Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
Keeping you informed....
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There are so many ways to stay in touch these days! All the social networks, the "like" and "share" buttons, the blogs, the pages and the tweets. What is the balance between just sharing for people whom are interested, and trying to "promote" what you are doing??
There are so many ways to stay in touch these days! All the social networks, the "like" and "share" buttons, the blogs, the pages and the tweets. What is the balance between just sharing for people whom are interested, and trying to "promote" what you are doing??
I've been working on updates and links on the Guat11 blog. It's fun to keep people connected and know that they are following what we are doing. But putting in links and connections, mobile, online, etc....it can be endless!! And I have a tendency to get carried away....wanting to have everything linked, and seamlessly.
Suffice it to say, that I tried to create a "facebook page" today, and got sucked into the facebook black hole of social networking....
So please, help me feel good about all my efforts, and "Like" our Guat11 page!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Who do you follow on Twitter?
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I have a back and forth debate with myself regarding who to follow on Twitter. Most people who write blogs also have a Twitter account. But there is a distinct different in the blog posts and the "tweets." Most blog posts are regarding a topic, are worthwhile to read, and spark discussion. Most tweets are simply mundane updates about life.
I really enjoy Twittering and use it almost every day. But I'm never sure who to follow! Do I really want to know that the author of some blog that I follow who lives in California is eating hot dogs for dinner? Or is having a game night with youth group? I kind of feel like I'm eavesdropping in on conversations or lives of people who I honestly don't know, have never met, and probably won't ever meet - even if I did, what would I say? "Hey, I follow your tweets. How was that hot dog you had a week ago?"
So I'm going through and cleaning out some of the people who I recognize I don't know personally, and who only do personal updates. Others, for examples @LenSweet, uses Twitter for sparking conversation, posting quick facts or questions, and I think I'll continue to follow him and others like him.
What about you? How do you choose who to follow on Twitter?
I really enjoy Twittering and use it almost every day. But I'm never sure who to follow! Do I really want to know that the author of some blog that I follow who lives in California is eating hot dogs for dinner? Or is having a game night with youth group? I kind of feel like I'm eavesdropping in on conversations or lives of people who I honestly don't know, have never met, and probably won't ever meet - even if I did, what would I say? "Hey, I follow your tweets. How was that hot dog you had a week ago?"
So I'm going through and cleaning out some of the people who I recognize I don't know personally, and who only do personal updates. Others, for examples @LenSweet, uses Twitter for sparking conversation, posting quick facts or questions, and I think I'll continue to follow him and others like him.
What about you? How do you choose who to follow on Twitter?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Digging Cooliris
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Cooliris has been improved, and is a stellar add-on for Firefox 3.5 - a screen shot below from my google search for "prayer" - this is much easier (and more fun!) than continuing to click "next" on a list of results. And it works with facebook, news clips, video, etc. Really cool.
Cooliris has been improved, and is a stellar add-on for Firefox 3.5 - a screen shot below from my google search for "prayer" - this is much easier (and more fun!) than continuing to click "next" on a list of results. And it works with facebook, news clips, video, etc. Really cool.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
How do I "tweet?"
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...let me count the ways:
...let me count the ways:
- From the Twitter homepage (rarely)
- From my webbrowser plugin, TwitterFox
- From my iPod Touch App TwitterFon
- By email to TwitterMail, which then updates my Twitter status
- From my cellphone, text message to email, to TwitterMaill, which then updates my Twitter status
- From third-party iPod touch apps, sent to an email, to TwitterMail, which updates my Twitter status
- All of which goes straight to updating my Facebook status, as well as tracked on this blog page.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Facebook Updates
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I'm not sure why everyone whines and complains about the changes in facebook - I thought this culture was supposed to be able to adapt easily? It seems with every new change there is a new facebook group to oppose that change (sounds kind of like "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?")
This TIME article has an interesting quote from Meredith Chin, a manager for Facebook: "It's going to be more about the message you want to send to others than what you're doing at that very moment....a timeline - or a stream."
I think Facebook updates are already this way - or a sort of mixture b/w statuses and updates, with a hint of song lyrics, inside jokes and URL's. Regardless, Facebook continues to amaze me - tens of millions of people sharing information and their life together, with it quickly integrating video, pictures, blogs, notes, and more and more and more and more information.
