From the abstract of a thesis by Andrew P. Porter (2006 – Graduate Theological Union):
Radical faith meets exposure with confession, repentance, remorse, and joy. Faith meets limitation with innovation, initiative, grief and gratitude. Need is met by opening eyes, hands, and heart to one’s neighbor, ending in celebration and fellowship. In each case, what was initially seen as “bad,” unwelcome, is turned into something welcome, the source of new life.
Over the years I have been exposed to various theories regarding our current age of transition.
I’d like to think that we are earth shaking at this moment. I’d also like to think that us “’60’s” kids were the last great generation.
Perhaps none of the above. But perhaps we are in a time of change that can carry shards of reflection from the Reformation.
The printing press was changing the way the public were able to access information. No longer was it just the elite. A culture that had developed around visual and narrative “truth-telling” now had the more permanent archive of paper that could document what was said. An oral culture became a print culture.
Fast forward 500 years. A print culture is now confronted with a digital culture. Digital combines archival repositories of both video and print. This is not just a return to a visual culture some had expected with the digital age. This is a combination of full sensations able to be documented.
When the public are confronted with full exposure to that which happens around us, they are left to figure out whether the elite have created a plausible scenario for the citizenry. Conspiracy theories will abound. For the sake of change, outcries and protests will dot the horizon and cloud the sun. Chaos becomes the ground of being.
Back 500 years. The Bubonic plague hits. The printing press pours out paper. Unified states become divided. Religion is rethought. Suspicion abounds.
The Reformation and Renaissance arise. Activists and scaremongers confront authority figures and religious hierarchy. Somehow the system is overtaken by individuals who eventually return to a new system that may or may not be much better.
What prompted this rant?
I read an article by Martin Gurri ( https://www.thepullrequest.com/p/the-prophet-of-the-revolt ) suggested my Mark Galli (former editor of Christianity Today). I returned to discussions with Robert Webber from the 1990’s. My seminary studies took me into Reformation studies with the three main Christian streams in Western Culture all vying for legitimacy.
When all of these thoughts converged, I felt like I was living 500 years ago, seeing the future through 20/20 (2020) vision, and excited for what is coming.
Someone should write a Ph. D. dissertation on this!!
I’m off this afternoon to lead a workshop on research.
The occasion is a 3 day session called “The Feast” – designed as a prelude to the second “mini” semester at Eston College.
The Feast features fun games, learning to cook, mug-up and other times of timeless import. And, yes, I do believe each of these activities will benefit the participants for their life.
And then there is the Research Workshop – which sounds more like school than a feast.
Background: I’m working as a librarian at Eston College. Some of the things I’m passionate about circle around knowledge. You’d almost think I was a motivational speaker some days – when you get me off on knowing truth!
My workshop will touch on fake news, acceptable sources for research papers, the digital library, finding sermon material on line and so much more.
Should be fun.
I hope the students think so!
I’ve been overwhelmed with the headlines that are assailing us today. Attention grabbers are abundant – and sometimes they even slip into the “switch and bait” type.
So I thought I would try my hand at the craft.
How about: “Laid lives and the missed adventures of sin”
This article would play on our sex-saturated-society’s idea that we all need to get “laid”. That is supposed to solve all of our problems and put us on the great adventure of life.
Using what we would consider parlance in Christianeze, how about if we said that life was all about laying all of ourselves down at God’s feet and living in obedience to his answers to our problems. We would then be called on to miss out on the adventures that sin leads us into??
Does that work?