Instructions:
Write 1 thread of at least 250 words. You must support your assertions with at least 1 citation in current APA format. Acceptable sources include Cisco material, the Bible, and scholarly journals. You must also reply to the 2 threads below. Each reply must be at least 100 words.
Topic: How has communication and collaboration effected the spreading of the Gospel?
Thread Reply 1
Spread of the Gospel
It is amazing how something like the internet and technology has spread the gospel around the world in truly the simplest of ways. Obvious examples come to mind like the bible being available to listen to or to read in the palm of your hand through the internet, or with the recent pandemic being able to hear the gospel spoken at any time in your own home. These things are good and do lots of good for the spread of the gospel. More obscure things come to mind as well, things like translating the bible into languages that were once forgotten or considered untranslatable. The spread of the gospel can come in many ways thanks to the internet. We cannot imagine all the ways that we can spread the gospel. People who once wouldn’t have considered going to church are hearing the gospel on their tv’s after being encouraged to watch by friends. These things are incredible ways to bring the gospel into the minds of non-believers. One pastor talks about his use of technology for the good of his congregation. He’s been using slides with verses and interactive screens to better cement the teaching of Christ to his congregation as early as 1992. However, he makes another excellent point. Technology is no replacement for the real thing, it takes real active community to build believers. (Edwards, 2019) In this way technology has hurt some believers as they give into their laziness and stay home on Sunday’s to be taught through a screen, but it is undeniable the places the gospel can now reach thanks to the power of technology we have today.
Thread Reply 2
Gospel at Fiber Optic Speed
The internet, as I have stated before, has many similarities with the body of Christ. Both seem very omnipresent in our lives, and both provide universal connectivity in their own respective way. This foundational statement is the basis of how the spreading of the Gospel has evolved and advanced through communication and collaboration technologies and techniques via the Internet. The Internet has effectively made possible the traditional spread of the good word travel at the speed of light or, in Internet terms, the speed of fiber optics.
Imagine a world a long time ago when believers, preachers, and prophets alike would have to traverse the globe by foot in order to spread the word of the Gospel. Although there is something magnificent about the raw struggle of the old story which cant be replaced by the efficiencies of the Internet, the flip side is also true, which is that the traditional methods could never allow the level of universal communication, collaboration, and instant connectivity that the Internet provides. The problems have also changed. A long time ago the biggest hurdles to spreading the word was human illness, stamina, and lack of food/water for the travels involved in spreading Gods word. In comparison, the modern world’s network is hindered more by computer viruses, network performance, and bandwidth than how far our feet will carry us. However, the underlying story is the same, which is we must care for the path of connectivity, regardless of what method we use, in order to spread the word of the Gospel. We no longer concern ourselves too much with whether we are strong enough, healthy enough, or well fed enough to make our travels and fulfill our obligation and privilege as Christians to spread the word, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (NIV, Matthew 28:19). We now focus on better defense-in-depth methods, network performance enhancements, and keeping networks clean of viruses, worms, trojan horses, and so on.
The Internet is the modern Great Library of Alexandria. It is packed with knowledge of the world, both good and bad, just as the Great Library of Alexandria was a long time ago. It is up to us to preserve, promote, and spread the knowledge we deem important. This has always been, and always will be, the responsibility of the caretakers of knowledge. We now communicate and collaborate the Gospel at lightning speed which requires caretakers that move at lightning speed. Our ethics and morals must keep up with the pace of connectivity because the Gospel delivered without care is not the intention of God. He always has, and always will want us to deliver the message with care regardless of our chosen method. We have chosen our modern method, so it is up to us, via our vocation and daily life, to protect, preserve, and use it properly.
