 Shane Hipps |
September 11, 2008
Today’s church is undergoing radical changes as a result of our electronic culture.
“Whenever you introduce a new technology, the entire culture changes or gets re-ordered. If that’s true, and it is, what does that mean for the church today?” That’s the challenge Shane Hipps poses, as he launches into another deep discussion about electronic media and the church. Hipps will speak on this topic—Digital Discipleship: Forming Faith in an Electronic Culture—for the 12th Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series at Hesston College, November 7-9.
Digital Discipleship has a dual purpose: to facilitate a better understanding of how the electronic media changes our view of reality and to provide practical strategies for nurturing faith in light of this change. “On one hand, this may seem like a heady issue, but what could be more practical than better understanding how media shapes us?” says conference planner Michele Hershberger. “How can we be intentional about preaching, worship leading, and building community and discipleship if we don’t think about these influences?”
Bible professor Marion Bontrager likens electronic media to the New Testament theology of the powers. “The powers were created good, but they are fallen because they want to be God, and they can be redeemed,” he said. “This is true of electronic media, too.”
Hipps pastors Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Ariz. Author of The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospels and Church, Hipps has spent years thinking about this power, not only as a pastor, but also when he worked on advertising for a variety of national brands, including Porsche, an automobile corporation. There, as a consumer anthropologist, he became an expert on the influence of electronic media. Translating that expertise to the church, he started researching and formulating strategies for living in this culture as a faithful, believing community.
The conference also features input from leaders of local Beachy Amish churches. Several leaders will respond to Hipps, lead workshops, and serve on a panel discussion where they will talk about the communal discernment process they use concerning the use of electronic technology. “We need this conversation with the Beachy Amish,” says Hershberger. “They have chosen the hard road. They refuse the easy way of either hiding from the electronic culture by calling it all bad or embracing it uncritically by calling it all good.”
The three-day conference also includes 11 workshops on such themes as using Facebook, media addictions, and parenting in an electronic age. A list of workshops, the conference schedule, and on-line registration can be found at www.hesston.edu/AVDS.
To register for the conference, or to receive more information, contact Elaine Schmidt at 620-327-8290; e-mail elaines@hesston.edu. The early bird registration deadline is October 1.
While at Hesston College, Hipps will also be the lecturer for the Melva Kauffman Lecture Series. As the fourth speaker in the series that began in 2005, Hipps will speak at an 11 a.m. forum Friday, November 7, on the topic “Seeing the Sleight-of-Hand: Unveiling the Hidden.” He will also speak in several classes. An informal luncheon is planned with interested students, faculty, and staff. And Hipps will conduct a 4 p.m. faculty in-service session.
Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series