Baptist minister of 32 years and cricket chaplain, Mark Tronson, was invited to initiate the Australian Missionary News IPTV on SafeWorlds E-Business IPTV in March and its taken four months to establish the channel.
He asks an audacious question, whether E-Business 'secure password' systems are the future, or are they pie in the sky?
"SafeWorlds is a secure password protected E-Business system and the question is whether this is the future or simply 'pie in the sky', as the historic core philosophy of the Internet is open and unfettered access.
"With a correlating 'open access web IPTV site' in addition to the SafeWorlds IPTV password secure site, we covered all bases?
"A password secure site has implications for both the commercial global marketplace and for Christian viewing."
Mark Tronson mused that, philosophically, there might be a number of positives for such an E-Business secure password system.
First, Australians already use such protected operations on a regular basis through Internet banking, as many do when they pay their phone accounts on-line and other bills and e-bay.
These systems are even older than the Internet, as they are essentially the same as using a PIN with a credit card or debit card when conveniently getting money from a 'hole in the wall' ATM or a supermarket check-out..
Second, from marketing studies over the past fifteen years, young people nowadays enjoy bouncing around web sites and are familiar with the E-Business notion. A password protected site is nothing new to them.
Third, the very nature of the 'freedom' of the Internet, combined with a knowledgeable and innovative group of users, means that some use their skills to disadvantage others. 'Hacking' has become a headache for all those who engage in the Internet almost regardless of what protection is available.
Moreover, downloading some sites brings very unwelcome cyberspace intruders which are designed to steal and destroy.
At the same time there are some significant philosophical and practical challenges in using such a 'password secure' situation for viewing Christian material.
For example, is the very notion of having Christian literature 'password protected' a piece of theatre in evangelism. Is this hiding your light under a bushel?
Alternatively could a case be made out for having such high security in an unfriendly political or religious environment on the one hand, and protection from destructive 'religious' elements attacking a Christian site on the other hand?
"Is this the way of the future for Christian Internet evangelism, is it ahead of its time; or is it an unattainable 'pie in the sky'?" M V Tronson mused. "I, for one, am game to take a chance, get in on the ground floor. Come and join me for a look see!"
On th web: http://www.safeworlds.net/ and http://www.tv.bushorchestra.com
Mark Tronson, a Baptist minister for 32 years, is an associate member of the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) and is the author of 24 books. He was The Australian newspaper "field hockey" writer for 24 years to 1994; the Cricket Chaplain (1984-2000 Australian team, from 2001 Life After Cricket.) He is Chairman of Well-Being Australia since 2000, which provides respite facilities for elite athletes and also a painter of fine art. E-mail PSI or Mark: Mark at PSI Web site is www.bushorchestra.com.
Olympian of the Century Carl Lewis presented Mark and Delma Tronson 'Gold Medals' for their 27 years of Sports and Olympic Ministry in February 2009, Dallas, Texas.