Lutheran Witness: January 2018

From smartphones to tablets, laptops to e-readers, digital technology is a constant and pervasive force in modern life. But what does this radical shift in the way humans connect, share and process information mean for Christian life and faith? Seeking answers to this question in its January issue, The Lutheran Witness explores a range of topics related to digital technology and the church.

Contents

From the President: Concerning the six-day creation

Features:

From chat room to Church — Seth Hinz

The digital revolution — infographic

Lost in Oz — Bernard Bull

Loving your (internet) neighbor — Peter Slayton

Podcasting: the next frontier? — Sarah Gulseth

Departments:

world views: A new monthly news column from Gene Edward Veith

searching scriptures: Social media and the Bible — Mark Love

bene+diction: A technophobe’s awakening — Tom Raabe

From the editor

I’m writing this on a laptop computer. Next to it on my desk is a smartphone.

Some days, it feels as though everything I do involves one of these digital devices. My phone tells me when to wake up in the morning, what the weather’s going to be and which route to take to work to avoid traffic. My computer tells me what needs doing each day — and makes it possible for me to do it. Nearly all my communication takes place via text, email or social media. I shop online, pay bills online, do my banking online, book travel online. And at the end of the day, I curl up in bed and fall asleep watching TV … on the web.

Does this all sound eerily familiar to you? I’m not surprised. Throughout the last thirty years, the digital revolution has swept the globe, and hardly a single aspect of modern life has been left untouched. But what does all this mean for the Church?

In this issue, we explore answers to this vital question and a few of its corollaries, as we dig into online outreach, podcasting, loving your internet neighbor and other related topics. Our deep hope is that these articles will be only the start of a larger and perhaps long overdue conversation about digital technology and the Christian life.

Rachel Bomberger
Managing Editor, The Lutheran Witness

P.S. I’m thrilled to introduce two brand new departments this month. The incomparable Gene Edward Veith begins his tenure as the regular contributor of a monthly news roundup, and Tom Raabe pens the opening salvo in our new back page essay series [bene+diction]. Enjoy!