The Bookshelf
These book reviews help church leaders learn about technology and the church. Other book reviews are available on the Congregational Leaders' Web Site.
A Guide to the Internet for Churches & Pastors
by Steven M. Murray (Discipleship Resources, 1998)Reviewed by Donna Gaither
This invaluable tool discusses how the Internet can open a whole new way for the church to be in ministry. In non-technical language it shows how the Internet can assist in the spiritual growth of the individual Christian and how a congregation can use the World Wide Web to reach out to the community. The most helpful aspect of the book may be the wealth of information on web sites that focus on topics ranging from Bible study to parenting, from preaching to personal devotion.
A Guide to the Internet for Churches & Pastors is available from Discipleship Resources, 1-800-685-4370.
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
by Levine, Locke, Searles, and Weinberger (Perseus Publishing, 2000)Reviewed by Betsey Heavner
The book jacket reads, "Written by four of the liveliest voices on the Web, the cluetrain manifesto is a spirited, original, and wonderfully irreverent conversation that will challenge, provoke, and forever change your outlook on the digital economy." The authors question if the real power of the web is not the technology behind it, but the way it opens communication among buyers and sellers, young and old, rich and poor. Written from a business perspective, Cluetrain calls for both translation and reflection to a church setting.
It has certainly stirred the thinking of the people in my book discussion group! The "manifesto" in the title refers to 95 theses; you may read them online at http://www.cluetrain.com.
Other resources recommended by Donna & Betsey
Out on the Edge: A Wake-Up Call for Church Leaders on the Edge of the Media Reformation
By Michael Slaughter. Abingdon, 1998.Teaching Online
By William A. Draves. Learning Resources Network, 1999.
Online: http://www.lern.org"The Household of Jesus Christ in the Age of Access"
By M. Douglas Meeks in Quarterly Review, Winter 2000, pp. 353-68.
Meeks offers theological reflection on the meaning of community in the digital age.