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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This Very Night!

Christmas Concerts...Holiday Events...Seasonal Band Performances. Our gifted children have been busy over the past two weeks, and by extension their parents. For our second event today however we were just spectators for Stoneridge Fellowship Church's annual performance of their Christmas Musical "This Very Night!" As the title suggests, this is the Christmas story from the perspective of Mary and Joseph. The acting and singing was wonderful. My son was particularly impressed with the real farm animals.

Mounting a production like this is no small feat. Six performances. 3000 spectators. 240 cast and performers (many of whom were children. Baby "Jesus", no crying he made!) 7500 hours of practice. Did I mention the sheep and chickens? It was also a highly technical performance, with complex lighting and video production. There were three large screen monitors in the sanctuary, so we wouldn't miss an angle. We are very much a media generation, and people expect that kind of technical wizardry.

What touched me though wasn't the sophisticated performance. It was the timeless story; part of my faith and upbringing. I sang in a few Sunday School Christmas concerts myself; and like thousands of others, I've been the shepherd (and probably even the sheep though I can't remember.) Years ago I spent a Christmas in Kenya. I was visiting a small church near Kisumu on Lake Victoria. I didn't speak Luo, I was hot, and I didn't feel Christmasy. Then the children came in and processed to the front. They wore bathrobes, with towels on their heads. A young lady with a baby doll. A boy watching over her. Shepherds and kings. I didn't understand one word; yet I knew them all: "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus...." This is the power of storytelling at its finest.

I appreciated the polish and professionalism of Stoneridge's "This Very Night." But the power remains in the storytelling: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

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Learning Zone- A way cool job!

OCAD recently posted an ad for a Learning Zone Librarian. The Learning Zone appears to be a collaborative workspace that integrates a variety of services, including library support. The focus is on creating learning space that is driven by student needs. The job ad stresses the importance of student input in the design of the space and its services. I wonder what a school of design students might come up with given the opportunity. Or any student groups, if we really listened.

OCAD isn't the first place to try something like this; Guelph has had its own intriguing ideas. Most attempts however remind me of cube farms without the walls, straight out of Dilbert. Maybe because the focus is on the space (i.e. number of computer connections we have), and not on the services that transform the space into an engaging place, where learning happens. OCAD's Learning Zone is offering a workshop on CREATive Fund$: Develop a Positive Relationship with Money. So what does that have to do with libraries? Nothing. But it has everything to do with students. Dalhousie's Killam Library recently launched a multifunctional space for graduate students. It is a great space, but unfortunately, it is disengaged from the services graduates need.

The Learning Zone (though not by this title) is one I've advocated for our library; a place with project rooms, writing and research support, and web and video conference facilities. A place where students meet, and work and learn. But creating a place like this takes an unconventional vision.

OCAD's ad reminds me of what I am yearning; to be part of something audacious, risky, and unconventional. We don't need to rethink libraries any more; we know what is wrong with them. But change only comes with changing; and if we are changing for our students, we may make mistakes, but we won't be wrong. Hmm...when was OCAD's submission date.

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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 - Warrior Nuns in Spandex

Comic books have come a long way since I read Batman and Green Lantern. Today's graphic novels are, as Stephen Garner writes, "rich in imagery and characters drawn heavily from existing religious and spiritual traditions." Now religion has always been present in comics, from allusions in mainstream comics (Batman was Episcopalian and Green Lantern was Jewish Catholic) to explicitly religious publications. Some of today's superheroes are much more explicit about their religious beliefs.

In Garner's "Symbols, swords and spandex" he explored comics where the supernatural (angels, demons) mixes freely with fictional characters such as Superman. Sometimes religious issues such as judgment, and suffering are explored. He considered the idea of the "warrior nun" (Warrior Nun Areala, The Magdalena, and The Sisterhood.) These characters grapple with their religious callings, as well as various evil villains. The imagery and "theology" is drawn from Catholic traditions. They both challenge and claim faith.

