Theology After Google
What has really changed?
By Callid Keefe-Perry
March 10 – 12 at the Claremont School of Theology saw the inaugural offering of the “Theology After Google” (TAG) conference, designed and organized by Phillip Clayton, Tripp Fuller, and Tony Jones. Looking back on it, at the heart of the conference was a desire to draw together pastors, scholars, and connected internet “theobloggers” to consider three main themes.
First, and occupying the bulk of our time together, we committed to explore (and raise) questions as to the validity of the Church interacting with Web 2.0. “Just because we can, does it mean we should?” became a common refrain, and we were called to consider whether or not, in our love for all-things-new, we might be building a techno-tower of Babel. Balancing this out (of course) was a constant reminder that it appears these new forms of communication and media are not going anywhere, so we better just figure out how to use them faithfully.
Second, we considered the changing face of theology given our near-instant access to information. If clericalism and religious tyranny in the past meant someone with oppressive human power serving as a gatekeeper to sacred knowledge, and that knowledge is available (and the topic of several dozen blog posts) online, what does this mean? Will the doing of theology become an art of the people, a democratized and crowd-sourced wired populism? In a much softer way, what does it mean to be a pastor given all of our connectivity? Are we supposed to be “plugged in” at all times? The wonderings here often asked about filtering: if everything is accessible, and our loved religious leaders are nothing but other data sources, how do we know what to trust? The answer to this seems to be what the remainder of our time was spent doing.
Third, we learned of each other and each other’s passions, skills, and quirks. At meals, during coffee breaks, and in various formations of hotel lobbies, Claremont TheoPubs, and competative beanbag tossing on the cornhole playing field, we came to meet other folk. We had fellowship among food, laughter, and the spirit of exploration.
For me, at the heart of TAG was nothing new. As people of faith, regardless of whether or not we are occupationally called to ministry, we are part of a constant struggle to live faithfully in this world. Yes, technology changes. But for every new thing that emerges from the Googlescape and can be tapped for ministry, there are an equal number of things which can serve as temptations and time wasters that might cause us to misstep. This is not new. There is a reason that in Isaiah we can read that God is “about to do a new thing.” God is always calling us forth into that next step, and this is no different. As we all proceed and attempt to walk right with God into Web 2.0, Web 3.0, and beyond, it is important to recall that the way God makes in the wilderness and the rivers that now run in the desert are also found in our hearts. The new thing that most matters is not Facebook ministry, Ning networking, or cyber-communion, but the Grace-full transformation of hearts and minds into a measure of peace and a commission into compassion. If this is what guides us, then I will be eager indeed to see what comes after Google.
Callid Keefe-Perry acts with an improv comedy theatre group, consults on the use of the Arts in classrooms, is the national coordinator of the Transformative Language Arts Network, maintains TheImageOfFish.com and Theopoetics.Net, and is a returning student at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. He travels in the Gospel Ministry within, and beyond, the Religious Society of Friends, often with his wife Kristina serving as Elder, and has served as a teacher of Quakerism at the Pendle Hill Retreat Center. Most of his work connects to language and how it shapes our dreams and hopes for the future.
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Why did this conference have such a paltry amount of women presenting and in leadership? You can’t talk seriously about “democratization” and not be representative.
‘How do we know what to trust?’
I see this in not an exclusively Quaker audience here… but the specifically Quaker foundation of church authority was that God is always available to teach and guide from within. Any man, any institution or any number of men can easily be mistaken. But anyone can have matters clarified well enough for his actual need, and reach better ways of understanding if he persists.
Thank you for the reflection Callid. One thing that I took away from the conference, like you mentioned is new friendships. It’s not always easy to read the blog of someone you don’t know. But now I see a blog post by a new friend, like Callid, and I think, “Hey I want to read that!” I hope the conversation continues!
Thank you Callid for the reflections. As one of the participants, I’ll second your assessment that the heart of the conversation wasn’t overly new to those of us involved actively in this media. But, the opportunity to engage each other in this way was helpful.
Brian raised an important point, that needs to be addressed. If we’re democratizing the conversation why so many white males? Is it a question of a lack of women and people of color involved with new media? Or, is it a matter of who knew whom? I know of at least one woman who asked to be involved as a presenter and didn’t get asked—and she would have had something unique to add to the conversation. Thus, the next edition needs to be a bit more representative!
@Dyfed: I couldn’t agree more! The conversation around the Missio Dei online is missing; so many conversations that happen are very tribal/cliqued/homogenized. Even folks who encourage and claims a missional bent in our pursuit of Jesus – perhaps like ourselves – talk to each other, as you’ve mentioned. Callid mentions this a bit in his newer reflections on TAG, and I posted a bit on in it at the end of the conference.
@Bob I’ve read your blog post and likewise your comment here, and wholeheartedly agree. Has there been enough dialogue between men and women (additionally, between the white folk who hold power and those non-white folk who aren’t allowed at the table – so to speak – not withstanding) to know more about why this might be so? Beyond power, that is. In other words, is the manner/content/activity, etc., of the whole aspect of TAG and it’s material wired in a way that reflects women’s engagement/gifts, etc.? If they aren’t part of the conversation long before something like TAG happens, are we even asking the same questions; struggling with the same issues; and if so, in the same way?
Any women, of any ethnicity, have some feedback?
O.K. Woman (elderly with MDiv.)with feedback on blogs. I wasn’t at the event. Reading the blogs, something is terribly missing. What the church needs now is a fresh revelation of Jesus the Christ, Savior, Lord of Lords, glorified and seated at the right hand of God, and the Holy Spirit he has sent. He never said he’d build a church (a building). He said he would build his ecclesia—his people called out for a purpose. His Body—living organism—for God’s purpose. An incorporated institution is a sorry counterfeit—a camel swallowed in one gulp while swatting at gnats.
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Thanks for these comments. For someone living the other side of the pond it was not possible to ‘hop over’ and be a part of the conference. The videos of some of the sessions were not too easy to listen either, so I’ve been left wondering what went on!
Your point abou time wasters is very valid. We can all set up our blog these days and speak to the church worldwide – but is anyone listening?!
I’ve also noticed that many who use FB, Twitter etc are doing so as an extension of their own lives (which is not bad per se) but are not being intentionally missional in it all. Does this matter? I think it does – if not to underline how little intenional mission is really out there.
Dyfed.