IS: Religious Communication and Digital Life
Since I have so much time on my hands, I’m taking an Independent Study this semester: Religious Communication & Digital Life. This will count as credit towards a MA in Communication at the Univ. of North Dakota, but mainly help deepen my understanding of the field of religious comm, particularly as it concerns cyberculture studies, new media, and digital life. (Actually, I have very little time on my hands, but I love studying this stuff so much it’d be silly not to make it official.)
I’m pretty pumped about the course which is supervised by both a communication and religion professor at UND. In independent study fashion, however, I’ll be working a lot on my own. In blogger fashion, one of the course requirements is that I post thoughts here from time to time including reviews of each of the books I’ll be reading. These include:
- Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader eds. Gordon Lynch and Jolyon Mitchell, Routledge, pp. 296, ISBN: 0415549558
- Morgan, David. The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in Theory and Practice, Univ. of California Press, ISBN: 0520243064, pp. 333.
- Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God, Craig Detweiler, ed., Westminster John Knox, pp. 222, ISBN: 0664232779
- Campbell, Heidi. When Religion Meets New Media, Routledge, 2010, pp. 232. ISBN:0415349575
- Wilkie, Rob. The Digital Condition: Class and Culture in the Information Network, Fordham University Press, 2011, pp. 272. ISBN: 0823234231
- Miller, Vincent. Understanding Digital Culture, Sage Publications, 2011, pp. 264. ISBN: 1847874975
Of course, that’s just a smattering of what’s out there, and I’m aware the core literature in the field is shifting/still being discovered/not yet written. So, I’d love to hear what you’re reading, and take suggestions as to what I should add to the list.
In related news: next week I’ll be attending the Digital Religion Conference hosted by University of Colorado at Boulder’s Center for Media, Religion, and Culture. I’m eager to make new connections, have some great conversations, and drink some delicious Boulder-area beer. If you’re reading this, and would be there and up for that, let’s connect. (Tweet @ajc123 email adamjcopeland at gmail)
Advice for the new blogger in 2012
They say, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, that may be true, but I recently set up a WordPress blog for my dad. (For background, my father is the longtime pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee.) So I thought I’d write a few intro blogging tips and treats for my old man.
First, enjoy the freedom that the blogging platform makes possible. Blogging allows you to muse, to wonder, to shoot off a quick emotional response, to tell a funny story, to connect people to one another, write satire, etc. in ways that aren’t possible via other pastoral communications such as newsletter articles, pastoral visits, and sermons. So enjoy it. Take advantage of it. Find a new voice. Don’t sweat the typos. The informal nature is half the fun.
Back in the day–say five years ago–people advised blogs to be very topical: don’t just blog on food, but vegan food cooked in the wok with peanut oil. More recently, however, folks like me have eased-up on those suggestions since posts on what really interest the author tend to be the most compelling regardless of topic. So, totally feel free to blog on a wide range of pastory things. Keep your readers guessing.
How often should you post a new piece? Well, as often as you can. Shoot for once a week at first, or maybe two days a week (most church newsletter columns would work as blog posts). In fact, on the blog you could take that format and expand it with images, videos, links to other websites, and more text too. Try to make it part of your regular work week. Heck, once it gets going you could even solicit guest posts by members of the congregation.
Now I’m not one who says all pastors must blog. If, after several months, it feels totally uncomfortable and without any upside then reevaluate, cut back or drop it. Personally speaking, blogging has become an essential part of my life and ministry but every pastorate is different. I blog regularly as part spiritual practice part writing exercise (for more specifics see the post, “Why I Blog”).
Finally, try to revel in the benefits of the genre, namely the social nature of blogging. Welcome comments. Post blog posts on Facebook. Link to posts by other bloggers and expect others to do likewise. When reviewing a book, anticipate that the author will get a Google alert with a link to the review within 24 hours of posting. Link to local newspaper articles. That’s the fun of it!
Now for two lists. Here’s a list of five bloggers you may like to follow:
Here’s three sites for grabbing images to use on blogs. It’s best to always credit the artist, and be sure they grant usage.