Other religious traditions have found their own superheros. Pax Avalon is a heroine who defends the city of Avalon. She has the ability to absorb others injuries, and has rejected weapons as a means to bring peace to the troubled city. Steven Reece Friesen comes from the Mennonite Christian tradition. He wrestled with his love for comics and his own personal faith. Pax is his attempt the work this out; embodying his Christian values and our love for the crime fighting hero. Pax prays "Guide my aim, Lord...that there be no injuries or property damage by my hand." OK she is not always successful but she tries.

Islam also has its comic book superheroes ("The 99"). Naif Al-Mutawa, a clinical Psychologist, was concerned about the kinds of role models his children would have. He writes "Today, through THE 99, this proud Muslim is using the lead of his pencil to take a stand. For all our sakes, I hope the pencil really is mightier than the sword."

Some would find this a trivializing of faith; others a contextualized theological discussion. I guess in the end most people just want to enjoy a good comic book. But I think I'll skip the Warrior Nuns; back to Looney Tunes for me.

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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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The taxman has spoken...to be or not to be a church.

Group's Internet and Radio Worship does not meet IRS definition of a church.

A friend forwarded this story to me today (thanks Nick). Apparently all the theological debate about virtual church has been for naught; the IRS had a definition of a true church after all. The U.S Appeals Court (pdf) recently upheld a decision of the Federal Circuit Court that determined that The Foundation of Human Understanding's radio and internet ministry did not meet the definition of church. Here are the fourteen criteria of "church" that have been adopted by the IRS and applied in this case (Foundation I, 88 T.C. at 1357):

(1) a distinct legal existence;
(2) a recognized creed and form of worship;
(3) a definite and distinct ecclesiastical government;
(4) a formal code of doctrine and discipline;
(5) a distinct religious history;
(6) a membership not associated with any other church or denomination;
(7) an organization of ordained ministers;
(8) ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies;
(9) a literature of its own;
(10) established places of worship;
(11) regular congregations;
(12) regular religious services;
(13) Sunday schools for religious instruction of the young; and
(14) schools for the preparation of its ministers.

The court also applied the "associational test." This test defines a church as "an organization that includes a body of believers who assemble regularly for communal worship." (p. 5) This has been an important test in court cases that have determined that not every organization that is religious constitutes a church. As this decision argues, the religious organization must provide "the opportunity for members to develop a fellowship by worshipping together" and that a "church’s principal means of accomplishing its religious purposes must be to assemble regularly a group of individuals related by common worship and faith." (p. 8).

In this case, the court found that "the Foundation did not provide regular religious services to an established congregation and concluded that "[t]he extent to which [the] Foundation brings people together to worship is incidental to its main function" of spreading its message through publication and broadcasting." Foundation II, 88 Fed. Cl. at 234.

One issue that did arise in this decision is that these definitions implicitly preference certain groups and types of associations, though this appears not to be addressed. In the digital age it does raise questions: How does this impact virtual congregations? What if you meet both on and offline? Do all the meetings need to be face to face? What does it mean to gather? What is a fellowship? Most of us have common sense answers to those questions. But as I have noted before there are those who contest those answers. My grandmother is not able to regularly attend church in person, particularly in the winter, but she watches her church's services televised on local TV with a friend. Did she attend church last Sunday?

For now the tax man has spoken, and although this case is precedent setting, be sure it isn't the last to explore "what is a church?"

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Media and Religion and Culture, Oh my!

Imagine getting paid to watch all the episodes of Battlestar Galactica? Or Lost? Or Little Mosque of the Prairie? Or maybe reading blogs all day long?

So, day four of the 7th International Conference of Media, Religion and Culture. I've so far attended 1 plenary session and 27 papers. My head is getting full!

Did you know that "narrowcasting" (cable/subscription TV) allows issues of religion and faith to be explored in ways that could never happen in broadcast TV. Battlestar Galactica is a good example where the dichotomy between faith/science was played out.

Guess what? If your church puts up a generic website that soft peddles what you believe, in order to not offend potential seekers, they'll only turn off your surfers. A good example is the United Church of Canada's WonderCafe project. People are at your site to find out what you believe, so tell them!

So how do you subscribe to an Orthodox Jewish community website? More than knowing Hebrew, you should also know the neighbourhood.

How about what digital storytelling can tell you about your Church/Synagogue Youth Group's identity? What is their group all about and how is that a part of who they are?

