Here, at last, is the big announcement...


will be published by Crossway Books in September 2008.

Here's the Table of Contents:

Introduction: Roger N. Overton (www.ATeamBlog.com)

Part One: The Landscape of New Media

 

Chapter One: The New Media: First Thoughts -Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Scriptorium Daily)

Chapter Two: The Future of New Media -Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Scriptorium Daily)

Chapter Three:Three Cautions among the Cheers: The Dangers of Uncritically Embracing New Media - Matthew L. Anderson (Mere Orthodoxy Blog)

Chapter Four: Beginning Bloggers Toolbox -Joe Carter (Evangelical Outpost)

Chapter Five: Beginner's Toolbox Part II: Even Newer New Media -- Podcasting, Video Casting and More – Matthew Eppinette (Americans United for Life) and Terence Armentano (TerenceOnline.blogspot.com )

Part Two: Engaging New Media

Chapter Six: Theological Blogging -David Wayne (JollyBlogger)
Chapter Seven: Blog as Microwave Community – Dr. Tod Bolsinger (It Takes a Church Blog)
Chapter Eight: Pastors and the New Media -Dr. Mark D. Roberts (MarkDRoberts.com)
Chapter Nine: Navigating the Evolving World of Youth Ministry in the Facebook-MySpace Generation - Rhett Smith (RhettSmith.com)
Chapter Ten: Evangelism and Apologetics - Roger N. Overton ( www.ATeamBlog.com)
Chapter Eleven: Professors with a New Public: Academics and New Media –Dr. Fred Sanders (Scriptorium Daily)
Chapter Twelve: Virtual Classrooms, Real Learning –Dr. Jason Baker (BakersGuide.com)

Chapter Fifteen: Social Justice, Social Relief and New Media -Stephen Shields (FaithMaps.org)

Here's a summary of the book:

We'd like to offer some direction for how Christians can use the new media with discernment and grace. Many of the contributors to The New Media Frontier began using new media at the encouragement of national radio host Hugh Hewitt, so we are delighted that he has provided a foreword for the project. Roger Overton presents a brief introduction to the concept of new media and why Christians should engage it with wisdom. Part One of the book addresses new media in general. Dr. John Mark Reynolds begins with a chapter examining the history of human communication in order to provide a fresh perspective on what new media really is. In the second chapter, Dr. Reynolds looks to the future of new media and stresses the urgency for Christian involvement before the opportunities vanish.

Matthew Anderson contributes our third chapter by looking at what dangers new media pose for those who uncritically dive into it. His chapter advocates the careful use of wisdom in consuming and creating digital content. With the foundation laid by these first three chapters, chapters four and five spell out exactly how consumers can become creators in the new media. Joe Carter explains how to blog in chapter four and in chapter five Matthew Eppinette and Terence Armentano explain how to podcast and vlog.

Part Two of the book looks to specific areas in which Christians can utilize new media more thoroughly and specifically. These areas include: Theology (David Wayne), Community (Tod Bolsinger), Pastoral Ministry (Mark D. Roberts), Youth Ministry (Rhett Smith), Evangelism & Apologetics (Roger N. Overton), Academics (Fred Sanders), Education (Jason Baker), Politics (Scott Ott), Bioethics (Joe Carther & Matthew Eppinette), and Social Justice (Stephen Shields).

While these brief explorations of each topic will in no way say everything that could or should be said, we do hope they can help to start a process of critical assessment so that when Christians use new media they will do so in a manner consistent with the character and quality of Christ. After finishing the book, readers should have an effective understanding of how they can advance, demonstrate, and utilize the Christian worldview through the use of new media.

Though it's only in the beginning of development, we will have a blog dedicated to the book at NewMediaFrontier.com We also have a Facebook group up and running. I'll post some of the major announcements regarding the project as they happen here, but you'll always be able to find out more through the NMF blog and Facebook group. We'll also do some sort of tie-in with next year's GodBlogCon, which will be September 18-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Paul Spears compared this masterpiece by Rubens to a portrait of an 18th century man.  Both were technically excellent, but the first had substance that the second lacked--passion, a story, something deeper than a semi-narcissistic commissioned portrait.

In the same way, we should not only have the same kind of technical craftsmanship that the great artists had when creating their paintings (in our case, correct grammar, spelling, and language), but if we want to have significant blogs, we also need the kind of substance demonstrated in the Rubens painting.  The story and ideas of Christ and our Christian worldview need to support and surround everything that we write.  Our posts ought to point our readers to bigger, more important things and increase their understanding of the truth about the world.

This will be much easier to do if we keep our focus on God rather than our own importance and self-centered ambition.  The motivation for our blogging had better be a transcendent cause--our calling to serve Christ--rather than a desire to build our own little blogging kingdom where we get a certain number of hits and readers.  Though the human temptation is to move in the second direction, attracting us to the trendy (not to mention boring) rather than the deep, we have to fight its pull; it's the easiest way to kill the long-term value and significance of our work.

John Mark Reynolds had some good advice about how to not burn out as a blogger.  He particularly emphasized the need for us to write less about ourselves and more about external ideas.  Begin with an outer focus and then reflect on the inner implications.  If we do the opposite, the likely result will be that we'll become boring as we end up saying nearly the same thing every day (whatever our pet ideas happen to be), twisting every topic into a way to get our own agenda across.

Secondly, we ought to blog for the permanent side of the blogosphere rather than for our immediate readers.  In other words, even as we're commenting on timely topics, there ought to be a certain timelessness to our commentary so our work will continue to be of value.  Posts that offer this will be stumbled upon and accessed by people for years to come, and in this way our impact will possibly be greater in the long term than we would expect from our number of usual readers. 

