theo|digital

If you live with me on the north side of Chicago, then we’ve got a special election coming up fast: 3 March 2009. We’ve gotta replace Rahm Emmanuael, who moved on to be President Obama’s chief of staff.

There’s a slew of candidates, and I’m just starting to sort them out. Common wisdom would say that the winner of the Democractic primary will win the election itself, but there are a number of active Republican and Green Party candidates having their own contest, so we’ll see.

The Chicago Tribune Editorial board has a list of the candidates, their endorsement, and some video of interviews with each.

Shane Hipps is a Mennonite pastor who I noticed wrote a book a couple years ago entitled The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. I borrowed it and skimmed but never really read it, and now I’m realizing I’m gonna have to catch up, since Shane is starting to get some voice on these issues in the evangelical Christian leadership world.  I’d love to meet him and chat it up some time, since this is one my primary areas of interest.

Because so much of media ecology is simply unawareness, I had hoped another a fellow watcher of communications as culture would cultivate an imaginative view on ideas like “virtual community.” But here Shane makes it clear that he views online interaction as entertainment (“enjoy it, but don’t call it community, because it isn’t”).  This was somewhat disappointing to me (and not unusual, see my first post on this )

Scot McKnight posted a response at both Our of Ur and at Jesus Creed that asked Shane to consider the Jesus Creed community, a blog that does have a remarkable level a participation (both in volume and quality) compared to (most?) other blogs that often function as more soapbox than dialogue.

Over 40 commentors have contributed some amazing thoughts to this thread: Dan (4) points out that he doesn’t know Scot McKnight, and comes because the community is useful.  Makes sense to me.  I think utility is clearly a reason we both approach and stay in offline communities as well.  Eric (9) calls Jesus Creed a better community than any church he’s been part of in 20 years.  He cites questions and disagreement as key draws.  And these are clearly crucial in offline community as well!  Show me a community without conflict and I’ll show you “shallow.”  Chris E. notes that Scot’s experience is remarkably different than others because of his central role.  As a campus pastor at the center of a vibrant church for a number of years, I eventually realized myself that my experience was also remarkably different to those who knew only a few people in our church, or hung “near the edges.”  There really are positions and vantage points in communities that vary the experience.  Matt S. (14) sets up a thought experiment that makes me hopeful for deeper thinking on this, and Pat B (38) is wise to the net when (s?)he notes that blogs don’t have a natural format for extended conversation.

All this to say:  with not too much thought, we find a great deal of similarity between “virtual” community and “physical” community.

Next post (hopefully coming soon):  more on why I think Marshall McLuhan would argue with Shane Hipps four point analysis on virtual community.

The other day, two of my seminary buddies were talking about Facebook. We all check it regularly, me especially as a brain-break between droning academic essays.

And a the tone of the conversation turned a way that I’ve heard often from Christians as they talk about Facebook. In it’s mild form, it’s expressed an embarrassment to admit that we spend a lot of time online. “I should totally spend more time with real people, huh?” In it’s strong, dogmatic form, it emerges as a theological diatribe against “fake community” and it’s distinct threat to the real community of the Church.

I’ve heard this over and over.

While I believe this is common wisdom, especially among pastors I’ve spoken with, I think it misses the mark. There’s much more here. So I’d like to start reflecting on Facebook, using both communication media and theology as conversation partners.

The Boston Globe produced a quick series of interviews called “the end of alone.” By buddy Ty sent it to me to open the discussion.

Jesus Creed has a good discussion yesterday and today on the increasingly harsh tone of a small group of younger Reformed voices Scot McKnight is referring to as the “neo-reformed.” Some of these have gotten to the point where they tend to accuse non-confessing Reformed evangelicals as being heretics. I’ve previously here expressed frustration about the same, although I’ve been rather less gracious than Scot. The discussion includes the question of why this has been attractive to a certain set of the younger generation, and how the inerrancy of scripture figures in.

Related, one commenter linked to a great article by theologian John Frame (Reformed Theological Seminary ) who surveys 21 theological controversies within the Reformed world in the last century, and the resulting repetitive denominational splits. He ends with an appeal for better tone and historical view, but titles his plea as “An Unrealistic Dream!” Sad.

Political moral insight is a law unto itself, independent. Such values are nature, reason, law. They are considered autonomous in that they are thought to be known otherwise than through revelation or worship. … Ordinarily the definitions of such concepts do not seem to be dependent on faith or on Jesus, although maybe we hold them to be vaguely supported by nature or “nature’s God.” In any case, we do not expect “worship” to tell us more about them. … The duties they lay upon us are different from what Jesus calls us to do. For example, a banker is called to save money or to lend it with interest, not to give it away or to lend it without interest. A soldier in battle is not supposed to love the enemy.

John Howard Yoder was a Christian Anabaptist theologian and ethicist. I’m reading Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World for my course this term:  Christian Ethics.

(Photo is one of mine:  the National Archives in Wash DC in Feb 2008).

On Feb 6, Forbes Magazine updated its list of “America’s 10 Most Miserable Cities“—and Chicago shows up as number three, right behind Memphis!

I’ve been to Memphis. It’s pretty bad. Aside from a sweet BBQ spot or two and the weirdo Illuminati-like pyramid marking your arrival downtown, there’s not much going for it. Chicago can’t even be in the same league.

Fortunately, Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times has taken offense for the city and sacrificed himself to answer the charges with an appropriate blend of Mid-Western warmth and urban disdain:

Most of these supposedly misery-making aspects are simply evidence of how many people want to live in Chicago — traffic is a breeze in Springfield, but who wants to be there? Taxes are low in Somalia, along with the life expectancy. Read Neil’s column.

“Body” is an ancient image for the human community. When I use it as a modifier, it pins down the awareness that each member needs and serves each of the others, that the whole is more than all of the parts, and that the interdependence of all is structured according to an already given plan, flexible and able to grow, but neither chaotic nor infinitely negotiable.”

John Howard Yoder was a Christian Anabaptist theologian and ethicist. I’m reading Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World for my course starting this term:  Christian Ethics.

My favorite disc in December (and maybe for the year!) was Hannah, an unsigned title by The Age of Rockets.  They’re Postal-Service-like, but I think better in more ways than one.  Innocent Words , the online indie music rag, has a new issue posted, so you can check out my review .

I’m been somewhat negligent with the blog here recently – mostly because I’ve been on academic break, which means not only an inconsistent schedule and a lot of travel, but also that the rate at which interesting information flows past my eyes has been down to a trickle.

I’ve also been feeling a need to redesign and upgrade this blog, and have even contemplated a shift to WordPress to make things easier – but who has time to wade through all that code?

Maybe that’ll happen, but for now, I’m happy to welcome back both my friends and those interested as pursue theological questions surrounding the idea of living in an information culture.

First up, I think I’m gonna have to sit down and write up some stuff that I’ve often been stewing about Facebook, but have not had impetus to write out.

ps – the photo has no bearing on anything, but it’s sorta cool.  I took it in the evening on 6 June 2008.  Not an uncommon evening sight from our camp in Colorado.