Against Multi-tasking
Doug Groothius writes an essay Against Multi-tasking, a topic that has been in my brain lately. Although I live in a cable and aerieal and dish TV free home and i don't even get the newspaper anymore, i do have a high speed computer connection, but fortunately, only 1 computer that i share with my wife. Even with this minimal distractions i still struggle to force myself to interact with my wife and children instead of reading a book. I'm a dreadful introvert. All these devices may be protective for introverts but insulting to extroverts. Is Doug Groothius a frustrated extrovert? I don't know. I doubt it. Not that the church is an example of a different life, as we all sit and sing the same words and quietly listen to the same speaker, that still isn't necessarily community. You get more community at a sports event where you hug strangers next to you and become fast friends because of the shallowest of affinities. I am not saying that we need church to become more like sports. The church needs to be the place where deeper friendships are made. I've been working on my greek and have been translating 1 Thessalonians. Paul addresses the brothers, adelphoi, 28 times in this letter and its sequel. I think this happens in small groups.
Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum responds to Doug's essay by complaining that its too hard for people to NOT multitask in our culture and asks, "why is the Church in America not doing a single thing to reform that kind of schedule?" He wonders, "Will our pastor be the one to explain to our bosses why we refuse to carry a corporate-mandated cellphone...?" I think God does offer wisdom. Coincidentally, in my study of 1 Thess 4:11 today Paul writes, "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you." The Christian shouldn't be aspiring to an over-consumptive anyway, so why work for that? If you don't have a cable bill, or a cell phone bill, if you live close to your job, even if its in a poorer neighborhood, if you drive a smaller car, or ride your bike you can step off the treadmill. If you can accept that God does provide for you, it is he who makes sure you get paid, then you lose the need to make appearances. You'll also end up being "green" in your environmental impact.
So what should the church do? Encourage eternal reward and the simple life. Novel?
Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum responds to Doug's essay by complaining that its too hard for people to NOT multitask in our culture and asks, "why is the Church in America not doing a single thing to reform that kind of schedule?" He wonders, "Will our pastor be the one to explain to our bosses why we refuse to carry a corporate-mandated cellphone...?" I think God does offer wisdom. Coincidentally, in my study of 1 Thess 4:11 today Paul writes, "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you." The Christian shouldn't be aspiring to an over-consumptive anyway, so why work for that? If you don't have a cable bill, or a cell phone bill, if you live close to your job, even if its in a poorer neighborhood, if you drive a smaller car, or ride your bike you can step off the treadmill. If you can accept that God does provide for you, it is he who makes sure you get paid, then you lose the need to make appearances. You'll also end up being "green" in your environmental impact.
So what should the church do? Encourage eternal reward and the simple life. Novel?
Comments