Flu, Faith and Information...

H1N1. Such a little word but it unsettles people so much. Those of us in the developed world aren't used to this kind of pandemic. We don't daily deal with the risk of Malaria or Tuberculosis which combined annually kill 2.7 million people. We are well fed and affluent. We put much faith in our health care system (though we complain about it a lot.) Now we feel vulnerable and a little scared. Notice how people react now when someone coughs on the bus? The question "have you got your flu shot yet?" is replacing "so how about this weather?" as Canadian small talk.

So how do I respond? I educate myself with sources that I can critically evaluate. That includes government sources, workplace sources, and credible scholarly sources. (If you would like links to good sources try the Kellogg Health Library's page.) I take reasonable precautions. And I critically assess my attitude. Yes, my attitude.

About 13 years ago Nova Scotia was on the verge of a huge health care strike. I was working in a small rural pastorate with a high population of seniors. People were understandably concerned and, well, a little scared. Like they are now. We talked about it as a congregation and considered how our faith should influence our perspective of the impending crisis, our conversation about it, and our behaviours. I personally believe I am in a universe with purpose, designed by a God who cares about me and my family. I believe if I must face sickness and suffering I can turn to God for strength, hope and wisdom. I believe that even death is not the end but only the beginning of eternity. Those beliefs should influence my attitude about H1N1 or really any other personal health crisis. Easy to say...harder to do.

I have good information, both medical and spiritual on which to base my personal health choices. So now what do I do with it? How does my personal faith help me evaluate, interpret and apply non-religious information? Should it? I think so....

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The worldview of software...

Today was my first time operating our church's worship software EasyWorship. This is a presentation software specifically designed for congregational worship in contrast to traditional powerpoint which is business software. Well, I need a lot more practice, but I think we all worshiped despite my miscues. :-) It is a great software application and I think a worthwhile investment for any congregation, with two caveats attached. One, it still needs skilled people to plan the presentation and then execute the plan. Software doesn't enter into worship, it cannot seek the heart of God, and it cannot sense the mood of a congregation (in respect to Asimov I'll say at least not yet.)

The other caveat is that most software is created with a worldview at its heart. I noted above that MS Powerpoint was created as a business presentation application. It is used more broadly than that now but using it in a classroom environment has meant changes in how teaching happens in the classroom. I had an insightful conversation this week with a faculty member who doesn't use powerpoint for a particular class he teaches for very specific pedagogical reasons relating to how he understands legal practice.

Another example might be research software. I am learning a few data analysis software packages like Nvivo and Atlas-Ti to use in analyzing my research data. I took a workshop two years ago that really emphasised the importance of understanding the theoretical assumptions behind the software. The developers believe research should happen in a certain way, and they write software that reflects that approach (in this case Grounded Theory). I need to be aware of those assumptions as I use the software because they will influence my results.

When I use software in worship, the software will have an influence on the form of worship. Simply projecting the lyrics on the wall rather than reading the hymnal changes the tone of worship. A software like EasyWorship can introduce video clips into the worship stream. These mini-movies can add a slick and professional edge to worship. Some of them are kinda cool and I was thinking "hey, this would be good, and this one, and this too...." However, when I introduce this kind of media into worship I adopt certain ideas about worship. I can't do that uncritically. I must ask questions about what we believe about worship and community. I must ask questions about the "sound bite" generation and how church buys into that.

Software has worldviews implicitly embedded into it. Do I see what it is and am I ready to accept it? Hmmm...

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AAR...the pirate conference?

Actually it is the American Academy of Religion conference...though given the range of topics covered I'm sure there is room for something on buccaneer theology or privateer prayers. Groan...I just googled "pirate's prayer" and wouldn't you know it someone "piratized" the 23rd Psalm...will I never learn?

But I digress...the AAR conference is next week and I hope to attend (with a laptop to blog the sessions). There is so many concurrent sessions that I am having a hard time choosing. One session I am interested in is about sacred spaces especially spaces that become politically contentious. The folks at Oxford Press are offering a "how to publish your book" session. Now I just need to write one. Of course I'll be taking in a few sessions on Law and Religion (there is one of blasphemy that is very intriguing) and even Music and Religion. I'm fascinated to see how many sessions revolve around Religion and Obama; both the role of the religious right in the past presidential election, but also I expect the near messianic role Obama was cast in during the campaign. There is a session with William P. Young, the author of The Shack. A number of you know that I am of mixed feelings about this book: on one hand it explores important themes of deep pain and disillusionment that the Church often is afraid to address; but is a fictional work with sometimes problematic theology. I'm still thinking about that session. There are lots more sessions, some way over my head (buddy, if your title itself is five lines long...) and some just seem strange (is "transhuman" like the borg?) If you're interested take a look yourself and let me know if you see any you think I should attend. My schedule is still being drafted. :-)

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Does Facebook hurt your faith? What do you think?

A new study by two Gordon College faculty is making its way around the blogsphere . To sum up: young college students are using social software so much they don't have time for christian disciplines like prayer, Bible study and service. They apparently found:

• Thirty-three percent of students surveyed (between the ages of 18 and 27) from four evangelical Christian colleges use Facebook or other social media for as much as two hours every day.
  
• Twelve percent reported using it between 2 and 4 hours.
  
• Another 2.8 percent said they used Facebook between 4 and 7 hours every day.

I do wonder about the cause and effective though; is Facebook keeping young Christians from Biblical priorities or they simply aren't that concerned about Biblical priorities to begin with and this is how they fill the time. In another context would it have been fishing down at the pond, or hanging out at the mall, or a part-time job that keeps young people otherwise occupied? The assumption being made is that teens at Christian colleges should be committed Christians. My experiences as a residence advisor in a christian college many years ago suggest that may not be a valid assumption. :-)

What do you think? Is there another side of the story? How might social software like Facebook actually encourage faith, community and christian development?

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