Blog-Level Ecumenism?
12 May 2007 - 25 אייר 5767 by Huw
Over at Per Christum, we find an essay on Something New in Ecumenism?:
By “blog-level” ecumenism I mean informal and more formal discussions about religion on blogs, forums, and even podcasts. I am referring to common associations, group blogs, and forums (Blogs for Life, etc), and basically any way religious people interact through the internet. For example, look at the commenters here, and at other blogs. Over at Titus One Nine Anglicans, Baptists, Orthodox, Catholics, Non-denominational Christians, Pentecostals, Reformed, and many more, regularly interact with one another, and most even come back after fairly sharp disagreement. Note that I am assuming something substantial is happening here, and that all of our discussions, posts, conversations, and linking to each other actually serve a higher purpose in bringing us to some type of greater unity in Christ (see John 17). While I am by no means suggesting this is a new ecumenical system that deserves to be turned into a thesis, I think there is definitely something to our regular interactions.
(Props to Serge.)
I well note what the author notes:
Blog-Level ecumenism tends to give traditional religious persons a voice - I find that most bloggers are pretty traditional, i.e. accurately representing their traditions, although not all bloggers are. This conservatism could be a function of the conservative nature of younger Christians who use the internet. Regardless, most Catholic bloggers seem to be loyal to the magisterium (check out St. Blog’s for instance), and most Protestants seem proud to be in their traditions, rather than apologizing for them. For instance, Lutheran bloggers seem to really like Luther, and Calvinist bloggers have a strong fondness for Calvin.
I love that idea “give them a voice” as if they don’t have the largest one out there. But ok… we’ll consider this a challenge to get more progressive sorts online. But as most note: the conservatives tend to get down right bullying at times - we’ve seen it in these pages, mea culpa. We’re going to have to work on that.
I also reject the idea that conservatives are “accurately representing their traditions” in ways that others are not. We’re a matched set - or we’re both worthless.
