Viral: How Social Networking is Poised to ignite Revival- a Review

Leonard Sweet is a theologian and historian by training, and a futurist by calling and passion.  A prolific writer and lover of poetry, he was  a way of describing the future he sees.  I just finished his latest book, in which he attempts to show that social networking is a tool by which twenty-first century Christians might bring spiritual revival similar to the Reformation and the Great Awakening.  While Sweet offers some interesting insights, I believe the book fails to prove its point. 

Viral is yet another book describing the culture/generational clash using the Pre-modern/Modern/Post-modern dialectic of human history.  The author focuses on the technology used to communicate knowledge.  In the pre-Modern era (the one in which Jesus lived) communication was mostly verbal, since the production of printed material was costly and time consuming.  The Modern era is best illustrated by the Gutenberg press, which made printed material accessible and affordable to all, and allowed almost anyone to publish.  The Post-Modern era is best illustrated by the search engine Google, the most widely used source to find and share digital information, and also the digitizer of everything printed in paper books during the Gutenberg era.  The culture of the Googlers is labeled as TGIF (assembling the four great means of social networking: Twitter, Google, iPhone, and Facebook.


Sweet's critical comparison of Modernity and Post-modernity is unoriginal.  He criticizes modernity (the Gutenbergers) for its extreme individualism, its tendency to dissect/analyze, its view of truth as rational propositions, its preference for homogeneity, and its resulting compartmentalization of life.  He predictably adores Post-modernity (the Googlers) for its emphasis on community, its tendency to create/synthesize, its view of truth as living narrative, is preference for diversity, and its resulting holistic view of life.  Unfortunately, there is nothing new in all of this- it is the common fodder in books of this subject matter.  What is valuable, though, are the examples, statistics and stories from the realm of technology.  For example, he shared research that showed a decline of violent crime among those who played violent video games, something no one expected to see.

To his credit, Sweet does not blindly and naively embrace the Googler generation.  He shares the pitfalls he sees that might keep the generation from sparking revival., especially  the narcissism that social media allows, and the tendency to waste time, words and influence on meaningless details of our lives.

In the end, I have to wonder to whom exactly Sweet was writing.  Throughout the book he acknowledges his own preference for and comfort within the Gutenberger culture, while at the same time describing his deep appreciation and his attempts to use the technology of the Googler culture.  The appendix is entitled, "How Gutenbergers can learn from Googlers."  If I were to guess, the book was intended for Gutenbergers who are trying to understand, appreciate, minister to, and also live in the Googler culture.  If this indeed was the intent, I believe Sweet failed on one major point.  And that is the question of, can real relationships exist, grow and/or thrive outside of face-to-face contact?  Googlers are criticized for their constant texting, Instant Messaging, Facebooking, etc., which takes away from face-to-face interactions.  Sweet suggests that these "virtual" meetings and virtual relationships are just as deep, meaningful and real as are relationships that interact exclusively live and in person.  Sweet goes so far as to claim that because of their desire for community, aided by technology, Googlers have better relationships than their book-reading parents.  Sweet suggests this time and again, but he never really proves it.  The research he cites is scant! 

If, as is suggested in the book, Gutenbergers rely on argument, reason, and logic to convince them of the truth, and if, as it seems, the book was written to help Gutenberbers, then he ought to have devoted a large section of the book to a linear, logical, well-cited argument for his position on this point.  After all- that is how Gutenbergers think!  If he wants Gutenbergers to connect to Googlers by telling more stories, then he ought to have connected with the Gutenbergers at least on this one point with reason and argument!

While I have indeed learned more about the Googler culture, and I can use his suggestions, and have received his correction that I need be more of a story-teller than an argument creator, I am left unconvinced that Googlers have better relationships through social networking, and I am left unconvinced that they will bring revival.

Required Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Vacation: What Exactly Are We Vacating?

Vacations are difficult for me.  They just never live up to their expectations.  And if they do, the time flies too quickly.  To be honest, in recent post-children years, vacations have often seemed more difficult than regular life.  A hotel room is the worst- you can't even stay up late and watch television because the kids are sleeping!

The word "vacation" is related to the word "vacate."  Essentially that is what we do when we go on vacation.  We vacate.  We at least vacate our home, our lawn, our to-do list, and the pile of laundry.  We try to vacate our jobs at the same time.  And therein lies the difficulty.  What, exactly, do we vacate?  I have sometimes tried to vacate everything- thereby leaving my wife to do the planning, shopping, packing, etc., leaving her exhausted before even leaving the house!  I have especially tried to vacate parenting- an activity that is very stressful for me.  But this doesn't work.  Not, at least, for a family vacation. 

So this last week as we spent a family vacation in St. Louis, I tried to be specific, limiting, and realistic regarding what exactly I wanted to vacate.  Work, emails, to-do lists, and big decisions, and pretty much anything resembling a project.  I did not, however, try to vacate my family or children.  I cooked a lot of food, swam a lot in the pool, and tried to enjoy every kid-friendly activity we encountered.  I still didn't get to ride up and into the Arch.  I didn't get to eat at my favorite St. Louis restaurant.  Erica and I played a few board games.  I read my book a little but didn't finish it.