So, blog readers what did I miss? What should my dad know as he ventures into the blogosphere? Any “failed” bloggers out there with advice of what not to do?
image by Jean-Paul Brouard
Adam, Have Your Say: My Brush with the BBC
Blogging has opened many doors for me over the years. That’s not the reason I blog (see “Why I Blog”), but it’s a fun perk. Last week brought a special highlight.
I received an email from a reporter at the BBC radio show, “World Have Your Say.” In light of Christopher Hitchens’ death, they were planning a show on the use of metaphorical language and cancer. Somehow — through Google, I presume — the reporter found an old blog post of mine reflecting on a book I read last year, a chapter of which was on this exact topic.
The email asked if I’d be willing to be a guest on the live show which, by the time I read the email, would be taking place in under 3 hours. Obviously, I couldn’t make it to their NY studios as they had queried. The local MPR studio in Moorhead wasn’t an option due to staffing constraints, so after speaking with someone at the WHYS office in London, we agreed I could be a guest via Skype.
For the next 2+ hours, I was a nervous wreck. I scanned several chapters on Google books addressing language, cancer, and pastoral care. I read Hitchens’ essays on his cancer in Vanity Fair. I perused several obituaries and remembrances of Hitchens. By the time that was done, I had five pages of notes and it was showtime. But, no call. The show started without me.
The host welcomed several guests from around the world, so I figured I hadn’t made the cut. Perhaps a midwestern Presbyterian minister’s perspective wasn’t quite what they wanted after all. And then, 15 minutes into the show, my cell phone rang. A very British-sounding producer quickly explained I’d be joining them after the news break.
So that’s how I found myself upstairs in the study, listening to a BBC Radio show on my cell phone, too nervous to breathe. After the news break, indeed the host welcomed “Adam from North Dakota” to the conversation. I said my two cents exploring the non-violent metaphor of “journey” or “walk” language for those living with cancer, trying to keep things short and sweet. I attempted to jump in with a question later, but then one was asked of me, concerning cancer diagnoses and faith struggles. Thankfully, I had anticipated I might get asked something like that, and had a few notes at the ready. I also tried my best not to bumble the next follow-up as much as I might have.
Then, 55 minutes were up, and the show was over. After the credits rolled and the news began, a producer came on the line and thanked me for appearing. “Oh, sure, no big deal, I do this all the time,” I said. As if.
The show is archived here: World Have Your Say, Dec 16, 2011: “The Topic of Cancer: Following the death of Christopher Hitchens, we ask ‘can you ever fight cancer with a positive attitude?’”
Review: Metaxas’ “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy”
I read many books, but seldom biography. Perhaps that’s due to negative experiences with book report assignments growing up. Who knows? Upon a social media acquaintance’s recommendation, however, I picked up a Kindle copy of Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Quickly, I found myself looking forward to evenings in which I could read the thick biography. It’s an absolute triumph of a book.
Many aspects of Bonhoeffer’s remarkable life compelled me. First and foremost, I enjoyed learning about the man whose theology I had only really encountered in snapshots — quotes from Cost of Discipleship, snippets of his Advent and Christmas sermons, prayers, etc. I had a taste of Bonhoeffer’s strong words and generous spirit, but not the context in which to view them. For example, though I constructed an Advent worship service last year around Bonhoeffer’s Advent/Christmas sermons, I didn’t understand that they were written during the Nazi party buildup in Germany, while Bonhoeffer was already plotting with the opposition and organizing the Confessing Church.
Second, I was very intrigued with the window into the holocaust that Metaxas’ gives the reader. I have studied a bit of the history of WWII, but mainly from American perspectives. Certainly I’ve run into many moral components of the holocaust in philosophy, ethics, and religion courses, but it is so difficult to get the full context of what was happening in Germany at the time. Bonhoeffer allows a window into the slow rise of Hitler and the Nazi party that I didn’t previously know much about.
Finally, Bonhoeffer the man is wonderful to read about because he is so damn well-rounded and, well, extraordinary. A skillful pianist, poet, theologian (but even better pastor), preacher, philosopher, historian, son of a brilliant scientist, speaker of many languages, singer, humorist, family man, prophetic Christian, and more, the sheer breadth and depth of Bonhoeffer’s knowledge and skill astounds me. I’m left wondering: do we simply not make women and men that way any more, or was Bonhoeffer truly set apart?
