I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls. What I should explain is I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls that originate from the English Civil War (1642-1651). All I can say is that it was something of a surreal experience as a child to sing hymns of peace and love while surrounded by these historic reminders of divided humanity.
We have a mutual responsibility to engage with that which appears to be in juxtaposition to all that we are. Whatever our creed, ethnicity, or culture, we have the potential to communicate and co-operate with one another like never before. But will we? Which is the wolf we are feeding?
Names have the ability to be creative, inclusive, affirming. But names used negatively have the ability to do the complete opposite and become destructive, exclusive, undermining. Names have power to build up and break down. From pet names, to nick names, to rude names – we learn the power of names from the playground upwards.
The human soul in the 21st century still hungers for the numinous that liturgies coming from the era of rationalism cannot seem to fulfil as people continue to vote with their feet and walk away.
Digital media is not merely replacing books but shaping our worldviews. We live in the age of the meme, a post-modern age filled with irony, interaction, and anxiety. Thanks to the explosion in social media the meme is now becoming the message – but is it enough?