In the end, I really just lowered my expectations for what exactly I wanted to vacate.  Was it the ultimate vacation?  No, but it was good, restful and vacating.

Wesleyan Arminianism Versus Calvinism

I recently preached a two part series entitled, Why Can't We All Just Get Along?  The purpose of the series was to show the differences between major groups/traditions/denominations/teams (or however you prefer to label it) within Christianity, but also to look at what varying groups hold in common, including how we can work/worship together based on our commonalities.  

This, of course, returned me to a previous study of the theology known as Calvinism (usually associated with Baptists, Presbyterians, Independent Bible churches, Reformed churches, etc.)  When looking at contrasting systems of belief, I usually look to find that core of the differences, and not just any difference.  Calvinism is usually best known for the doctrines of eternal security ("once saved, always saved") and/or predestination.  But I don't believe either of these are the core.  Eternal Security, in fact, is the necessary conclusion of the system (which is really untenable without the entire system)  But the real foundation of the system, or the "root of the TULIP" if you will, is the doctrine of divine sovereignty.  That is, that God is fully and absolutely in charge of everything in the universe.  In my own words, God micromanages every movement in the universe.  This, of course, does not allow for any free-will.  Not only the philosophical and often atheistic version of free-will, but also the Wesleyan, God-given and limited freedom kind.

Then I found this quote- the best I have seen- that really sums up our differences:

“If an iota of chance is allowed into the universe, then God’s sovereignty is denied, and God is not God.”                                                   -R. J. Rushdoony, The Necessity For Sytematic Theology

This truly is the core of the core of the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism.  And we must note and acknowledge that this sentence, and its converse, are philosophical constructs, and are a priori in nature.  That is, one makes a decision regarding this issue, and then selectively reads and conveniently interprets all of Scripture through this construct, or filer.  Note that the source for this is a book on the necessity of systematic theology, which, as a formal discipline, co-mingles biblical AND philosophical theology.  The word systematic implies it.  If not, then it is merely biblical theology, which results in mixed bag of both human freedom and absolute divine sovereignty, without a clear explanation between the two.

The Calvinist reasons as he reads Scripture, and lands at the above conclusion.  The Arminian reasons as he reads, and concludes that God, in his undeniable sovereignty, creates and allows for “chance” which is really managed freedom, and that this managed freedom in no way denies God’s sovereignty but only upholds and indeed magnifies it!

This, then is the separating point between the two systems of theology.  The real core, I believe, for both.  Every other difference, I would argue, stems from here.

One Small Book- One Big Lump In My Throat

Having heard so many good things about this book, and needing some great material for a teaching series in our church, I checked out Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle.  With only 90 pages of text, I figured it would be an easy read.  But those ninety pages were full of difficult truth.

Although the principles suggested by Alcorn are difficult to hear, he writes with sensitivity and from a position of integrity.  He readily shares his own journey and the lessons he learned about his own attachment to money as he endured some difficult times.   It is difficult to argue with someone who has fought a tough battle and emerged with scars and lessons learned.

The book centers around six "Treasure Principle Keys."  The first key is "God owns everything.  I'm his money manager."  Each key is illustrated with Biblical teaching, quotes, and stories from real life.  Randy readily shares his own stories and those of others.  You will not want to miss the story of William Borden.  And when you read it, you won't easily forget it.

As a pastor, I am often anxious and yet intrigued to see how authors interpret various Scripture passages.  Alcorn never pushes a passage to say more than it was intended to say.  He does, however, offer fresh but challenging insights into various Scriptures.

I know I will never read Jesus' one-sentence parable of the buried treasure the same again.  And I will never be the same because I read this book.  And if you tend to worry about your bills, think often about money, or usually send the offering plate on by, you will want to read this book also.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

If you enjoyed this review and are intrigued by this book, rank my review here:  

Timing Is Everything

The Byrds sang that, "There is a season - turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven." The Bible affirms it in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."(although this passage is often misquoted to proclaim a time for even ungodly things.) Leadership experts affirm that even bad timing can ruin the best idea. This week I experienced one of those "timing" events.

But in order to understand the "timing," let me take you back to approximately 1994. I was 17 with an entrepreneurial spirit. I had attended a seminar where some millionaire was selling his instructional books and, yes, cassette tape series teaching greedy suckers like me how to buy stuff at public auctions and re-sell it all for huge profits. So after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper for a US Postal Service surplus auction, I attended. There were tables full of old computers, to which the geeky part of me was instantly drawn. By the end of the auction I had purchased 4 old laptops, each weighing about fifteen pounds, for about $17.50 each. I took them home and was able to get a few of them to boot up. But then I had to sell them. A classified ad in the newspaper would cost as much as the laptops. Plus, they were already very old. Why would anyone buy my laptops when they could buy a smoking-fast 386 processor running Windows 3.1? I found a store that allowed me to sell a couple of them on a consignment basis. But they never sold, the store went out of business, and I never got my laptops back.

