Upper View: Holding up the Hands of Moses
|
Step onto American soil and you step into a technological wonderland. For those of us born into the world of typewriters, carbon copies and liquid paper, the explosion of gadgets and gizmos can be positively mind-blowing. |
|
John Smith
Eric Claude Webster - Editor, Signs of the Times South Africa and Erica Slikkers - Page, Andrews University [photo by Volker Henning]
Step onto American soil and you step into a technological wonderland. For those of us born into the world of typewriters, carbon copies and liquid paper, the explosion of gadgets and gizmos can be positively mind-blowing. There are Power Books, flash drives, PDA's, blue tooth phones and iPods -- the IT lexicon thrusting all other languages into the shade.
Those of us that fall into a category affectionately known as 'wrinklies' work hard to keep abreast of new developments, although some do understand the rudiments of the technology. But, those 'terrabyte-heads,' who think Silicon Valley is the center of the earth, just can't understand why some of us still think of Windows as glass-filled apertures.
Some years ago my small daughter joined me on a tour of a museum. Her attention was drawn to a typewriter sitting in a display case and, with the speed of an Intel processor, she spun toward me and said, "Did they really have things like that when you were alive daddy?"
Young people just cannot understand how we coped before the advent of computers, and the "wrinklies" find it impossible to keep in step with the march of technology. But, given the desire, there is a way for the generations to bridge this technological chasm.
High above the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St Louis, ladies and gentlemen of the media look down from their lofty perch in the Press Box on the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
One of their number is a 78-year-old scribe from a church organization in South Africa, a man who knows a good story when he sees one, but someone unfamiliar with 21st century information technology and at a loss to know how he could draw material from the Internet and send photo files back to the African continent.
But, help was at hand and a young intern from Andrews University in Michigan stepped forward like a knight in shining armor. There was an instant rapport between the two; the gentle humility of the South African complimented by the energy and enthusiasm of the young woman. Within minutes there were audible signs of delight as the septuagenarian saw the material he required appear on the screen and a glow of satisfaction on the face of the intern who knew that her expertise had helped avoid a difficult situation.
In his opening address to the General Conference Session, and in the press conference following his re-election, the leader of the world church, Pastor Jan Paulsen, highlighted the positive contribution young people could make to the church and encouraged individual churches to provide opportunities that would result in the young getting more involved.
The South African needed help and the Intern was ready, willing and able to provide it; an unconscious and spontaneous response to the plea from the church president who applauds the energies and ideas of the young, recognizes the important partnership that can develop between the young and the not so young, and highlights the benefits of living as one family of faith.
Editor's Note: John Smith was a BBC producer and broadcaster for 14 years and part of the team that won a Sony Gold award for the radio coverage of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is serving as operations manager for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's communication team at the St. Louis meeting. Views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist News Network or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Digg
del.icio.us
reddit
newsvine
Y! MyWeb
ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters.
Reproduction Requirements:
Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing
this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must
appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source:
Adventist News Network" must
be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged.
Ground 7 News Podcast:
Ground 7 News is a review of news and information issued by the Communication Department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. Reproduction of the ANN podcast is encouraged. When rebroadcasting this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be mentioned before and after the podcast.
ANN
Staff:
Rajmund Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial coordinator; Megan Brauner, editorial assistant. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofer.
Top Stories