Another thought from Phyliss Tickle: It's not wonder at the end of the day we come home exhausted. We are overloaded with so much information pounding into our head, we can't fit it all together.
This TIME article has an interesting quote from Meredith Chin, a manager for Facebook: "It's going to be more about the message you want to send to others than what you're doing at that very moment....a timeline - or a stream."
I think Facebook updates are already this way - or a sort of mixture b/w statuses and updates, with a hint of song lyrics, inside jokes and URL's. Regardless, Facebook continues to amaze me - tens of millions of people sharing information and their life together, with it quickly integrating video, pictures, blogs, notes, and more and more and more and more information.
Another thought from Phyliss Tickle: It's not wonder at the end of the day we come home exhausted. We are overloaded with so much information pounding into our head, we can't fit it all together.
Things are changing...
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...Phyliss Tickle reflection (part 2)...and then some
Phyliss Tickle spends a good amount of her book listing what she calls "peri-Emergence" events, or in other words, events and changes in science, society and religion that are pre-cursors to the great emergence (see prior post here). This past week, I found more and more of these type of events and conversations that led me to continue to think that things in the realm of religion and Christianity really are changing. Here are just a few I tried to remember to put down:
The release of the Kindle 2 got a lot of buzz in the tech world, but this great article passed on to me by @ovpaul shows that the Kindle is more than just a new way to read. It actually changes the way we read, and even the way we understand literature and information. Some quotes:
"...I see in the turning of literal pages—pages bound in literal books—a compelling larger value, and perceive in the move away from the book a move away from a certain kind of cultural understanding...The book is part of a system...and to touch a book is to touch that system, however lightly...For me the significance of this is not whether people end up reading more or less, or even a matter of what they read. At issue is the deep-structure of the activity....we will not simply have replaced one delivery system with another. We will also have modified our imagination of history, our understanding of the causal and associative relationships of ideas and their creators....But we misjudge [the Kindle] if we construe it as just another useful new tool."
On a micro level, specific to just one device and one realm of society, this article accurately points out that as our world changes, we change in deeper and broader ways. It's very difficult to describe and even harder to predict these changes. But as one who was raised in a traditional evangelical and liturgical church, and now working amongst teens from across a wide spectrum of Christianity, I get hints and feel the shift happening as well.
Another example: Studies of religion in America show steady declines, especially in mainline denominations, but more significantly, amongst those who claim to be Christian at all (dropped 11%). For some, this isn't much of a surprise. IMO, the numbers will continue to decrease. Not because the US is necessarily drastically less "Christian" per se, but rather the tools for measuring beliefs will be inadequate. Such studies aren't taking into account changes across college campuses, increased desire amongst Christians to work overseas, more and more local and organic meetings and conversations, not in buildings with church signs and weekly services, but discussions across the blogo/twitter/facebook-sphere. If the world of religion is really changing, then what we were previously looking for no longer exists, and of course it will appear to be in decline.
More examples:
"The world is changed....I feel it in the water....I feel it in the earth....I smell it in the air...much that once was is lost...for none now live that remember it"
...Phyliss Tickle reflection (part 2)...and then some
Phyliss Tickle spends a good amount of her book listing what she calls "peri-Emergence" events, or in other words, events and changes in science, society and religion that are pre-cursors to the great emergence (see prior post here). This past week, I found more and more of these type of events and conversations that led me to continue to think that things in the realm of religion and Christianity really are changing. Here are just a few I tried to remember to put down:
The release of the Kindle 2 got a lot of buzz in the tech world, but this great article passed on to me by @ovpaul shows that the Kindle is more than just a new way to read. It actually changes the way we read, and even the way we understand literature and information. Some quotes:"...I see in the turning of literal pages—pages bound in literal books—a compelling larger value, and perceive in the move away from the book a move away from a certain kind of cultural understanding...The book is part of a system...and to touch a book is to touch that system, however lightly...For me the significance of this is not whether people end up reading more or less, or even a matter of what they read. At issue is the deep-structure of the activity....we will not simply have replaced one delivery system with another. We will also have modified our imagination of history, our understanding of the causal and associative relationships of ideas and their creators....But we misjudge [the Kindle] if we construe it as just another useful new tool."