I lost interest, moved away to college, and plowed into the future with the remaining laptops sitting in my old bedroom closet.

I went home for Thanksgiving and my mom gently asked me to do something with "those old laptops." I checked ebay for "Grid computer" and found a few over-priced listings, but no completed auctions. I took them home, cleaned them up, booted them up again, and decided to test the waters with a 10 day listing starting at $25. And just for kicks, I set a $100 Buy-It-Now price for some gullible or just plain old impulsive buyer. The next morning I discovered that someone had indeed purchased it during the night! Just today I sold the other 2 for even more!

Seventeen years ago these laptops weren't worth anything. Or maybe it was because ebay was not around yet, bringing a global marketplace of buyers to the stuff in my basement.

Timing. What a huge factor. In business, in life, and even faith.

There Is Always More To The Story

"Leadership is lonely." No kidding. That sentiment has been repeated so many times, we don't know who to credit with the quote.

A few months ago I read an article in Newsweek magazine that helped illustrate the lesson. (You can read it here) The article described the the leadership of George H. Bush (W's daddy). He was often described as a wimpy leader. The article attempted to refute such an accusation. One example of H's wimpy leadership surrounded the falling of the the Berlin wall and the subsequent fall of communism in Eastern Europe and eventually the Soviet Union. When the wall fell, many thought that the President of the free world should lead the celebration with the first dance in the street. He should have given a long-distance pep talk to the wall-whackers and a harsh scolding to the communist leaders. But he seemed to do nothing. The resulting judgment of his leadership: wimpy.

The author explained, however, that according to many sources close to the President, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had sent a message asking the United States, "not to take provocative action that might instigate a Tiananmen Square-like military crackdown in East Germany."  Gorbachev and other leaders realized that communism was falling, and they were allowing it to fall, but only naturally and without the intervention or provocation from other nations. President Bush complied with the request, remained quiet, and did nothing. That communication remains classified, even to this day.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might question whether or not such a message was ever sent. But I'm not, and that is not really the point of this writing, so I'll just go with it. Assuming it was true, it seems that the President took a hit, knowing that his actions might allow communism to fall, but at the expense of his perceived leadership.

I have learned at least this much about leadership: there is always more to the story than anyone knows. Every decision is always more complex that you or I think it is. It is only a simple issue when viewed from one perspective. Add a second or third perspective, and it immediately gets complex. Of course, most of us see life only from our perspective. The job of a leader is to see as many perspectives as possible and then make a decision, knowing that someone, if not everyone, will be disappointed.

As Americans who appreciate broad freedom, we don't like this "secretive" leadership.  "Why not just tell us the rest of the story or the other perspectives?" we ask demand. Well, for starters, we are often asked not to share one or more sides to the story. Sometimes the other perspectives involve deeply personal, private, and sensitive information that you wouldn't want me telling others and so they probably don't want me to tell you. So sometimes leaders are not allowed to share the "more" to the story. But don't fret- you will appreciate it when it is your "more" that is not shared.

So if you are struggling with the leadership of your pastor, your boss, your parent or your President, remember this- there is always more to the story than what you see or know.

Praying, Not Criticizing

The headline caught me, so I hovered over the newspaper stand at Wal-Mart, and read the first few lines of the article, while holding a replacement mum in each hand. First Family Church, in Overland Park is losing its 15 million dollar campus to foreclosure. Wow! Another mega-church bites the dust.

After planting my new mums, and doing a few other things, I grabbed my own newspaper and read the rest of the article. After a year of intense negotiations and refinancing rejections, the bank has requested that the property and everything in it be sold.

I am fairly familiar with First Family. I drive past it whenever I take the "back road" to Olathe. I attended one of their first launch services while I was in college. I sat on a blanket on their then-new property and listened to the testimony of a father of one of the Columbine victims. I listened to the frustration of two of my seminary friends who were re-starting a church in the area, grieving the loss of church members to First Family Church and another giant church nearby, churches that had "more to offer."

I have also heard the rumors of political upheaval and the accusations of financial mismanagement by the pastor at First Family. The newspaper article mentioned them, and noted the significant decrease in attendance.

It is easy to criticize from a distance. It is easy to become jealous, even for, no especially for, pastors. I disagree with Pastor Jerry in a lot of ways. Theologically, strategically, financially, etc. I am guessing some might say, "he got what was coming to him." Okay, maybe not out loud, but I am guessing that the thought has careened through the minds of not a few newspaper readers today.

But I am not going to criticize. I am guessing that Pastor Jerry and his team are hurting right now. He is my brother. He needs a hug and not a fist. So I am going to pray for Jerry and the church formerly known as "First Family." In fact, I am going to pray for them before I pray for my own church. Every day this week.

And if any of my brothers and sisters in Christ might read this, I ask you to do the same.