i am in awe and alive in the mystery of advent. but in our waiting for the coming of christ, how do we live this out--truly live--in the chaos that envelops this mass consumer information soaked culture? my life is well plugged into technology most of the time (except for television), but i do need to unplug and de-clutter. however, there's something going on here, something mysterious and radical. new generations are engaging with god daily through
technology.
one of my post-fall quarter projects is to write more blog entries, not only ones more meditative in nature, but also more theologically reflective. this one is a culmination of recent ponderings and a recent conversation with my roommate. i also happened to read the most recent
school of theology and ministry newsletter, "
table talk". the new dean reflects on the struggle that many seminary students face--how to establish community and engage with each other when we are surrounded by loads of information. he writes, "As data swamps around us, people of faith need habits of hanging on to our humanity, staying rooted in the stories of our lives. But, how do we cling to this basic humanity and not allow it to become drowned out by information?"
indeed. my post-modern pondering, however, is going to drift onto another stream. take, for example,
wikipedia. (referenced by the dean).
i happened to borrow an advanced copy of
tony jones' new book,
the new christians: dispaches from the emergent frontier. i reccommend this book when it comes out for anyone interested in the
emerging church. (side note: in it you'll read a section on
church of the apostles and our liturgy of the people) jones make an excellent point about wikipedia and relates it to the emerging christians. the people collectively add and edit information. thus, experts and the masses can interact and edit together.
there's a value in wikipedia that the school of theology and ministry shares at its core. think of it this way:
wikipedia as communal collaboration of information from people around the world, gathered around one massive table--rather than from a handful privileged and over-educated white men producing the knowledge for us. 
access to information and the spread of it no longer rests in the hands of a few
white men. i am given the
power and permission to edit the entry on
fremont in seattle. this is my neighborhood. someone born, raised, and residing on the east coast cannot fully understand this neighborhood like the residents can. so why would one trust their article more than mine?
and yes, there is a danger. relying too much on wikipedia is not good either. as the
internet spawns radical creativity, it also is the source of stupidity of humanity. but consider this: inaccuracies are forever printed into scholarly works as well. wikipedia is constantly being edited, constantly receiving the gifts of millions of people.
there is a challenge here. a calling, if you will. the calling is this: trust. in my spiritual direction classes we say, "trust the process." what if we apply this to the wiki project? furthermore, what if the church trusted its youth to collectively and creatively articulate their faith, whether it be via
liturgical arts and worship, or wikipedia-like model? or how about something like
open-source theology?
there's a shift happening here--from a model of a learned pastor down to the people toward a model where the church communally walks together in faith, and the pastor is but one learned source. what if the
church embraced this rather than fear it? some of the best
homilies
i have heard lately have emerged from the mouths of twenty-something
students honestly engaging and struggling with faith in their daily
lives, and not--as many cradle christians might expect--from the mouth
of a pastor. this doesn't mean the pastors are
less effective in their jobs. rather, they have stepped back and work in tandem with the laity to struggle with this complex faith we call
christianity.
the younger generation approaches authority with a
hermeneutic of suspicion. we are constantly bombarded with advertisements whose sole purpose is to get us to consume more, to buy more--to use whatever product can be sold. we are bombarded with images from the media. this is a generation that has the availability of multiple sources for news, etc.
so how does one navigate these free-flowing and at times overwhelming waters? sometimes i do feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that flies at my head. but i am learning to meet god in this chaos.
right now for me, it might mean less aimless internet time and more time spent blogging :) (or journaling) writing does, indeed, renew me. i am using the means of technology to do some intentional and spiritual reflection.
another way my church community engages with the
liturgical season is through mixed cd's. my
lent was rich with reflection through song and meditation that i took with me on the bus...so that even when the loud noises of cars and the hustle in downtown seattle, i am praying.
in our praying, in our worship, in our theology...we now have a portal to a vast and rich encounter with others on a virtual table. it's not a substitute. it's not the only way. but it one way to engage god.
in advent we come. we wait. we look for christ. as i wrote in my previous entry, there are spaces to meet god this advent. but perhaps it's time to open ourselves to meeting god in this crazed age of information. or maybe not. it takes discernment. when is it time to unplug and when is it time to jump into the foray? good question. it's one worth pondering, as i agree with the dean...it's about claiming our humanity and not losing this identity...the I AM....
peace,
Megan