El calentamiento del planeta

Quizás la declaración bíblica más elocuente de la relación que existe entre los seres humanos y nuestro planeta es el hecho de que el hombre fue hecho de tierra. Aquí vivimos y compartimos minuto a minuto la misma suerte. Lo que hacemos repercute en la tierra y lo que le pasa a la tierra golpea nuestra vida. Desde el principio la vieja historia bíblica nos advierte sobre el deber de vivir responsablemente en este planeta que Dios nos ha encargado. La siguiente presentación muestra fotos de una granizada sin presedentes en la ciudad de Bogotá, Colombia, atribuida por varios científicos a los cambios climáticos relacionados con el calentamiento del planeta, fenómeno estrechamente relacionado con los patrones del comportamiento de las sociedades modernas. La granizada cayó el pasado cuatro de Noviembre.

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Is There Potential?

This slide presentation shows how the growth of Internet usage, the economics of this market and the rapid development of technology present an exceptional opportunity for Web Evangelism. Can we do any thing other that proactively seize it?

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El manejo de un proyecto

Desde la elaboración de un plan de trabajo amplio a largo plazo hasta el manejo sencillo de una pequeña actividad, en la obra del Señor uno se enfrenta muchas veces con la necesidad de organizar, proyectar, dirigir y administrar lugares, personas y recursos para lograr ciertos objetivos. La Biblia enseña que Dios les ha dado a los miembros de la iglesia diversos dones. Por eso seguramente no faltarán en cada congregación cristianos bien equipados para manejar los proyectos que se van presentando. Lo mejor que puede hacer un predicador, es potenciar lo más pronto posible el trabajo de estos hermanos en su respectiva área y encomendarlos a la dirección de Dios. Sin embargo, a manera de introducción, el siguiente video ilustra los aspectos básicos que se deben tomar en cuenta en la planeación y dirección de un proyecto.

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Internet Evangelism – The Basics

This presentation shows the connection between traditional and Internet evangelism. Please help us expand this concept by writing your questions or remarks. You can open the comments box  just by clicking on the word “comments” at the b0ttom of this blog.

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Metamorphosis and Internet Evangelism by Antonio Acosta.

Some of the changes (Metamorphosis) occurring around us are very transparent and can be easily observed and analyzed. The concept of the so called “technological changes” is relative to people’s perspective. Some of the things a group of people would consider new are just normal for many others. My 3 year old, for example, flips the channels over our HD TV, plays with her toy-laptop (which can do math and word games, and much more), and later in the evening places a DVD into a portable DVD player, skips to the track she wants to see, and even in some cases changes the language from English to Spanish; all by herself.

My 60 years old father, who lives in Mexico and not too long ago was an elementary school teacher, now leads a team of engineers installing computers and internet access via satellite link in all the elementary and middle schools, as part of a government initiative to keep up with technology. This, however, is nothing new for the school kids who, in most cases, are wondering what took the school administration so long.  

Here in Dallas, Texas my father in law gave me a demo on the way he’s taking classes via Video Teleconferences. He is so familiar with the equipment that it took him about 30 seconds to turn it on, get a link, and explain and show me, in simple words, all the things you can do in class. He is 50 years old.

I’m 38 years old. Some will say I am young (all of them close friends… very close friends). Most will say, very politely, that I’m a grown up man. I work with computers. If you pay attention to this last phrase, it doesn’t give you any specifics. Why? Because everybody works with computers, these days. It is such a common term. So is the internet; and very soon, internet TV. TV and internet will become one, and, of course, radio will also be right there; and so on.

Most of the changes surrounding technology are transparent. They occur so fast and are so intuitive, because they try to mirror our way of looking at things, so they’re easy to adapt. How many people can you persuade to read a book? How many more people can you persuade to watch a movie?

The internet capabilities are growing at such a fast pace that if it has not caught up with you yet, it will, very soon. If we consider all this, we have to admit that evangelism through the internet is here and, as Christians, we have to take it seriously and, most important, take full advantage of it, especially if you firmly believe that this opportunity comes from God.

You will hear different stories from people. Some will support the idea, some will not. But the facts will continue to show every day: It has happened so many times during our time on this earth, it makes it look predictable. But at the same time it presents a challenge. We have to decide whether we face it or not. However, our decision will not stop other ideas to appear in the often called Information Highway.Think about it for a second, as a Christian. If someone asked you to write something on a public board full of messages, what would you write? Would you post a message related to the good news that Jesus Christ brought to this world? Or would you just look at the board and post nothing?

Antonio Acosta.

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Evangelism and the practical demonstration of love

In the parable “The Good Samaritan” Jesus explained that practical demonstration of love, which consists of serving those in need, is at the center of God’s will for his people. The following links are examples of secular inicitives to do good to others over the Internet

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Electronic Evangelism by Glenn Rogers

 

            For electronic evangelism to be effective, five factors must be kept in mind. 

First, the content and approach must be directed toward the people who utilize the internet—younger people. 

            Second, the approach and style must be conversational, not preachy.  Younger people who think and live life from a postmodern perspective prefer a discussion format.  They want to ask questions and exchange ideas in a low-key, open-minded atmosphere of dialog. 

            Third, the content must involve matters that younger people consider relevant to their needs and lives.  What mature believers consider relevant and what younger people who do not yet enjoy a renewed relationship with God consider relevant may not always match up.  If we are going to use electronic media to engage in meaningful conversations with young people, we must know what is meaningful and relevant to them. 

            Fourth, we must be patient.  An electronic conversation that involves an exchange of ideas takes time to occur and produce results.  It may take six months or longer of patient conversation and answering questions before any kind of progress is apparent.  Electronic evangelism takes time.

