Nope. I checked. This is not an April 1 joke. Complete with Bible software and web-browsing filters, the inexpensive edifi is the Christian iPad.
The NZ RC bishops have forbidden their priests from using the iPad for Mass because you never know what they might use the iPad for in their spare time! Now will they let their priests use the edifi?
What do you think of the idea of a Christian iPad? Where are the edges: a Christian iPhone; a Christian car; a Christian house…
In recent years, the last 20 or so, I have distrusted X as an adjective. In fact I don’t like adjectives much at all. Give me my potentially-all-bad interface with protection from non-partisan software suppliers. Publicans and harlots have an advantage re the Kingdom of heaven, don’t they?
The Edifi has had some pretty poor reviews. Words like ‘junk’ and ‘crap’ crop up regularly. One commenter (sorry, can’t find the link) observed that this is one more case of “Christian” being associated with simply shoddy merchandise. Most reviews are suggesting the Nexus 7 as a much more reliable purchase for not much more money.
Our priest has an iPad. We have some lovely-looking service books for the main Sunday worship celebrations, but our Contemporary-Casual 6 PM TEC Custom-Built Liturgy of the Eucharist is set in a plastic 3-ring binder, looking very beat up, that I dutifully set out on the table each week, on a beautiful brass stand gifted to the parish about 150 years ago, which makes the binder look absolutely cheap, crappy and….Bah. I’ve often wondered if we could move everything to tablet computers like Jake’s iPad! We’re not processing around with the Gospel book, so no one needs to see the logo on the back… We also have a monitor set up to the side of the altar where the celebrant can see whatever our A/V team is sending through the projector— it could technically be used like a teleprompter with the words of the Eucharistic Prayer sent through…. so many things to think about