Info Tech Goes to Church (and Something Changes)

Churches have had a long history of adopting new media to communicate their message whether it was plays, the printing press, or contemporary film.  New technology offers resources that impact preaching by integrating multimedia in worship, expanding outreach through streaming services and podcasts, and providing live feedback through tools such as Twitter/chat.  The life of religious communities is also impacted by new communication technologies that blur the boundaries of local and remote participation and challenge traditional ideas of koinonia (fellowship).

This year's annual conference at the Center for the Study of Information and Religion at Kent State University (June 5, 2015) will explore the impact of new tech on religious organizations.  I will be speaking about the potential legal, ethical, and theological implications of the tech we bring into the church.  Join our conversation; this is a whole new world to explore!

 

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Why don't you read my research?

Why don't you read my research?  My blog tagline is "Informing faith so faith can inform life."  I,like most researchers, hope that my research has an impact: it informs, illuminates, and changes my communities in a positive way.  I want my research to help churches and not-for-profits impact their own communities.  Universities and governments are also interested in researchers' impact.  Institutional reputation, grant funding, and knowledge mobilization are on their minds. 

There is a lot more research out there.  Maybe too much.  There are more PhDs.  The pressure to publish, and publish is more highly ranked journals, is increasing.  There are more journals in traditional and new online formats.  How can I get my research to stand out?

I have reflected on this as an information scientist.  We know how people seek information so why can't we reverse engineer how to make it more "findable" (is that a word?)  Librarians have largely limited their new role to collecting and preserving research through digital repositories.  Although important, this is in many respects still old school collecting.  We have traded brick boxes for digital boxes.  A more exciting role is the championing of Open Access publishing.  This year we will convert our second Law school journal to an online open format.  Where else can we contribute?  As universities focus more on measuring research impact, I am reminded that information scientists like bibliometrician Blaise Cronin have been studying how research was accessed and cited for decades.  This should be familiar territory for us.  I think we need more Blaise Cronins. I think I'll give him a call. :-)

Serving on my faculty's Research Committee has impressed upon me how the question of research dissemination weighs on many minds.  What new skills do researchers have to learn?  What skills might librarians contribute?  This is worth exploring together.  In the meantime with support of my faculty colleagues I have developed a tool to support research dissemination.  What do you think? Are we on the right track?

Research Dissemination (Schulich Law)

Image Credit: Creative Commons License - "impact / impakt / n." by Nick Southall, June 28, 2011, on Flickr .

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Brother, can you spare an interview?

It is finished.  No, I am not quitting my PhD.  I have considered it, and I have asked the existential question "why am I doing this? often"  But I digress.

It is time to quit gathering data on the information seeking of leaders of churches in transition.  Did I get all the data I wanted? No, but I got enough.

WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE WANT TO BE IN MY STUDY?

Hey, I'm a great guy! Why aren't leaders lining up to participate?  I have been reflecting on why it has been so difficult to recruit church leaders.  I have identified five reasons.  Can you think of any more?

1. Closing the Deal

My prospects are busy people.  They need to know how participation will benefit their church.  I need to clearly communicate that benefit and sometimes I am too timid.  Do I believe my research is important?  How can I communicate that better?  This is something I need to think through when I am designing my study.  This is a question about both style and substance.

2.  Ships that Pass in the Night

Sometimes we just can't connect.  The research usually occurs over many months so if the church is not local this would require extended travel and might not be feasible for a researcher with a full-time job.  Their timetable may to be too tight to accommodate me.   We have a complex game of email/phone tag and it just doesn't work in the end.  This eliminated a couple of my prospects.

3.  Transition Trauma

The churches I am seeking are engaged in transition or change.  They usually have good reasons to change.  The process of change might have significant legal and social repercussions for that church so church leaders might not want someone looking over their shoulders.  If the change is theological, the church might be at odds with their denomination.  If the change is structural, board members and staff might be removed.  Some transitions can be disastrous.  This removed a couple more from my list.

