What happend to the melting pot?

By now you have probably heard the controversy surrounding Focus on the Family's thirty second super bowl ad staring heizman trophy winner Tim Tebow; and if you haven't you should watch it for yourself. This middle of the road commercial has spun some pro-choice head shouting anti-abortion. If you can believe it these activists still have whiplash.

USA Today has posted some research results of viewer responses: link

Culturally it's sad that our activists bullying society in to indifference: what happend to the melting pot? This place where we could thrive and mix and share. We burned with passion for our diversity. Now, what? At least we had that.

This is the image today:

A place where icons spend our money, and tell us who to be, as long as it doesn't get too deep we'll live in complacency. Where our exsistance is silly, and our ethics aquitted. And the only thing brough into question is comfort, conveinence, and pleasure. Noise will surround us till we fall to the stuper that rings in our ears, even in silence. So cynically, yes! Let's talk about equality and corporate responsibility as long as it means nothing and doesn't effect our body.

(Revelations 3:15-19)

This is so much the cry of my heart; to see people love hard without burnishing others. After all every faith is a journey to understand more about who we are, not what we are, do, or have; but the greater feeling of purpose that comes from the freedom of believing you are lasting and loved. I don't claim to be the epitomy of the things I believe, but knowing I am part of the journey is enough for me.

So, for me this hits home especially close because the only thing that makes marketing worth doing is to think that I can make a difference with it. That I can share the revelation that we are all on this journey together, but individually; and I hope that you will not ignore it like anti-this-and-thats tell us to.

Computer Christianity

She walks out of her suburban household and sneezes at the buzz of the neighbor's lawnmower, slides into the four door luxury vehicle she bought online, and zips down the street with the Ipod shouting a play list of her select favorites. Pulling into the gas station, she unzips her wallet and pulls out a debit card. With a flick of the wrist, and a squeeze, she's all filled up and ready to go...

I did this terrible thing yesterday. Yes, in these brief moments of daily grind I was in the midst of transgression, and I hardly noticed it. How many people did I divert in my pursuit of convenience? My neighbor, the radio show hosts, the bank teller (a stretch), and the cashier at the gas station.

Looking back on a spring semester consumer behavior course, I recall my professor talking about how my generation and those after mine will have difficulty in their interpersonal relationships because they rely so heavily on the Internet and computer as methods of communicating. Let me just say that I have nothing against the advancement of technology, but it is important to consider how something as strong and lasting as the evolution of technology will change how we communicate, specifically the gospel.

As I see it, the human element of any demographic is the community fortified around it. When we forgo the human interaction of our daily pursuits we are losing community. While we will grow to be satisfied by the virtual communities we've create online, I can't help but be burdened by the thought that we would loose discernment for God's will by creating our own.

So I pose these questions:

What is Christianity in a world were we create our communities?
What is forgiveness/compassion/understanding if we elude those in need?
How do we discern Gods will while it is so easy and convenient to do our own?
And does Christianity have a real place in this virtual world?

These are the questions I will discuss and aim the answer over the next few weeks.

Please leave your existing thoughts and ideas with me, so that I can include them in my future responses.