Is there such a distinction between offline and online? Are the boundaries breaking down? What about religion; is the online and offline beginning to share the same space?

These and more questions explored in upcoming blogposts. Now time to take in some of the Toronto sights.

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Culture Shock and Community

Over the long weekend we were camping down near Mahone Bay. On Sunday we set out to find a church to attend, and ended up at New Cornwall United Baptist Church.

A small church, but certainly friendly and full this Sunday. In many respects it is a very traditional evangelical protestant congregation: a one room church, with an electric organ, and a traditional service with familiar doxology and hymns. After the children's story they head down stairs for Junior Church. Likely little has changed in the nature of worship there since its founding in 1898.

For me it was familiar territory; I know the hymns and Scriptures. I can easy navigate that culture. My children however have been raised most of their lives in churches with contemporary worship. Choruses not hymns. Simple orders of service. Video clips and PowerPoint. And doxologies? Not if it bit them on the nose, would they recognize them. Don't even ask about the Apostle's Creed or Lord's Prayer.

The reality is that the majority of evangelical, protestant Christian churches in North America are like New Cornwall. Small rural or semi-rural communities, anchored in centuries old traditions. The kinds of traditions that feel familiar and comfortable when you return to them. Traditions that tether you back to churches of by-gone days.

I do wonder about my children though. Perhaps the contemporary service styles are more appealing and meaningful to them. But as music styles (and gimmicks) change, what legacies will they have to hang onto? Proponents of new worship styles argue that traditional worship is not culturally relevant. But are we raising a generation of new worshipers who are now culturally at odds with the rest (read majority) of protestant Christendom. In twenty years on their own camping trip, will they enter a small rural church like New Cornwall, and feel for a few minutes that they have somehow come home. Or will it be a strange and foreign place.

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Religious Reality TV?

Reality TV or Religious Education? CNN had this story of a Malaysian TV Talent show that has young contestants competing to become a Muslim Imam. At stake is a job, a paid pilgrimage to Mecca, and a scholarship to travel to Saudi Arabia for study.

I'm not sure what to make of it. It is educational in that the show explores what it means to be an Imam. I might be inclined to watch a show like that simply out of curiosity; is being an Imam similar to being a priest, pastor or rabbi, or is it something different? Yes, I know that they are they are different religions, I meant the general job description. What about the use of popular television? Does it cheapen the call to ministry? Or is it clever marketing? How would I feel about "So you think you can preach" or "Baptists have Talent"?

I know what I think, what about you? A good idea or three strikes?

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Making Community

I recently bought a copy of Heidi Campbell's new book When Religion Meets New Media. I've just started reading it, but have also gone back to some of her earlier writings. A writer's ideas develop over time, and I find it helps me understand their ideas if I can "go back" and join them on their journey.

I'm re-reading "The Question of Christian Community Online: The Case of the 'Artist World Network.'" I've blogged about Virtual Church before, but this article describes more generally online religious communities. In her earlier research, she identified six key markers of online religious community: space for personal relationships; ability to give and receive support; they value members; intimate communication within the group; strong connection for members; and shared faith.

The debate rages on whether one can have real community online; I think most people who have been part of virtual communities would argue that they can be as authentic as offline communities. Perhaps the crux of the problem is the lack of authentic communities on or offline. Regrettably, this includes many churches where membership requires only token attendance and support. Building community takes time and effort, and grows organically from the participants. Campbell wrote: "...it was the people not the [discussion] boards' creator who 'makes up the community.'" (p. 265) This is important for offline church leaders to notice as well; they can't create community. They can provide a safe space where community can grow, but it is the members who grow community. Another observation Campbell made was that sometimes the community that forms is very different from the community the administrators imagined. This can be scary for leaders, online or offline.

Is authentic community important enough to take the risk?

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Christ in the Cloud?

Many Christians find the practice of daily devotional reading important for their spiritual development. Since 1956 an evangelical Christian ministry Radio Bible Class has produced a little booklet called "Our Daily Bread" that includes a daily Bible reading and related inspirational thought. Other popular devotional booklets are "The Upper Room" (1935) and the Roman Catholic publication "The Word Among Us" (1981). There have been "Daily Breads" around our house since I was a child, and they remain a helpful tool for worship and reflection.

