Chapters 10 and 11 in Len Sweet’s book Viral ultimately addresses the differences between how Gutenbergers and Googlers approach life. By using the symbols of an orange (Gutenberg) and apple (Googler), he lays out the primary and central ways in which each group sees and lives in the world. And, the differences are significant and […]

My piece entitled, “What’s the Plan? The Adjustment Bureau and the Question of Free Will” was entered into the The Word Guild Awards this year and is a finalist in its category (article-review). The awards gala will be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 7:30PM at the headquarters of World Vision Canada, Mississauga, Ontario. […]

Chapter 7 is the first of three chapters that begins section 3 on the topic of Google. In it, Sweet demonstrates the ultimate difference between how a Googler and Gutenberger responds to information. The latter has tended to focus on information as facts to be attained with sometimes little practical import. While Googlers, who have […]

Chapter six is the final section in Part two dedicated to Twitter. Whereas chapter five focused on the art of follower-ship, this chapter leans more towards articulating what the life of the follower should look like. Sweet lays out five ways Twitter can bring about significant change, starting with us. 1. Twitter Helps You Become […]

At first glance, the whole idea that a social media platform could in some way make me a better follower of Jesus seemed somewhat ridiculous. Yet, as I read through chapter five, I began to realize that it was my own perception of Twitter that determined why I felt this way. I guess I came […]

Martin Cooper’s invention of the cell phone in 1973 changed everything. It has become, for many, to be the dividing line between the BC (before cells) and AC (after cells) generations. Referring to it as a “transformational device,” Sweet contends, and I agree, that “these technologies are radically reshaping our relational dynamics in both the […]

If I could choose one word to characterize chapter three it would be – change. Sweet outlines for us the need for a ‘living faith’ to be ever adapting to the simplicities and complexities around us; what we refer to as culture. Other synonyms come to mind: translation, incarnation, and contextualization. While Christian faith will […]

Chapter two is a relatively short chapter, but Sweet managed to squeeze in a number of significant points. The main thesis in this section centered on owning the time and place in which you live, and doing so in such a way that your faith consistently seeks to adapt to the context; not only in […]

Essentially, Leonard Sweet’s latest book, Viral: How Social Networking is Poised to Ignite Revival, is about a tale of two cultures, the waning of one, and the rise of another. The first he refers to as the Gutenbergers, named after Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the first printing press in the 15th century, forever changing the […]