Stewart 5

I am attending this conference for the next few days in Claremont.

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Why “theology after Google”?

Progressive Christian theologians have some vitally important things to say, things that both the church and society desperately need to hear. The trouble is, we tend to deliver our message using technologies that date back to Gutenberg: books, academic articles, sermons, and so forth. We aren’t making effective use of the new technologies, social media, and social networking. When it comes to effective communication of message, the Religious Right is running circles around us.

Hence the urgent need for a conference to empower pastors, laypeople, and the up-and-coming theologians of the next generation to do “theology after Google,” theology for a Google-shaped world. Thanks to the Ford funding, we’ve been able to assemble a stellar team of cultural creatives and experts in the new modes of communication. We are also inviting a selection of senior theologians, and well as some of the younger theologians (call them “theobloggers”) whose use of the new media (blogging, podcasts, YouTube posts) is already earning them large followings and high levels of influence. For two and a half days, in workshops and in hands-on sessions, in lectures and over drinks, these leading figures will be at your disposal to teach you everything they know.

Excited to be with like-minded people and exercise my thinking a bit.  Must also admit I’m wondering how this conversation can stretch beyond academics and the “haves” of this world.  Will the playing field really be leveled by our postmodern reality, or further stratified by technology and wealth?  My presupposition coming in is that people WANT to be more active and include the whole body of Christ in formation and theology,  but will probably attempt to do so using new means that are not any more effective than the old ones.

They are streaming the conference

Stay tuned for posts from the conference…

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other than the obvious, we live on the planet, so need it to actually function….

thanks to Melanie for sharing this with our community yesterday.  simple, direct, not too long

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Apparently, as you grow up, you are supposed to change your style of clothes.  Something about maturing, etc.  Of course, I have no desire to look like a teenager, or someone trying to look like a teenager.  But, you (or at least me) find clothes and styles you like, and stick with them.

This is all complicated by changing body shape.  That favourite shirt doesn’t quite fit the same way it used to (do you really believe the SHIRT shrank?)  You can’t quite get the pants fastened.  Sometimes I keep these clothes around – for that someday when they will fit again.

My wife thinks that I don’t have any pants that fit properly.  This is partially because I bought many during a baggy clothes phase.  This was due due to both fashion and my attempt to buy clothes slightly too big to cover up a slightly too big/out of shape body.  This was, of course, a long stretch of years – about 15 years – as I think about it.

Now, two big changes have taken place.  First, everyone wears really tight clothes!  My old clothes pretty much look old.  Second, I have lost some weight.  Yes indeed, I am probably in the best shape I have been in for years (and feel great, btw).  I have lost 20 pounds in the past 4 months (since we returned from our trip to USA).  So, things are looking a little big on me.

This is most evident in the pants department.  See, I usually wear my pants low.  Not “show my butt” low, but on my hips instead of my waist. And I don’t tuck shirts in – ever.  So, they all hang too low now (I am walking on them, or worse, have to cuff them!).  And, as Melissa will point out, the butt of my pants just hang empty.  No big deal (I don’t see this anyway).  But I am off the Andrew and Mariah’s wedding and Melissa thinks that I am not going to be able to wear my khaki pants for the aforementioned reasons.

Help me with my pants.  Where exactly in my middle section should they sit – waist, hips, other?  How long should they be?  I’m NOT willing to go too tight through the crotch and I have slightly bigger than normal thighs.  Taking this into account, and some amount of my style preference, I would love your advice.

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man, that title could have about 10 different meanings

When you write the date, how do you write it?

Seems like most (all?) Americans write month/day/year. Good job USA in getting us all to do it the same way.

My experience was always that other (European?) countries wrote day/month/year.  Makes sense as it is from smallest/most immediate to biggest unit. So, that’s how I learned to write the date in French class in high school and I’ve been writing the date since we moved to SA.

Here, I have found that people write the date all sorts of ways.  Seems like on hospital forms, they generally use year/month/day.  I’ve filled out bank forms one way, misc. official paperwork another way, and never know HOW an individual may write the date on something they give me.  I asked my son how they do it at school (where you’d think they’d be teaching the standard) and he told me that the do it one way (I’ve actually forgot which now) in all of his classes except math.  In math class, they write the date a different way.  What?  Maybe this has something to do with the changeover since Apartheid or some reality of Bantu education?  I don’t know, but I find it strange that everyone in the country doesn’t use the same way of writing the date.

Beyond making some clever societal observation, I am really interested in why this is done the way it is in different places.  There must be some meaning behind this…

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I spend LOTS of hours in two rooms today, both at the SA Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria.

The first is the room where you either turn in visa renewal forms or collect them when they are done.  There are two lines and three windows.  25% of the people who walk into the room try to walk straight up to one of the windows – passing everyone waiting in the queue.  I would say 60% stand in line for over an hour, only to reach the front and be told they needed to be in the OTHER line, which they will now stand in for an hour.  A full 75%+ begin or end up angry – at the people working there, at the process, at the confusing directions or lack thereof.  This is the angry room.  I would hate to work there, having to deal with angry people all day long.  Whose fault is it – the impatient customers, the indifferent or rude people at the counter, the department that can’t seem to give clear instructions or signage?  Yes!  I’ve done a little work with EQ and know that pissed off people basically emit their anger and it tends to spread to others around them.  I’m certain this takes place here.

