Hacking Christianity
16 months ago we started a new project together: a blog talking about Christianity from a computer and religion nerd's perspective.  We called it "Hacking Christianity" and have been tinkering with various Christian systems ever since...
Hacking Christianity
There's just so much wrong with this sign from FAILblog: (1) Terrible way to shorten "Methodist Bible Campground"
Hacking Christianity
Last week the English language surpassed 1 million words.  While we want to blame the internet, the 1 millionth word was "web 2.0"...which is pretty old term in internet-speak.  I suspect the 2 millionth word will come much quicker.  In a column in the Tulsa World on June 21st, Michael Overall...
Hacking Christianity
Well, it begins.  My spouse, two cats, and I will make a trek across America this week.  We are leaving New England for the Plains as I begin a new position working with children and youth...
Hacking Christianity
Mashup of Star Wars and the Princess Bride. Truly, is there any better combination? Inconceivable.To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
As far as Church Growth goes, this is the best model I've seen...although it stops right when things get interesting (and, incidentally, uses Johannine chronology)...
Hacking Christianity
Han Solo, P.I.To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
Celebrating Tetris' 25th anniversary, of course!To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
Consumerism is the antithesis of contentment...
Hacking Christianity
One of the commonly posited notions is that the early disciples were socialists: group authority, sharing everything, trading MP3s on Nazareth's Napster.  But can we fit this contemporary political tag onto a first-century system...
Hacking Christianity
While thoroughly enjoying Kester Brewin's Signs of Emergence, I hit on a passage that I'd really really like to implement: We must reestablish ourselves as the body of Christ, not the machine of Christ.  Bodies are organic, dynamic, sentient, and conscious.  They have hearts.  Machines break...
Hacking Christianity
Stormtroopers know how to cure Swine Flu. via FlickrTo find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
I'll be twittering from Annual Conference in Oklahoma this week.  I may blog a bit, but those will not be on-the-fly unless it can't wait. So, to keep up with methodist-nerdom...follow me on twitter...
Hacking Christianity
"What would Jesus do if he was being attacked by a Polar Bear?" and many other questions:Yes, I'm looking forward to children's ministries!To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
The new Star Trek movie was good (went to see it with Blake Huggins), but the sight of young Kirk on the plains of Iowa (which apparently in the future isn't destroyed by marriage equality) reminded me whistfully of Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, though with less whining about cleaning droids...
Hacking Christianity
The following quote struck a chord in me (hat tip: Patrick Appel on Andrew Sullivan): I wonder whether our brains aren't becoming less like indexes and more like librarians. The situation isn't quite as Peter presents it: The key skill isn't knowing where to find information...
Hacking Christianity
This guy has. The employee tries to sneak a smoke in the freezer of the store (looks like a Subway), unawares of the fire suppression system. Whoops. Now, have a better day today!To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
A week ago I announced on this blog that I had a new pastoral appointment in the area of children's and youth ministry.  I'm doing a WikiChurch approach to this new thing: getting feedback and ideas from anyone and everyone and collecting the responses in a google form.  I sent out about 120...
Hacking Christianity
I'm writing an article about faith, women, and technology, particularly how mass collaboration and lowered transaction costs impact and are impacted by women in faith communities.  But I've hit a snag.  My favorite voices so far in the mass collaboration brave new world are: The Starfish and...
Hacking Christianity
The United Methodist Hymnal is now the musical equivalent of the Encyclopedia Britannica...
Hacking Christianity
The newest google killer (get in line, folks) went live today or yesterday.  Wolfram Alpha answers plain questions with plain answers with the most sophisticated of computer minds...
Hacking Christianity
It's been a while since our last Connection Drive.  And one cool new development has taken place:  you can now read Hacking Christianity on the Amazon Kindle.  Just click the link and you can read the newsfeed on the Kindle.  Pretty nifty, eh...
Hacking Christianity
For once, RMN beat me to the punch. Thoughts?To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
On a friend's facebook status, she wrote something about being Friended by Jesus (based on John 15), which spawned this snarky comment from me: Being "friended" means I can now see Jesus' profile and am now vulnerable to him seeing mine.And this snarky twitter update from me...