On a micro level, specific to just one device and one realm of society, this article accurately points out that as our world changes, we change in deeper and broader ways. It's very difficult to describe and even harder to predict these changes. But as one who was raised in a traditional evangelical and liturgical church, and now working amongst teens from across a wide spectrum of Christianity, I get hints and feel the shift happening as well.
Another example: Studies of religion in America show steady declines, especially in mainline denominations, but more significantly, amongst those who claim to be Christian at all (dropped 11%). For some, this isn't much of a surprise. IMO, the numbers will continue to decrease. Not because the US is necessarily drastically less "Christian" per se, but rather the tools for measuring beliefs will be inadequate. Such studies aren't taking into account changes across college campuses, increased desire amongst Christians to work overseas, more and more local and organic meetings and conversations, not in buildings with church signs and weekly services, but discussions across the blogo/twitter/facebook-sphere. If the world of religion is really changing, then what we were previously looking for no longer exists, and of course it will appear to be in decline.
More examples:
- An old friend from college, Eric, campaigning on Facebook for his idea to create high quality family portraits for those who don't have that opportunity.
- The discussion centered around Shane Hipps' claim that virtual community isn't real community. (IMO, it's more a matter of changing what community means - it is a different kind of community)
- At a church-growth conference, Perry Noble made some statements against Emerging/ent, and the blogosphere immediately lit up with responses, discussion, and interaction. While Noble might scoff at the responses, the point is that he can no longer make statements that are secluded to his church sanctuary, but rather they are disseminated, dissected, and re-applied by thousands - the leadership heirarchy has been leveled (so much more could be said about this).
"The world is changed....I feel it in the water....I feel it in the earth....I smell it in the air...much that once was is lost...for none now live that remember it"
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Twitter Updates
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I've moved my Twitter updates to the top of this page because it will be easier for me to make quick updates from my iPod throughout the day. You can also follow my Twitter via RSS here.
I've moved my Twitter updates to the top of this page because it will be easier for me to make quick updates from my iPod throughout the day. You can also follow my Twitter via RSS here.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Evangelical Sermons: A Sacred Cow
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While I haven't thought about it too much, I think I agree with this post by Bob Carlton, which essentially says that Evangelical Christians worship the 20 minute sermon, and we would be a lot better off as Christians (and as people) if we largely did away with sermons and instead spent the time, still "in church", doing something more spiritually beneficial.
Some quotes:
I also think the sermon poses a problem for the 21st century media culture. There is no need for me to go to church to hear so-and-so talk when I can easily download and listen to any number of world renowned pastors and speakers right in my own home, or while I walk the dog, or drive in my car. Why listen to an "OK" sermon when I could listen to a "GREAT" sermon?
I can hear the response now: Listening to a sermon on my iPod takes me away from the community of believers, whereas going to church and listening to a sermon is worshiping with the community. This sounds good in theory, but when I really go to church, I typicaly walk in, sit, stand, sing, sit, listen, and then walk out. There is very little interaction with the community. Arguably, there even less interaction than when I listen to a sermon online and then blog or post comments about the content and my reactions.
Again, no real conclusion here, except just to say that IMO, there are many other ways we could express our faith together, many other ways that would invite God's presence more, many other ways that would draw us to worship God rather than the church, and many other ways that would generally be spiritually beneficial rather than simply going through the rituals of being Christian-eze.
Perhaps that is why today, instead of going to a Sunday morning service, I will be joining with my friends from the Central Ohio Emergent Cohort at three in the afternoon to discuss The Great Emergence. I expect to meet God, to be challenged, encouraged, and hopefully changed into a person who is more like Jesus.
Some quotes:
But come rain or shine, there will be a 20 minute sermon. We will listen - he (it is almost always he) will talk. Thoughts will be thought - assumptions challenged- pop culture will be cited, oh yes pop culture will definitely be cited. You walk into a quasi-evangelical faith shop - you are gonna get a sermon, just as surely as walking into Chick-fil-A means you are gonna eat chicken.I think these are valid points, and are perhaps this is one reason why it is so hard for me to drag myself to church on Sunday mornings. I often wonder, as I sit and listen to a guy talk to me for at least 20 (if not 30 or 40 minutes) what exactly it is I am doing there. Perhaps part of the problem is that sermons are no longer a "proclamation of the Word" as they were when the practice was developed by the Reformers in the 16th century. I've heard many sermons based upon only one verse (or a fraction of a verse) and sometimes the basis of the sermon is simply a "good idea" with some sprinklings of Scripture added for good flavor. As Carlton points out, even if there is no Scripture, there will always be references to pop-culture and media. But this is hardly proclaiming the Word of God which Christians confess to believe has such transformative power.