4.  Transparency Troubles

Churches are not all comfortable with the same level of transparency.  Churches have legal requirements for financial accountability that most take seriously.  Some open their business meetings to visitors, and some restrict them to members only.  I have been overwhelmed by how welcome some leaders have been to let me, an outsider, be a "fly on the wall."  Others have not.  But I should add that this isn't just a church issue.  It is human nature to seek to protect oneself from potential criticism, and it happens in the university context as well.  So others buzzed off.

5.  Professionals vs. Academics

I am an academic and a professional.  There is a huge divide between these worlds sometimes.  I have written in the fields of law and librarianship.  Research has shown that judges are decreasingly citing academic writing, finding it "unhelpful for the bar." In librarianship much of the theoretical work has failed to make an impact on library management.  I believe this is applicable to the Church context.  Many church leaders, especially lay leaders, are occupied with the "how" and "what" questions, and not the "why."  I need to make my world accessible to them if I wish to engage with them and they with me.  The list gets shorter.

I am very grateful for the leaders who had opened themselves and their churches to me.  I hope and pray that I represent them fairly, and that my research finds a usefulness.  Time to quit and finish writing.

Thank you for your time.

David


"Sale Sale", Simon Gregg, CC License, http://www.flickr.com/photos/xrrr/
"Ships that Pass in the Night", Lynn Hand, CC License, http://www.flickr.com/photos/your_teacher/3160970910/
"Change", busy.pochi, CC License, http://www.flickr.com/photos/busy-pochi/5170100206/
"Fly on the Wall", Matthileo, CC License, http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthileo/5105598473/
"Ivory Tower", David Schumaker, CC License, http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockbandit/9052784451/

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Canadiana Dave Rides Again!

Canadiana Dave II: The Apps of the iPad has arrived!

"Why yes, I use my iPad for data collection." I've had a few people ask me about my use of technology for research.  Frankly I have lots to learn yet, but I thought I'd share what I have discovered to date.  This is part 2 of 3.  Next Time: Canadiana Dave, The Books of Wonder.  WARNING: This video contains excessive corny-ness, but also helpful info.

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Canadiana Dave: The New Quest for Knowledge

"Why yes, I use my iPad for data collection." I've had a few people ask me about my use of technology for research.  Frankly I have lots to learn yet, but I thought I'd share what I have discovered to date.  This is part 1 of 3.  Next week: Canadiana Dave, The Apps of the iPad.  WARNING: This video contains excessive corny-ness, but also helpful info.

Youtube Link

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Juggling, The Beatles and Intersectionality

Last week I had the privilege of participating in the 1st Religion & Diversity Project's Doctoral Workshop in Ottawa.  Under the direction of Prof. Jim Beckford, nine doctoral students shared their research, discussed theory and plotted dissertation writing.  We learned a lot and had fun.

Today's post however is about a theoretical concept we considered in our workshop: intersectionality as demonstrated by juggling to the Beatles. Hey, I'm serious so pay attention as I badly explain (no laughing or eye-rolling allowed.)  The theory of Intersectionality (pdf) was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw who was exploring how socially constructed categories of race and gender interact.  For instance we can explore what it means to be a women in our society or what it means to be an African-Canadian.  But what happens when these two identities intersect? How is their experience of oppression different from either experience?  It is an important theory in human rights and discrimination studies.

OK, not my usual research area, and I'll have to think about this more.  Prof. Jim used this video to explain the concept; its about juggling but the juggling changes when the music starts.  This I get.  P.S. Turn up your volume and enjoy. 

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Beyond Belief: Prayer as Communication

It is -12 degrees celsius outside, but I'm already planning for the summer. Conference season is coming soon and I have a few choices to make: CSIR conference at Kent State, CAIS at the Learneds in Freddie, or CLA in Halifax. I did send off one conference paper proposal; a paper on prayer as communication in information seeking. Prayer in the Christian tradition (Catholic and Protestant) is personal and relational; God hears our prayers and He responds.

