supports the
Wikiklesia: Voices of the Virtual World, is a collective anthology designed to explore the growing influence of technology on the global Christian Church. A diversity of authors with multiple and varied perspectives, bridging denominational (or lack thereof) lines, all published together in a self-organizing experiment? What an endeavor! They contacted me a couple of months ago and asked if I'd contribute a chapter. Risky, probably. Controversial, most likely. A way to learn some wiki syntax?! Positively; I'm in.
As a virtual publication (sorry, I know even the word publishing is so old school) done in real time; 4 weeks, start to finish, the only way to accomplish such a project is via wiki. It's a great opportunity to explore some of the questions surrounding the new media. Does cooperation without collaboration accomplish definable goals? Does user generated content have value for anyone other than the users who generated it? Is a project with such a diverse contingency sustainable minus defined leadership? (One of my Google Groups is having serious trouble in this very area.) Are there downsides to "edit summary" wikitext?
John La Grou and Len Hjalmarson are acting as editors for this publication but in self-organizing fashion will pass it along next year, providing its got support. Since wikis are often criticized for their reliability because individuals may maliciously (or accidently) introduce false or misleading content, we'll see whether the apostles & the prophets "influence" its future or whether it ends up hijacked by misguided mystics.
Certainly unconventional (I like that), possibly insightful (we like that), it's a risk for all of us to be in the company of each other. Best of all, since I just read the book, I'm happy to support the Not For Sale Campaign. You'll be able to get the pdf on Amazon and the podcast from the site itself.
