The classic Milgram experiment performed at Yale in the early 1960s showed that a strong majority of normal people will surrender their conscience to a person perceived as a legitimate authority figure. When people were instructed by an authoritative researcher to administer electric shocks of increasing intensity after each wrong answer given by a stranger (who was actually an actor cooperating with the test), they complied in alarming numbers. And they kept complying, continuing to press the punishment button after the person had screamed in pain and then apparently gone unconscious…In my opinion, multitudes of Christians find themselves in a real-life Milgram experiment these days. Their consciences are in conflict with their beloved religious authority figures on several key issues — ten of which I raise in my book — but they continue to press the punishment button when instructed to do so.

He has a lengthy excerpt from his book about the challenging questions many Christians have but submit to their leaders without question because they fear the repercussions of their faith communities.

While I don’t completely agree with McLaren on a lot of the points he brings up in this new book I will say this:

• I find it deeply troubling that people have these kind of questions and don’t bring them up out of fear. I don’t blame them, I blame a church culture that treats the Bible like a weapon against people who may not agree with their fundamental beliefs. I am guilty of that and I want to do what I can to change the culture.
• McLaren raises some serious issues and concerns with the current state of Christianity and as a result asks 10 provocative questions in his new book.
• McLaren will become the new Satan as Christian leaders will completely ignore the spirit of his book and destroy his Character.

This is something we cannot ignore. This is why I personally believe every church needs to develop a theology of technology or at minimum develop a standard by which their community will live within a technological society.

As technology becomes more and more integrated into the life of the church there is a trend that I find a bit disturbing and it is commonly found among multi-site churches. I don’t particularly have a problem with multi-site churches as I can see that in certain situations they are needed. My only concern is when these multi-site churches use a live video feed for the sermon.

Reflecting on Mcluhan’s thesis that technology amputates, Brian McLaren had the following to say,

What of technologies that in a sense amputate presence? The television and the DVD, the videoconference and perhaps increasingly, the hologram, project our presence, but do they in some way amputate presence as well?

This is an important question because we are keenly aware of the ways technology benefits our worship but we seldom think about the ways it hinders it. In the name of “it’s new” or “it’s cool” or “it’s what everyone else is doing” we forge ahead and adopt new technologies without even considering how it affects our overall message.

The point I am trying to make here is that I really think it’s time that churches start asking the difficult question when considering incorporating new technology into their communities, “How will this affect our goal to love God and our neighbor?” The answer to that question will change the way many churches adopt new technology.

For instance, I am leading the effort at my church of building a social networking strategy. Social networking will introduce many benefits into how we do ministry. However, I am keenly aware of how it hinders us as well. Social networking diminishes presence and therefore is not a good tool for actually “doing” ministry. Because we cannot be physically present with the people in our network, we cannot physically lay hands on them to pray for them and I am sure everyone would agree that physical presence is far better than virtual presence. Just ask a wife whose husband is off fighting the war or a single mom whose only kid is away at college.

Social networking does open up opportunities to share information about what’s happening in our community. This is a huge benefit and is the limit to which our community needs to go. Praying for people, holding online bible studies and small group meetings is taking it too far.

“But what does this have to do with the virtual preacher”, you may ask? I’ll tell you that in part 2.