Gutenberg's invention of the 1430s, the printing press, launched a revolution in thought. For the first time in history literature could be manufactured cheap enough for the middle classes to own. The Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation both owe their occurrence to the printing press. People like Martin Luther, John Smyth, and Menno Simons were able to read the Bible and discover that many of the official Catholic Church practices and beliefs were wrong. Today we have a recent invention that will revolutionize the world as much as the printing press did then: the internet. There are many applications and implications of it, but what interests me most is what impact the internet will have on the Church of Christ Jesus.
For the first time in history people from any part of the world can communicate with other people in any other part of the world. For the Church this means a number of things. First, it means that the Church will likely gravitate towards unity. When Christians connect with other Christians on sites like Facebook and Twitter it's not much of a concern for them what denomination someone is. The only concern, and so it should be, is if the person is truly a follower of Christ. Second, it means that anyone can do evangelism all over the world with only a computer and a connection. Before there were only two real ways to do evangelism - go door to door or become a missionary. Someone with a job and family would find it hard to reach the unreached people (though talking to your neighbor is a fine thing to do). Now the internet has thrown that reality upside down. Lastly, the internet means that average Bible reading Christians can disciple other average Bible reading Christians. This isn't something that couldn't happen before, but now it's enhanced by the internet. Someone wanting to know the truth about God and doctrine can gather many different perspectives, not just their pastor's, and can use the Bible to sort out the truth. This lowers the influence of the establishment (seminaries, pastors, church leaders, etc), and raises the influence of everyday Bible study, which I believe is a good thing. I believe there is a growing wave of revival in Christianity, and it's in large part due to the impact the internet is having. Of course all the happenings of the world are part of God's plan. So let us thank God for this gift and use it as best we can.
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