Interesting short post over at TheyBlinked talking about theology of the future being done through blogging.
I’d agree with some of the sentiments there. Theology is, I think, a conversation with God and with others. As such blogging and other Internet developments will contribute to the conversation. The following comment concerned me though,
a great preponderance of these voices will be coming not from the seminaries or vocationally religious with their shrinking coffers and ever-disgruntled constituencies, but rather from the interconnected lives and words of the normal women and men of Santiago, Montreal, Mozambique and Bangalore: the demythologizing, fundamentalisms, liberations and deconstruction of the twentieth century the past to a functional global pragmatism of difference; of justice and mercy transforming the small spaces that hold the secrets of the worlds yet to come.
I agree wholeheartedly that we need to listen – really listen – to the voices from the non-Western world in our theology – especially their critiques of us. But for many in that world blogging won’t open that up – the digital divide between the West and others will effectively marginalise those voices. So the Internet opens up new possibilities but also introduces new barriers and gatekeepers in the same way that print media is not an option if you don’t have the financial resources or support from within the print community.
So while the assertion that blogging will be part of the theological process I wonder how much the medium will exclude voices we need to hear and dictate the thought forms (techno-postivist?) that will shape that theological community. How then will discussions of justice and mercy be framed?
Just my two-cents.
