natural to deny the existence of absolute Truth, an overarching story that organizes and makes sense of all other truths."
"As a result, authority, truth, and meaning become difficult to discover and establish with clarity or certainty. Doubts trickle in, and we find the notion of a single grand story that unifies everything to be absurd and even arrogant. In this sense, the telegraph tapped out the obituary of absolute Truth and created the conditions necessary to usher in the postmodern age."
The believer today seeking to bring his friend to Christ is challenged in ways we have never experienced before. We must overwhelm them with a godly love and friendship that they do not see or experience anywhere else. That is what will rattle and shake their worlds and ideology...making them open to see the need for a Savior.
Read the book. It will open your eyes. Obviously, look again at Jesus and fall in love with him all over again.
Any thoughts on the above material?
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