The second room is the collection room.  After standing in line in the visa room, you might be fortunate enough to be told that your paperwork is ready for collection.  If this is the case, they don’t give it to you there at the window.  No, you are directed to go up two floor to the “collection room.”  After climbing the stairs, you have to sign in (not sure why, since it does not seem to be first-come-first-serve).  Then, after a while, a person comes and collects any paperwork, passports, etc. that need to be dealt with.  These are then taken to the back where officers process, stamp, fill out, etc.  Meanwhile, you wait, generally for hours.  My “favourite” part is that the people working there actually take lunch breaks and you have to stay there, on the outside chance that they call you.  This is the sleepy room.  Because you have nothing to do.  No tv.  You are already frustrated from standing in the first room, then being directed to the second.  At least you get to sit in this room.  Foolishly, you didn’t bring anything to do.  And, while there are actually windows here, often open, you can’t help but find yourself becoming hopelessly tired but unable to sleep.  By the time they call your name, you almost don’t notice or are somewhat confused because you’ve either forgotten why you’ve came or given up hope of ever being helped.

Today, I stood in the angry room for about 2 hours, then sat in the sleepy room for 5.  This makes for a long and tiring day – the power of two rooms.

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Interesting that Facebook uses the term “friend” for everything from family, acquaintances, coworkers, to people we’ve met once.  Understand how it works and all these are your contacts.  But they chose the word friend.

Are we overstating the significance of some relationships as a result?  Deeper question: are we MISUNDERSTANDING the nature of these relationships because of the terminology?

Are people who are really our friends being relegated down to the same level of relationship as others we’ve only met? And, are others we barely know being equated (perhaps subconsciously?) with our actual friends?

Look, I use facebook.  But was wondering this morning about the deeper implications.  Would love your thoughts.

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since everyone in America apparently has an iphone (or at least everyone we are visiting), I want to make sure of something.  I understand that you can read your email. etc. from your phone.  So, when I send a message and you are in the line at the grocery store, you can read it right away.

But do you come back to it later, when you have time read, think and respond?  I’m hope so.  If I wanted a 1-second response, I would send a text ;P

Related question: are you ever unplugged/unreachable/alone?

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Talking with my friend Tim the other night and it dawns on us that our society places a high value on learning to communicate, but not listen.  Think about it – in college, you are required to take COMMUNICATION classes.  What do these teach?  Writing, speaking…  Interesting that we find it so critical to teach people to say or express what they think.  It’s all about US as the communicator.  What does this say about our values?

Do we assume people know how to listen?  Funny, because it seems like a major complaint I hear from people is that they don’t feel heard, that so and so doesn’t listen well.  Maybe we aren’t so good at listening.  Maybe we should teach people how to do that.  I’m sure none of US need to learn how to listen better, but we can certainly think of a few others who could sharpen this ability
In NieuCommunities, we spend 6 weeks learning and practicing listening. Then, we run that thread through the rest of our year.  Not perfect, not saying “look at us,” but just saying that is is possible.  Obviously critical in a new place, but we find it to be one our most important and life-changing postures.

What (or who)  has taught you the importance and practice of listening?

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So, I received TWO Official Absentee Ballots in the mail yesterday. Should I vote twice and send them both? They will catch that and only count one, right? I’m not so sure though, because I am surprised that I received to two ballots, so can I trust them to only count one vote?

AND, do I go ahead and vote now or do I wait to see if anything new unfolds in the seemingly never-ending drama that is The US Presidential Election splashed across Fwd:emails, blogs, and Yahoo?

This will be the first time I am voting by absentee ballot. After I “Completely fill in the oval next to your candidate or issue….using dark ink” I must place my ballot in the Official Election Mail envelope and sign the declaration on the back otherwise my vote is invalid. The Declaration of Voter includes much of what you’d expect, I am a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, temporarily residing outside of the U.S., blah, blah, blah, and then, “I have not been influenced.” I can’t sign my name to that and as a matter of fact who can? We have all been influenced! I think they must mean threatened, coerced, or intimidated, as indicated on another info document included in my official ballot packet. Which, by the way, is a felony.

I do wonder how some of the Fwd: emails, blogs, news articles, commercials, etc. are not considered coercion, intimidation and threatening. The law must be talking about physically rather than emotionally? Cause I must say that some of the stuff I read feels abusive. Not abusive to me personally, but abusive to REAL persons- Joe, John, Sarah and Barack.

Hmmm, anyway, just thinking about influence…

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I read this morning and was so encouraged that I wanted to pass it on.

This article says that many white South Africans are coming back to South Africa.  Two specific parts I find interesting:

Moving companies, real estate agents and non-profit groups say more and more white South Africans in their late 20s and beyond are returning to South Africa. Hungry for their own culture, eager to raise children near their own families, and encouraged by their country’s economic potential, these adults are leaving their successful careers abroad for an uncertain future at home.

So, these are people whose families moved from SA, probably at the end of Apartheid, who are becoming adults and choosing to return home.  I would suspect that many are intentionally rejecting some of the values of their parents that caused them to leave years ago.

“We’ve certainly seen South Africans returning,” said Homecoming Revolution manager Martine Schaffer, whose website draws 17 000 new visitors each month. “At the beginning of this year, I think we have more people returning than leaving.”

More people returning than leaving…  Could it be that people are now deciding to stick it out and make South Africa a better place instead of running away from problems (perceived or real)?  I’ve always thought that South Africa will be a lot more interesting in the 10-20 years after Apartheid.  The first 10 years were certainly full of significant change, but now reality sets in.  Hopes in the government and all its promises are fading a bit.

Now what?  My hope is that this is when God’s people can show true, lasting, and life-transforming hope.  So glad to be here now!

Here is a company encouraging South Africans to come home.

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