Well, I finished my first week of seminary. I'm thankful to remain among the living as well as to have retained my sanity. It's been pretty crazy, but also very exciting. Now before I make my next statement, I want to be a bit clear, I am in no way saying anything negative about my professors from undergraduate college. However, I am extremely surprised by the honesty and openness of the professors here at seminary! These are some of the top people in their fields! One of my professors regularly has book signings. That kind of recognition can very often translate into a prideful nature that ruins the relationships between teachers and students. But this professor is the most honest, down to earth individual I have ever experienced. It's just amazing! She has every right to think of herself as higher than all us lowly students, but instead chooses to open up to us in a way I've never experienced as a student. Now I could've believed perhaps this was only true of one or two professors, but it's inconceivable to think that every professor here is really that honest, but in fact, it is true! I've just been blown away by that fact alone beginning my time here and wanted to share that with you. Now, today, one of my professors discussed the four bents that most people can be categorized into: idealism, progressivism, behaviorism, and essentialism. We began talking about idealism, not the normal definition that one believes everything to be ideal or good, but that one is mostly concerned with ideas and ideals rather than it's opposite, behaviors or physical conception of ideas. This is the place most philosophy and education begins, in the ideas. He gave us a bit of an example as idealism moves to progressivism, talking about the need to remain pertinent to people and stay relevant when viewed from the context of today's culture. The point that he brought out is the idea of discipleship. When we consider discipleship today we imagine two or a small group of individuals gathering regularly to help each other in the walks with Christ, whether that's several people all helping each other, or a more mentor-mentee relationship. Nevertheless, it is very physical, being together. As we move to more technology being involved in education, Christian education (not just Sunday school, but also discipleship) is being affected as well. As disciples and teachers, we need to be understanding and aware of these changes. One example we discussed was online education. Most students, when taking an online class, love the videos, slides, and digital notes that are available to them whenever they need them, but are not so excited about discussion board posts and having to collaborate over the internet. Sure, certain technologies have come out that make things a little more interactive, such as Google Drive and their ability to have multiple contributors simultaneously make changes to documents, but in the end, as of right now, technology cannot provide the one-on-one interaction we get when meeting with someone face to face. Even services like Skype can be helpful, but how many of us have been disconnected in the middle of an important conversation? That doesn't happen in a face to face discussion. So, perhaps the technology of today hasn't really made a huge impact on the idea of discipleship. I mean, we use text messages and emails to set up times to meet with one another, but we still meet face to face. There are not too many discipleship meetings happening over Facebook. However, something that is much closer than we often consider could change the way we do Christian education, as well as secular education. What happens when virtual reality, technology causing us to perceive ourselves as existing in an artificial world, becomes available to us? To give you an example, you would put on a helmet, or if neurotechnology advances beyond helmets, you could be connected through implants in your brain, and instantly be connected to a virtual world. Perhaps it's just a room, perhaps it's a whole city, but you could, virtually, meet with other people there. It wouldn't be like seeing them on a computer screen. It would be like they are really sitting, walking, talking next to you. Suddenly, you're not restricted to meeting with those who are in immediate, physical proximity to you, but instead could meet with anyone around the world, instantly. How does that change the way we disciple? How does that change the way we do school? Imagine this: what if the virtual world looks, smells, feels better than the real world? How does THAT change discipleship? And education? These are huge questions we, as educators and teachers, but also as Christians, are not considering because we feel it's too far advanced for the real world. But in fact, you would be wrong. Here's an article in which Skype claims it's ready for holographic video calls: http://gizmodo.com/skype-says-it-can-support-holographic-video-calls-1221656487 This is technology we don't even have yet! But companies are preparing for it because they know it's inevitable. Now, I know that many people are aware that technology is advancing faster and faster, but very few of those people really know what's going to be coming out. I mean, though, of course they don't. They don't know the future, and neither do I, but it's not a bad habit to do some research and speculate what will be coming out next, because those new technologies could change the way the world works forever! Consider this: holographic technology. What's the application for something like that? Some examples: just what Skype suggests, holographic video calls, but beyond that, you could have a holographic pastor giving a sermon (still standing behind the pulpit!) on Sunday morning. I know, it's a crazy thought. But everyday it's becoming more and more a reality. All I'm saying is that we should really start preparing for this as it could be here tomorrow and we don't want to be taken by surprise and find that the Gospel isn't being spread effectively because we missed the bandwagon. It's scary, it's unnerving, but we really should be ready. Now, as a quick side note, I'm sure there's many of you thinking: "Oh, that's got nothing to do with the Bible. We'll still have church and Sunday school every week. We've been doing it for hundreds of years it's gonna keep happening for hundreds more!" Well, perhaps it will for the more devout among us. But what if a good number of people are no longer required to leave their house because they can do all their work and interaction with others through virtual reality? They won't be leaving their houses Sunday morning to come to church, nor will they be out and about to see the flyers you put around town to invite people to a revival. How are you going to reach people like that? Because some of them exist already today. Many computer science jobs can be done anywhere there's an internet connection. How are you going to use technology to reach those who are surrounded by computers rather than people? These are hard questions, questions our parents and grand parents would've never thought to ask. But now, today, they need to be asked, perhaps not on a large scale level, obviously, but as I'm in seminary now, preparing for ministry in three to five years, I need to be aware of how technology is going to change the transmission of the Gospel and how I can use it for the glory of God. A final note: if you'd like to see what one author's view on the future of technology might be, while also being enriched and impacted by the Gospel story, check out "The Last Christian" by David Gregory. It's an amazing story and exposes us to the way technology could change our world for the worse, with a message, of course, of how it can still be redeemed.