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IOTA Forum: Robert Saler reviews Church in the Land of Desire, by Edward Rommen
As the world at large and the church in particular takes stock of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most significant emerging conversations is how the widespread (and arguably necessary) increase in Orthodox parishes’ use of contemporary technologies (Zoom, Facebook, etc.) to carry out missional needs will – and should – endure once whatever the new “normal” comes.
On the one hand, many priests and parishes have done a heroic job of utilizing various means to keep the faithful engaged with the liturgical and communal life of the parish. On the other hand, we know that various platforms and technologies are not neutral tools but rather carry, in their very design, multiple and intentionally constructed shaping influences upon how we interact with each other and with things that matter. According to Edward Rommen, this latest acceleration of the church’s navigation of these and other tools – e.g. strategic planning, online giving platforms, social media, professional consulting, etc. – is part of a longer and more troubling arc that requires both pastoral and theological attention.
In Church in the Land of Desire, Rommen, an accomplished missiologist and parish priest who also teaches at Duke Divinity School, seeks to give just this sort of attention, and the results are provocative without being unduly pessimistic.
Read Robert Saler's full review here.
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