The September Internet Evangelism Coalition Annual Meeting will address a number of important matters for Internet evangelism practitioners including:

• "MySpace" vs "ChristianSpace": how Christians can respond to the growth of social networking websites
• International Internet Evangelism: reaching the unreached and non-English speaking through the web
• StorySpot.com: equipping Christians to share their faith online

Guest speaker Wednesday night will be Gordon Robertson, vice president of Digital Media for the Christian Broadcasting Network, on Using the Internet for International Evangelism.

The 2006 IEC Annual Meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch on Wednesday, September 20 and concludes at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 21.

The Registration Fee for the Annual Meeting is $125 and includes 3 meals and refreshment breaks. Register here.

The IEC meeting will be held at Marriott Chicago O’Hare (8535 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631). Rooms are available for $124 plus tax per night. The deadline for making hotel reservations is August 31. Please make your own hotel reservations by going to www.gospelcon.org/hotel (note the “n” in the address). (The IEC group rate is part of a package with another conference, Gospel Communications, Intl.)

Questions? Email iec@webevangelism.com.

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Fuller School of Inter-Cultural Studies has been running the innovative MP537 "Internet Evangelism And Cybermissions" subject as part of the MA in Global Leadership. This Master's level subject looks at how the new communication medium of the Internet can be used to share the gospel and especially as a tool for missions. It is a "prototype" course with only five students enrolled (partly due to the Summer time-slot) and yet it has been very exciting to watch as the students struggle with concepts such as the theology, ecclesiology and missiology of Cyberspace. The Internet affects our foundational Christian ideas such as: What is a church and can you have one online? How do Christians minister in a technological age? Does the Internet even affect the very process of "doing theology"? and Is there such a thing as Spirit-filled technology?

One student wrote in the weekly Connecting segment of the class: "To me, the relationship between technology and spirituality is mostly a stewardship issue. I believe we are called to not only steward our resources and talents but we will also be accountable for the times and seasons we lived in . . . taking full advantage of the opportunities. Martin Luther is an obvious example of someone who did this very thing with the advent of the printing press. As missionists we should view every new breakthrough from the standpoint of God pouring out knowledge for the sake of redemption and his kingdom. I don't believe the Internet alters the way we understand or do theology necessarily, if that means it changes the theology . . . I believe it alters our ecclesiology. Our understanding of the hows and how-tos of church. We should learn deeply from it and it IS going to alter our methods and ways. At least it should. The Internet is today's Roman road."

We are now half-way through the course and starting on the practical how-to aspects of strategies in cyberspace. We are looking at Tony Whittaker's Web Evangelism Guide and a few other very helpful sites that guide Christians in the latest and greatest means of online evangelism (this subject is, quite naturally taught online).

Students also do a lot of reading in cyber-sociology and missiology and look at online communication, how to build effective community online and the inner dynamics of cyberspace - with a view to using this information to design their own Internet ministry. Students have to spend ten hours in an active online community and then write and reflect about their experience. One student has even chosen to participate in an aggressively anti-Christian egroup based in Korea.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a new report on Bloggers that finds, among other things, most bloggers focus on personal experiences, not politics. Another survey by Pew found that the blog population has grown to about 12 million American adults, or about 8% of adult Internet users and that the number of blog readers has jumped to 57 million American adults, or 39% of the online population. In addition:

• 54% of bloggers say that they have never published their writing or media creations anywhere else; 44% say they have published elsewhere.
• 54% of bloggers are under the age of 30.
• Women and men have statistical parity in the blogosphere, with women representing 46% of bloggers and men 54%.
• 44% of bloggers have taken material they find online - like songs, text or images - and remixed it into their own artistic creation. By comparison, just 18% of all Internet users have done this.
• 55% of bloggers blog under a pseudonym.
• 8% of bloggers earn money on their blog.

Read the Pew Internet Project report on Bloggers.

In a recent survey conducted by the American Bible Society, 70% of 12-15-year-olds surveyed said there are correlations between the messages of the Bible and the way they apply those messages to their lives. African-American teens were significantly more likely to agree with this statement than teens of all other races and ethnic groups. More than 1,600 12- 18-year-olds participated in a six-question survey conducted by Weekly Reader Research on behalf of the American Bible Society.

The survey also found that:

• 51% surveyed were introduced to the Bible by their parents, with African-American (60%) and Hispanic teens (50%) leading among the surveyed ethnic groups.
• Roughly 56% of the respondents were introduced to messages of the Bible before age 10. Children who read the Bible before age 10 were more likely to read the Bible regularly as teenagers.
• More than half of the teens surveyed read the Bible daily, weekly, on Sunday or sometimes and an estimated six percent of the 30.2 million 12-18-year- olds in the United States read the Bible daily (with no significant age, race or gender differences).
• 58.9% of girls - compared to 52% of boys - are more likely to read the Bible when "a family member or friend is sick or dying."

American Bible Society president Dr. Paul Irwin explained, "We conducted the survey to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the role the Bible plays in the lives of teens in America. All of us were very excited to see, and have reinforced, the important role parents play in introducing the Bible to children at a young age."

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In an exclusive five-part Los Angeles Times series beginning August 7, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll will present an in-depth profile of America's tweens/teens and young adults. The survey is the first in an annual series of Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg polls focusing on pop culture, entertainment and media consumption habits. The five-part series will be available beginning August 7 at www.latimes.com/entertainmentpoll. Corresponding poll results and analysis for each daily installment will be posted at www.latimes.com/timespoll.

• Worldwide Religious News: Cybery-savvy Pastors
• MinistryCom: Create A Craving for Christ
• World Association for Christian Communication: Internet Develops Prayer and Spirituality
• MinistryCom: eMinistry Best Practices
• Publishers Weekly: Use Your Common Saints
• BBC: More than 95% of Email is Junk
• Chicago Sun Times: Re-charge and Relax at Chicago O'Hare
• World Nomads: Language Pods for International Travel
• CNN.com: Marines Looking for a Few Good MySpace Buddies
• CNN.com: Warning Storm Ahead