Tag Archive - politics

Explaining Twitter…And Laughing While We Do It

March 4, 2009 in Technology-Social Media with 5 Comments

Over the weekend my wife and I spent about an hour or so explaining Twitter to a couple of our friends. He is a youth minister and I was explaining not only what Twitter was, but how it might be beneficial to his ministry.

The “this seems crazy” or “I’m totally out of the loop” stares went eventually to some basic understanding of how it works and how it might be beneficial. I’m pretty sure he is sold and will be using it soon.

It’s hard to explain Twitter in a few bullet points (or maybe that’s just me). I prefer to use narrative (tell a story of how it was used effectively) to make my point.

I think that’s why this video makes me laugh so much…because all of us who use Twitter know how effective a tool it is and just how fun it can also be. But if we are honest with ourselves, it takes a bit of time and practice to get the hang of it.

Twitter is a participatory online/social media tool that one can only grasp if they are using it…and for everyone else…well, we just look crazy.



In 140 Characters or less, how would you explain Twitter to someone in your own/original words?

This is still the best explanation in my opinion…not 140 characters, but effective.

Community Organizer+Grasp of Web 2.0/Social Media=President Elect Obama

November 6, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 9 Comments

Last April
April 10, 2008: That is the date I wrote my post regarding an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt and the authors of Millenial Makeover: MySpace, You Tube, and the Future of American Politics. There were tons of points that the authors made that day, but three continue to stick out to me because I’m really interested in social media and I love working with this generation.

  • Communication to this generation via text, online, etc. is how they make decisions, rather than listening to authority. They make decisions based on their connectivity network, rather than make decisions based on authority.
  • You should have two different strategies to reach the Boomers and the Millenials. And they should be, and better be completely different. The Millenials can sniff out any in-authenticity in marketing. They don’t care about or watch TV, because they would rather be online and communicating and networking with people.
  • Interested in Peer to Peer, Bottoms-Up organizing styles, and not Top-Down, Command and Control style. You can appeal to them if you can talk to them about communitarian solutions that are self organizing.

The Millenials Take the Election
I think those are really great observations that Obama seemed to understand and McCain didn’t. I’m not a political analyst, but I think that’s fairly accurate. “Young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age in 1976, according to CIRCLE, a non-partisan organization that promotes research on the political engagement of Americans between ages 15 and 25.” (Youth vote may have been key in Obama’s win). In fact, the article goes on to say, quoting the authors of the Millenial Makeover, the following:

Through a steady stream of texts and Twitters, experts agree Obama has managed to excite young voters by meeting them where they live — online.

“This is a group of people who are constantly checking in with everybody else in their circle to make a decision,” says Morley Winograd, the co-author of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics” and a former adviser to Vice President Al Gore. He defines Millennials as ages 18 to 26. Continue Reading…

My Prayer Last Night in 140 Characters or Less

November 5, 2008 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

My prayer on Twitter last night.

My prayer is that we would keep the new leaders in our prayers..that we would walk and serve humbly..and that we build up and not tear down

Donald Miller’s Journey from Reagan Republican to Obama Democrat

November 3, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 2 Comments

Great blog post by Donald Miller, From Reagan to Obama, a Brief Political History

Our theology insinuated that shortly after original sin, once Adam and Eve at the apple, they registered as Democrats and went on with their lives, trying to create large governments that would enable lazy people through expensive social programs. We believed we were right and they were wrong, our ideas were Biblical and their ideas were pagan. And we did not know, exactly, who “they” were.

Government Bailout = “Moral Bankruptcy” & “Socialism for the Rich.”

September 25, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 11 Comments

Upfront, I’m no economist, and I know each side can paint a picture that seems right (what if we don’t help, will it send more into poverty…and if we do, what is to keep it from happening again, etc)… but we are sort of in trouble on both fronts if you will, with either decision. But I’ve been pretty sickened…strong word…but that’s how I feel about this whole government bailout.

I know financial gurus like Warren Buffett are for the bailout. But I believe that just because something is financially right, does not make it ethically right. Otherwise we could justify all kinds of terrible behavior and decisions based on financial choices and not ethical ones…not the right ones.

So I thought I would leave you with some words by people who say it better.

The Green Quote: Bono Rails Against $700 Billion For Wall Street, But No Billions For Fighting Disease, Hunger

“It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger. That’s mad, that is mad.”

“Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs. But this is moral bankruptcy.”

– Lead singer of U2 Bono speaking today during day two of the Clinton Global Initiative.

Here is more of the context of the quote.

