{"id":1015,"date":"2010-01-22T11:24:29","date_gmt":"2010-01-22T11:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html"},"modified":"2010-01-22T11:24:29","modified_gmt":"2010-01-22T11:24:29","slug":"something-to-think-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html","title":{"rendered":"Something to think about . . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

I read an AP story this morning by Ted Anthony: “Quake Relief: The culture of now v. the real world.”<\/a>\u00a0 Anthony’s point is that there is a gap between people’s expectations for how quickly help shold come to the Haitian people and reality. Our ability to use technology to make instant contributions to the Haiti relief effort increases our unrealistic assumptions about how instantly relief can actually get to real people.
\nHere’s are some excerpts from the article:<\/p>\n

More than a week after an earthquake leveled swaths of the Haitian capital, the recriminations are circulating faster than clean water. From CNN’s Anderson Cooper to blogs and social networks, questions echo: Why is help taking so long? Why can’t the relief process be streamlined? Can’t this thing go any faster?
\n“What on Earth has gone wrong?” the Arab News, an English-language newspaper in the Middle East<\/span>, wondered in a sharp editorial this week.
\nBut take a step back. While the difficulties of negotiating the decimated Haitian infrastructure are clear and the logistical and administrative problems formidable, could a perception gap be at play, too? Are the expectations of the virtual world colliding with the realities of the physical one? . . .
\n“The immediacy and the vividness of the images and the news we receive from Haiti accentuate our desire to do something quickly. And that’s certainly not a bad thing,” says James Gleick<\/span>, author of “Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything.”
\nBut, he says, “The only thing that travels at light speed<\/span> is information. And there are all kinds of sources of tension right now between our desire to have things instantaneously and physical reality.” . . .
\n“The aid is never fast enough for the armchair aid workers sipping their lattes,” says Steve Matthews, a spokesman in Haiti for World Vision<\/span>, a relief group. He says that, despite slowness, aid is flowing, “things are happening” and relief workers understand the race against time.
\n“Critics,” Matthews says, “want a two-hour movie with happy ending.”
\nHe’s onto something. The appetite in many industrialized cultures, the United States in particular, is attuned to the slickly packaged story, Hollywood style. That means that conflict is followed by resolution, and then we move on to the next thing.
\nAdd the round-the-clock news cycle and the immediacy of the Internet, where communication now can mean a service that conveys rapid-fire information in 140-character bursts, and suddenly you have a generation of people who feel uncomfortable when something doesn’t happen RIGHT NOW. There’s a reason, after all, that the BlackBerry was nicknamed the CrackBerry. . . .
\nConsider the International Rescue Committee’s TV commercial that aired on CNN Thursday. It urged viewers to contribute aid the convenient way \u2014 with their thumbs, via text message.
\n“Haiti crumbled in 35 seconds,” the ad says. “Rescue it in less.”
\nIf only it were that easy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our response to human suffering in Haiti gives us a window into our souls. We see both good and bad, as well as lots that is important, but morally neutral.
\nOne final thought. A couple of days ago I was commenting to a friend that I think it’s wonderful so many stars have given generously to the Haiti relief efforts. My friend was not impressed. In reference to one star I had mentioned, he said,<\/p>\n

“Oh, he has so much money. A mere million dollars is nothing. It’s all for show.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My friend added a few more choice lines of derision.
\nI asked a simple question.<\/p>\n

“How much have you given to the Haiti relief effort?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can guess the answer: Zero.
\nHere’s something to think about . . . .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I read an AP story this morning by Ted Anthony: “Quake Relief: The culture of now v. the real world.”\u00a0 Anthony’s point is that there is a gap between people’s expectations for how quickly help shold come to the Haitian people and reality. Our ability to use technology to make instant contributions to the Haiti…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural-commentary","category-something-to-think-about"],"yoast_head":"\nSomething to think about . . . . - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Something to think about . . . . - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I read an AP story this morning by Ted Anthony: “Quake Relief: The culture of now v. the real world.”\u00a0 Anthony’s point is that there is a gap between people’s expectations for how quickly help shold come to the Haitian people and reality. Our ability to use technology to make instant contributions to the Haiti…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-01-22T11:24:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Something to think about . . . . - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Something to think about . . . . - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"I read an AP story this morning by Ted Anthony: “Quake Relief: The culture of now v. the real world.”\u00a0 Anthony’s point is that there is a gap between people’s expectations for how quickly help shold come to the Haitian people and reality. Our ability to use technology to make instant contributions to the Haiti…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2010-01-22T11:24:29+00:00","author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/something-to-think-about.html","name":"Something to think about . . . . - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}