            Fifth, electronic evangelism must include opportunities to experience the relational aspects of Christianity.  There must be places where young people who are thinking and discussing online can go in person to worship and enjoy fellowship.  Christianity is not only something that must be considered rationally, but something that must be experienced emotionally. 

            The electronic medium is a tool that believers can use effectively to tell the story of Jesus if we think about the audience, the approach, the content, the time involved, and the experiential elements that must also be part of the process. 

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What are others doing on the Internet to reach out?

The following are a few links that illustrate how other people are using the Internet to reach out,

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How is evangelism done on the internet?

At first it might seem that this question is intended to draw some type of technical answers. However, our starting point should be Jesus ministry itself. We need to remember his parables concerning the growth of God’s kingdom. He compared it to the yeast that penetrates and silently ferments the dough. (Luke 13:20-21). He also said that the kingdom of heaven is like a seed that, when is planted in the ground, sprouts and grows fruit without the harvester knowing how. (Mark 4:26-29) Therefore, evangelism on the Internet is more than just uploading messages, using java scripts, or creating web sites. True evangelism anywhere, or by any method, is above all the process of infiltrating people’s lives with the heavenly kingdom of God.
This way of thinking invites us to look into our topic from a larger perspective which includes at least three important aspects: 1) The need to equip or gear up the church for the task. 2) The constant and clear rethinking of our values according to Jesus’ message. 3) The building up of authentic Christian lives in the context of the lively fellowship of the church. For the time being, let us now briefly discuss point number one.
Today’s church needs to be equipped to present Christ’s testimony in the context of our modern technological development. Many emerging technologies are rapidly changing the world. The present-day technological revolution is happening at a faster pace than ever before. And it will have a deeper impact on society than the discovery of the wheel, writing, or the invention of the press. This means that we are facing a new era, a new global culture, which needs to be “fermented” with the gospel. But Christians are not fully prepared for the task.
On one side there are those who try to keep themselves as much as possible on the margin of technology. On the other, we have many “users” who have already begun to enter (some faster than others) into this new world, now interconnected by expanding cybernetic networks. However, on both sides the need is to be better equipped so that we can all become modern sowers of God’s kingdom’s seeds. The “human dough”, if you will, is a dough that surfs the Internet. And let us keep in mind that yeast can only ferment the dough with which it mixes. The neglect, indifference, and detachment that some theologies promote towards modern technological development will only hinder our efforts to spread the word of God. But let us remember that it is not enough to be technologically savvy.
We wonder, for example, how many Christian users, most of whom are young or even children, know how to use the Internet for their own spiritual growth. Are they as spiritually wise as they are technologically smart? Can they really be ambassadors of the gospel to the cyber-world? As it can easily be expected, modern Christians can just fall in love with technology for the sake of novelty or the illusion unlimited possibilities. Or perhaps they may just be content to be able to use the services they presently need. However, as Christians we must not forget our commission: Preach the gospel and make disciples.

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Spreading the gospel on the Web

Spreading the Good News is a particular issue that has always been fundamental in the Lord’s church. Those of us who have had the blessing of grasping the Truth in faith know the urgency of this mission, for we believe that our true and ultimate destiny can only be found in Jesus. Therefore, as we continue moving into the new millennium, today we need to ask ourselves what should the church do as advancement in modern communication technologies is quickly becoming part of every body’s daily life.

The most obvious answer probably is that we need to embrace this opportunity and take advantage of it. The Internet is a powerful tool being used by everyone everywhere. Christians need to use it in their favor. Have you noticed how computer prices have declined dramatically? Haven’t we also noticed that the Internet connection is increasingly faster and more affordable? What all this means is simply that, with every passing day, more and more users around the globe are accessing the World Wide Web. Consequently, opportunities for people to find the real gospel through the Internet are greater than ever. But the challenges are big.

The Internet itself is creating very distinct users. Whoever browses through this medium will quickly notice that it is is overflowing with attractive, flashy, and magnetic “messages.” Thousands of diverse, interesting and pleasant options await any one who “clicks” her way through the Internet. You can have complete freedom of expression. You can practically live several alternative lives on the Web. You can have totally different identities in the virtual world. How can we attract these users to the Truth of Jesus Christ in mist of this vast number of attractive and often misleading ventures? Can a plain web page or text document displayed on a computer screen capture the attention of a young cyberspace user?

The truth of the matter is that people today use the Internet for much more than just getting information. I am afraid that most young users, most of the time, enter the Web not to do research, or find the Truth. Do they know that Truth can actually be found? Do they really care? The Internet for them is not primarily the Information Super Highway as we originally conceived it. It is rather a place of entertainment and a new way to socialize. Unlike the old users, the younger generations are now accessing the Internet for reasons other than reading the news, finding out the weather, or getting some other data. Buying and selling on the internet is now child’s play. Kids also download all kinds of music, videos and games. Besides they maintain their network of friends in the Internet. Additionally they also use the mouse of their computers to define and redefine their life as they wish. There are almost no limits. An eight year fat girl, for instance, can very well become an eighteen year old model. However, each time this happens our young users are being removed farther apart from all authentic reality. It all becomes just virtual worlds that happen to appear and feel very real.

The Internet has changed considerably since its beginnings. It is like a living organism that keeps growing and evolving, constantly challenging the Church, In these days what we need is more than a billboard hanging in a corner of the cyberspace which no one visits. We need dynamic options where authentic Christians can become the salt and light of the cybernetic world, where they interact with other users.

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