Barnabas File

I know enough about the Internet, websites, and digital media to be dangerous.  I have no idea about how some of these things work, but I find them useful.  One website I use regularly is Wikipedia.  I occasionally see notes there about “insufficient citations”, “major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with the subject,” or “article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.”  I did not have a clue what these notations mean, who provides them, or how corrections are made until I read The Editors .   The Editors by Stephen Harrison (no relation) provides some insight about this type of resource.  With assistance from some within the Wikipedia community, Harrison has written a “reported work of fiction” about Infopendium.org, a global source of information, and its impact on society.   Harrison’s characters help us understand what drives a person to devote a significant portion of ...

Walter Isaacson’s book The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution is an informative story not only about the science of the digital revolution but the artistic side as well.   As he introduces those who influenced the movement, Isaacson notes the frequent intersections of art and science in the quest. One example is J. C. R. Licklider, a man who might well be called the father of the Internet.   Both thoughtful and playful, Licklider began referring to his vision with the “intentionally grandiloquent” phrase “the Intergalactic Computer Network.”   He often spent hours just studying the brush strokes of paintings in order to understand the artist better. Isaacson notes, “[He] felt that his love of art made him more intuitive. He could process a wide array of information and sniff out patterns. Another attribute, which would serve him well when he helped put together the team that laid the foundations for the Int...

Several years, I made the decision to put more of my digital life online. A primary reason was to be able to access material from different devices and not be dependent on one machine that might crash without warning!  This began with using a web-based e-mail program, Gmail.  As I changed over to a new iPad Air tablet this weekend, I was reminded how much of my personal and work life I have put online.  I regularly use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn both to keep in touch with friends and to share my work with Pinnacle Leadership Associates and Central Baptist Theological Seminary.  I was a late adopter on Twitter but I have found it to be a great way to share ideas and resources with others. There are a number of online tools that have made my life easier:  Google calendar,  Google Maps, Slideshark, SlideShare, Moodle, Dropbox, Evernote, Doodle, MindMeister, YouTube, Vimeo,  and SurveyMonkey.  These sites ...

Once upon a time a person found a job (or position, if you wish) in a particular company and stayed in that system (hopefully with some promotions) for forty plus years then retired.   I think it is pretty evident that is no longer the reality in which we live.   Most people change not only their jobs but their careers several times in their lifespan, and the frequency of this is increasing. The number of career changes one can expect is unclear and some of this is based on definitions but the figures generally range from three andseven times in one’s lifespan .  By my personal estimate, I have had five careers—U.S. Army officer, campus minister (in three locations), denominational administrator (in two different settings), educator, and life coach.  Granted that I would consider most of these under the overall theme of Christian ministry, the responsibilities, preparation, knowledge, and skills for each is different enough to classify each of these as diffe...

Unless you have been on a mission trip to Mongolia or experiencing power failures from hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornadoes, you have heard that Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple due to health issues.   Many articles extol his virtues as a visionary and speculate on the future of one of the world’s richest companies with his leadership.   There will undoubtedly be a new round of books on “The Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs.” I am a late convert to the Apple faith.   I began to give in a bit when I purchased an iPod several years ago and enjoyed its flexibility and portability.   The iPad may have pushed me over the edge.   A generous donor recently provided the funds to purchase iPads for Central Seminary faculty, and I am afraid that I have become an enthusiast.   I would not be surprised if an iPhone is not in my immediate future and even an Apple computer somewhere down the road. But back to the wizard of Apple.   Steve Jobs is ...

Today’s post is number 500!   Wh en I began writing this blog in June 2006, I was not sure what I was getting into.   My purpose then and now is summarized in my tag line:   “ Comments from a progressive Baptist Christian on things that matter to him.”   Over the course of five years, I have done just that.   I have written about the church, culture and society, digital media, organizational development, spiritual formation, education, space exploration, family, friends, and books that I have read.   I have used this venue to say good-bye to mentors who have gone to be with the Lord.   As you can see, my approach has been pretty eclectic and probably a bit uneven. I have tried to be positive in what I have written, although I have undoubtedly offended someone from time to time.   I suppose that happens when your blog is a way to process your thinking about different subjects that get your attention.   As the politicians say, “If I have...