Media has changed, and I was interested to see that these ministries have enthusiastically adopted new media to communicate their message. You can still get "Our Daily Bread" in booklet form, but also as a streaming audio, podcast, mobile download, RSS or Twitter Feed.

What caught my attention was the tag cloud built of descriptive terms (tags) associated with each devotional and "weighted" based of popularity of that tag. Like the tag list I have on my blog except theirs is much cooler. These tags are actually assigned by the author, and as such aren't really "social tags" where the readers, not the author, decides what the devotional is "about" and tags it accordingly.

It is interesting to see the very different tags in this floating cloud. I was wondering how the tags would be different if I tagged the devotionals or if you did. I was looking at the tags for the devotional on October 22, 2009; I would have chosen some of them, but others seemed too abstract or theological. Who are they for? Faith is very personal; I would think that the tags would tell you as much about me as they likely would about the devotionals. Maybe I'll need to suggest social tagging to the folks at "Our Daily Bread."

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What I Learned-ed 3: What are you saying?

I wanted to tell you about a paper by Cameron Hoffman and Sarah Polkinghorne. The session was entitled “Discourse identity and practice: analyzing librarians’ conversations about information literacy and the social web.”

They analyzed posts to the email list ILI-L (an email discussion list for Information Literacy Instruction Librarians). The idea behind the study was that by examining how we talk about something we can often identify the assumptions and motivations behind the text. Hoffman and Polkinghorne considered what instruction librarians said about the use of the social web (Facebook, MySpace, Youtube etc.) in information literacy instruction.

I wasn’t surprised by their results, though I am certainly concerned. Although librarians are adopting social software for instruction, their concerns, as expressed on the list, aren't always about pedagogy; rather it was often about control. First, librarian posters frequently portrayed their clients as consumers not learners, and then themselves as service providers. (Wait a second, isn’t this list about teaching? Why does it suddenly sound like marketing?)

Hoffman and Polkinghorne then identified four themes in this discourse:

• Tips, tricks and techniques – Librarians weren’t really interested in pedagogy (learning theory and practice). They wanted tips on “making them listen” etc.
  
• Moral language – Wikedpedia is pure evil, we are gatekeepers to the good.
• Anxiety – There is a lot of anxiety around social web and instruction, and the future role of librarians.
• Sensitivity to new technologies – We think we need to be masters of the social web. (I guess the joke is on librarians: no one masters the social web.)

I’m over simplifying their research, but what I began to ask "is it really about the social web or is it whether librarians know how to teach?" Are wikis a tool in your teacher kit or is that the sum of your game? If you don’t understand teaching, then the gimmicks will only take you so far. But if you understand learners and learning, and when the social web can be engaged to foster learning, then you really have little to fear.

We need to talk about this more...

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What I Learned-ed 2: Beautiful CHIN

The plenary session of the CAIS conference was with Danielle Boily, Manager, Portal Management and Design, with the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN). (So if they had their budget cut, would it be “taking one on the chin”?)

This department's mandate is to "allow Canadian museums to engage their audiences through the use of innovative technologies." Started in the 1970s with a mandate to record the collections of Canada's museums, CHIN has substantially increased its size as the organization has matured. (Does that mean they have a middle-aged double chin? :-p ) She spoke about the work they are now doing to publicize Canada’s artifacts and treasures (do you have any Canadian treasures?). One branch of CHIN (cleft chin?) is the Virtual Museum of Canada, and they have engaged in a re-design of the websites. She shared some of the inspiring design principles they were following: (I believe she said that these originated from a presentation at Southwest by Southwest).

• Beauty in Design: there is an Aesthetic-Usability effect as beautiful things are easier to use. The tips: get emotional, think bigger, lead, be brave.

• The art of persuasion: persuasion versus manipulation. The tips: use curiosity, play hard to get, lighten up, take a chance, and be frisky.(Can you imagine how the “be frisky” went over in a room of librarians and information scientists? Then imagine what happened where they tried to imagine “frisky” web designers.)

• Thinking Visually: Solve any problem with a picture (portrait, chart, map, timeline, flowchart.)

