Church Consulting Inc

By the Rev'd Fr.R.L. Barnes

From the beginning of time, religious bodies have been at the forefront of information technology. The knowledge and practices of the ancient Egyptians were written in hieroglyphics — that is, priest writings. In every nation of the world, the religious elite invented and controlled the information technology. In many places, a ruler could not read or write — his job was to fight and to govern — and clergy of various sorts were hired and entrusted with the task of writing, recording, and communicating information vital to the nation.

The ancient Hebrews communicated their history and theology aurally by passing on stories and poetry around a campfire. It was the priestly scribes that later wrote down these stories and claimed sole control of their content. Those who controlled the "books" controlled the information. The religious establishment occupied an important place in the life of the nation, not just because of the liturgy, but because they controlled the access to information.

In the first century, Jesus stepped beyond the bounds of practice of His day by taking the Good News to the poor and the agricultural worker. He did this, not by building new synagogues in their midst, but by going out to the hillsides, the farms, the beaches, even the stern of fishing boats, and preaching and teaching the Good News. The early Church continued this direction of innovation by writing letters to far-flung congregations, and having them delivered by Deacons, who both taught and applied what had been written. Though today, we might not imagine such an action as pioneering, yet in terms of the early Church, it was certainly an innovative way of using the information technology of that age. In other words, the Church continued the leadership in the field of information and communication technology that earlier religious establishments had done.

As the Roman Empire collapsed, and society moved towards a dark age, it was the monastic movement in the Church that not only preserved learning, but developed libraries, schools, and scriptoriums. Hundreds of thousands of books were copied by hand, some beautifully decorated, in order that information and knowledge might be stored, processed, and passed on to others, and to future generations. The monastic schools, originally for the education of novices, were the foundations of our Universities. The great monastic libraries of the middle ages have become in our day reference libraries, open to all. Through it all, information storage and communication of data was controlled and accessed by the religious establishments of the day. Without them, the vast storehouses of knowledge would have been lost forever.

The invention of printing with moveable type changed the manufacturer of books almost overnight. Compared to the hand copying of books, now literature could be cheaply and rapidly printed, making it easier for all to learn. Here again, the Church was in the forefront of the new information technology. The Bible was the first book printed that received wide circulation. For the next hundred years, printing presses were used almost exclusively by the Church. Bibles, Prayer Books, religious documents, hymn sheets, all were needed for widespread distribution in a Church that was going through the turmoil and change brought about by the Protestant Reformation. Indeed, it is possible to postulate that the Reformation would not have happened the way it did without the printing press. It was the Church therefore that was again at the centre of innovation in communication technology. Dr. David Lochhead has suggested that the printing press enabled Protestant denominations to change the concept of "Word" from the "Good News spoken in community," to the "Good News printed in a book." If this is correct, then could not one ask if the "information technology" being used has changed the very nature of the "information" being communicated? Has the medium changed the message?

In the nineteenth century, the Church began the "Sunday School Movement" for the education of English working children — children who could only attend school on Sunday, when the factories were closed. When laws were finally passed restricting the employment of children, Sunday Schools were expanded to include weekdays, enlarging the amount of education possible for these children, and creating the public day school for the education of all children. It was the Church that pioneered in this effort, creating a school system for everyone, and enabling the "communication of information" to many millions of people. Though governments have today removed schools from the purview of the Church, it was the Church that was in the forefront of this enlightened "communication technology."

But what of the twentieth century? For the first time, the Church seems to have fallen behind in "communication technology." Radio, movies, and television have been developed without the Church, and often, in spite of the Church. The Church has remained strong in the distribution of printed matter — one could truly say that the Bible (or portions of it) has been distributed to every corner of the world, in almost every language of the world. The printing of religious books goes on in every country of the world, but the Church, with some singular exceptions, has made little use of "communication technology" in this century. The development of computer communication has happened without the Church being effected. Governments, business, schools have all made efficient use of digital communication technology, while the Church continues to rely on the postal service or the fax machine.

The Church does not have to be left behind in the field of Computer Communication. In fact, the church can learn from the mistakes and the successes of the business, educational, and governmental agencies that are already using digital communication systems to connect vast numbers of people. Computer Communication can interconnect priests, parishes, and people like nothing has ever done before. Space and time can be ignored; rural clergy, and lay people need be isolated no more. Information can be sent to them, virtually for free, instantly, and equally with the best informed priest or committee member. Better yet, all recipients can share information, dialogue together, and even debate and vote on issues, all online. The possibilities for digital communication to both unite and inform every member equally is exciting for the church.

NWnet, (the FirstClass Communication Email System for the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster Canada) was designed to do just exactly that. It demonstrates how digital communication can serve the church. It was setup to show how easily and simply the church can use the advantages of computer communication for the benefit of all members of the church. And in many ways, it achieved its purpose.

© The Rev'd Ron Barnes, 1997