Sounding an Alarm

Marc Andreessen, a major player in the realm of digital technology, has made some observations that ought to grab the attention of the Christian church.

In assessing the response of the traditional media to new ways of thinking about digital communication, he observed that there were two very different responses. He suggested that an entrepreneur looks at the current situation and says, 'Oh, my God, it's a monster opportunity!'" In contrast, he suggests that anyone who is simply committed to protecting an existing business says, 'Oh, my God, I am going out of business!'

Andreessen believes that both responses are justified and that the difference rests on whether or not decision makers involved are prepared to make the radical changes required to capitalize upon the new circumstances.

The Church, which often seems to behave as though it believes that this dilemma exists only for the corporate and commercial world, surely also faces a devastating fate if it is not prepared to consider making radical changes in how it communicates with the world. How can it take advantage of the "monster opportunity"?