I was thinking about these ideas in relation to both church and library websites. Both are information institutions, that rely heavily on text to communicate. I looked at some "best" church websites particularly for their aesthetic qualities. Some are very visual like Watermark or Renaissance. Others are edgy like Red Rocks. I don't know if I saw any site that was particularly beautiful. Suggestions?

Then there are library websites. Many are very functional but are any really beautiful? Or inviting? Something to think about as we re-design our own website. I know I want it to be functional but "a thing of beauty" as well? Can you think of a beautiful library website?

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What I learned-ed 1: Peoples' Stories

So between the CSSR and CAIS society meetings I attended one plenary, one workshop, one banquet, one business meeting and twenty-eight papers, and ate untold number of cinnamon buns over four days. Yeah, I know, brain strained, body tired, belly fat.

So what did I learned-ed at the Learneds Congress?

I was reminded again that in Montreal, traffic lights are mostly decorative.

I learned that there is fascinating research being conducted by scholars and librarians. Inspiring stuff, and I needed the inspiration. I’ll share some of the more personally intriguing papers over the next few blogs. I learned once again that not even brilliant content can overcome a bad powerpoint presentation. I chose to use Prezi software that, incidentally, went over very well. (Thanks again Karen.)

I learned again that behind the research are interesting personal stories. Most research does not pop out of thin air. As I talked to researchers one-on-one, I heard stories about personal struggles, compassion, anger and frustration. These are real people wanting to change their little corner of the world. It is too bad that the academic and publishing structures will strip the personal out of the research. Now some research is strictly an intellectual exercise (“what in the heck was that flow chart??? It even confused you and you made it!!!”)

I can’t share all the private stories, but next time you hear about interesting research, ask about the story behind the story; the passion that gave it life.

It just might surprise you.

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Thick with academics!

I'm off a-conferencing again; this time to Congress 2010 in Montreal. For those unfamiliar with the event (most of the population for instance), this is a gathering of scores of scholarly societies for business meetings, academic presentations and networking. Oh, and food (I've got a banquet to attend, poor me.) As last time, I'll blog the more interesting sessions. I'm presenting a paper on Thursday June 3; it remains to be seen whether it is one of the interesting ones! I'm still undecided on a few sessions; any suggestions?

The plan:

Canadian Society for the Study of Religion - Program
Tuesday, June 1st -

• Session 1: Religion and Technologies,
• Session 2: Religion and Aging OR Religion and Nature,
• Session 3: Graduate Student Luncheon (More free food.)

Canadian Association for Information Science - Program
Wednesday, June 2nd -

• Session 1: Information Practices,
  
• Session 2: Information Needs and Knowledge Sharing,
• Session 3: Information Behaviour,

Thursday, June 3rd -

• Session 1: Management and Role of Information Professionals (hey, the alternative was Indexing and Information Retrieval Systems),
• Session 2: Information Seeking Behaviour (eek, this is the session I present in!),
• Session 3: Social & Collaborative Tagging OR Infometrics OR Museum of Fine Arts
  
• Session 4: Cataloguing & Social Tagging OR Information Visualization OR Notre-Dame
  

Friday, June 4th -

• Session 1: User Centred Design
• Session 2: Information Literacy
• Session 3: Information Literacy 2
• Session 4: Information Literacy 3 (See a theme here?)
  

Homeward Bound!

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Facebook and Faith

Lately, privacy concerns around Facebook have somewhat soured my experience. (Don't tell Facebook, but I created a Orkut account behind its back.) I've written about Facebook and faith before, but I've been watching the recent news about Facebook and Youtube being banned by Pakistan.

It wasn't privacy that raised the ire of the Pakistan court; at the center of the controversy was a "Draw Mohammed Day" page. You'll remember the furor in 2005 when a Danish paper published satirical cartoons of Islam's Prophet, offending many Muslims, both for violating religious teaching on images of the Prophet and for the perceived disrespect. The administrators of this new Facebook page claimed their intent was not to offend Muslims, but to affirm freedom of expression in the face of extremism. From a sociological perspective this is a fascinating example of how religious belief can shape technology use. Young Muslims are also responding both against the ban, and using social media like Facebook to oppose "Draw Mohammed Day." I'm not including links here either to the page or to the many Muslim responses (you can find lots online.) I simply don't believe that needlessly offending others builds any bridges.