So what does this have to do with information seeking? Canadian sociologist Reg Bibby has proposed that “…many Canadians…in the course of coping with life and death, reach out to a higher power – because it seems like the appropriate thing to do. Prayer seems to be our default mode.” (2002, Restless God, 158) We seek solace, encouragement, forgiveness and answers. So how does an information scientist investigate prayer? He cannot listen it on prayer's answer. She cannot empirically verify divine leading. Yet prayer is real to those praying. As real as reading books. As real as searching the internet. As real as talking to friends. Praying can be information seeking.

How then do we investigate prayer? By taking a sociological viewpoint; listening to our informants, and taking their experiences at face value. It doesn't mean that the researcher has to believe in prayer (I personally do). It means I will respect the beliefs of those who pray, and the answers they receive. Lots and lots of interesting information to consider! In the meantime I did discover the researcher's prayer. ;-)

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Back to the Sanctuary...

The problem with research is that it can be addictive. One project suggests another, and soon, its data, data, data.

I'm still working on my dissertation research on information seeking by church leaders, and some interesting religion and media research with my supervisor. I was also recently invited to contribute a chapter to a book on Ecclesiastic Sanctuary. This will be a fascinating international study of how churches have responded to the plight of refugees. The proposed chapter will explore the ways churches justify their acts of civil disobedience.

How does this fit into my other research? Actually, this is where it all began. Back in time, 4 years ago, I was invited to coauthor a paper with David Blaikie for the SoDRUS conference at the University of Sherbrooke, QC. We explored one of the theological claims around Sanctuary in Canada/United States. The SoDRUS paper (.doc preprint) was eventually published as conference proceedings. Through this study I became fascinated by how these church leaders made their decisions to offer sanctuary. It was a faith matter, but also an information seeking activity. What information did they access, how did they interpret it and then how did they apply it? Whether one likes it or not, church decisions play a role in shaping our communities, and have a voice in the public square. Perhaps not to the same degree as in the past, but more than many realize. That is just asking to be investigated.

So here I am, four years later exploring church leaders' information seeking as they seek God's will for their churches. No I'm not just exploring sanctuary (but if your church decides to shelter refugees illegally, I would like the opportunity to take notes.)

I've come full circle perhaps, and I'm excited to be working on this chapter. David Blaikie will be joining me as we explore more legal as well as theological questions. It is due next October; so if any of you remember, you might want to give me a poke, maybe next June, and say "So David, got that sanctuary chapter done yet?"

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CMRC - Faith on TV

TV. Nothing on, but I am watching it. Again. At least it is educational this time.

I'm not going to get into a Marshall McLuhan discussion, but TV is a mirror of our society. It shows us something about our society, even as it shapes us, and is shaped by us (that I like Cake Boss has the potential to shape me literally!)

There were a number of papers on religion and TV at the Media, Religion and Culture conference, but I'll just share a couple. Faiza Hirji examined whether the portrayal of Muslim women was changing on TV. She looked at shows like 24, Lost, The Border and Little Mosque on the Prairie. She found that there were more Muslim women portrayed in these programs, but moving from the stereotype of oppressed / exploited, to now frequently associated with terror. Not exactly progress. Little Mosque had better roles, but still presented a monolithic image of Islam (there is only one type of Islam, and by extension, one type of Muslim woman.) Faiza is correct: Islam is not the unified religion often portrayed in the media, anymore than Christianity is one group. Islam has both Sunni and Shi'a, and then each of these has divisions. Not all Muslims live out their faith in the same way, male or female. Do these programs reflect the diversity of Islam, or have they only exchanged one set of stereotypes for a new set?

Jorie Lagerwey's paper "By the Gods of Kobal" began with the premise that "narrowcasting" allows TV to explore religious questions that the broadcasting networks would never attempt. Cable specialty channels like Space and SciFi target specific viewers that might be more open to challenging the traditional ideas about religion. Jorie examined Lost (what is with this show and social scientists?) and Battlestar Galactica (yes, the new one, though the old one did explore religious themes as well). Battlestar certainly engaged religious questions, and generated lots of theological discussion online (e.g. 1, 2, 3). The religious imagery is hardly subtle. But it does suggest that the unlike the baby boomer generations, the younger generations are asking some powerful questions about faith, belief and religion. 1.6 million viewers ages 18-45 tuned in to watch the season finally. Not bad for "narrowcasting." Too bad about the ending.

