The Research Project
Purpose & Objectives
Background
Religious Education
Faith and New Media Seminar
Student projects
Related resources
Handouts
The CD-ROM
Theological Education
Digital tools in graduate pedagogies
Online courses
Related resources
Handouts
Bibliography
How to Contact Us
Phone/Address/E-Mail
Directions
Sponsors
The Symbolism, Media and the
Lifecourse Project
Luther Seminary
Purpose & Objectives
Religious educators have played an important role in mediating the results of scholarly research for religious communities -- particularly theological and biblical scholarship -- and reciprocally, in bringing contemporary religious experience to the notice of scholarly conversations. At this point in history, such mediation is particularly crucial, since younger generations are increasingly visually-oriented and immersed in mass-mediated contexts, while academic faculties may find themselves still oriented around the "practices of print." In many ways religious communities are finding themselves increasingly marginalized within so-called "secular" contexts, while people of faith are hungry for spiritual resources, many of which they are seeking in mass-mediated cultural contexts.
The RE/MC project works to support this kind of mediation. We began in 1998, hosted at the time by Boston College's Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry. The researchers from the Symbolism, Media and the Lifecourse Project were gracious enough to cooperate with us in allowing their emerging findings to be shared with pastoral agents. Ever since that time we have been engaged in exploring their findings -- and other related studies as they emerge -- particularly in terms of implications for pastoral practice.
In 2000 we moved our primary work to the metro area of the Twin Cities of Minnesota, and found a new partner in Luther Seminary. We continue to pursue a participatory action research strategy, sharing emerging findings from the sociological and anthropological disciplines with active pastoral agents, discerning the implications of such research for the practices of contemporary communities of faith.