When we launched 1208-Bit Nerd Church back in August of 2019, we certainly raised a bunch of eyebrows. I’m sure many thought the idea was ridiculous, but there was something about the concept that really provoked me. After all, I myself am a nerd and therefore know how nerds think. And 1208 Greenwood Church had so many nerds in it as well, that I knew they’d be interested in making it happen.
Nerds aren’t satisfied with basic answers and lack of explanation. We like footnotes and brain puzzles—be it science, spirituality or theology (once referred to as the “queen of sciences.”) We’re put-off by unsubstantiated claims and the refusal to think deeper and more efficiently about life and all of its issues. Some are afraid to stretch, but we’re born for it—not to stretch outside of orthodoxy, but to recognize that the orthodox box (orthobox?) we often put God in is more rhombicosidodecahedron-shaped.
As nerds, we are either artists, art-lovers, or both. We appreciate story and all the creative avenues in which it can be displayed. We like how imagination chisels at our brains and offers us the space to test and tweak our thoughts. We like to be stretched and burn out when unprovoked for too long.
No, not all parts of nerd culture are compatible with Christianity (as is no other culture), but it is characteristics like those listed above that make us valuable to the church if we’re welcomed in. And as we continually give our lives to Jesus, we continue to understand and discern what parts of our culture can come with us and what parts must be tossed away.
Throughout the midst of COVID, the greatest sense of normalcy I have found has been with my fellow nerds who know the importance of making community and friendship work while obeying restrictions. From online Nerd Church on Monday to an online DND session on Tuesday to our typical house gathering for dinner and games on Thursday (when its safe and allowed) to another DND session on Friday to various moments of communal online gaming and occasional small get-togethers for board gaming throughout the week, we are a community that knows how to love one another and spend hours talking and laughing about anything and everything.
Anyways, all of that to say that we meet tonight from 5:30-9pm on our Discord video/voice chat ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Jamin Bradley 