I also respond to these events on a personal level. I'm torn on this one. My faith is important to me. I don't like it when people belittle it. The TV comedy South Park's portrayal of Jesus bothers me. Silly books like Dan Brown's are just plain provocative (though ok adventure stories). And no, jokes that start: "Jesus walks into a bar..." do not interest me. So I understand the offense many Muslims feel.

Yet...one of my personal beliefs is that God gives us the freedom to make our own choices about who I will follow and what I will believe. The concept of freedom of conscience and thought finds many of its roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition, though we Christians have too often forgotten that. The Apostle Paul for instance in the Bible wrote "For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?" Now, I may challenge you if you are unfair in your portrayal of my faith, but you are free to believe as you will. (I might think you are wrong, but you are free to be wrong!) I also believe in your right to express your beliefs (and me mine.) There are obviously limits on what we can say, but those must be few, and government must always tread carefully.

So where does that leave me? The internet is challenging many of the limits to expression, faith and community that we have relied on. As a researcher I'm intrigued; as a Christian I am sometimes unsettled. Personally, I'm not always happy with the outcomes. But to impose my conscience on you would offend the very faith I seek to protect. I can testify, persuade, and cajole, but you must make your own decision. Does that put my faith at a disadvantage to those that seek to respond through force of law and arms? On the contrary, it makes it strong. To paraphrase a very ancient Bible story: God doesn't need me to look out for his interests, and to avenge offenses or slights to him. God can take care of himself.

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I'm not afraid of no ghosts!

I am an information professional. My job title is librarian. I connect people with information. Not just information but the right information. I think I'm rather good at it.

I think libraries will be around for years, but even if they disappeared tomorrow I'd still have a job. Some librarians wouldn't, because they are too entangled in the buildings and processes we constructed to help people find useful information. They forget that the point is the people. I was reminded today of some of the pessimism that has seeped into many libraries, particularly law libraries. Years of budget and staffing cuts have created a kind of fatalism. Someone asked me recently about innovations in Canadian Law Libraries. There are a handful that stand out. But largely we are not a very innovative bunch. I think we rested on our laurels too long. We are now paying the price.

Am I afraid of the future? Not at all. How can an information professional not be optimistic at the dawn of the information age? I was made for this; bring it on. I don't have time to mourn past glories, nor tend the ghosts of libraries past. I have people who need my help.

Now back to religious information....

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Making sense...

On March 15-16, 2010 I interviewed for the position of Chief Librarian at the Sir James Dunn Law Library. As of May 2, 2009 no announcement has been made. Yes, it is stressful but that's Dalhousie.

On a positive note, the six month interview process gave me lots of opportunity to think about academic libraries and their future role. I'm not at all pessimistic about the future of academic libraries. I thought it might be of value to share what I had worked through thus far. Below is a slightly abbreviated version of the formal presentation I made during my interview process. It runs about 17 min. It is entitled "Making Sense: Rediscovering the Role of the Academic Law Library."

Note: The wallpaper used in this prezi is a Creative Commons work and found at http://steampunkwallpaper.com/?p=265.

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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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The weight of leadership

At the end of the day you need to make a decision. You've gathered a lot of information. You've weighed it and sifted it. Now what are you going to do.

Churches and church decision-making are not getting much good press these days. Some church leaders have made very bad decisions and the consequences of these decisions needs to be addressed. There are also those who have axes to grind, like atheist Richard Dawkins, who are delighting in these crises. Quick to condemn, much slower to head to the slums and alleyways to care for the sick and the poor.

In my reading and research thus far, I am finding leaders who are very concerned to do what is right and to do no harm. Their office weighs heavily on them. They think, they pray, and they talk to those they serve. They want to follow God's leading and get it right. Most of the time they do. Sometimes they don't. It is the memories of the times they didn't that motivates them to greater care.

They depend of God's leading. They believe he can and will lead them. They believe he speaks through the Bible. They believe God stirs up their hearts. They believe he speaks through the people and circumstances around them. More than coincidence: it is God at work.

