Cloud Culture

A Revolution is at Hand Sometimes the most ingenious ideas are birthed out of a “happy accident,” and in the case of co-writers Chuck Giacinto and Bryce Conlan, penning a book about the spiritual ramifications of socially networking certainly fell under that umbrella. The two long time acquaintances may have lived seemingly divergent lives before tag teaming on this collaboration (with the Illinois-based Giacinto serving as a worship pastor, music producer, husband and father of three and the Connecticut-bred/Chicago-transplanted Conlan working with his video production company Big Swell Media, servicing a slew of celebrities, authors and politicians along the way), but their paths always crossed at an annual worship conference in the Windy City. With Giacinto serving on the worship team and Conlan managing conference media, the pair constantly immersed themselves in spiritually-centered conversations spanning virtually every aspect of the arts and pop culture at large. Yet one of the most frequent talking points the pair frequently descended upon was the idea of social networking, particularly how Christians should respond to the booming trend and it’s possibilities. In fact, Conlan challenged Giacinto with “you should write a book,” to which he replied “ok, but only if you’ll help me.” And the rest, as they say, is history. While it would’ve been easy for the writing partners to have simply listed the do’s and don’ts of social media or how to use it as a means of evangelism in their ensuring book Cloud Culture, the authors are tackling uncharted territory with a hearty balance of their signature sense of humor, practical anecdotes and Biblically-grounded principles. The results find Giacinto and Conlan exploring this technological marvel and new generation of communication that undoubtedly makes up a major portion of our lives with a unified goal to help believers understand how it fits into their daily walk with the Lord and how it can be a mechanism to serve others. The pair have also penned the briskly-paced book in such a way that leaves room for the Holy Spirit to work in the reader’s life, bring change where change is needed, create endless opportunities, and explore how to apply the deeper motivations of the heart to our digital lives. After one intriguing glance, it’s apparent that Giacinto and Conlan truly live up to the daunting task, and in the process, have equipped their flock with the tools to walk the walk and type the talk.