The kinds of thing Trevor and I proposed for the Disseminary continue to take shape — it’s just that other people in other places are making them happen.
The other day, Heather pointed me to the Anglican Decision website which effectively uses digital video to push its case for resisting the Episcopal Church’s present trajectory toward affirming full participation for gay and lesbian members. I disagree strongly with some of what they say, of course — they oversimplify and misrepresent those against whom they’re arguing — but one might bring the same accusation against some of the comments in the Via Media series. (I retain a lingering suspicion that my participation in the project was curtailed when it became clear that I’d be espousing a theological position at odds with the project planners. That’s entirely their prerogative, of course, and they permitted me to make at least a token appearance.) Whatever my dissatisfaction with their message, though, I have to congratulate them for going about it in a well-executed way that uses the internet for what it’s best at: disseminating.
This morning, Kendall’s blog points me to the news that Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of “Alpha,” is building a complement of strong theologians who will participate in a parish centre for theological education (apparently including online distribution of video resources). Again, I’m not on the same wavelength as Alpha, but the point that learning about Christian faith actually strengthens and deepens, enriches, and extends the reach of congregational life deserves ardent applause. This is, again, just the kind of thing we proposed years ago. I just wish someone had taken us up on it.
Is it just disseminating that the web is “best at” or does it also revolutionise communication by facilitating communication? That is, old-style media merely disseminated, new media both disseminate and allow response…
And (if that’s right) maybe we need to think of ways to make our projects (like the Disseminary or the Hypertext Bible Commentary) more Web 2.0 and less old-style mediaish!?
this may be server problem too but your link to “is building a complement of strong theologians” is broken. I helped with “Alpha” training in our church and was interested to see what they were doing.
Tim, excellent point. I want to correct myself to make it sound as though that was what I meant all along, but it wasn’t. Or, more precisely, the Web is great at dissemination, which makes the possibilities for communication, mutual dissmeination, all the richer. But you’re right, and I was off-kilter.
Bill, I’m sorry — I had the link bollixed. Just fixed it.
I did not mean to sound critical, just to add a bright idea that came to me as I read, IF I havetime I plan to work it up to a post, BUT I am very busy with the “publication of Amos, and then on holiday for three whole weeks!…