On the face of it, it is a decision making process like any other. Sometimes the church's work looks a lot like the work of the Kiwanas or the Shriners. But Church leaders see it slightly differently: it is God's work, and they hope they are doing it God's way.

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Holy Holograms Batman!

Sorry couldn't resist! I've been busy for a while and have neglected my posting but someone pointed this article out and I just had to share. Increasingly larger churches with satellite campuses are turning to linked video conference to share services. Locally Stoneridge Fellowship Church in Sackville, NS is using this technology with its first satellite church in Hubbards, NS and hopes to plant more of these distance campuses. As I understand it, some aspects of the service like worship are local and other parts like preaching as shared experiences.

But looking at a big screen still seems...um..maybe impersonal. But wait technology to the rescue. A recent article in Out of Ur online mag discusses the use of holographic technology to bring the pastor virtually in your midst. Is it realistic? Check out the pic below; one of these pastors is not really there.


We went to Pier21 immigration museum yesterday. For those of you who haven't been there it chronicles the history of immigration to Canada through the experience of this one entry point. There is a multimedia presentation using holograms that is older technology but is still striking. What if it was realtime? What if it were interactive? What if you could manipulate the image so pastor could drop a few pounds? Sorry...the photoshop possibilities are amazing. :)

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Spring is in the air...

and with it conference registrations! I found out Friday that the proposal I'd submitted for the Canadian Association for Information Science conference has been accepted. This will be part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences held in Montreal this May 28-June 4. The extended abstract I submitted was an overview of the research I have done this far on the information seeking behaviour of leaders seeking the will of God for their churches. It is an ethnographic study which simply means I am creating a description of a particular group of people's way of living and interacting with the world around them. I am trying to understand that world from the perspective of my respondents, the folks I'm interviewing. We do it by talking to people, observing people, and gathering documents and artifacts. Most of the time when people think about ethnography the image is of anthropologists like Malinowski living in remote jungles, writing about the exotic and strange. But ethnography as a research methodology can help us understand ourselves but making us question what we do, why we do it and what does this say about how we understand the world and our place in it.

In my research I am concerned with how my respondents are seeking the will of God for their church. They value the Bible in this process and they believe in prayer. Whether I understand the will of God as they do is not important. It is their world view I'm trying to understand (though it might make me ask important questions about mine.) They believe prayer is important and that it makes a difference. It is important to them so it is important to me as a researcher. Sometimes sharing their beliefs makes the task harder I think. It might be too easy to make assumptions and forget to ask important questions. When it is very different it is easy to come up with lots of questions. So I'll continue to ask questions of my respondents and hopefully of myself. Maybe I'll see my own world a little clearer in the end.

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Dipped into a shallow pool?

So did your pastor download this week's sermon off the internet? J.M. van der Laan seems to be concerned that he might have. He has recently published an article on how the internet shapes religious life. He asks “what happens to churches and pastors and Christian religious life when those involved rely increasingly, maybe soon predominately, on such Internet sources and resources” (p. 275). The answer he seems to conclude is that this food for religious life becomes processed, diluted and artificial; “certainly, the sermon is sullied, and the word becomes wooden” (p. 275). Ouch.

He is correct in pointing out the dangers of relying completely on sites that offer whole sermons sometimes for a fee. Hey, we all know that you can't live on fast food and the same goes for downloaded sermons. That is why many of these sites also include warnings. I have mused about these same issues on this blog. But I think van der Laan has incorrect conceptions of information and the Internet. Information is not a thing to be picked up. It is constructed as we interact with the world around us. The internet is not a pool we dip into searching for a bit of useful information. The Internet shapes us certainly, but we are not done shaping it and particularly in religious contexts.

I've been writing an article in response to van der Laan. I think interaction between the preacher and the Internet is more complex than van der Laan is portraying. In the next few posts I'll share with you how that article is unfolding. I don't think it is about dipping into a shallow pool, rather it is the beginning of a deeper conversation.

