BeDeviant.com » Aside

The Younger Evangelical Church

Justin Wise — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:07:11 +0000

From “Younger Evangelicals” by Robert Webber: “This younger generation [x & Y] wants the wisdom of other generations; they don’t want to be separated out as a group with characteristics they “will grow out of and graduate from.” … Xers have ‘the very characteristics that the church ought to grow into,’ one of them being their commitment to the inter-generational church, another their love of intercultural communities.” 18-34-year-olds: Is this true?

If You Go to Seminary…

Justin Wise — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:07:37 +0000

If you ever decide to go to seminary, I hope you will consider Bethel Seminary. I have been a part of other learning institutions where professors want everyone to know how many degrees they have. They make sure that you call them “Dr.” in all your correspondence with them. At Bethel Seminary, my professors don’t go by “Dr.” or “Professor” or “Almighty,” but by Kyle, Joel, and Jeanine. (Incidentally, they are some of the most brilliant people I have ever known, yet they don’t demand their students to recognize their academic achievements.) Their power isn’t derived from a title, it’s derived from the authority that wisdom brings.

Read This Before You Head to That Next Prayer Meeting…

Justin Wise — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:43:38 +0000

From “Reviving Evangelical Ethics” by Wyndy Corbin Reuschling: “It strikes me that much of the prophets’ critiques were directed at the personal pietistic practices of the people of God. There was no shortage of fasting, praying, temple going, and even tithing (Isaiah 58, Micah 6:1-7). It seems, however, that the people of God assumed this was either enough or all that was required of them.” This book is peeling my face off it’s so good. Sheesh. Conviction much?

Cult of Personality.

Justin Wise — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:20:43 +0000

I just had a thought: If God used the personalities of the gospel writers (John was a mystic; Luke was analytical and precise; Mark was rambunctious; Matthew was methodicial) to communicate eternal truths, why should we think we’re any different? Your personality, who God has made you to be in other words, is a vehicle for eternal truth. Don’t forget it.

Excuse Me, Sir? Your Website is Showing.

Justin Wise — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:30:50 +0000

I recently “un-attended” the ChurchTechCamp Dallas “un-conference” (#CTCDallas on Twitter) and came across this little gem in the message boards: “For 20 years, incoming students at DTS (Dallas Theological Seminary) reported that the #1 reason they come to DTS is the influence of a pastor. In 2008, the new #1 reason was that they like the website. If our future leaders choose seminaries on the basis of websites, certainly our congregants are doing the same.” YeeshÃ¢â‚¬â€œthat’s telling. The question you/your ministry/your organization needs to ask is, “What does our website say about us?”

Keyboards Are So Yesterday…

Justin Wise — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:28:18 +0000

Are you using a keyboard right now? Did you peck away at letters in front of you to navigate to BeDeviant.com? According to some people who use the Internet a lot, keyboards and laptops will be a thing of the past in as little as four years. From Yahoo! News: “Step aside, keyboards, laptops, and 9-to-5 jobs. A survey of more than 1,000 Internet activists, journalists, and technologists released Sunday speculates that by 2012, those quaint relics of 20th century life will fade away.” Read the rest of the article here.

Loyalty v. Responsibility

Justin Wise — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:58:39 +0000

For those of you not in the Des Moines area, Principal Financial Group (one of the city’s biggest employers) laid of 550 people yesterday. Andy Drish, a Gen-Y blogger and Principal employee, put it best when describing the lay-offs: “Companies tend to think that Gen Y isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t ‘loyal.’ Now maybe theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll understand why we keep our job options open. WeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d be foolish not to.” Wow. Well said. The days of corporate America “taking care” of their employees are long gone. Take note.

Boomers v. Gen Yers

Justin Wise — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:37:55 +0000

Ellie Behling makes a great point over at the BrazenCareerist.com on “6 Hurdles to An All-Digital Workforce“: “The clash is that Boomers and Gen Xers have spent their entire careers in extremely hierarchal structures where each step is defined and worked toward. Contrastingly, Gen Y has an attitude focused on group think, which is more suited for the online medium.” Boomers or Gen Yers, do you agree? Disagree? What’s keeping the U.S. from becoming an all-digital workplace?

An Addition to BeDeviant.com

Justin Wise — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:44:23 +0000

T-shirts! Check out the link on the side. Now you too can own a piece of BeDeviant.com. Check out the shirts. They’re ill. Just in time for Christmas! Huzzah!

The Life of the Internet Integrated

Justin Wise — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:25:12 +0000

Texas A &M Communications Professor Heidi Campbell says, “Ten years ago not everyone had e-mail accounts. Now most of us find it almost impossible to function without the Internet, whether it comes to banking or doing business or keeping up with friends.Ã¢â‚¬Â She then goes on to suggest that we should expect no different when it comes to our religious lives. How have you found the macrocosm of the internet making its way into the microcosm of your church? Twitter? YouTube? Webcasting? Online campuses? Or, like Jonathan, are you finding it hard to even get your church to use Microsoft Word? How has the internet affected your religious life?