I realize that no matter how carefully I choose my words, some of you will find this post to be snarky. My apologies if that is how you take it.
If you've been following this blog, you well know that I regularly peruse a number of Anglican oriented sites - both hard line liberal and conservative and points in between.
If you're Episcopalian, you well know all the turmoil that is currently stirred up in the greater church -- departing bishops forming new churches, who gets to keep property, the consent process for the bishop-elect of Northern Michigan, General Convention, gay clergy, gay marriage...the list is long.
If one spends most of their cyber time amongst Episcopalians and on their blogs, one can begin to lose site of perspective. The drama of this church seems to fill the news cycle and spill over into our lives. I, for example, have been diligently reading and cross-referencing, trying to hear both sides of the issues when possible.
Yesterday I had an epiphany like moment - an epiphanette - just a little one - and the image above came to me. In this country, the unchurched outnumber the churched and even amongst the churched - the ECUSA is a rather small little church. Compared to what is occurring around the world, the drama of TEC is just a shaken up snow globe.
I understand that for a good many people, "church" plays a very important social role in their lives and "church" provides the framework on which they hang their spirituality and connection with God. I realized as I sat down to type out my thoughts that there is a second understanding of that image of a church in a snow globe. The individual congregations with their own issues, liturgy style, drama and love are in some ways encapsulated in their own little globe--removed from the drama and angst of the greater church.
It is the Internet that has allowed us greater access into the meeting rooms and planning of the greater church. As bishops meet somewhere far away, we can eagerly await updates and statements and verdicts and then comment on them. I think that this is one of the fuels that feeds the fire. Good or bad it is here and cannot be ignored.
As Iranians continue to take to the streets to protest and demand freedom, around the globe we are using Twitter and Facebook to lend our support, disseminate information, and watch. It is one of the fuels feeding the fire.
I read somewhere that we live "in an exponential age" and society's attempt at relearning, rethinking, and restructuring how we do things in light of instant communication is falling a bit behind. I don't believe it is a simple question of good or bad - all modern means of communication have been used and misused before.
What is a bit frightening is the linking of speed of information with mob mentality - more and more frequently we are reacting as a group with less and less time to process what we are hearing. I hope our instincts are improving.
If you've been following this blog, you well know that I regularly peruse a number of Anglican oriented sites - both hard line liberal and conservative and points in between.
If you're Episcopalian, you well know all the turmoil that is currently stirred up in the greater church -- departing bishops forming new churches, who gets to keep property, the consent process for the bishop-elect of Northern Michigan, General Convention, gay clergy, gay marriage...the list is long.
If one spends most of their cyber time amongst Episcopalians and on their blogs, one can begin to lose site of perspective. The drama of this church seems to fill the news cycle and spill over into our lives. I, for example, have been diligently reading and cross-referencing, trying to hear both sides of the issues when possible.
Yesterday I had an epiphany like moment - an epiphanette - just a little one - and the image above came to me. In this country, the unchurched outnumber the churched and even amongst the churched - the ECUSA is a rather small little church. Compared to what is occurring around the world, the drama of TEC is just a shaken up snow globe.
I understand that for a good many people, "church" plays a very important social role in their lives and "church" provides the framework on which they hang their spirituality and connection with God. I realized as I sat down to type out my thoughts that there is a second understanding of that image of a church in a snow globe. The individual congregations with their own issues, liturgy style, drama and love are in some ways encapsulated in their own little globe--removed from the drama and angst of the greater church.
It is the Internet that has allowed us greater access into the meeting rooms and planning of the greater church. As bishops meet somewhere far away, we can eagerly await updates and statements and verdicts and then comment on them. I think that this is one of the fuels that feeds the fire. Good or bad it is here and cannot be ignored.
As Iranians continue to take to the streets to protest and demand freedom, around the globe we are using Twitter and Facebook to lend our support, disseminate information, and watch. It is one of the fuels feeding the fire.
I read somewhere that we live "in an exponential age" and society's attempt at relearning, rethinking, and restructuring how we do things in light of instant communication is falling a bit behind. I don't believe it is a simple question of good or bad - all modern means of communication have been used and misused before.
What is a bit frightening is the linking of speed of information with mob mentality - more and more frequently we are reacting as a group with less and less time to process what we are hearing. I hope our instincts are improving.
1 comment:
Snarky is my spiritual gift!
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