I am a horse

Sydney Anglicans are re-vamping their website , and have recruited a new stable of bloggers. (See the story here.) Anyway, I’m one of the horses that will be blogging there each week. The brief is a bit open – ministry, small church, being outward facing, connecting with the community… 

Do have a read of the site and post some comments. It will take a while for discussions to kick off but the team of bloggers looks like a great one (I was certainly humbled and scared when I saw the list!). My prayer is that it is useful and generates reformation far and wide. 

I think my first post is published tomorrow.

 

Andrew Denton – there’s a hunger for truth in Babel

My favourite show on television has come to an end. Enough Rope aired for the last time last night. 

I heard Denton interviewed earlier in the day about why the show did as well as it had. He said (something like):

We live in Babel. Everyone has a voice. Everyone can blog. TV is full of all kinds of rubbish and we struggle to know what we want to look for. But there is still a hunger for truth. You might find a certain truth on McLeods daughters and that can explain why that has run as long and as well as it has. It was something we tried for on Enough Rope. To offer truth. There is a hunger for truth in Babel. 

He speaks truer than he knows!

The thing I love about Denton is the way he listens to his guests and is genuinely interested in what makes them tick. The best interviews were usually not the celebrities here to flog a movie (like Ben Stiller last night) but the ‘ordinary’ people who opened up in response to the dignity with which they were treated. Remember the episode where the parents spoke of donating their daughter’s organs? Remember the special on mental illness which he introduced with:

They’re like ghosts in our midst. We rarely see them, we often fear them. They’re the mentally ill. Some call themselves mad. 

No one else is doing TV like this at the moment. Maybe digital TV will let a Christian voice be heard like this. Speaking the truth to the hungry people of Babel. Or then again, maybe there will just be more ‘reality tv’ and shows about serial killers… sigh

 

Create Conference 08

Those creative guys and gals at FEVA and Create Ministry have delivered another cracking conference today. Two thumbs up! They are trying to help Christians communicate better:

It’s all about generating ’stuff’ to promote Jesus as Lord. It focuses on projects which have a sharp evangelistic purpose.Those involved are into film, writing, animation, graphic art, music and any creative angle that will do the job. Create people want to make content that is edgy, sharp and gospel flavoured.

The theme that kept resounding everywhere was the astonishing impact of the internet and emerging technologies for mission and church life. If the internet has changed everything, how can and should it change ministry? Malcolm Williams gave a stimulating opening session on this but there is a need for a conference to drill down just on new media and technology… 

so I’d love to see a conference that did this – ‘Jesus: online 09′ Would you part with time & money to be there?

 

10 Commandments for Christian Bloggers

The Times reports on 10 Commandments for Christian bloggers:

 

Ten commandments for bloggers

1 You shall not put your blog before your integrity

2 You shall not make an idol of your blog

3 You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin

4 Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog

5 Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes

6 You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings

7 You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind

8 You shall not steal another person’s content

9 You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger

10 You shall not covet your neighbour’s blog ranking. Be content with your own content

 

I’m new to this whole blogging caper. Any commandments you’d suggest?