“We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. ” (Ephesians 6:12, CEV)   When the apostle Paul addressed these words to the believers at Ephesus, he was undoubtedly warning them of the unseen but very present forces that sought to attack them and undermine their faith.   The modern world has taken the battle with the unseen into a new arena.   In an NPR broadcast this week, listeners learned that in the spring the Pentagon suffered large losses of sensitive data from its computers due to a cyberattack by a foreign government.   The report also stated: At his Senate confirmation hearing last month, new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cited "a strong likelihood that the next Pearl Harbor" could well be a cyberattack that cripples the U.S. power grid and financial and government systems. He said last weekend that cybersecurity will be one of the main focus...

Churches spend a lot of time on visioning processes and strategy planning.   Of course, sometimes these are a waste of time and effort.   The work is done and put on the shelf, leadership changes, or the ministry context changes due to unforeseen circumstances (economics, demographics, etc.).   This does not mean that we should not think about the future and the opportunities that God will provide in coming days, months, and years.   There are always open doors for those who look for them. In his e-book The Knight and the Gardener , futurist Cassidy Dale writes: The future cannot be “won” for any one party, group, nation, or religion.  Instead, the longer term we think, the more we realize we can only enable good futures to emerge by building robust capacities for people to solve problems we cannot yet foresee. Dale suggests that rather than pursuing a simple “problem-solving” approach, we should seek to discover a “meme”—a contagious idea—or a “m...

In a recent e-mail message, consultant Tom Ehrich commented, “ As we move forward in the Internet age and learn to use the tools at our disposal, I think we are coming to a richer meaning of ‘incarnate’ and what it means to be a faith ‘community.’"   With text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, and social networking, we can establish contact and share information very quickly with other people.   Of course, there is a great deal of discussion about the depth and quality of such relationships. Ehrich acknowledges that nothing will ever take the place of the profound interaction of human beings face to face, but we are learning to trust and learn from these “instant contacts.”   They allow us to share new insights, understanding, and information directly with those about whom we care.   We can grieve, rejoice, support, and pray for others more intelligently.   I have had a positive experience with Facebook.   The social network has helped me to mai...

Although this sounds like the name of a Doctor Who episode, I am really thinking about the Internet’s voracious appetite for content.   With every organization seeking an online identity, web sites have proliferated at a rapid rate.   The challenge is to find material for those web sites. One of the reasons that AOL spent $315 million for The Huffington Post this week was to acquire the content.   “ The deal will allow AOL to greatly expand its news gathering and original content creation and attempt to reverse a decade-long decline,” according to AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong. I have been providing web content for almost five years through The Barnabas File . No one has offered to buy my content but I have been fortunate to have my material picked up by ethicsdaily.com , Central Baptist Theological Seminary , Christian Coaches Network , and Baptist Women in Ministry .   Central has recently upgraded their web site and added a place for blog contribut...

How do we call out the best in church leaders to meet the challenges of the 21st century? The Global Leadership Summit, an annual conference of the Willow Creek Association, attempts to address this challenge. The main sessions will be held at the South Barrington, Illinois, campus of Willow Creek Community Church and telecast live to 225 locations across North America on August 5-6, 2010. The Summit features outstanding speakers from the church, academia, the workplace, and the non-profit sector. For the first time this year, Central Baptist Theological Seminary offers an opportunity for participants to process the ideas and innovations of the Global Leadership Summit as part of a collegial group. Ircel Harrison, director of the Murfreesboro Center, will teach “Ministry Praxis: Global Leadership Summit 2010” (MP506e) during fall semester. Students will attend the Summit either at Willow Creek or one of the satellite broadcasts of their choice on August 5-6 and then participate in ...

