Thursday, July 17, 2008

Lambeth

For those interested, there are a number of vehicles to keep informed about the Lambeth Conference. Fr. Scott Gunn is in England and will be painting the picture. His blog is Seven Whole Days.

Fr. Gunn/Seven Whole Days

Also, There is a blog for bishops called the Lambeth Journal.

Lambeth Journal

Trying to avoid pat phrases about our “small world” and “communicating at the speed of light”, it is an awesome thing to have access to information as an event of this magnitude unfolds. Speed, however, is dangerous. It is too easy to accept a sound bite and extrapolate meaning and intent, and find that you are quite wrong.

As people, we often fall prey to the temptation to process the information, we have received, as efficiently as the transmission of it. You get the email, read it, reach a conclusion and back with a response. This is great for many simple decisions: Where are we having lunch? But, our zip bang way of operating often compromises the more subtle dimensions of trying to understand, what someone is attempting to communicate.

I am going to practice caution as I seek Lambeth news. If I see the phrase, “bishops comment on life on Mars,” I am going to want to know much more, before I fling myself off the deep end. Speed is great, but not at the cost of understanding.

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