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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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?)....

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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...

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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 - ProgramTuesday, June 1st - Session 1: Religion and Technologies, Session 2: Religion and Aging OR Religion and Nature,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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: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.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). I also found...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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.)...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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