Rob Witham

Too often the church and religious communities are afraid of technology and change. There are some noted exceptions, like electric lighting and public address systems in church buildings. Churches have also been slow to embrace and truly utilize Internet technology as well. There are churches with websites but, let’s be honest, most church websites are pretty lame.

I have noticed several exceptions to this trend, however. One exception comes from the traditional western churches while the other exception comes from Christians involved with the emerging conversation.

1. Mainstream churches and preachers have largely dominated the sphere of podcasting. Even secular commentators note the significant presence of religious material in the podcast market. I suspect this is because many preachers (and churches) already record sermons; many of these same individuals/groups either are or would like to be involved in radio broadcasting. It is a small step to convert pre-recorded audio to a podcast and make it available over the Internet. There is no price comparison between radio broadcasting and podcasting. Radio is quite expensive while podcasting is almost free.
2. Blogs have largely been the domain of Christians active in the emerging conversation. While some mainstream churches may have become involved in blogging they would represent a very small percentage indeed. They also would represent a very small impact in the overall blogosphere. I continue to be amazed while reading blogs how many are written by Christians active in the emerging conversation. I have added two more blogs to my reader in the past week that are written by Christians in the emerging movement - and neither blog was “religious” in nature. I am greatly encouraged by these believer’s participation in this new and powerful communication medium. We are called to be salt and light. Many Christians are doing just this through blogging.

God is indeed spreading his word and it will not return without effect. Thank God for the influence and impact Christians are seeing through podcasting and blogging.