I wholeheartedly recommend Bonhoeffer. At 624 pages, it takes a bit to read, but I always found myself looking forward to picking it up again. (Oh, and by the way, I think Bonhoeffer, were he living today, would definitely be a prodigious blogger. He was constantly writing to hundreds of friends, family members, and colleagues, both individually and in circular letters.)
I’ll close with a quote from the pastor himself:
There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself completely to God’s commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes. Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God. They are won when the way leads to the cross.
Metaxas, Eric; Timothy J. Keller (2010-04-20). Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (p. 241). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Feminists go to the movies
Originally posted at Gathering Voices: Faith Conversations from TheThoughtfulChristian.com
I love how blogs make me think.
Last week, teacher/writer/friend Ellie Roscher posted here about the sexism present at the Academy Awards. Ellie said that her high school students, when asked what female figures they look up to in life give personal examples like mothers, grandmothers, family members. But, when the boys give examples of folks they look up to, they tend to give examples from public life — musicians, athletes, politicians. Ellie then traces this thread of sexism through last weekend’s Oscars.
Ellie says,
Colin Firth, a brilliant man of integrity who I have been deeply in love with since he played Mr. Darcy in the five hour long BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, rightfully won best male actor in a lead role for playing a man who overcame a stammer to become a powerful king. That is a story I would want my young men to know.
But Natalie Portman, while perhaps deserving of the Oscar for her performance in Black Swan,
plays an anorexic ballerina who is a victim of sexual and emotional abuse, achieving perfection by simultaneously embodying virgin and whore only to commit suicide after physically harming herself along the way. What is more, the film perpetuates our society’s tendency to blame the victim.
Who do you want your child to look up to, the king who overcame adversity to lead his people through war or the masochist with an eating disorder?
Ellie’s post reminded me how my worldview is shaped by the films I enjoy, even well-made award-winning ones. Then, a few days later, Melissa Wiginton posted “The King’s Speech” and Feminism, exploring how the feminist notion of “finding one’s voice” is portrayed in helpful ways by men in The King’s Speech.In fact, Melissa argues that The King’s Speech even has a new masculinity about it:
To see it as a story of men dealing with difficulty through mutual vulnerability that brings transformation begins to suggest something other than patriarchy. It points to the possibility of new archetypes, metaphors, models and ways of being through which men of all colors can flourish, for their own souls and for the vitality of our common life.
Now my turn. Several other Oscar-nominated films for Best Picture are ripe for feminist pondering, at least three in largely positive ways.
The Kids Are All Right tells the story of a lesbian couple’s challenge to keep their relationship strong amidst pressures of work, raising children, and questions of the anonymity (or not) of their sperm donor. The main conflict of the movie is infidelity and the pain it causes the couple’s relationship and the family in general. But, in the main, it’s the story of a relationship persevering even though the partners have hurt each other deeply. It’s sensitive, thoughtful women trying to live out forgiveness.
True Grit, a Coen brothers remake of Charles Portis’ novel of the same name, showcases the wittiest fearless 14 year-old you’ll ever see on film. Mattie Ross is hellbent on finding her father’s murderer, and she goes to extreme lengths to do so, employing a Deputy US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to get the job done. Mattie’s peculiarities may stop some women from wanting to emulate her — though her vocabulary is tremendous — but she’s a female character that breaks barriers and finds her way in a broken male-dominated world.
Finally, my favorite female from this year’s Oscars is surely 17 year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) in Winter’s Bone. Again, Ree shows courage beyond anything I could ever muster, but also wisdom, insight, and perseverance. She is an every woman’s woman, loving as a mother, kind and gentle, ruthless and pugnacious when necessary.
But. But, there’s still a problem. Each of the three films The Kids Are All Right,True Grit, Winter’s Bone, have leading women who shine because of their ability to navigate society’s brokenness. Responding to Ellie’s opening query: I’d love for high school girls to emulate the positive attributes of any of these women and I wish they didn’t have to.
Additional Resources from www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com
- “Juno,” by Gina Yeager-Buckley (Youth Movie Study)
- There has been much debate over the role women play in the books and movies in the Twilight saga. Click here to see a list of Adult, Youth, and Parenting studies on Twilight and New Moon.