...we gotta stop kneeling to this cow. It would be healthy to start just by admitting our dependency on this cow. That the modern - and much of the pomo - model of churchianity i[s] built on the assumption that a preacher will draw us in, that those sermons will be the connective tissue, that content can be re-purposed into books & podcasts & TV show[s].
People - good people, faithful people, many ordained people - just do not want more sermons. Our lives do not have a sermon shaped hole. We do not itch to be talked at for 20 minutes each week - even if that talking is wise or cool or edgy or soothing or quotes someone we like or hate or would like to buy stuff from.
What to do with that 20 minutes ? Imagine..just imagine. Be still. Hold someone's hand. Talk & listen in clusters of 2 or 3, human size talk instead of sermoning.
being a room when a sermon is given no more makes us a Jesus follower than being in a gym makes us Lebron James.
I also think the sermon poses a problem for the 21st century media culture. There is no need for me to go to church to hear so-and-so talk when I can easily download and listen to any number of world renowned pastors and speakers right in my own home, or while I walk the dog, or drive in my car. Why listen to an "OK" sermon when I could listen to a "GREAT" sermon?
I can hear the response now: Listening to a sermon on my iPod takes me away from the community of believers, whereas going to church and listening to a sermon is worshiping with the community. This sounds good in theory, but when I really go to church, I typicaly walk in, sit, stand, sing, sit, listen, and then walk out. There is very little interaction with the community. Arguably, there even less interaction than when I listen to a sermon online and then blog or post comments about the content and my reactions.
Again, no real conclusion here, except just to say that IMO, there are many other ways we could express our faith together, many other ways that would invite God's presence more, many other ways that would draw us to worship God rather than the church, and many other ways that would generally be spiritually beneficial rather than simply going through the rituals of being Christian-eze.
Perhaps that is why today, instead of going to a Sunday morning service, I will be joining with my friends from the Central Ohio Emergent Cohort at three in the afternoon to discuss The Great Emergence. I expect to meet God, to be challenged, encouraged, and hopefully changed into a person who is more like Jesus.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tweet
I've become more and more a fan of Twitter since I started using it a few months ago. More than once I've met up with friends because we see we are in the same part of town. I've rekindled old friendships from high school or college by connecting with every day interests and activities. There are unique Twitter "projects" like Twitter of Faith. And I'm currently following "The Great Emergence" conference in Memphis via joint Twitters.
And of course the continuing excellent work of Katie Vernon, Tweets Illustrated, which always brightens my day. The last three "tweets" she has illustrated are displayed below.
So if you aren't already on Twitter - jump in. And let me know so we can "follow" each other :)
I've become more and more a fan of Twitter since I started using it a few months ago. More than once I've met up with friends because we see we are in the same part of town. I've rekindled old friendships from high school or college by connecting with every day interests and activities. There are unique Twitter "projects" like Twitter of Faith. And I'm currently following "The Great Emergence" conference in Memphis via joint Twitters.So if you aren't already on Twitter - jump in. And let me know so we can "follow" each other :)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Share your music
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Via Macworld, I found Simplify Media which allows users to stream their iTunes library to connected friends over the internet. I've tried it this week with some close friends, and it's worked really well. Quick access to your friends' entire music library - pretty sweet.
So get the free download (available for all platforms), and then send a friend invite to jaschroeder - and you'll get to listen to all 3,300 of my songs.
So get the free download (available for all platforms), and then send a friend invite to jaschroeder - and you'll get to listen to all 3,300 of my songs.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
New Video
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I put this together to promote the Schools for Schools program that Grove City Christian School is involved with. Invisible Children visited our school about a month ago and showed a very compelling video about the needs in Uganda. It's a really cool program and shows the power of the multimedia age - how just a few guys can produce a video and get thousands of people excited for a worthy cause.
I would have liked to have done a lot more with this promo, but since all my Uganda footage is from internet files (low quality) and I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked on it. But, hopefully it still encourages some students to get involved.