Whether it is the portrayal of the "other's religion" or asking old questions in new ways, people are wrestling with belief and its implications. Is TV a mirror or manipulator? From a more personal stance, so many Christian churches I know are still working from the belief that "no on cares about religion anymore." Umm, no, just not as keen to go to church anymore; but the religion conversation is in full swing. Maybe its time to join it.

Next time religion and comic books...and no not Archie comics. Not even close.

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Annual Progress Report...Yes it's true!

Guess what? I'm actually making progress on my research! No Really...at least I think I am.

This week:

1. I submitted my paper for the graduate student competition of the Canadian Association for Information Science . My paper proposal " Seeking God’s will: the experience of information seeking by leaders of a church in transition" already had been accepted for the conference. I was invited to participate in the competition based on my proposal.
   
2. I was also notified that another article "Preaching and the Internet: Dipping into a shallow pool or beginning a deeper conversation?" has been accepted for publication with the Journal of Religious & Theological Information vol. 9 (1).
3. I also found out that my proposal "Little Church on the Internet: a case study of one church's online engagement" has been accepted for the 7th Annual International Conference on Media, Religion and Culture in August. Now I just have to write the paper. :-)
   

I've enjoyed the research I've done this year, and I have learned a lot. It regrettably has taken a backseat to my daytime librarian job and progress has been too slow! Now I just need to get some more teaching experience. Anyone looking for an Instructor of Librarianship or Sociology of Religion?

Now time to start thinking about that dissertation...

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Scooped?!

I had a scare recently: I thought I was scooped. No, not hit by a shovel but it almost felt like it. I thought someone had already published my research. Let me explain. It might seem sometimes that academics spend a lot of time researching stuff topics that are obvious to the rest of us (e.g. "wearing a helmet while skiing or snowboarding reduces the risk of head injuries" - um, ok.) Or some research just seems plain silly (e.g. "pressures produced when penguins poop"- eww.) Good research however is intended to expand our understanding of the world (and its people). It is intended to be original unless it clarifies or confirms earlier research (how about no repeats on the penguin study, please.) Researchers take great care to determine what about their subject area has been researched and to build upon the previous work. No point reinventing a perfectly good wheel. And good researchers give credit where credit is due.

I took great care to review all the literature in my area and was certain that I had done a more than reasonable job of ferreting out anything relevant. So I was submitting and abstract for an upcoming conference and decided to check out last year's abstracts to use as a model. I noted an abstract submitted by an acquaintance of mine, Don Wicks. It wasn't on my topic but it was of interest. As I read the full paper, I discovered that the coauthor, Daniel Roland, like Don had written in the area of pastors' information seeking behaviour. It was his PhD dissertation in 2007. Uh-uh...how did I miss that one. As I read through the abstract I found that he also approached his topic from the same theoretical perspective as I. My heart skips a beat. Did he already do my research?!!

(OK, you are thinking get a grip Michels...research something else then. But this has been a long three years. Back tracking here would not be good.)

I located a copy of the thesis and found that though there were similarities, it was not what I was doing. I did help me in my reading though so in the end I'm glad to have found it. So back to work. Time to pick up the pace on data collecting and writing or maybe next time I really will get scooped!

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I just had dust in my eye...

I recently attended a presentation by a researcher who works with young people who face significant life challenges as well as a lot of social stigma. For hers and these people's privacy I won't elaborate further except to say they are ordinary people with some very heart moving stories. This researcher is an extraordinary person; she has one of the largest hearts I know (the new Grinch has nothing on her!) It was hard for her at points to share these stories and not be moved by her recollections. She is not alone. I recently spoke with another qualitative researcher who also wrestled with very human responses to the stories that were shared with her. Retelling the stories brings those emotions back but also brings those same stories to life. These are real people not simply research subjects.

