{"id":1436,"date":"2011-02-10T01:05:33","date_gmt":"2011-02-10T01:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/visiting-my-ipad-confessional.html"},"modified":"2011-02-10T01:05:33","modified_gmt":"2011-02-10T01:05:33","slug":"visiting-my-ipad-confessional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/visiting-my-ipad-confessional.html","title":{"rendered":"Visiting My iPad Confessional"},"content":{"rendered":"

An op-ed piece in the New York Times<\/i><\/a> alerted me to a new iPhone\/iPad app. In “Forgive Me, Father, for I Have Linked,” Maureen Dowd describes one of the newest and most popular apps. It’s called Confession: A Roman Catholic App<\/i>.<\/p>\n

This is no joke. It’s an app that guides one through a process of self-examination that leads to confession and then a suggestion of divine forgiveness. I say “suggestion” because the app does not offer absolution. That’s something only a priest can provide, if you’re a Roman Catholic. <\/p>\n

I purchased the app for $1.99 to see how it worked. Here’s what I found:<\/p>\n

1. The app asks me to create a user identity, including my name, sex, vocation (marital status), and date of birth.<\/p>\n

\"confession-app-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

2. Once I have identified myself, the app leads me through an Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments. Under each commandment, questions are asked, such as: “Do I not give God time every day in prayer?” (Commandment #1) and “Have I not respected all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects?” (Commandment #6). As I work through the examination questions, I can check the ones that apply to me. (The photo to the right shows the examination associated with the 8th Commandment. It includes questions like: “Have I gossiped?” and “Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?”) <\/p>\n

3. Once I have finished the examination, then it’s time for confession. The sins I identified during the examination are listed so that I might confess them specifically. <\/p>\n

4. Then I am guided through an “Act of Contrition,” a pray in which I acknowledge my sins and express my sorrow for them.<\/p>\n

5. Next is the place where a priest would offer absolution. Thus the app is not a replacement for actually going to confession, if you’re Catholic. It is simply a guide to help you confess more specifically. <\/p>\n

6. Finally, the app offers a brief word of encouragement from Scripture or one of the great saints of the church. For example, there is a quotation from St. Augustine that reads: “The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”<\/p>\n

So, you might wonder, what do I think of this app?<\/p>\n

Since I am not Roman Catholic, the language and understanding of confession is not quite the same as my own. I do not believe, for example, that one must receive absolution or forgiveness from a priest. But, my Reformed tradition affirms the importance of examining one’s conscience as part of confession of sin. In fact, we use the Ten Commandments as a guide for our examination and confession. So, in many ways, this app would be useful to someone who was not Catholic.<\/p>\n

I must admit that when I first read about the confession app, I rolled my eyes. I can get very cynical about the trendy use of technology for spiritual purposes. Yet, when I actually paid for the app and worked through a round of confession guided by the app, I was chastened. It did encourage me to think about some of my sinful behaviors and attitudes that I might easily overlook. There was nothing cute or even especially trendy about the confession app, other than the fact that it runs on an iPad or iPhone.  <\/p>\n

It appears that the confession app is meant to get Roman Catholic Christians to church, specifically, to confession to a priest. Though I do not believe that this form of confession should be required of Christians, I do think that confession of sin to another Christian can be a very good thing. In fact, it’s something commended to all Christians in Scripture (James 5:13-16). This is, it seems to me, one of the most often disobeyed commands in the whole Bible. So, if the confession app helps some Christians examine their lives and confess their sins, either to the Lord alone or to another in God’s presence, then I can see benefit of this app. The fact that it shows up on an iPad or iPhone doesn’t make it any more or less valuable than other printed guides to confession, except that it is convenient to have it in one’s digital carry-everywhere device.   <\/p>\n

Moreover, I appreciate the attempt by those who envisioned and designed the confession app to use technology to help people grow in their relationship with God. I believe we need more efforts like this, even as I believe that we need to be renewed in our commitment to physical fellowship with other believers, including confession of sins. In some ways, the need for the confession app stands as an indictment of the lack of deep fellowship among Christians today.  <\/p>\n

I’m sure that many Christians will enjoy making fun of this app. Okay, fine. I can relate. That’s where I began, too. But here are some questions for such jokesters to consider: Do you regularly confess your sins in any specific way? Do you ever take time for a searching moral inventory as you confess? Have you ever let the Ten Commandments guide you in your personal confession? Do you ever obey the imperative of James 5 and confess your sins to another person? If you answered “No” to any or all of these questions, perhaps you might think twice before laughing at the well-intentioned effort of some folks to encourage the kind of confession that Scripture commends and that our souls need. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An op-ed piece in the New York Times alerted me to a new iPhone\/iPad app. In “Forgive Me, Father, for I Have Linked,” Maureen Dowd describes one of the newest and most popular apps. It’s called Confession: A Roman Catholic App. This is no joke. It’s an app that guides one through a process of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-internet","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nVisiting My iPad Confessional - Mark D. 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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\/1436","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=1436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}