I put this together to promote the Schools for Schools program that Grove City Christian School is involved with. Invisible Children visited our school about a month ago and showed a very compelling video about the needs in Uganda. It's a really cool program and shows the power of the multimedia age - how just a few guys can produce a video and get thousands of people excited for a worthy cause.
I would have liked to have done a lot more with this promo, but since all my Uganda footage is from internet files (low quality) and I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked on it. But, hopefully it still encourages some students to get involved.
iLike Sidebar
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Just installed the iLike sidebar - seems to be the same idea as iTunes new Genius bar, except you can stream free music (full songs, not just previews - and videos) which is greating for checking out new artists, and you can connect to friends and what they are listening to - works seamlessly with iTunes as well - check it out
Just installed the iLike sidebar - seems to be the same idea as iTunes new Genius bar, except you can stream free music (full songs, not just previews - and videos) which is greating for checking out new artists, and you can connect to friends and what they are listening to - works seamlessly with iTunes as well - check it out
Going Public
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I've thought about putting up a blog for a long time. I really enjoy reading other blogs around the web (I use "brief" which is a great add-on for Mozilla's Firefox). But I've debated on the usefulness and personal motivations for a long time. Since I just sent out an email to most everyone I know and who might possibly have some remote interest in reading a blog of mine, I'll let you in on my deliberations:
Pro: I think a blog can be a lot of fun - it's a great way to tell people about yourself and stay in touch with family and friends, beyond just "how are you? good." Of course, most blogs are about something, which leads me to...
Con: A lot of blogs feel like personal rants that don't really benefit anyone. I learn a lot from bloggers who write meaningful entries and share their opinions about issues in a thoughtful way, but it seems a lot of "amateur" blogs aren't really about anything but an individual's boring life....so -
Pro: A blog would force me to try to put down my thoughts in a way that make sense to other people and are somewhat meaningful and/or interesting to read. I enjoy writing a lot, and have more than once considered trying to write more often in some form or another (books, blogs, journals, etc.) So, hopefully this blog won't include just rants, but actually useful opinions, as well as a format to discuss and engage those opinions - but
Con: I can spend a lot of time obsessing about what I will/won't/should/n't write!! For example, I've probably spent 2-3 hours today writing and designing the blog, since I finally decided I would actually publish something and tell other people about it - which brings me to my final....
Pro: Blogging can be a form of discipline. I've read a few entries from bloggers I respect about how blogging can actually be a sort of spiritual discipline, an engagement with God and other people that can bring you closer to God. I tend to live my life inside of my head (as most of us do), playing out scenarios and examples, but never really doing anything. So, my hope is that by blogging, I will discipline myself in a few ways: To say and do what I believe - and to keep my life in a bit of balance and not obsess over an insignificant website.
I've thought about putting up a blog for a long time. I really enjoy reading other blogs around the web (I use "brief" which is a great add-on for Mozilla's Firefox). But I've debated on the usefulness and personal motivations for a long time. Since I just sent out an email to most everyone I know and who might possibly have some remote interest in reading a blog of mine, I'll let you in on my deliberations:
Pro: I think a blog can be a lot of fun - it's a great way to tell people about yourself and stay in touch with family and friends, beyond just "how are you? good." Of course, most blogs are about something, which leads me to...
Con: A lot of blogs feel like personal rants that don't really benefit anyone. I learn a lot from bloggers who write meaningful entries and share their opinions about issues in a thoughtful way, but it seems a lot of "amateur" blogs aren't really about anything but an individual's boring life....so -
Pro: A blog would force me to try to put down my thoughts in a way that make sense to other people and are somewhat meaningful and/or interesting to read. I enjoy writing a lot, and have more than once considered trying to write more often in some form or another (books, blogs, journals, etc.) So, hopefully this blog won't include just rants, but actually useful opinions, as well as a format to discuss and engage those opinions - but
Con: I can spend a lot of time obsessing about what I will/won't/should/n't write!! For example, I've probably spent 2-3 hours today writing and designing the blog, since I finally decided I would actually publish something and tell other people about it - which brings me to my final....
