All of our readers should know by now that Android is my mobile OS of choice. It’s flexibility, diverse hardware, and extensive customizability is what makes me fall in love all over again every single day. I tell my friends that loving Android is more than an operating system for mobile devices, it’s an OS for life. Now, let me preface the rest of this post with a disclaimer: I love my iDevice friends, and the following is merely an analogy and in no way actually reflects the worldviews or opinions of those with an iPhone or iPad laying around.
Living in a Closed OS
I’ve heard those on both sides of the aisle refer to Apple’s ecosystem as a “walled garden.” What does that mean? It means that it’s an incredibly powerful platform, so long as you play within the confines of Apple’s empire. The devices work best with other iProducts and iDevices. Apple has invested heavily into their brand and they profit from it. I call this a “closed” model.
With iDevices come the stereotypes. Starbucks. Hipster. Glasses. Moleskine. Chill. Witty.
Life gets very distinct and compartmentalized living in a walled garden. You have the section for school, home, and work. Then there’s church over in the corner. Each comes with a different set of clothes and a different kind of smile. Topics of conversation change depending on the group. You won’t really talk about work at church, or church at school.
What Happens to Mission?
Not much. Since church is kept at church, so is Jesus’ mission. The closed church grows in size, but not with new converts. People just shuffle in from other churches just to check out your coffee bar or light show.
Your local context is ignored since it’s outside of the church walls. That’s a different compartment.
The people in your community continue to struggle with the harsh realities of every day life with no spiritual guidance or input. They’re lost and they’re going to stay that way. Unless something changes.
The Point
And change is the point isn’t it? It’s not about my terrible analogy about Apple’s walled garden. It’s about the ministries and message that we take part of each and every weekend permeating every aspect of our life. Getting the gospel outside of the walls of the church and into the ears of those who need to hear it. We don’t need to put on a great production just for Christians every week. We need to get the Good News out of the walled garden of the church and into the community.
Next week we’ll take a deeper look into what it means to live life in an open OS.
What ways can you use your tech skills to get the Good News past the church walls? How can you use your skills to invite the unchurched into a relationship with Jesus? Isn’t that what it’s all about?
[image via Paul Sihvonen-Binder]
[…] Last week, I opened up a two part series on Operating Systems and how they translate into potential real world scenarios. I picked apart a “closed” OS (like Apple’s walled garden), and what living a “closed” life looks like. Ultimately, it was counter productive to Jesus’ call for us to live our lives on mission for Him. This week I’ll pick apart my personal favorite kind of OS, the “open” model. Google’s Android (my favorite) is an “open” model. Again, I’ll take a brief moment to explain that what follows has no reflection on my fellow Android techies, but does have serious implications if we catch ourselves living live in an open OS. What is an open OS, and how does that translate into our practical theology? Stick around to find out. […]