My avatar at Habbo turns 18 years old next week. I come of age. YIPPEE!!!!!!!! I now wear a tweed suit and have glasses and some grey hair. I might be one of the oldest avatars in the Metaverse. The feature image is of me, TallSkinnyKiwi, Chancellor of Suddenly Seminary (2004) checking out the new…
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Metaverse Church and the Parallel Universe
Avatars do not need to look like us. The best avatar to create for a metaverse church experience (this is from the Q&A session after my message on Sunday) is an elderly grandmother because grandmothers rule the church. They can turn around on the pew to shush the young people giggling during the sermon, they…
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Church in the Metaverse
I would like to do a short blog series on the topic of the Metaverse and church, ministry and mission that happen in it and are affected by it. Maybe next week. The Metaverse did not suddenly fall from the sky and land on our foreheads. Online virtual spaces have helped us launch religious environments…
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Zoombombing Church in Historical Perspective
In our current crisis of social/physical isolation due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and attempts to connect to each other digitally, Zoom has emerged as the preferred platform for online group conversations. In the past month or so, Zoom users have gone from tens of millions to hundred of millions and shares in the company have…
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Transcoding Church: Intro
And just like that, the global church was thrust into the biggest house church experiment ever seen in human history. Not quite the same as previous house church movements, most of our new aggregations of media-connected believers came about suddenly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity of isolation. But we find ourselves at…
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Outreach Trends for Next Year
In July of 2013, a well known Christian magazine that focuses on Christian outreach asked me what I thought they should cover in 2014. WHAT I SUGGESTED I suggested articles on urban agriculture, going off-grid, permaculture, voluntary simplicity, interaction with Muslims, nomads, social enterprise, DIY and self sufficiency, outreach that includes seekers rather than targets…
Read More2012: Muslims, Marijuana, Mormons and other things that make you go mmmmmmm
I kept a pretty low profile in 2012 with some pathetic sporadic blogging and only the occasional dip into blog controversies surrounding the church. But despite my silence, I was doing my best to keep up on the conversation. Here are my big M’s of the Christian blogosphere in 2012, all of them stemming from…
Read MoreHanging with the Brethren Church
We visited my old Brethren church yesterday which is now called Orewa Community Church. I attended the youth group here as a teenager and a few people remembered me. I have been away overseas for 30 years so I thought it would be just POLITE to return and say hi, and thanks. Good Bible teaching, as always.…
Read MoreEgypt: A Christian vice-president and potential for change
Last year in Egypt I met some amazing people who live in Cairo and have a special interest in the goings-on among the government and church. One of them is W. I asked him for the skinny on the recent happenings. Andrew: Hi W. I just heard some news about Egypt: “One of the first decisions will…
Read MoreBaptist monks and couch-surfing apostles: 10 Signs that the future church is here already.
10 years ago today I published an article on Soularize that suggested the church still had a long way to go before it was hitting its target but that there were early signs that prove hopeful and promising. Reading the article [Postmodern Church: Are We There Yet?] again today, it seems a lot of those…
Read MoreIs the number 666 really on our barcodes?
A blog reader asked if the number 666 is somehow integrated into the barcodes. This has been a discussion for over 30 years among Christians. I asked my friend David Allis who is not only a Christian man but is also a leading seller of barcodes, to reply to the question, “Do all barcodes have…
Read MoreSo what do Aussies REALLY think of the church?
A recent survey from Olive Tree Media shows what Australians think about Christianity. Here are the main reasons why Aussies say they don’t go to church: Here’s some doctrines and practices that Australians say block them from church. However, the survey showed a surprising knowledge of what Jesus said. Read the whole thing or download…
Read MoreAmerican church: Not dead yet
“Most of our churches are built around feeding consumers.” Mike Breen My English friend Mike Breen just wrote an article called “An Obituary for the American Church” in which he outlines 3 problems he believes could kill it: a culture of Celebrity, Consumerism and Competition. Well said. I agree with Mike and recommend reading his article. But…
Read MoreIn Search of Masculine Christianity
Rachel Held Evans issued a challenge to male bloggers last week in response to John Piper’s suggestion at the Desiring God conference that “God has given Christianity a masculine feel”, which she thought was “a strange way to talk about the Bride of Christ.” I didn’t have time to write anything but I noticed that 150…
Read MoreCovenant Making is not always evil
Yesterday I was at All Saints [Hataitai] Church to witness and participate in a covenant signing ceremony. But before you get all excited about that word “covenant“, I should tell you that: 1. Yes, I know all about last week’s contract/covenant controversy at Mars Hill Seattle and agree that covenants can be abused to control people…
Read MoreThe Bourne Ecclesiology
Can’t wait for the next movie in the Bourne series. Here’s a suggestion.
Read MoreNew Christian websites
2 new Christian websites are launching soon that you should know about: OpenChurch.com from USA (January) courtesy of Kent Shaffer. Christian.co.uk from UK (February). Everyone say hello to Ian Matthews. Both are open for Christian content, articles, blog posts, etc. Go check them out, join them and submit something before the crowds come. What other similar…
Read MoreThe English church that went up a mountain but came down a hill
I have lived in USA for ten years and UK for five. In both countries I worked for the churches. They are different, the churches in USA and UK, something that became more evident this weekend after Mark Driscoll suggested the UK church was the poorer for not having any well-known teachers. Interview is here.…
Read MoreKa-Ching in the Ka-Church
In Nigeria, Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel has accumulated US$150 million. He is currently selling 2 of his 4 jets. He is not selling his jets because of the recent documentaries that criticize his lifestyle for being “at odds with the poverty and helplessness that exists” in the communities he operates in, or the pressure from other…
Read MoreEgypt: Ev. church treating victims
I just spent a week and a half in Cairo, Egypt. People have asked me what’s behind all the violence – is it the Christians or the Muslims? Neither. This is more political than it is religious. Muslims are standing up for Christians and vice versa. It’s not hard to figure out who or what is…
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