Pro: Blogging can be a form of discipline. I've read a few entries from bloggers I respect about how blogging can actually be a sort of spiritual discipline, an engagement with God and other people that can bring you closer to God. I tend to live my life inside of my head (as most of us do), playing out scenarios and examples, but never really doing anything. So, my hope is that by blogging, I will discipline myself in a few ways: To say and do what I believe - and to keep my life in a bit of balance and not obsess over an insignificant website.
Technology and Faith
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How does Christian faith change within a life infused with technology? The internet, cell phones, web pages, blogs, iChat, etc. Does Christian life and practice simply exist alongside these changes in our everyday lifestyle, or will Christians find new ways to express and practice our faith by using technology?
I've been mulling over those questions, or something to that effect, for a few weeks now. Obviously blogs are one of the most common ways that Christians have found to express their faith via technology. But I feel like it is more like writing about or talking about faith and religion that actually practicing it. PowerPoint presentations in church services, Christian worship playlists on the iPod, podcasting sermons, webcasting conferences - these are all more what I think are ways that we can actually practice our spirituality through technology.
The term or phrase I've been thinking about is techno-mysticism. Technology and mystical spirituality, by which I mean how we actually put physical actions to the everyday expression of spiritual life - or in other words, practicing the spiritual disciplines. Kneeling for prayer, singing songs of praise, fasting and meditating would all be things I consider examples of non-technology mystical practices. But how might these actions change by using the power of the internet - its amazing resources and widespread availablity?
One idea that I've tossed around with some friends but hasn't yet come to fruition is practicing fixed hour prayer via video conferencing (iChat, or some other program). I've read and been intrgued by fixed hour prayer for almost a year now, but I don't live in a close community. My community of friends and family is spread out over a large city, but we are tied together through the internet. My community is all online. So can we practice prayer together through the internet? Actualy together, not just posting on a blog at different times?
One more quick example: Time had a article post today about online confession - here. And honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I think this rasies the question we have to consider: Is it always appropriate and "better" to move mystical/spiritual practices toward greater use of technology. The Protestant church has long ago abandoned regular, meaningful, private and/or public confession. Even in liturgical communities that recite a prayer of confession every week, I'm not sure there is a general understanding of confessing sins and receiving forgiveness as a spiritual discipline. So in the sense that online confession brings more people back to the practice, it could be good. But in my mind, confession that is anonymous and impersonal is essentially changed into something other than the Christian discipline of confessing sins to one another and receiving forgiveness.
How does Christian faith change within a life infused with technology? The internet, cell phones, web pages, blogs, iChat, etc. Does Christian life and practice simply exist alongside these changes in our everyday lifestyle, or will Christians find new ways to express and practice our faith by using technology?
I've been mulling over those questions, or something to that effect, for a few weeks now. Obviously blogs are one of the most common ways that Christians have found to express their faith via technology. But I feel like it is more like writing about or talking about faith and religion that actually practicing it. PowerPoint presentations in church services, Christian worship playlists on the iPod, podcasting sermons, webcasting conferences - these are all more what I think are ways that we can actually practice our spirituality through technology.
The term or phrase I've been thinking about is techno-mysticism. Technology and mystical spirituality, by which I mean how we actually put physical actions to the everyday expression of spiritual life - or in other words, practicing the spiritual disciplines. Kneeling for prayer, singing songs of praise, fasting and meditating would all be things I consider examples of non-technology mystical practices. But how might these actions change by using the power of the internet - its amazing resources and widespread availablity?
One idea that I've tossed around with some friends but hasn't yet come to fruition is practicing fixed hour prayer via video conferencing (iChat, or some other program). I've read and been intrgued by fixed hour prayer for almost a year now, but I don't live in a close community. My community of friends and family is spread out over a large city, but we are tied together through the internet. My community is all online. So can we practice prayer together through the internet? Actualy together, not just posting on a blog at different times?
One more quick example: Time had a article post today about online confession - here. And honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I think this rasies the question we have to consider: Is it always appropriate and "better" to move mystical/spiritual practices toward greater use of technology. The Protestant church has long ago abandoned regular, meaningful, private and/or public confession. Even in liturgical communities that recite a prayer of confession every week, I'm not sure there is a general understanding of confessing sins and receiving forgiveness as a spiritual discipline. So in the sense that online confession brings more people back to the practice, it could be good. But in my mind, confession that is anonymous and impersonal is essentially changed into something other than the Christian discipline of confessing sins to one another and receiving forgiveness.
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