Our Worldview/Churchview has yet to catch up to Copernicus
"Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus. The world had scarcely become known as round and complete in itself when it was asked to waive the tremendous privilege of being the center of the universe. Never, perhaps, was a greater demand made on mankind - for by this admission so many things vanished in mist and smoke! What became of our Eden, our world of innocence, piety and poetry; the testimony of the senses; the conviction of a poetic - religious faith? No wonder his contemporaries did not wish to let all this go and offered every possible resistance to a doctrine which in its converts authorized and demanded a freedom of view and greatness of thought so far unknown, indeed not even dreamed of." [Goethe.]
Today, still, our worldviews shape our theology and praxis. Most congregations still view themselves as the center of their universe. Some go so far as becoming black holes that suck their congregants into the void of a self-contained mini-universe.
Broadcast media specialize in creating isolated and fragmented mini-worlds. With the aid of "sciences" like demographics and psychographics we can reach the 23 year old dog lover who enjoys historical novels and walks five miles daily. I guarantee that if you create a "small group" for such a person before long you will have a thriving group.
You and I can live watching and participating in our stratified interests without ever really coming in contact with others in their mini-worlds. Our congregations reflect the same degree of segmentation and separation - not only between one another but even within our own walls.
Digital media changes this perception. No longer are we isolated but connected. Our congregations are no longer mini-worlds but connecting nodes. We are part of a larger whole. Our energy and life will come increasingly from what we share between our permeable boundaries than from the internally driven programs and activities.
Today, still, our worldviews shape our theology and praxis. Most congregations still view themselves as the center of their universe. Some go so far as becoming black holes that suck their congregants into the void of a self-contained mini-universe.
Broadcast media specialize in creating isolated and fragmented mini-worlds. With the aid of "sciences" like demographics and psychographics we can reach the 23 year old dog lover who enjoys historical novels and walks five miles daily. I guarantee that if you create a "small group" for such a person before long you will have a thriving group.
You and I can live watching and participating in our stratified interests without ever really coming in contact with others in their mini-worlds. Our congregations reflect the same degree of segmentation and separation - not only between one another but even within our own walls.
Digital media changes this perception. No longer are we isolated but connected. Our congregations are no longer mini-worlds but connecting nodes. We are part of a larger whole. Our energy and life will come increasingly from what we share between our permeable boundaries than from the internally driven programs and activities.
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