Abstract
The study of media and its effects is known as media ecology. Lowe and Lowe extend this study and conversation into the spiritual-ecological landscape, particularly the terrain of online education. Employing the agricultural and biological metaphors of Scripture, they make the argument that spiritual growth, specifically through online education, can flourish in the digital (interconnected) age.
Building on the writing of Toffler, Lowe and Lowe begin by making the observation that society has moved through four ages of development (nomadic age, agricultural age, industrial age, and information age) and that we are currently entering a fifth age—the interconnected age (p. 3). They then contend that spiritual formation and education methodologies must adapt to this emerging age in a way that extends to where people experience an increasing part of their lives—digital online environments.
Spending the first section of the book formulating a biblical theology of ecology, Lowe and Lowe unfold an understanding of what they call “nested ecologies” (cosmic, earth, social, human, personal). This understanding leads to a view that all creation grows and flourishes through interconnected relationships (ecologies), and spiritual formation is no different. Recounting the agricultural images of Scripture, the parables of Jesus, and the body (biological) metaphors used by the Apostle Paul, the case is made that spiritual growth (individually and collectively) happens within an ecological (interconnected) framework (p. 63). To this end, Lowe and Lowe argue that Jesus and Paul intentionally use biological metaphors because spiritual growth and the natural world operate in the same interconnected way.
Lowe and Lowe then look at the Apostle Paul’s use of the vertical (redemptive) and horizontal (relational) “syn-compounds” (“syn” being the Greek preposition meaning “together with” or “connected to”) through an ecology lens (p. 140). Using the Apostle Paul’s writing, they argue that the interconnectedness of people to Christ and to each other stems from our understanding of Christ’s work on the cross and our mutual interdependent growth in Christ as His body. This argument is expanded through an ecological understanding of reciprocal relationships, sanctification, and evangelism, arguing that “Our faith makes us contagious to non-Christians but our holiness makes us contagious to one another” (p. 205). As a result, they conclude that online communities of faith created through online courses and degree programs are the perfect environments for this “contagion” to spread (p. 206).
Relying on their understanding of ecology, social science, and their experience, Lowe and Lowe conclude that as the spiritual ecology created by Christ can be experienced in a way unbounded by time and space, it can be experienced in person or online. As Lowe and Lowe argue, “Although some are reluctant to acknowledge the possibility of spiritual growth in online communities of faith, our model offers a thoughtful and considered response to those legitimate concerns” (p. 227). Making the case that a digital ecology of spiritual formation is uniquely effective, not only do Lowe and Lowe maintain that spiritual formation can happen online, they maintain that the interconnected digital landscape is uniquely fertile ground for spiritual growth that thrives in interconnected relationships.
A theologically-rich resource for faculty and administrators, this work provides the necessary theological underpinning of online education and the spiritual formation possible therein. If you are looking to understand and navigate online education from a theological framework, this can serve as an important resource in the conversation.