The virtual nature of perichoresis….
A very interesting conversation is taking place around a video clip of Shane Hipps on Out of Ur….
I first saw it at a fellow Instigator’s blog, The Blind Beggar.
Then, fellow Wikiklesia editor and author, John LaGrue wrote this importat push back over at microclesia, where I saw Steve Knight had linked to his post.
Next, Missional Tribe-ster Jonathan Brinks talks about it and the elusive nature of communitas over at Missio Dei.
Please do read them all, and you can see my comments in each of them.
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However…it was this post by my virtual Emerging Quaker friend, Diane, commenting on my last post about addiction, that triggered this post.
…your thoughts about a glimpse of the true church make me think of the thoughts bubbling deep inside me about perichoresis. I have a group over at Missional Tribe getting ready to talk about perichoresis, and this has been launched in my heart by how much the virtual reminds me of the Spirit….
I believe very strongly that the nature of the Spirit is echoed by the virtual world — a world that has fewer barriers of time and distance and location. Where we may “dance” together as the Bride unfettered by the physical and released in the Spirit to “practice” in the virtual realm.
I’m going to have to process this further over in the Dancing Lessons group…and I invite you to join us there… or here in the comments.
Abi
I wish Shane would jump into this discussion. I for one would like some clarification or understanding of the context of his comments.
[...] Update: Some dialog on the subject can be found here, here and here. [...]
Interesting…
I didn’t watch the video yet, but get the drift from the various posts/comments.
I’m kind of in a weird position with all of this.
I was very involved at a church. 40+ hours a week of work, plus other involvements.
Did all kinds of real life interaction.
No community though.
I couldn’t find a job. No one was around to help. No one was ‘there’ unless I was willing to sacrifice myself. I got to the point I wasn’t eating.
Moved to the mountains. Started picking up web design.
Started writing.
My community became almost exclusively technology based.
Wrote a book. By far the most supportive people of that effort were people I had never met face to face. Meanwhile most of the people I knew didn’t seem to find time.
The people I worked with in real life at the church didn’t get me, didn’t understand me, misinterpreted me, rejected my contributions almost entirely.
People online interacted with me, encouraged me, uplifted me, prayed for me, shared with me.
It’s a Dance was the book title, and almost entirely the people I was really dancing with were in faraway places.
I joined a Christian social networking site called Shoutlife. Met all kinds of people, from all kinds of places, from all kinds of backgrounds, with all kinds of talents and frustrations.
I saved a woman from killing herself because I was online at a certain moment, after she had overdosed on pills, before she passed out. I sat with her as her writing slurred and convinced her to call 911. No one else was in her life, even as a lot of people she knew were Christians involved in church.
I had all kinds of deep conversations, the kind that are so sadly rare in real life because of time constraints, everyone thinking the same already, and other problems.
I was, in part, using that site to help spread the word of my book, but found significant more spiritual interaction there than I had found in 4 years of Christian college (residency required) and 3 years of seminary.
I met a woman who had gone to the same college at the same time.
We started chatting online, just shooting the breeze. She was marketing her music CD.
Neither of us were looking for anything.
The casualness of online kept strong boundaries.
We happened to meet in person, because we were in Chicago on vacation at the same time.
Mostly it was back and forth emails about our perspectives, stories, ministry, passions, etc.
That turned to phone calls. Another technology.
That turned to seeing that having explored the depths that technology offered we wanted to see if there was more.
I flew up to Portland.
There was more.
Then there was a lot more phone calling for 8 months as we were 1000 miles away, and technology formed the basis of increasing regular sharing.
We got married last month.
So, I think the virtual world helped foster significantly more community for me in a lot of ways, some of which translated into particularly wonderful real life community.
Rick,
I agree that it would be good if Shane would interact and clarify … I just saw that Len has a post up about this today (and saw your link there….)
Patrick,
Thank you so much for your comment — it is exactly the kind of thing I know happens all the time. I loved your book, It’s A Dance, and I am looking forward to unpacking it some over at our Dancing Lessons group…when the time is right, that is!
And know that I pray for you and your bride and the crazy pace of life that you must be experiencing. And, seriously, when you both are next in Portland, you need to let me know so we can have dinner or coffee or something!
Shalom, my mostly virtual brothers!
[...] Update: Some dialog on the subject can be found here, here, here and here. [...]