Biblical Literacy and The Media @pmphillips #medialit
Biblical Literacy Survey
Preaching Survey
- Remember ‘accommodation theory’ – how do you understand what the church feels about preaching? (http://www.dur.ac.uk/codec/blog/). Protecting from “reputational damage”. Take the results… talking to “the experts” about what needs to change… but need to talk to the “activators” – those who are actually in the pew – rather than the professional body which tends to talk about “we’re doing great thanks”.
- Encourage & lead… not about what may look good – remember that you are doing it for those in the pews/the audience NOT the person pushing. See Mary, Queen of Shops – create something that emphasises the client-side… (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mwv9)
- Are those videos (Rob Bell, etc.) what the church thinks wants to work. Great debate… just because I don’t like it, does that mean it’s not a great piece of communication?
Biblical Literacy Survey
- Levels of Biblical Literacy have never been so low…
- Why have so little Biblical training when training as ordinands? Why are you not ‘steeped’ in the Bible before going out…
- Surveyed 1000 people in 9 different centres around England/Wales.
- 75% of people have access to a Bible (35% modern versions, many have multiple)
- 31% said it was significant (22% under 45)
- 18% read it in the last week (11% under 45) [11 million, population of London]
- 4% non-churchgoers read it last week.
- People don’t engage with the Bible
- People don’t know their Bible
- 85% u45 have no knowledge of Abraham
- 62% no knowledge about the Good Samaritan (although this is a phrase used in our language, only asking for A FACT)
- 60% no knowledge about the Prodigal Son
- 96% knew nothing about the madman at the graves.
- Fairfax Report in the States – don’t learn Bible earlier, difficult to understand later.
- If you don’t know your Bible, will be culturally and socially deficit.
- Richard Dawkins says if you don’t know your Bible you have a cultural deficit.
- Bible Society: Toxic rule book, it’s “not for normal people”, it’s for Holy Joes, good people, makes no sense for today, full of horrors.
- Press very interested in the findings, Media Offices, BBC Press Releases, used personal contacts & used Twitter. Phones read hot, and requests for copy are still ongoing.
Digital Symposium
- Hashtag, Twitterfall, etc.
Preaching Survey; “View from the Pew”
- Massive press interest
- Tiny survey, 16 churches, not claiming to be representative.
- Got picked up on p4 of the Times by Ruth Gledhill, and from there got picked up by many other hotspots.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8467504.stm
- Lots of opportunities to be interviewed – including 20 seconds on the BBC!
- The power of the media – can hear own information quoted back as selves… without attribution!
#cnm10, 16 October 2010, London, checking out the Theology of the Internet, including: http://www.christianblogawards.com/
Checkout: http://twubs.com/refract
Check out: Twitterfall (http://twitterfall.com/) #medialit
Diversity of responses again. Some didn’t get it, some thought it indicated that it’s not possible to become a Christian without intervention from someone else – others found it very effective.
Mini Christian viral – not on the scale of Susan Boyle!
Net Bibles
Package New Media – social shaping of technology
- Net Bibles (word based search engines)
- Biblegateway.com: http://www.biblegateway.com/
- NetBible: http://bible.org/netbible/
- Bibledex: http://www.bibledex.com/
- Too stuffy?
- Who was the audience? Educated ‘lay people’
- What about: http://www.sixtysymbols.com/ – for those who have no idea?
- Daily Bible Readings
- Search Engines for Bible
- YouTube videos
What about this video? More short & snappy?:
- iPhone Apps
- YouVersion http://www.youversion.com/
- Paul Avery http://www.peejstudio.com/iphone/holybible.php
- Gadgets for God http://www.ship-of-fools.com/gadgets/index.html
- Other Apps 1
- Other Online
- Biblegateway.com http://www.biblegateway.com/
- Ntgateway.com http://www.ntgateway.com/
- Logos Software http://www.logos.com/
- Unbound.biola.edu http://unbound.biola.edu/
- www.textweek.com
- Hodder’s GLO http://bibleglo.com/ (comment, not theologically deep enough? Kids, don’t go here, but open the Bible… interesting, unexpected, do kids prefer to open eyes & have imagination). Is it ahead of its time, are we waiting for Tablet PCs, which is where everyone is going…
- No one’s mentioned The Brick Testament yet: http://www.thebricktestament.com/
- Natwivity http://twitter.com/Natwivity
- Easter Live (Ali & Huw) http://twitter.com/EasterLIVE
- Twurch of England http://www.twurchofengland.org.uk/
- Kore – Red Letter Days: http://www.kore.uk.com/redletterdays
- PodBible: http://www.podbible.org/
- Deovox: http://www.damaris.org/cm/home/deovox/
- Mark Goodacre: http://www.markgoodacre.org/
- 2,900,000 items… (many rubbish!)
- Methodist Church: Word in Time: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.biblestudy (most of these dull – not punchy enough)
- SU Word Alive (www.scriptureunion.org.uk)
- Daily Bible Readings
- Worship
- Media
- Homely
- Designed for Christians – lots of cheese?!
- http://yourwebapps.com/WebApps/NewsApp/news-read.cgi?profile=2459
- Bible Society Lyfe: http://www.lyfe.org.uk/
- Biblefresh: http://www.biblefresh.com/
- Walk thru the Bible: http://www.walkthru.org/site/PageServer
- Precept Ministries: http://www.precept.org.uk/
- Damaris Culturewatch: http://www.damaris.org/cw/
- Big Book Media http://www.bigbookmedia.com/
- Remember your AUDIENCE – if you can’t get it right, no point starting…
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