Barry's Blog

In recent days Steve Jobs' Apple Computer and Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC, have entered into a partnership where episodes airing on ABC the evening before can be downloaded through Apple's iTunes Music Store for $1.99. Talking about opening a Pandora's box in the media business! Already ABC affiliate stations have been clamoring that they were not given an opportunity for financial participation in the new distribution agreement.  This marriage between the two companies is seen by many media observers as being a significant step in dismantling the decades-old system for distribution of TV programming to viewing audiences. Now, TiVo Inc. has announced plans to let users of its popular digital video recorders to download any TV show stored on their TiVo boxes onto iPods.

With technology "blurring" the lines across all forms of media, we should not be surprised at its impact upon worship and the sacred in our fast paced culture. An article in The New York Times caught my eye in late August. It reported how Kyle Lewis, 25, when he missed going to church one Sunday, still didn't miss the sermon. Mr. Lewis, who regularly attends services at a church in Alexandria, Virginia, listened to the sermon while he was at the gym, through a recording he had downloaded to his iPod. Instead of listening to the rock music his gym offered, he heard his pastor's message!

The homepage of Rev. Mark Batterson of the National Community Church, theaterchurch.com, is his entrée into "podcasting," or "godcasting," as Rev. Batterson prefers to call it. "I can't possibly have a conversation with everyone each Sunday. But this builds toward a digital discipleship," he said. "We're orthodox in belief, but unorthodox in practice."

Just as Christian organizations embraced radio and television, podcasting has quickly caught on with religious groups. Despite the variety of religious podcasts, Christian programs make up by far the largest segment of the category. The Rev. Tim Hohm, a Protestant minister from El Sobrante, Calif., makes two 15-minute podcasts a week about family and work issues. He said an average of 6,000 people downloaded the program from the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.

One of the most popular religious podcasts, Catholic Insider (catholicinsider.com), already exceeds 10,000 listeners for each program. The founder is the Rev. Roderick Vonhögen, 37, a priest from the Netherlands, who heard about podcasting from one of his parishioners and has become an avid fan of Adam Curry, one of podcasting's founders. "I don't force people to take my view," he said, to which he attributes his popularity. Listeners have gone along on walks in Rome, through the airport in Düsseldorf, Germany, and across the city square in his hometown of Amersfoort while Father Vonhögen enthusiastically talks about pop culture and religion, and can sometimes be heard eating French fries or gelato while he is talking. "Podcasting for us has been a resurrection of radio," Father Vonhögen said. "It's the connection to a new generation."

As I read of this new "media" world making inroads into our frenetic culture, moving us towards a new-fangled "digital discipleship," I must confess, I'm a little bothered. True, amidst our hectic schedules of work and leisure, it is "convenient" to have church services when we want to attend (I'm as guilty as anyone on this). Yet, when was the last time you or I picked up a hymnal to sing a song in church? I wonder,  amidst all the technological advances, could we be depriving ourselves of something? Can we be "orthodox" in belief, yet "unorthodox" in practice? Is it possible for me to live well in our world of "sight and sound," but without others? Could such technology have a downside in terms of how we relate, or don't relate, to others? Could it contribute to making our faith a solitary, private enterprise? And when we get our religion "on the fly," what are we saying about worship? About community? Still pondering…

For FinishingWell,

Barry

Article in the August 25th issue of The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/technology/29godcast.html