Church and technology

I struggle with all the people who tell me that Church should be less high tech. An observation I received this week went like this: 'So many people pull out their iphone and open their Bible. Why can't they use proper Bibles?' There was only a few obvious responses and so I asked the more interesting question, 'So where's your Bible?'

The problem was that I knew the answer before I even realised I was going to ask it, for I've seen the person in a number of settings and even though we have Bibles on offer in our (and the other places I'd seen them) I don't think I've ever seen them with one! So I have to say that I'm happy for people to pull out an electronic device and 'open' their Bible on it.

A while back I visited a church where the congregation were campaigning to keep their OHP (overhead projector) rather than get 'one of those computer things' and I guess the people who came before them moaned about the demise of the 'fuzzy felt'. But the reality is that Church is in the communications business and this means that whatever we can use to make our message more inviting, accessible and engaging has to be embraced - this doesn't mean that we need to be sensational or divert from the message because of the medium we are choosing of course!

I love the idea of twittering and being able to respond to the questions, observations and challenges during a sermon - but when the technology (or the tweets) push the Gospel into second place than I have to cry 'Enough!'

Technology for technology's sake is not always wrong but being bleeding edge for the sake of it, especially when leading edge is sufficient to communicate well - that use of technology that pushes the primary stuff into the background as we worship technology - I'm sure you know what I mean (and that's been something I have been guilty of in my own life too).

So, how do you do yours?

What is good technology and what (if you consider there to be such a thing) is bad?

Happy Friday