“Kindle” Theology
Have you heard about the electronic reading device from Amazon.com that was introduced last fall? It’s called the Kindle and it sold out five-and-a-half hours after it was first made available in November of 2007.[1]
I hadn’t heard about it until three weeks ago, while on vacation in Georgia. My family and I were near Andy Stanley’s Browns Bridge campus on a Sunday so we decided to worship there. Stanley’s message began with a long story—it seemed like seven or eight minutes—about how he became utterly sold on the Kindle, and it wasn’t an easy sell. As a matter of fact, he wanted nothing to do with one, or any other electronic reader for that matter, until a friend gave him the not-so-cheap gadget as a gift (the push). That presented a dilemma for the book-loving Stanley, who stepped into using the device almost grudgingly. As he explained in his message that Sunday morning, once he started using the Kindle, he quickly moved from suspicious to sold-out (the path).
What amazed me the most was not Stanley’s almost-evangelistic fervor on the subject (the passion), but the fact that I found myself thinking, “I want to get one of those too.” In a few short minutes he shared a private story (the person) as a sermon-opener that, for all intents and purposes, focused on a boring topic, and it still moved me to take some action. How did that happen?
Above, I highlighted four key reasons that Stanley’s story—a story about nothing more than a lifeless toy—had the ability to evoke a response in me. If it happened over the Kindle, how much more will it happen over the Gospel? Let’s look at the four reasons again (changing the order for clarity).[2]
The Person
Yes, he is Andy Stanley, and well-known figures are able to influence larger numbers of people with their testimonies for various reasons. But that’s not the point. The point is that it was his story—a first-person narrative. I was hearing the story from the person who lived it, not from a friend who heard it from a friend! Always remember that no one else can claim to have lived your story because it is uniquely yours, in Christ. God gave it to you, so tell it like it’s yours!
The Passion
To me, this represents the linchpin of the matter. I believed that Stanley believed what he was saying. It was his passion that made the difference. Passion should not be confused with volume or style, because just about anyone can see past delivery to spot sincerity or insincerity. Your greatest asset in impacting the world is that you really “believe that [God] exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”[3] In other words, people will be moved by your story when you display the same passion that Christ displayed for you at Calvary. They may not agree with what you say at first, but never let them doubt that you believe it!
The Path
One of the compelling parts of the Kindle story is that Stanley wanted nothing to do with it at first. Instead, his path was one of transformation. Without that change, there is no Kindle story and I would have never been moved to find out more. Without your transformation, there is no salvation story, and no one will be moved to find out more. Just remember, if your path has been a long and difficult one, you have got a great story to tell!
The Push
Stanley may have never changed his mind about the Kindle if he hadn’t received it as a gift. That small push made all the difference. It confronted Stanley with an opportunity to choose just as those seven or eight minutes that Stanley spoke on Sunday morning confronted me with an opportunity to choose whether I should look into the Kindle. People lost in darkness need to be confronted with the light. Of course this confrontation will present a dilemma for them at first—every choice does—but the important part is to remember that even a small push can make a big difference when God is involved.
This month’s Momentum focuses on student ministries and I hope that you find some useful articles and resources in this issue. It is no surprise that students today are looking for something real, and there is nothing like passionate, personal stories of transformation to give them the small push that they need toward eternal life!
By the way, I have been doing some research and am about to “pull the trigger” and try the Kindle for myself. I would be curious to know whether you have been moved to find out more about the Kindle or whether you own one and have some feedback to share. I would also like to hear your ideas about sharing personal stories that move people closer to Jesus. My email is eric@ohioag.org.
Have a great September!
Eric Schroeter
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[1] Nilay Patel, "Kindle sells out in 5.5 hours," Engadget, Retrieved on 11/21/2007, as found in “Amazon Kindle,” Wikipedia, found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#cite_note-4, retrieved on 8/27/2008.
[2] These four reasons are demonstrated in various ways throughout the Book of Acts, and are especially evident in the Paul’s life and letters.
[3] Hebrews 11:6, NIV.