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IEC ENewsletter - October 2007
Stimulating and accelerating web evangelism within the worldwide Body of Christ
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Internet Missionary Society of 2020
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By John Edmiston
 The Internet began to affect our lives in 1994 with the creation of the World Wide Web and the Mosaic web browser. Shortly after that, Christians began to share their faith with others in cyberspace; Internet evangelism and cybermissions were born. In this article, I would like to jump ahead to 2020 and consider what Internet evangelism and cybermissions might look like in thirteen years.
The Internet is rapidly moving from the personal computer to the cell phone and it is predicted that the number of Internet users will go from the current 1.14 billion to over three billion by 2010, mainly due to the growth of Internet-capable hand-held devices (e.g. cell phones, PDAs and the Blackberry). Indeed, Microsoft has just announced Phone+, an initiative to bring television (as well as everything else) to your cell phone.
Hand-held devices will soon have really useful screen sizes. The May 2007 Popular Science magazine showcases a five-inch Polymer Vision flexible screen that "rolls-up" inside the unit. By 2010, this flexible screen will be larger, in color and capable of handling web browsing and video. Of course your hand-held device will also dock with your wide-screen digital television, your laptop or any other viewing platform. The included video camera will be augmented by higher processing power and bandwidth to enable quality video conferencing from your lounge room.
So we see that highly sophisticated content will be downloadable to three billion personal handheld devices by 2010. The personal communication device will be how people interact with friends, family and colleagues and likely the first place they turn to find information about the gospel. It will likely be the main way people accept information into their lives and therefore the main way we will have to communicate the gospel. The hand-held device will allow streaming video (or text or audio) of gospel presentations. Enquirers will be able to contact the mission agency via the Internet, or by SMS (text), email, fax, VOIP (voice over internet protocol, e.g. Vonage or Skype) or by normal mobile or landline voice call.
Progress in information technology is exponential.
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| BibleTech:2008 |
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 To encourage the best and most innovative uses of technology in Bible study, Logos Bible Software will sponsor BibleTech:2008 in Seattle, WA on January 25-26, 2008. The conference will be held at the Hilton Seattle Airport and explore the intersection of Bible study and technology. This is an interactive conference designed to get the best and brightest Christian minds in technology together in one place to network and brainstorm.
More than 20 speakers will present their projects and ideas - which range from web-based Christian communities to advanced software programming. Presenters at BibleTech:2008 include Dr. Reinier de Blois, editor of the United Bible Society's Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, and Zack Hubert, creator of The Resurgence Greek Project and Pastor of Technology at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. BibleTech: 2008 will offer two session streams - one stream for a lay audience and a second for attendees with advanced knowledge of computer sciences. "We hope the BibleTech attendees will be encouraged by the interaction with other Christians who are working hard wherever the Bible and technology meet." said Logos CEO Bob Pritchett. "The conference will be as much a networking opportunity as an educational one."
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| CAN Creates Island in SecondLife |
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The Churches Advertising Network (CAN) has created an island in the virtual world of SecondLife.com and is inviting online seekers to come ashore and "Have a second go at life." SecondLife consultant Andrew Down has built the island as a version of first-century Palestine and furnished it with the St Pixels church, cafes, pubs and pools for meditating by. CAN member Simon Jenkins said that SecondLife users generally "tend to be a bit hostile to organized religion." So they deliberately incorporated some fun elements to the island, such as the Everlasting Arms pub, the We Three Kings of Orient Arbucks coffee bar and the Zacchaeus bonsai shop. The island will be linked to CAN's "real life" advertising campaign this Christmas inviting people to take "a second chance at life."
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| Bishop of London and Christian Web/Blog Awards |
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By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
 One hundred distinguished guests, including the Bishop of London, attended a first-ever Christian Blog and Web Awards event last month. The Internet Church played host to Premier Media Group's first ever Christian Blog and Web Awards.
The event was hosted by internationally renowned author and speaker, Jeff Lucas and Premier radio presenter, Maria Toth. The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, opened the award with a blessing and called the event a success. "The role of each new Bishop of London is to have his own diary and take up the diary of the old Bishop," Chartres told the audience. "With that in mind I hope whoever holds the title of Bishop of London in 2107, will be attending the Christian Web and Blog Awards." He went on to share with the crowd that he had set up his very own blog that day, and planned to post regularly.
Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier then took to the stage to make a speech. "In the UK, we spend more than 34 hours a month online and at on any given day more than 21 million people are using the Internet. Christians have a strong online presence and because of that, it is important to recognize and commend the outstanding work of Christians on the net," he told the audience.
"The Christian Web and Blog Awards was created to pay tribute to those people and celebrate the connection between the Christian faith and new media. From Churches and leaders to musicians and dedicated Christians wanting to share the message with the rest of the world, we are all part of this new initiative."
Read Assist News Story
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| Switzerland's Changing Religious Landscape |
swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) is taking a closer look at Switzerland's changing religious landscape. In Switzerland, the number of people claiming to have no religious affiliation is increasing. But although church attendance is falling, religion is being seen as a major factor ahead of the federal elections, especially with an increasingly large and more visible Muslim population.
swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) is one of the enterprise units of SRG SSR idée suisse, Switzerland's public-service radio and television broadcaster. Its focus is informing Swiss people abroad of what is going on at home, and to raise awareness about Switzerland beyond its borders. In doing so, swissinfo/SRI operates a news and information platform in nine languages.
Snapshot of Faith in Switzerland in the 21st Century
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| Website Celebrates Calvin Anniversary Jubilee |
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The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches has launched an interactive website to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Protestant reformer John Calvin, according to Ecumenical News International. "We want Calvin to come alive for the people of our time through this website," the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and chairperson of the website's committee of patrons, said when the site was launched on September 28. The website presents in four languages a calendar of jubilee events worldwide, and information on Calvin's life and teaching.
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| Health May Limit Access to Internet |
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 A new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Projects finds that people with chronic conditions are disproportionately offline, but once they are online, they are just as enthusiastic as other Internet users. After detailing their general online interests, the report focuses on how this special population uses the internet to gather health information. Not surprisingly, once they are online, people with chronic conditions are avid e-patients. The report also shows that e-patients with chronic conditions do not lack for information about their health concerns, but they are frustrated by the process of finding the right information at the moment they need it. In addition to providing national telephone survey data, the report includes quotes from online essays written by members of an online support group, the Association of Cancer Online Resources.
Read Pew Report
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