Several of the blogs I read regularly have done some form of this, so in light of today being Veteran's Day, I thought I'd mention all the people in my family who have served their country in the US Armed Forces.

• Great-grandpa Emmett (d. 1995): Served in WWII (as a chaplain, I believe). May have been just old enough to be involved in the very end of WWI. Army
• Great-uncle David (Emmett's oldest and Ralph's brother. d. early 1990's): Served in WWII. Army
• Grandpa Ralph: Served at the end of WWII. Would have been part of the forces invading Japan, had they not surrendered while his battalion was en route. Redirected to the Philippines. Army
• Great-uncle Charley (Ralph's brother-in-law. d. 2 weeks ago): Served in WWII and possibly in Korea. Navy
• Uncle Rick (Charley's son): Served in Gulf War I. Navy
• Brother Nick: Served in Fallujah during the Global War on Terror, and Kosovo before that. Army

That should cover my side. On to my wife's side.

• Grandpa Bud (d. 1999): Served in WWII. Navy
• Uncle Byron: Served in Vietnam and Gulf War I. Marines (belated happy birthday Devil Dogs!)
• Uncle Gary: Served in Vietnam. Army (most likely)
• Cousin Jonathan (Byron's son): Currently serving. Navy

Thanks to all who have served.

(Family: please note any corrections or additions in the comments. I'll update the post as necessary.)

Audio Systems

Probably the most obvious and most prevalent technological presence in the church today is the audio system. From small churches which simply want to amplify the minister's voice, to the mega-church with a 30-piece orchestra, 150-member choir, 4 balconies, and 15,000 seats, the PA (public address) system is a necessity in the modern church.

At it's simplest, the PA system takes audio from a few microphones, amplifies it, and sends it to one or more speakers. The intent, of course, is to make sure that each person in the audience can hear the message, announcements, songs, and other elements which are part of the worship service. A few simple additions allow for recording the sermon onto a cassette tape or CD for duplication and distribution to church members who could not attend due to illness or other absence, or to friends and family of members who might be interested in the content of the message.

As the size of a congregation and it's facilities increases, so too must the audio system. The largest churches utilize the latest in digital mixer and recording technologies to support dozens of microphones and instruments such as guitars and electronic keyboards which connect directly to the system; multi-channel speaker systems to support large worship arenas seating thousands; larger church campuses with worship audio piped to hallways, meeting areas, and nurseries; and multi-track digital recording systems to capture not only the sermon, but also all elements of the worship music, dramas, and other elements for wider distribution.

The principle which should guide the use of any church audio system is to enable everyone attending the service to participate in the worship of God. It should not be in your face, as it might be at a rock concert. The music group on stage is not performing for their own benefit; rather, it is leading worship. The focus should be on God, not on the singers or musicians, and the audio engineer must work to minimize any noise or feedback which would distract from worship.

But how does that work?

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Don't Separate Church and Tech! The philosophy at the core of this blog is that technology in and of itself is neither good nor evil; that distinction comes from how we use it.

God has given us intelligence, the ability to create and invent and build. We humans are pretty good at making things, though too often those things are used for evil rather than good. We've created a lot of things over the milennia of our existence here on Earth; various forms of visual art, music, drama, mechanical and electrical devices. I think that too often, we see many of the things we create as being somehow separate from church; for instance, you wouldn't necessarily bring a beautiful automobile into your sanctuary and use it as part of your worship service, would you?

I think that, many times, modern technology is seen as a necessary evil. Some churches may hesitate to install an LCD projector and a PC in their sanctuaries for fear that it will demean or sully the worship experience in some way, or have problems with a computer network in the building because it might dehumanize the process of guiding the flock through the week.

I'm a computer programmer, and have a great interest in many forms of modern technology. I have found in recent years that as I look at a new technology or investigate a new tech-related service, I have kept in the back of  my mind a sort of dialog about how this thing might be used for God's glory. Audio mixers and related equipment, for instance, have been established pretty well by now as an important part of the worship environment in most churches. But I think there are many other technologies that can be used during corporate worship and as extensions of the worship and outreach of a church body. I seek to explore the usefulness of any technology to the church as it tries to glorify God and fulfill the Great Commission to the best of it's ability. Won't you join me?