drew moser: New Media, Convergence, and Postmodern Church, Part II

journal : : field notes

New Media, Convergence, and Postmodern Church, Part II

16 January 2007

I've been thinking more about this convergence theory and its implications for postmodern expressions of Christianity. It seems that right now new media is converging, but has yet to fully 'converge'. I'm not sure when one could say that something has fully converged, but regardless of where we find ourselves on the journey to convergence, the process of convergence seems pretty messy. As new media converges in my own life, I find that the inverse happens in terms of my attention. For instance: I currently have one eye on this blog post, another on my email inbox, all the while listening to a podcast, and my cell phone could ring any minute. Given that these various forms of communication have yet to fully streamline and converge into one seamless form of media, my attention struggles in a battle over which form of media to devote itself to. It's a buffet of media plurality that has yet to work itself out.

Is it possible that the emerging church could also suffer from a similar spiritual A.D.D.? Are we offerring so many 'new' forms of spiritual engagement that we are fostering scattered and partial devotion? I hope not, but I sense the danger here. I'm all for new forms and expressions of authentic spirituality flowing from Scripture, but I sometimes sense we are throwing a bunch of things to the wall, hoping something sticks. This is not a call for spiritual simplism, but rather a caution to not go overboard in our alternative worship styles and methods. There is a beauty in pursuing simplicity (very different from simplism) as it nurtures single, focused devotion on what's truly important.

Additional postmodern implications abound. A plurality of faiths that has dominated the previous few decades is now giving way to a mish-mash of spiritual convergence. What once was inconceivable is now becoming more and more the norm (e.g., I once met a Buddhist/Wiccan/Catholic...no joke). The philosophical difficulties of spiritual convergence are for another day, but the reality of individuals pursuing a converging spirituality are worth noting, and pose a unique and new challenge for the postmodern church. Syncretism and contextualization must now face a new day in mission to new converging light.

Labels: culture, emerging church, missional