Hacking Christianity
Well if you know any Methodists this time of year, you probably hear a lot about clergy transitions.  It is a bittersweet time of saying goodbye and of anticipating new opportunities for both the outgoing pastor and the receiving parish that gets a fresh perspective every few years...
Hacking Christianity
Here's what I think about the buzz over the newest Star Trek: To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
Hey, while you were out, Emperor Constantine called.  Yeah, he's fine. Here's the message he left you. He's glad his yoking of Christianity with Empire...now has its own book...
Hacking Christianity
Image by aLii_ via FlickrI love MIT. I was on the subway today with a MIT computer geek and we started talking shop with me polishing my geek cred. Star Trek, the upcoming Anime convention: it was 15 minutes that would make my spouse twitch a little bit...
Hacking Christianity
As a followup to the first video, I promised I would post more...
Hacking Christianity
I love this brave new world of church politics.  Maxie Dunnam tries to change hearts and minds by creating a video outlining how the United Methodist Church's Amendment One (link) will loosen the standards and let unchecked people into membership as well as further the HomoLiberalAgenda...
Hacking Christianity
Really old post here (drafted back in August 2008), but I finally got around to getting a complete thought about this video.   Thanks to Blake Huggins' twitter, I was extremely pleased with an interview with former British Parliament member Tony Benn...
Hacking Christianity
May the Fourth be With You...Always. (May 4th is Star Wars Day) For your entertainment, Star Wars & MacGuyver Mashup: To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeAt my local church two summers ago, I preached about the human rights and environmental violations occurring at Smithfield Food properties, especially the hog farm in North Carolina, where unions were discouraged and environmental waste from pigs was overwhelming...
Hacking Christianity
Oh no.  I opened up my gmail this morning and saw this in my inbox: !!!! Mark Driscoll?  Of Mars Hill Church?  Is now stalking me on Twitter?  Oh noes!!!11!  What if he reads my blog post "Cool Kid Calvinism" and decides I was predestined to get booted in the face...
Hacking Christianity
Image via CrunchBaseMy newest web program I'm enjoying is TwitZap, which allows me to follow channels ("topics") that I've chosen.  Naturally, I chose "Methodist" to see what the twitterverse was yacking about my home team...
Hacking Christianity
Image by mtsofan via FlickrI read this during Lent and never got around to blogging about it until now.  Did you ever notice that the Gospel of John not only has different stories and takes on stories as the other three Synoptic Gospels...but it actually hates on them too (in a mean way)? Really...
Hacking Christianity
Image via WikipediaI missed Hacking Christianity's one year blogiversary.  And none of you got me champagne, so I assume that means (a) you know I'm a teetotaler, and (b) you didn't really care...
Hacking Christianity
Mashup: Star Wars intro done in the style of the old TV show "Dallas" (Hat Tip: Lake Neuron)To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
This is a continuation of the previous post and a conversation with HX reader Larry B here. Normally I would be done.  But there's more to talk about here...
Hacking Christianity
A bad.hack (read more about it here) is a manipulation of a Christian system either using illicit means to achieve an end, or achieving goals that leave the system worse off and less open than before. Read on for the hack...
Hacking Christianity
This is my first book review after becoming part of the Ooze select bloggers.  As always, while I claim I can be bought, as you can see, buying me doesn't guarantee you will get kudoes...
Hacking Christianity
The Imperial MarchHappy Palm/Passion Sunday!To find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
Oldie but a goodie! Hat Tip: Everyday TheologyTo find out more about opening Christian systems and other "hacks" visit Hacking Christianity
Hacking Christianity
There's been lots of UMC ordination posts recently...to add to the conversation, my friend Kelly Drescher @ BU wrote this and I got permission to share!Psalm 23 for UM CandidatesGod is my mentor, I shall not be found lackingMy mentor brings me back to a place of prevenient grace; I am led to the...