And then I will close with this quote by Stanley Hauerwas given during his talk “The American Empire And The Kingdom Of God.”

“Government bail-outs are socialism for the rich.”

Forgivess is Hard to Come by and Judgment Abounds in This Political Season

September 5, 2008 in Uncategorized with 10 Comments

Political seasons can be rough at times because nothing seems to bring up more debate than our political beliefs, and often our theological beliefs which we often see as closely related or intend to integrate.

I’ve become very disullisioned at times with the political process and the malicious 24 hour news cycle that accompanies it.

Two themes have really discouraged me in this election season. A lack of forgiveness and a spirit of judgment aimed at both candidates.

Though I could expound to great length, let me just suggest two glaring instances and then close this post.

First, a lack of forgiveness. I’m quite shocked and appalled at the number of people (especially Christians) who keep bringing up John McCain’s first marriage, often referring to tabloid articles and sensationalist material. McCain described the failure of his first marriage as his “greatest moral failure” in his interview with Rick Warren at Saddleback. If that is the case, then are we to take him at his word and forgive him…for something that happened over 30 years ago? And even if we don’t believe him, is it really our responsibility to be the moral police on this issue, determining whether or not we will or will not forgive?

So whether you like McCain or his politics should not matter, but to continue to bring up an issue I think reflects on our culture, and especially negative on us as Christians who are unwilling to forgive, and in fact bring up pass transgressions.

Second, judgmental behavior. Like above, I too have been shocked and appalled by people (especially Christians) who have been so quick to judge, and been judgmental towards Barack Obama. I have seen a real strong sense of judgment from others towards his full name (Barack Hussein Obama), implying because of that that he must be Muslim or have ties to Muslim extremists. Or that he can’t be a Christian, or is the enemy of Christianity. This can be seen in the mass chain email that everyone was asked to forward that claimed he is a “radical Muslim” who “will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

You may have even been someone who forwarded that email to others.

So whether you like Obama or his politics should not matter, we shouldn’t be passing judgment on him because of the fear of others. I think it reflects negatively again not only on us as a culture, but as Christians as well.

I think that whether we have voiced these views or not…either one of them…we have probably all been guilty of at least thinking something like it. True? False?

And I know, there are many more issues I could have raised, but these two just came to mind.

As a Christian and a citizen I believe that being involved in politics is important for us and a worthy obligation. But I am a Christian first and a citizen second, and my faith is not in the rulers or powers or principalities of this world, but in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. So at the end of the day, no matter who is in the Presidential Office, my faith is not in them, and my energy and strength will not be spent fretting and worrying about that. I will vote and be active, but not put faith in them as the end all. As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians our struggle is not against the rulers of this world, but spiritual forces (Eph. 6:12).

Thoughts?

Agree?

Disagree?

Donald Miller’s Pre-Benediction Interview with Christianity Today

August 28, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 3 Comments

I found this video of Donald Miller’s pre-benediction video over at Brian Kiley’s blog.

The video is done by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Good video. Curious what you think?

I hesitate to get into politics because it never seems to turn out well…conversationally speaking with many people.

When Donald Miller came to our college group a few years ago, it was definitely a great night. But one of the more heated moments during the night was during the Q & A where Don was faced with some political questions by some of my college students. Though I would say the majority of my college students lean more liberal and Democratic, the more conservative group and Republicans were not happy with his answers.

I have always found Don to be very articulate in his interviews and I like what he has to say on many topics.

So check the short video out for yourself.

Texting the VP Announcement…Brilliant!

August 11, 2008 in Uncategorized with 5 Comments

Politics aside, someone in Barack Obama’s campaign clearly understands viral marketing, social media, and the “groundswell.” And his campaign has just figured out a way to reach an audience and communicate a message to that I think McCain clearly doesn’t understand or underestimates.

This is brilliant.

Obama Plans Novel VP Announcement TXT

Four years ago, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced his vice presidential nominee, then Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), at a morning rally in Pittsburgh.

How times change.

Last night, in a cell phone text message that was quickly followed by an e-mail linking back to a new page on his Web site — my.barackobama.com/vp — aides to Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign wrote: “Barack will announce his VP candidate choice through txt message between now & the Conv. Tell everyone to text VP to 62262 to be the first to know! Please forward.”

Note three things: the casual reference to the candidate (“Barack”); the call to “forward” the text (to friends, relatives, etc.); the perceived personal appeal of being “the first to know”; and the timing — the text was sent two weeks before the Democratic National Convention kicks off. That gives plenty of time for the text to be passed around.

