Thoughts on Q.3

The last day of Q, and while it ended at noon, there was still lots to be learned.  It was great to renew a relationship with my former LAM colleague, Ruth Padilla Deborst, who spoke on God’s Banquet Table – with the idea that those who are the least preferred, the least capable, the least important are gathered around this table.  Her talk was inspired by Babette’s Feast, which must rate as my all time favourite movie.

The other person who intrigued me was Shane Hipps.  He moved from advertising for Porsche into a pastorate role with the Mennonites in Phoenix.  Quite the shift.

His talk was a take on Marshall McLuhan’s quote: “The medium is the message.”  This was proved using the example of the printing press.  It wasn’t until the printing press arrived that European society began shifting dramatically – and as print was the medium of learning, the medium began influencing everything (from industry to architecture to theology) in a linear, sequential, uniform, and repeatable fashion.  Where the medium touched theology, unfortunately, it furthered a reductionistic, simplistic approach to the mysteries of faith.  (Four Spiritual Laws, anyone?)

But now we are being shaped by not the printing press, but the digital image.  And this medium, he says, is not left-brain, abstract, rational and sequential, but right-brain, concrete, intuitive, and holistic.  Consider the following phrase “the boy is sad” versus the following image:

This shift from linear and sequential to the intuitive and holistic is in the process of reshaping our consciousness, how we perceive, learn, and communicate.  And therefore the way we communicate faith must also adapt to how people best receive and interpret data.

Q is now over.  From the marketing and positioning of the event, I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the makeup of the attendees and speakers.  I didn’t expect there to be so many fulltime church people there – my impression before I went was that this was an event for people who are making culture to speak and learn.  So I went with the expectation of meeting bankers, artists, actors, educators, poverty activists, etc. and I really wanted to learn how it was each of these sorts of people are living out lives of faithfulness to gospel within their own contexts.  I’m tired of hearing from the church people and have had enough of that.  But it seemed to me that the majority of those in attendance were from that sector.

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• People, you inspire me
• Religious communities in the city: Problem solver or trouble maker?
• Can’t buy me love
• Music Matters