The Bible Wants to be Hypertext

David Lochhead says it in one of his books or one of his speeches.  I'm still looking for the place in the two books that I have that he has written ("Shifting Realities" 1997) and ("Theology in a Digital World" 1988).  He refers to the ages old practice of cross-referencing and notes in tne margins and Midrash-type commentary undertaken by sholars and laypeople down through the years.  Many Bible translations (and I'm sure other holy books) include in their margins and in their text linkages and references to other writings,  and also to other verses and pages within the same book.  Nearly all writers of theological works use references within their text to point to the writings from which they draw their insights,  or upon which they are commenting.  It seems that it has always been a natural inclination for writers to engage in dialogue with some other writings.

I would affirm that the Bible seems to "want to be hypertext" because I believe it is God's desire to be in dialogue with us.  We have what has been,  throughout history,  and largely remains,  a written, one-way document.  Even though we find that we engage in dialogue around its content,  and do this in the context of contemporary and historical Christian tradition,  it was created as a one-way medium and passed on in a one-way medium.  The New Testament Epistles,  the latest of traditional canonical documents,  opened the door to the idea of a response forthcoming.  As one side of the dialogue,  we can gain much from inferring and researching the context of the letters and applying the implied message to our experiences in the Church today.   Had Paul known that what he was penning would be compiled and included in the canon we have today,  would he have insisted that some of the replies and responses and results of his letters also be included? 

For me,  the key element in the Biblical message is the effect upon its reader(s).  The Testimony about what a Biblical story has done to change a person;  how it resulted in a story of redemption of some kind; these are the things in which the inspiration of the Scriptures have come home to me.  It is not in some solitary reading,  but in the "after-effect";  the story which happens AS A RESULT;  an account of how God spoke to me through the Scriptures as I read A and then understood B and experienced C.   It seems to me that the "stories" we can give to the Church now can "extend" the story told in the scriptures and broaden its message to speak more contemporary language and relate experiences of how the Gospel has tranformed something for us today. 

Indeed for me,  one of the most formative sets of contemporary writings in my life has been those of Elizabeth O'Connor in such books as Call To Commitment, Journey Inward/Journey Outward, The New Community,  and Servant Leaders/Servant Structures.  These writings give an account of the experiences of The Church of the Saviour as they journeyed as a Church, and stuggled with what it means to be Church.  Their deep relationship to the Scriptures,  their experiences as a result of trying to take those seriously,  and their reflections upon their own history provide a "subset" of newly inspired works for me,  for they speak so freshly and in a contemporary yet reverent manner of the "things which they have seen and heard". 

The Web today,  and the Church living in the context of this communication KAIROS (the opportune time; the NOW which is of eternal siginificance),  can continue to expand the story in ways such as this.  A Church on the Web has such an opportunity to tell its story,  and to let it be told by the stories of its members,  its expression of mission,  its attempts to "articulate" that mission,  and an authentic telling of the story of its attempt to be faithful.   In the Cluetrain Manifesto,  this is called "having voice".

© Copyright 2003 Dale Lature. Last update: 9/23/2003; 3:38:36 PM.