Internet Evangelism

Stephen Shields has posted a link to the schedule for the Internet Evangelism Conference on April 1, 2005 at Liberty University. I'm sure it will be an education for Jerry Falwell ( I just don't picture Jerry sitting at a monitor surfing the 'net) and all who attend. The topics look both challenging and intereting.

I’m still skeptical that blogs will ever become a link/connection to those Jesus misses most. I'm an avid believer in the ordinary face to face attempts made in the context of every day life. That's what it takes to reach these peoples. I can’t quote statistics but I think it’s fair to say that the “missing” are not reading what we’re posting. Start with Stephen’s blog (he has great content—for the believer) and connect with some of those on his blog roll, read the content and then answer the question, “Why would they be interested?” Ninety-nine percent of the post you read is not geared to those outside the believer's circle. Granted there are a number of sites, such as Hollywood Jesus, that are media centered but for Christ sake they need a name change. Yet few bloggers have the pre-Christian in mind when they post.

What I do believe blogging will do is serve as the emerging medium for future internet ministries. What those ministries will be is still up in the air. But at this point I don’t think internet evangelism (I hate that word) will be one of them.