As an aid to both of the above goals, Dr. Reynolds reminded us that the best new media relies on old media (books, film, etc.) and not on other new media.  If we're taking in great ideas and reflecting on them and their goodness, beauty, and truth, and if we make our goal to see the face of God rather than to exalt ourselves, we'll persevere in creating valuable, lasting work.

After noting that it's an anomaly to find a Southern Baptist in Las Vegas, Al Mohler talked more of the irony of the idea that "we came to a place of deception in order to talk about the truth."

He said that, as Christians, we should be known as people who have something to say.  Communication is central to what we do.  It's a special gift from God, and we have a mandate to spread the good news.  The gift of communication is a special trust that was twisted in the Fall, leading to slander, propaganda, etc.; we should not misuse it.

There is communication from God to us--the revelation God gave of Himself came to us through words.  Words are central in our communication with each other within the body of Christ as we instruct and exhort.  Evangelism also requires words; we can only make the nations glad if we use words.  We can use more than words, but never less.

Movable type enabled Christians to print pamphlets, books, and newspapers.  Radio made things even more simple; anyone can listen to a radio broadcast.  Cassette distribution expanded our ability to influence even further.  Unfortunately, the technology that increased our ability to communicate also increased the opportunity for Christians to embarrass themselves, and the quality of what we do has not always kept pace with the availability.  Since new media is so immediately accessible and publishable, we increase exponentially our ability to make huge mistakes, not to mention our tendency to be sloppy.  There's very little editing, and even less proper self-censorship.

I'm now in Las Vegas at the GodBlogCon.  If any of you are here, as well, be sure to find me and say hello!

I'm not particularly fond of Vegas...or rather, not at all fond.  This place is like a Disneyland without a soul.  And seriously, what is that smell of sulfur out there?  I'm not kidding about this.  It really does smell like sulfur.  But despite all this, I'm looking forward to seeing everybody here, and hopefully I'll have some interesting tidbits to pass on to you in the next few days.

Did You Know 2.0:

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us:

Over the past few days I’ve seen a number of articles claiming that Facebook is growing faster than Myspace…

Are MySpace Users Spacing Out?
The Facebook Generation Gap (HT: Scriptorium Daily)
MySpace Popularity with Teens Fizzles

The one that really caught my attention was “Social Networking and Class Warfare” by Steven Levy. He discussed a recent study that found an interesting link between class and which network people belong too:

"The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes and other 'good' kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college." MySpace is still home for "kids whose parents didn't go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school."

Facebook began as, and is still, primarily focused around college networks. So it seems it should follow that there is more of an upper-class atmosphere there than on Myspace. I think aesthetics also has something to do with it as well. Many people on Myspace overload their profiles with obtrusive graphics and obnoxious music (not to mention the ads). Facebook, on the hand, has a consistently clean and professional look, which is likely more preferred by educated and professional consumers.*

One implication of this division (general as it is), is that advertises will likely go where the consumers have more money, and this is likely to be Facebook. In the long run, I suspect Facebook will be more profitable.

However, I think it’s more interesting (and profitable) for us to consider how Christians can use these networks for God’s glory. Due to Facebook’s group features, I think it provides more avenues for discussion and connecting with non-Christians. I’m suggesting Christians abandon Myspace, but I am suggesting our time may be most economically spent in Facebook if we are to engage these networks for advancing God’s kingdom.

I’ll have a bit more to say about this in the coming days, but I’m interested in your feedback. Those of you who have dabbled in these networks, what opportunities do you see for evangelism or Christian community? Even if you’ve stayed away from these networks, I’m interested in your reasons for dis-involvement.

* It should also be noted that many people participate in both networks. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any statistics noting how many are in both.

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

We are far too accustomed to hearing about “new things.” When shopping we are constantly faced with “new and improved” products. Our politicians claim to advance “new” plans and ideas. Even some theologians argue that they’ve got a “new perspective” to offer us from time to time. And now many of us are claiming to be involved in something called “new media.”  Are we really talking about something new, or is there nothing new under the sun?

From the context of Ecclesiastes, we can see that this famous verse refers to satisfaction in life. No amount of human creativity can bring about something so new that it will change where we derive our satisfaction or our salvation. These have always been found in God and they always will be found in Him. The writer of Ecclesiastes did not condemn human ingenuity altogether, but made it clear that all of our attempts to satisfy ourselves are futile.

Still, the claim that there is “nothing new under the sun” is generally true when more widely applied. The voyages to the moon brought man to a new destination, but traveling is something man has always done and will continue to do. Technology simply enhanced man’s ability to travel.

Similarly, new media is nothing more than communication. All that is new is the form of communication. Instead of writing to a local paper hoping to get an opinion published, many people have turned to publishing their thoughts on the Internet (primarily on blogs). Internet technology has enhanced textual communication by allowing just about everyone to publish their opinions. Among other things, this gives people a greater ability to exercise their freedom of speech.

If we were simply to leave it at that, though, we would be uncritical stewards of this new technology. It is far too easy to embrace the intended benefits of new technology without even noticing the unintended consequences. One such consequence is that readers become accustomed to brief, cursory thoughts and lose their appetite for longer, deeper commentaries. We might expect, then, that in the long-run people will generally have a lower tolerance for complex lines of argument and will only give ear to pithy sound bites. So while new media is merely a new way of doing something we’ve done before, it does bring to bear both new opportunities and new consequences.