Reshaping Offline Community in the Image of Online Experience: The Impact of Digital Media on Church Conflict in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

As more and more people join social media networks, Christian churches struggle to discern how best to adapt to this emerging cultural phenomenon and employ it in ways that are consistent with Christian beliefs, values, and practices. This essay argues that as Christians explore the potential of dig...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecclesial practices
Authors: Brittain, Christopher Craig (Author) ; McKinnon, Andrew (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill [2020]
In: Ecclesial practices
IxTheo Classification:KBQ North America
KDE Anglican Church
NCA Ethics
RB Church office; congregation
RH Evangelization; Christian media
Further subjects:B Episcopalian
B Digital Media
B Social media
B church conflict
B Anglican
B Internet
B Pittsburgh
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:As more and more people join social media networks, Christian churches struggle to discern how best to adapt to this emerging cultural phenomenon and employ it in ways that are consistent with Christian beliefs, values, and practices. This essay argues that as Christians explore the potential of digital media, they should not neglect to also reflect deeply on the negative aspects of the medium, which are increasingly coming under scrutiny among social scientists and media analysts. We raise this concern in response to our discovery of the capacity of digital media to contribute to church conflict while we were engaged in ethnographic field research in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. The essay identifies ways in which digital media exacerbated tensions among Anglicans and Episcopalians in Pittsburgh and concludes with a reflection on the limitations of one of our online attempts to intervene in these dynamics.
ISSN:2214-4471
Contains:Enthalten in: Ecclesial practices
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22144417-bja10004