‘Meeting houses are a technology too’

Blended worship: Paul Hodgkin wants a value judgement

Covid-19 has given us an opportunity to see many things in a new light, including how we worship. We now know that Meeting remotely is entirely possible. It has become clear – why did we ever think otherwise? – that the sacred can inhabit the world behind the screen as fully as the tactile world of the Meeting house. Now we are learning to blend these methods. How can we take forward the stillness of a Meeting in the light of what we have learnt?

‘Technology proposes itself as the architect of our intimacies’, says professor Sherry Turkle. It shapes what we can do. But within that architecture we are free to choose. This is obviously true of Zoom, but our Meeting houses are just as much of a technology. They require energy and money, and also shape who can and cannot attend. Getting the right mix of these technologies is important – but the deeper question is ‘right for what’? What does love ask of us in relation to this new style of worship?

Truth: Worship is the heart of Quakerism. Across the centuries Meeting for Worship has changed its form while staying true to its essence: Friends gathering in silence to be led by the Light. The most significant question is whether we can combine physical and remote presence in ways that are truthful to our Quaker experience.

Equality: The technology should be inclusive and allow everyone to worship in the way they wish. We should aim to have parity of experience between those attending remotely and those attending in person.

Simplicity: What kind of simplicity is important to us in worship? We do not want a Meeting for Worship cluttered with technology. We love the warmth of face-to-face Meetings. But equally many Friends have found that online Meetings can be simpler or the only way they can meet for worship. And it often feels that Meeting houses encumber us – perhaps Zoom is calling us to question some of the cumber of bricks and mortar.

Peace: The situation we are in has much potential for renewal and finding new ways to live in the Light. It could also easily divide us, with some Friends feeling excluded. There are now communities of Friends who meet entirely online. This might lead to a worshiping community based on interest or affinity rather than place. Such a development might be part of a deep Quaker renewal but would also challenge the authority of our place-based structures. Fragmentation would be an all-too-easy outcome. Treating each other with a gentle hand and being open to each other’s learnings will be essential as we explore this new world.

Quakers of the future will see this period as a time when we came to understand – or failed to understand – the blessings and temptations of the digital age. New forms of worship are one aspect. But enfolded within those are new ways to understand the sacred. This is not primarily a question of technology, it is about who we are, and who we might become, at this time of great change.

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Comments

This article is referred to in one of two articles on Blended Worship in the issue of 7-08-2020: Antonia Swinson - page 12

By Vernon White on 10th August 2020 - 15:24

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