The "Rules":

1. Displays of emotion have no place in academia,
   
2. Scholarly presentations are to be objective and detached.,
   
3. Showing emotion in an academic presentation makes people uncomfortable.

It is true that excessive emotion may render a person unable to present. But no emotion? Is this interdiction merely a holdover in the academy from quantitative research methods, where the researcher is not personally engaged but maintains an "objective" view of the "experiment?" May it have something to do with the historical demographics of the academy as anglicized and male dominated? Our society still perpetuates the cultural myth that "real men don't cry."

As qualitative researchers explore deeper into the life experiences of real people, it will become harder to avoid the reality of human emotion. These are real people with engaging lives. Real researchers will be moved by them. Maybe it is time to change the academy not the researchers. ;-)

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AAR...my candidate to walk the plank!

The AAR conference brings together a very diverse group of people. There are Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans and Atheists. There are sociologist, theologians, anthropologists, and (surprise!) lawyers. Oh, and I even met an evolutionary psychologist. Some are regular practitioners of their faith; some are simply fascinated by the social expressions of religion. It is illuminating to interact with such a diverse group around various topics; it also requires a sensitivity to the faith positions of others. As an evangelical Christian I must be prepared to defend my faith, but I am also obligated to live at peace with those around me. I need to treat others with respect even when we disagree. I don't always succeed but I try.

To teach sociology of religion in a religious institution has its advantages I think. You can assume a particular theological position and proceed from there. A university context must be much more challenging. How do you navigate the diversity of opinion and avoid the religious minefields? I like how Chris Helland my doc supervisor handles it. He explains very early in the class the sociological perspective that he adopts: he must "bracket" his own beliefs and choose not to ask the crucial question "is this from God?" As a sociologist he is confined to the natural world. This does not mean he believes that religion is an entirely human phenomenon but that some things are outside his research focus. He must take all religious experiences at face value though he does not believe all religions are universally valid based on their outcomes (e.g. Jonestown or the Branch Davidians). I think he would say he is an observer of religion not its judge.

I attended one paper where the researcher was studying Chick Comics and Tracts. If you grew up in a conservative evangelical church you probably will remember the gospel tract "This was your Life". I appreciate the evangelistic message they tried to make and the zeal behind the attempts. Sometimes however, the message they preached, especially when addressing other groups such as Roman Catholics, was fraught with unproven innuendo and speculation. It was more than the simple gospel message. The truths they communicated were sometimes lost in the bluntness of their presentation. The sociologist who presented the paper obviously did not share Chick's position. His presentation was littered with sarcastic asides and not so subtle mockery. This was more than critique of the content and approach of Chick; this was a rejection of the faith position of this group. He was no longer a sociologist, but assumed the role of arbiter of the truth claims they made. I would hope that Chris' first year undergraduate students would know better than this professor.

So in a not so nonjudgmental fashion I nominate this presenter to "walk the plank!"

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Hey, I knew it was you...

I recently submitted an article for review with a scholarly journal and part of the process is a double blind peer review. In a nut shell: my article is sent to several reviewers anonymously; I don't know who reviewed it and they don't know who wrote it. No personal biases. That is the theory anyway. In a small field like mine it isn't hard to guess who is reviewing the article. Hints like "the author did not include the essential paper by John Smith." Hi John, is that you? I once reviewed a paper for a journal and could tell you within the first two pages the university and then it is not too hard to guess the author; not many there who could write on that topic. The double blind review worked better for pure science research; the emphasis is objectivity and the researcher is usually invisible. Who needs to know anything about the researcher; anyone who did the same study with the same methods would get the same data and come to the same conclusions right? Much of contemporary social science research doesn't assume this; who I am as researcher matters. I am part of the society I study and my presence influences that which I study. My attitudes, filters, and biases are part of how I see the world. Some research methods make this even more transparent. The research paper I just submitted used autoethnographic methodology: I used my own experiences, feelings, and thoughts as data. So how do I become invisible in my research if I am also one of my research subjects? One of my reviewers actually self-identified; if I was not anonymous to the reviewers then it was only fair that I know who reviewed me.

Social science research is changing as we think more about the influence we have as researchers on the researched, or even more importantly how we ourselves are the researched.

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