"Changing Internet, Changing Ethics"

Their conclusions are just wrong. At least as a broad brush-stroke over all of us.

"Quentin J. Schultze, professor of communication at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., says society’s love affair with the Internet reflects the “increasingly frenetic, chaotic and morally impoverished lives” of North Americans—lives that leave precious little time to consider ethical concerns about Internet use." [See full length article, starting at InternetForChristians.org]

Quentin and the article author are either failing to keep up with the pace of the lead pack, or they're choosing to disregard it. With the current stir being MSM v. Bloggers, I'd hate to think there's now a 3rd classification... "OI" (Old Internet).

Indeed, many 'old' (ministry especially) sites are static, poorly updated and thus only really contain self-pointing 'brochureware'. That alone seems pretty self-centered. I agree. But Internet II -- Blogging/RSS -- is very much about freshening information... VALUABLE information... discussion, learning, sharpening and importantly... pointing to each other... ie, networking... community-building... 'Preferring one another', if you will.

Not only is it not as self-serving as 'OI', it also quickly allows new leaders to surface and rise to the top. Falsehoods fail. Ask Dan Rather and Eason Jordan. Truth rises as more & more bloggers recognize and point to preferred news/blogs sites.

RSS feeds allow people to select who they intentionally want to read. Again, excellent sites rise. Some illustrations: Hugh Hewitt, WorldMag Blog, and La Shawn Barber.

And better yet, blog TEAMS form. Teams are likely to be more trusted even than individual blogsites. Teams collaborate.... for impact.

Quentin & devotees... let me point you (admittedly self-servingly to a degree, LOL) to IndyChristian.com... a Christian blog-team of pastors & other innovative leaders here that are city-focused about getting the Great Commission done! And we've only touched the tip of the iceberg re Christian blogteams. For instance, IC is laying (communication) tracks daily throughout the city, and hooking up with the statewide system (TransformIndiana.com) and nationally. (CityReaching.org).

This new-found ability to network at the speed of Light for the acceleration of the Great Commission... will prevail... over all the ills you've heretofore cited. Building any network takes a little time to develop, but soon this Christian network will become immensely productive as a set of communication tracks... and is quickly coming of age.

So Quentin, take hope. All is not lost. God is alive & well, and is using the capability of the internet, to pull the body of Christ together... and to deliver His Good News.

I hear the distant whistle of a high-speed 'engine of Truth' coming.

Gotta go. Got miles to lay before I sleep.



"Truth will prevail, and Truth at the speed of light will prevail at the speed of Light."