It also gives the Obama campaign one more way to differentiate itself technologically from its Republican opponent; Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) doesn’t have a text messaging program.

James Dobson’s Attack On Obama: When Major Evangelical Figures Act Like They Speak for You and I, but They Don’t.

July 1, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 3 Comments

There was a time when I used to listen to James Dobson. I was a young kid in high school and college and you heard his name a lot. I read a couple of his books, and I even had friends whose parents played his cassette tapes on the birds and the bees for them. But somewhere in the past decade or so he seemed to become more and more irrelevant.

Now two things are probably happening:

  1. I have gotten older, matured, and my views: spiritually, theologically, psychologically, politically, etc. just don’t line up with James Dobsons’.
  2. The current younger generation (late teens to early 30′s) just don’t find Dobson to be very relevant. A lot of people in my Christian circles as Tyler mentions, don’t even know who he is.
  3. I think we are tired of some major evangelical figures coming out and acting as if they speak for us. Whether he is trying to do that or not, that’s how it appears, and it rubs people the wrong way. This isn’t just limited to James Dobson. But why do we see the same evangelical leaders paraded before the media for a sound bite on various issues? I don’t think most of us believe they speak for us.

Now, I don’t think Barack Obama or James Dobson speak for me, but I just wish there would be some new Christian leaders..not to speak on our behalf..but to offset some of the noise coming from certain evangelical circles. In this day and age there are many, many voices, and therefore not one voice speaking for all of us. Rather, I think you will find a majority of younger Christians identifying with ideas and thoughts coming from a variety of people, rather than one person.

Continue Reading…

37 Signals, Barack Obama and Nonconsumption

April 17, 2008 in Technology-Social Media with 2 Comments

Over the course of the last four and half years I have blogged primarily about church, ministry, theology and anything related to it. But one area that has drawn increasing attention from me is the area of technology, specifically Web 2.0, New Media, etc.

I’m still trying to put my thoughts into words and sentences that make sense, but here is the bottomline for me. Technology, especially Web 2.0, the New Media, etc. is “the air” and “environment” that many of the people I work with breath and live in. I use this technology, but I wasn’t raised with it. I sent my first email as a freshmen in college with Juno(most of you will think that is a movie and not an online service provider).

So because of the influence of technology, it permeates many areas of our life, and will increasingly permeate more in the future. It influences leadership, Church, politics, entertainment, etc, etc. So much so that it’s hard to see where one begins and the other ends.

All this to say….I have been reading as much as I can on Web 2.0, New Media, etc. And it has opened my eyes to so much, and it has influenced me in many ways.

One of the books that I highly, highly, highly recommend is Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application. It is actually more of a manifesto from the guys at 37 Signals. They have a very popular blog, Signal vs. Noise. They are probably not for everyone, and some may find them quite irreverant and arrogant at times. They are best known for their Ruby on Rails, which is what companies like Twitter and 43 Things are built on.

But their no nonsense, simplistic view of web applications, actually has many lessons for other areas of life. In a world that is about all the bells and whistles, they are about stripping down to the bare necessities. They would argue that most web applications are probably quite irrelevant in some ways and not useful because it is too loaded with stuff that people will never use. They would also say that most web applications spend so much time in the early phases of design, coding, trying to attain money for the startup, etc….that most products just never get off the ground.

This had me thinking about things like writing a book….organizing my own blog….structuring my college ministry leadership. What are the bare necessities? What things do people not care about, and in fact may inhibit effectiveness because they are overwhelmed by too much?

I highly recommend their book. I finished it so quickly and left with so many ideas, questions and thoughts running through my head.

I think these guys get things that others have not quite caught onto yet. And with that, I leave you with their blog post from today. They get it. They get the nuanced (and is it really nuanced at all) reasons, and non-political reasons of why so many people are voting for Obama, and why he has captured such a groundswell of support, especially from untapped groups of people.

How Obama targets nonconsumption. Here’s an excerpt:

Likewise, Obama isn’t trying to steal a share of “the existing market,” he’s trying to create a new one.

Rather than relying exclusively on special interests and big money donors, he’s gotten a large number of smaller donations from first-time donors via the web. (Long tail anyone?)

And instead of merely competing for the votes of currently registered voters, he’s focused strongly on getting blacks and people younger than 35 registered in prime states. (Encouraging first-time voters “is going to be a very big part of how we win” according to Obama’s deputy campaign manager.)

Whether you’re competing for an election or customers, there’s a lesson to learn here. If winning over the existing market is a longshot, woo those who aren’t even in the game yet.
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