Fearless Faith

Computer and phone apps have brought folded paper roadmaps to the edge of extinction. Instead of fussing with printed maps while driving with one’s knees, global positioning satellites provide directions with amazing clarity and accuracy. Running late and getting lost are no longer valid excuses to avoid unpleasant encounters with our least favorite family members. Detours and road construction are no match for GPS units that provide cautions and traffic concerns in real time. The phrase “I would have been here sooner, but …” no longer carries the weight it used to. Movement toward such technology is both headlong and concerning.

I learned to use a simple abacus in kindergarten before I could read or write. It was tactile and visual, a hands-on tool masquerading as a toy. The learning curve continued as new avenues in mathematics and other offerings raised concerns of how to teach fundamentals without alienating or stifling innovation. Each new techno learning step — flash cards, numerical tables, slide rules and palm-sized calculators – was scrutinized and closely critiqued. Even naysayers acknowledge that alarmism will always be a component of forward movements. The clearest affirmation of that principle is discoverable in the quickly expanding field of artificial intelligence. As other disciplines before it, we must weigh the cost and wrestle with the moral and ethical questions it raises. With whom shall accountability reside? The scary answer suggests that we all must take some degree of ownership or risk marginalization.

Cartography is but one more victim of all things faster and smarter. Yet we overlook more rudimentary tools already available, limiting our understanding to the notion that old technology produces only old results. A blend of old and new produced a set of stunning topographic map images that appear to jump off the paper. The careful work of earlier cartographers is evident in the meticulous detail of the originals and also in the vibrant colors and shading that bring them to life. The way the maps were re-imagined, demanded an entirely new visualization. High resolution scans were enhanced using over-the-top vibrant colors and deeper degrees of shading than the original topographic features. The result is striking. One cannot discern whether it is a one-dimensional or three-dimensional print until you are an inch or two from its surface.

Would that we be bold enough to re-envision faith using time-tested principles in new ways. Plain scripture lies before us, ready to take on new relevance. What colors shall we paint it? How can we enhance its footprint? What shading will help us see in new ways? Enough to be in conversation with others? The worst we can do is to fall prey to one or two ecstatic visions, becoming numb to other possibilities before us.

Jesus offered a teaching about old wine in new wineskins. “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost and so are the skins, but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins (Mark 2:22 NRSVUE).” Wine notwithstanding, old skins can still be used as patterns long after they are no longer suitable for new wine. What say you?