Effective Not Efficient Dialogue

Maybe it is because I like getting my money's worth out of those blood pressure meds, or maybe it is because I, like many Ohioans, enjoy rubbernecking, but I have been reading Facebook wall posts/discussions. Perhaps name calling should have been given up for Lent.

I should clarify. Unlike the usually captivating banter surrounding what someone had for lunch or what their dog is up to that usually suck me in, the reason for this particular season was disagreement of a fundamental kind. Strongly held beliefs, over-the-top black and white comments, and the like are something akin to currency on Facebook and Twitter. Where friends and followers are tallied in their respective platform's corner, what you say & how often you say it can often mean more people to hear it (read it). The stronger, funnier, well-crafted update or comment can engender comments on your comments; replies and retweets pile up when you skin the proverbial smokewagon & fire off a round or two into an issue/controversy/etc. This is percisely what happened.

Disagreement is a building block of community. Like my favorite television President, I am a life long holder of minority opinions. Chances are we don't agree on many foundational elements of life, faith, politics, etc. That is the way it should be. In my limited understanding, disagreement has the opportunity to carve out a spaces for dialogue; an opportunity to "argue it out" as the book of Isaiah puts it. Facebook and Twitter are pretty good at aranging the meeting of important issues and strongly held beliefs. Folks seem to be braver digitally, and the comments testify to that fact. What might have been a civil dialogue regarding the ins-and-outs of our denomination, or what is/is not being said/done about this/that can quickly become a battle of complimentary skills: loud rhetoric + fast typing. Add free time and a decent internet connection and quickly you are the Nelson Muntz to our Martin Prince.

Effective not efficient dialogue is what the world, the denomination, the faith needs and deserves. Whereas efficiency is great for a myriad of things, exploring the relationship between the faithful and their community is not one of them. Effective dialogue means voices don't just weigh in but they are heard, and respected when they reciprocate. For this reason, the shouts of ideological bullies can never be conversation partners producing effective dialogue; they neither hear nor respect their oppositional counterparts. Sometimes the most important voices come from the smallest places & do not have historic traditions to claim and corresponding vocabulary to wield to ensure their voice is heard. Therefore, if we are to indeed "argue it out", then we must bring respect to the table first and foremost, and recognize efficiency at work when the loudest shouts, and those who possess superior words per minute hold court.