Notes: spirituality of the cell phone

What does a Porsche salesman turned Mennonite pastor have to say about media and culture?

These are my notes from a relevant and important message from Shane Hipps at Mars Hill in Detroit.

Shane authored the book The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church

buy the book at Amazon.com

shane hipps

mars hill church

2008/03/29

spirituality of the cell phone

http://marshill.org/teaching/index.php

the medium is the message.

it is how they are used that counts.

the content of any medium is the juicy piece of meat carried by the burgular to distract the watchdog of the mind

regardless of the content, the medium changes us

everything around us is media

electronic age: disorienting blindness in which it is increasingly difficult to discern reflection from reality

we are growing increasingly incapable of sustained face to face communication

hidden biases

the immense power of presence

how can you just be there in an email ? (ex. kathy)

location (being there) is anything but trivial

'the word became flesh' emmanuel

you are the message of the gospel

we are the body of christ

we are his media

This entry is part of Water Cooler Wednesday at randyelrod.typepad.com

Some Wounds Run Deep

Before you pass this up as another boring politics post, read on. This election promised to be historic. For the first time our country has presidential candidates from two demographics that are targets of discrimination. One is a woman, the other African-American. That is obvious just by looking at either of them.

We are challenged in our society to notice, but not judge others based on their gender or race. We are confronted when we even bring up some of the differences and distinctions, unless we value them. We even go so far as to specifically celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of people from different gender and race groups.

Despite tremendous changes in people's perceptions of women and African-Americans in society there still festers an underlying bitterness that divides us along gender and race lines. Women had to fight in this country to have the rights of men in the home, booth and workplace. African-Americans had to fight for the recognition as humans, to be free, to own and work, and to have access to things others enjoy. These fights were hard-fought and people were hurt in the conflict.

We still encounter the names, misperceptions, and inappropriate insenuations. Some people still carry those biases that were so long accepted. However, this is no longer the norm. It is unacceptable to discriminate or disenfranchise based on gender or race.

The 2008 Democratic nomination will prove historic. Among all of the potential candidates, a woman and a person of African decent became the contenders for the nomination. Today, though, we still have to acknowledge and address the resentment that leads people to slander and ostracize a woman and a black man based on those traits and the life experiences associated with them.

Because Ms. Ferraro brings up her candidacy and being chosen because she was woman, and because Rev. Wright preaches about conspiracies that reinforce his experiences our nation still has to heal. Because people are still judged -- whether implied or implicitly -- based on gender or race we still need to heal. Because people are willing to twist and exploit these experiences we need to heal.

P.S. Most of this was written before Mr. Obama's profound speech delivered this day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He expresses some of these sentiments, which shows their validity.

Immersed in Inspiration

Three years ago I left life as I knew it in Pinellas county, Florida, and moved to Nacogdoches, Texas. The state's oldest town, Nacogdoches is not large, but has a lot of character. Its old architecture, colorful flowers, and natural landscape inspired a creativity I'd lost in the hustle and bustle of West Florida.

The town is entering a revival, encouraging people to move into abandoned buildings and houses downtown and bring back the community feel. Sitting outside my school, I take in the ancient mounds of the Caddo Indians who once lived here, the statuesque Old University Building, colorful gables on century-old homes, and a European cottage plopped in this East Texas town.

I leave my apartment, looking across rolling hilltops capped with varied trees hiding roof-tops with steeples and water towers poking above the arbors. Driving past the university, I observe the botanical gardens with azaleas and other beautiful plants flowering in season. Even the people, an eclectic group of country folk, proper southerners with old money, Hispanic-, African- and Native-Americans, and a conglomerate of people drawn to the university speak to the town's diversity.

Some consider Nacogdoches a backward town, weighed down by old people who do not want change and an economy that lags behind our neighbors. We have our share of low-paying jobs and few opportunities for advancement, like you see in larger towns and the cities. The university, hospitals, and the schools pay better than other places around here. But we're doing pretty good. We may not have a thriving metropolis, but we have character. That's what makes Nacogdoches unique.

If you're ever in my town, stop by the Convention Visitor's Bureau downtown to find out about Nacogdoches' interesting history and the sites nestled around the community. Visit the stores downtown (but not on a Monday, almost everybody's closed); I recommend The Glass House, The Good Book, House of Versailles, Heart of Texas, and Lyric's. Get a snack at a local shoppe. Take in some art in our galleries. Then get in your car and ride around town, seeing and enjoying the sites that make this town fun. Maybe then you'll see why this old Texas town inspires me.