Why I Blog (hint – not for narcissistic purposes)
Originally posted at Gathering Voices: Faith Conversations from TheThoughtfulChristian.com
Shortly after I began blogging four years ago, I often found myself explaining what a blog actually was. Many people, I found out, had heard of blogs but never actually read one. These days, when someone finds out I’m a blogger, people are more apologetic than inquisitive. “Oh, I should really do that, I know,” they’ll say, “I just don’t have the time.” What a difference four years makes.
Jakub Krechowicz
I don’t actually think everyone should blog any more than I think everyone should have a dog or have a taste for cheese curds. Yes, bad blogging can be narcissistic and reactionary. Yes, blogging takes time that could be spent otherwise. But as a pastor and pilgrim, I find blogging both feeds my soul and sharpens my skills for service.
In Bird by Bird, a fantastic reflective book on writing and life, Anne Lamott pens a chapter entitled “Looking Around.” I first read the book for a seminary preaching class, our professor emphasizing the qualities of good writing for strong sermons. Years later, upon becoming a regular writer beyond sermons, I still think of this chapter fairly often as it aptly describes an important element in my blogging and other writing: looking around. Lamott writes:
Writing is about learning to pay attention and to communicate what is going on….The writer is a person who is standing apart, like the cheese in “The Farmer in the Dell” standing there alone but deciding to take a few notes. You’re outside, but you can see things up close through your binoculars. Your job is to present clearly your viewpoint, your line of vision. Your job is to see people as they really are, and to do this, you have to know who you are in the most compassionate possible sense. Then you can recognize others. (97-98)
Most good writing — including blogging — calls the writer to assess her place in the world and consider others. It requires slowing down; thinking. Good writing comes to those who wait.
Lamott’s image of the cheese standing alone rings true for me, because blogging and writing does take a certain apartness. For me at least, I find that I must stand alone to look carefully at how we stand together. That said, blogging is about making connections, connections between ideas and connections between people. Countless times, a comment on my blog will call me to reassess a perviously-held thought, or take me to another more considered position. Links and ideas posted on other blogs inform my writing, my preaching, and my daily life. Friendships with other bloggers — some of whom I’m met in person, many of whom I haven’t — enrich my life and deepen my community.
In brief: I blog so that I might live more faithfully. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I do hope, in whatever way works best for you, you can find practices that help you look around, that enable you to see the world with complexity, so that you might recognize others and the God who is working in all our lives, even now.
Additional Resources from www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com
- Travelling Mercies, by Anne Lamott
- Grace (Eventually), by Anne Lamott
- “Writing as Prayer: Journaling, Blogging, and Other Tools for Reflection,” by Lisa Nichols Hickman (Youth Study)
- “Journaling as a Spiritual Discipline,” by Delia Halverson (Adult Study)
A few good plugs
I’m happy to announce three cool things on A Wee Blether today. Yes. Count them: one, two, three!
- The Presbyterian Outlook, an independent magazine reporting on issues of interest to the PC(USA), is looking for two new part-time employees. And yes, you can even work from the comfort of your own home! I know I’m not alone in my push, in the most amiable way, for the Outlook to refocus efforts on web presence and social media (yes, their site makes me want to pull my hair out). Well, the new Internet Content Manager Job will do just that. They’re also looking for someone to fill this CopyEditor Job Description. I’ve worked with the Outlook folk in the past and can recommend them as a classy organization filling a vital role in the denomination.
- The Thoughtful Christian.com, a great portal for lesson plans and book deals, has recently expanded and launched a new blog: Gathering Voices. I managed to wrangle my way into the first group of regular bloggers, so Wednesdays my posts from Gathering Voices will be cross-posted back here. I’m excited to work with such an awesome group of bloggers — some young, some old, all smart — and I’m also quite happy that it’s less of a time commitment than my stint with the Century Blog. It’s live as of yesterday; my first post goes up tomorrow.
- MinnPost.com, speaking of new ventures, is a newish effort in high-quality nonprofit journalism for “news-intense people who care about Minnesota.” Well, that’d be me! I’ve followed them for a few months, and recently re-worked a post for them. It appears today in their “Community Voices” section under the title, “The Minnesota breakfast crew vs. the Twitterati: Cherishing a sense of perspective.” Check out their site, though, not for my voice but for their new model of quality journalism.
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