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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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Making Square Sense

Did that make any sense? Back about 20 years ago I attended a lecture about the Wesleyan Quadrilateral - don't remember anything about the lecture except for the concept attributed originally to the 18th cent. clergyman John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement. It suggested that theological decision making relied on four sources: Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. The name quadrilateral was a little misleading since the four sources were not seen as equal. Scripture always had preeminence: the Bible was the highest authority. Tradition referred to both the historical teachings of the church, and contemporary theological thinking. Personal religious experience also plays a role as does God given reason. I did note that one blogger is suggesting changing the name to the Tetrahedron of Authority. Umm...ok, that's not helping much (never did like geometry).

I've been reflecting on church decision making lately. You know Wesley's method wasn't far off how contemporary Christian leaders use various sources to make sense out of their religious worlds. Most would still hold to various degrees the Bible as the authority. Some branches of Christianity might put different weight on tradition (ok I couldn't resist the link); evangelicals might be less inclined to turn to creeds and canons of the church but may be more likely to be influenced by contemporary theological trends and writings. As I listen to church folks wrestling with decision-making, personal histories play a significant role. This usually take the form of storytelling "I remember some years back when...." Then there is reason "well to my mind, it only makes sense...." There is also room here for "secular" information to be introduced (stats, marketing, psychology etc.). But I'm beginning to see another category here and I'm not sure where it fits. When I've figured it out I'll suggest my own geometric shape. In the meantime you can practice your geometry here.

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Surprise! It's not the internet's fault!

The dictionary definition of faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It is also defined as a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion. I like the first definition better because it suggests something more than an intellectual assent. One of the Bible's most notable chapters about faith states "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

But let's go back to the second definition: the belief in the doctrines of the church. Last Thursday I submitted an extended abstract for the Canadian Association for Information Science meetings during the 2010 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. When I started my research planning over eighteen months ago, I expected to find that new communication technologies were undermining religious authority and confusing doctrine. The average parishioner doesn't need to turn to the "expert" (pastor or priest) any longer for theological information; they now have access to significant resources online. The question is whether they have the skills to effectively evaluate and integrate what they find. I thought this would be disruptive to the local church's ability to equip their members. Recently however, I've begun to question that assumption in part due to some recent work by Heidi Campbell (2007, 2010 Forthcoming) on authority online, and a rethink of some of Reg Bibby's work on the the endurance of religious traditions in Canada (2002, 2004). I've lots more thinking (and analyzing) to do but here is where I'm at now.

Maybe online seeking isn't really undermining the teachings of your church. People are trying to make sense of their world the best way they can, looking for answers for faith questions that to that point their church hasn't provided them. I've seen evidence that people are open a better answer from their church, if one was offered. But in the meantime they need something to help make sense of a life situation and find it online. So I guess the ball is in the local church's court: who is teaching your parishioners? They need answers and they might not wait for you to get around to it. Just saying. ;-)

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Now I'm doing it...

I wrote recently about the tensions between written religious texts and new media interpretations. Now I'm wrestling with the converse. Part of the data gathering includes audio recordings of interviews. I'm a baaad typist so transcribing takes me a long time. I may resort to hiring someone to assist with some of that work, although there is a benefit to being immersed in the interviews word by word by word.

Why do I think this is important? Because transcribing is an interpretive process: when I convert spoken word to written text I..."flatten it out" in some respect. Verbal communication consists of the words spoken (sounds which placed together have a symbolic meaning for the speakers of that language). It also consists of intonation, and emphasis. I can speak the same words with mirth, disdain or sarcasm and convey very different intents to my hearers. If I speak them loudly or softly, the force might be greatly changed. And there is context to every speech. Imagine the force of Churchill's words "we shall never surrender" as he stood in Parliament on June 4, 1940. Or the power of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream." More than just spoken words; words with conviction and words with context. When I read the transcription I might not "hear" that.

There are approaches to analysis, such as conversation analysis, that try to capture as much nuance as possible in transcription with systems of symbols (like Jeffersonian transcription). I'm not concerned with the structure of the conversation so I don't need that level of detail. But I still need to transcribe with great care; I'll listen again and again to the audio tapes until I can almost recite them. Each time I will hear something else I missed before. I want to be fair to my informants.

Listening. More important than asking the right questions. I often tell my kids that: don't ask the question if you aren't going to listen to the answer. But I'm so used to reading, I need to re-learn the art of listening lest I fall back into the comfortable world of the printed page. I'm listening....

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