Dr. Rosell leading workshop on ethical issues New tools expand our abilities but those also bring their own challenges. During Central Seminary’s “The Church in a Virtual Age” Conference last week, Professor Terry Rosell offered an excellent workshop on ethical uses of technology in the church. The official title was “Why Take Up an Offering When We Can Donate Online?” but the session covered several other topics of concern and possibility. Rosell’s basic premises were that technology itself is morally neutral but its use is morally significant. He also pointed out that technocrats (those makers who become rulers) in the church are dangerous and that technocracy in the church can become a state of idolatry. His final premise was that “use of technology in the church need not lead us into sin . . . but take heed lest you fall.” After presenting ten principles that inform our use of technology in the church (such as “protect people’s privacy” and “use God’s resources wisely”), R...

“Never too old to learn!” I would love to have someone say that about me when I depart this earthly home. I attended the memorial service today for my friend Frances McGlocklin. Frances was 94 when she succumbed to cancer. She retired at age 70 and spent the ensuing years traveling, gardening, and learning. She learned how to quilt. She also became rather proficient in the use of the Internet. Although learning how to function in the digital realm frustrated her at times, she was not deterred. Frances kept up with the times. Not everyone does. That is certainly their choice. I think it is unfortunate, however, when we have new tools at our disposal but do not take advantage of them. We can curse the Internet or attempt to tame it for our own use. Technology is neither good nor bad; its value depends on how we use it. The church is missing a great opportunity when it does not attempt to understand and function in the digital realm. On April 11-12, Central Baptist Theological Semina...

In one week recently, I did not leave the house for four days, but I was connected with people in multiple ways. I led a coaching group composed of people in three states. I taught an online class with students in Tennessee and Missouri. I participated in a seminary faculty meeting with colleagues in Shawnee, Kansas, by video link while wearing my sweats. I coached three individuals by telephone. I listened in on an online conference of church leaders from across the nation. I accessed any number of websites, downloaded music from the iTunes Store, and watched a couple of TV shows on Hulu.com. And, of course, I answered e-mail daily, checked in with friends on Facebook, and posted three blogs. Quite honestly, I am the target audience for Peggy Kendall’s new book, Reboot: Refreshing Your Faith in a High-Tech World. I can spend a busy and productive week without leaving the house and only spending face time with family members, but are there drawbacks to that kind of life? Kendall would ...

“Mashup” is not a term I use every day. It comes from the rap music genre where different types of music are mixed at varying speeds to develop a new piece of music. The process transforms two or more different things into a new creation. Several years ago, something similar happened when Japanese game creator Shigeru Miyamoto combined an accelerometer used for the deployment of automobile airbags with a video gaming system to produce the Wii. As Joshua Cooper Ramo notes in The Age of the Unthinkable , Miyamoto had “mashed up” two seemingly unrelated things to create something new. He explains, “Understanding mashup logic is . . . the first step toward a new, deep security in which our ideas match the world around us.” In so doing, we can recombine “our policies, dreams, and ideas . . . to release new and unexpected power.” Another term for this would be convergence. How do we combine various streams to produce some synergetic—more than the sum of its parts? I suggest that this is one ...

You’re rummaging through your tool box, and you suddenly discover a brand new tool that does just what you want to do and in less time. So what do you do? Do you say, “Hey, I am used to my old tool, so I will just stick with it”? Or do you say, “Thank goodness, I have finally found something to make my life easier”? If you are smart, you use the new tool that you just found and save yourself some time and effort. Given the above scenario, you can understand why I am surprised when I find a minister who says with disdain, “I just don’t do the Internet. It’s not my thing.” I look at that person and think to myself, “Well, I guess you don’t use a cell phone, microwave, or electricity either, do you?” You may think that this is mean-spirited, but I have a difficult time understanding a person who does not use the tools available to him or her. If we are to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, we have to be ready to use the technologies that will make our ministries more effective....