IBIYEMI AKINWALE VICTOR
INTRODUCTION: ENCOUNTERING THE
NEW AGE
At the dawn
of a new era, a vast expansion of human communications is profoundly
influencing culture everywhere. Revolutionary technological changes are only
part of what is happening. Nowhere today are people untouched by the impact of
media upon religious and moral attitudes, political and social systems and
education.[1]
The Christian message has lived through plethora of
civilisations, cultures, traditions, languages and peoples. In these ages, the
Christian faith has survived different attacks, persecutions and challenges.
The apostles of these message have been killed, battered and maimed but the
message has survived, as many of its apostles are murdered, in such great way,
many are been born into the message through conversion and acceptance. The
prophecy of the Pharisee, Gamaliel, became true: “for if this plan or this
undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God.”[2]
Truly, the Christian message is of God and nothing shall prevail against it.
More pressing about the Christian message is its
interaction with the different cultures and civilizations it has endured all
through the ages. This becomes more interesting knowing that this message, as
it were, must be a response to man’s insatiable searches and situations
especially as regards the revelation of God in the world. Ordinarily, if the
Christian message had been a human evolution, it would have faded away, what we
see is the contrary, even in the midst of persecutions, this message wiggles
its way out to light. In its interactions with different civilisations and
ages, another marvel about the faith is its relevancy and newness to every age.
The faith is new every morning as it address all human aspirations even in
modern times. This again, corroborates the authenticity of the faith.
Thus, retaining its originality and contents, the Christian
message and faith is communicated through various media as it appeals to the
civilization of that society. In this dispensation, our contemporary time, the
Christian message has encountered a new age, the age of radicalizations. This
age has a peculiar aversion for Christianity and its message, indeed for
anything religious. Building on the repulsive reactions of enlightenment and
modernism, the Christian faith suffers attacks more than ever. The suspicion
and question therefore is how certain can the faith be communicated in such a
rebellious era as this? Is it possible to use the portals of this age to communicate the Christian faith ever better
to the peoples of this era? How interactive can the faith be through the
digitalisations of this era? These quests are the foci of this essay just has
they have become recent discussions even in the Vatican, that is, a search for
the possibility of speaking ever better the Christian reality via the digital innovations of the contemporary
world. Indeed, if we are to be faithful to our missionary mandate, we must
definitely reach out and encounter the new age.[3]
THE FAITH INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE
IN THIS MODERN SOCIETY
Just
like every growth in civilization and the complexity of the society, the
Christian faith has not remained in its infantile evolvements. It has
developed, expanded and broadened too in its address of man’s situations and
difficulties. The faith in its cradle might have been essentially a rigid catechesis- based instruction, a kind of
monologue method of imparting
knowledge- instructions are taught to people who listened, then applied to
their lives. Evidences of these are contained in documents that existed in the
early Church, whereby the pastor only taught the people in homilies and other catechetical
institutions.
However,
in our age, the faith has gone beyond a monologue, it has metamorphosed into an
interactive dialogue. The Christian faith is a communication. A communication that has two ends, that comes from a
source to an end which is to produce required results in the lives of those who
have listened. That level of interaction has even be heightened by the level of
education and sophistication of the audience. Indeed our world has become a
complex association of peoples who communicate sophisticatedly every day in
everything they do. In that society, the Christian faith has left the terrains
of ordinary instructions, it has left the plains of the recitation of stringent
rules and codes. It is a total engagement of the human person, his rationality and appetites.
The
Christian faith cannot thrive successful just on a weekly receptions- practically
only on Sundays. The audience is presented with varied distractive options of
life every day, every hour and every minute especially in the large
sophistications of technology, the digital and media world. Hence, the
Christian faith must always be present at all times to interact with the
decisions Christians make in their daily duties. The more reason why the
frontiers of the Christian faith and message be broadened.
THE UNIVERSALISED DIGITAL
RADICALIZATION AND THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE
The
digitalization of the universe happened
suddenly even though technological advancements were ongoing before it
sudden appearance. In the 43rd World Communications Day message of 2009 from
the Vatican, the Pope Emeritus, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the realities of
the digital age. He entitled the message: “New Technologies, new Relationships,
Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship”. In that address, the
Pope Emeritus emphasised, the characteristics of the new technology. He stated
that “the accessibility of mobile telephones and computers, combined with the global
reach and penetration of the internet, has opened up a range of means of
communication that permit the almost instantaneous communications of words and
images across enormous distances and to some of the most isolated corners of
the world; something that would never have been unthinkable for previous
generations.”[4]
This
fact has produced a “digital generation” and “a digital continent” of people
who are at home with the new technologies and adopt them as a matter of fact in
their everyday lives. This digital culture and generation, thanks be to God,
has not eluded Africa and particularly Nigeria like the Absolute Spirit did in
Hegel’s philosophy!
Rarely
are the homes where DSTV decoders and cables are not found, even in houses with
thatched roofs, they always look for a way to hang the dish and enjoy the
visual displays in the huts. Televisions of various inches are found
everywhere, video cassettes and DVD players are found everywhere too. Even in
the Church, the presence of these gadgets are found more. Some Pentecostal
churches have already excessively began the use of this gadgets, the walls behind
their sanctuaries perform dual functions 1) for worship and 2) and for
receiving them beams cast from their projectors.[5]
Willingly
or unwillingly, we are all part of that digital culture though in different
categories. There are those who belong to the digital culture a natives. The natives will include all those who are born in this new age and to
whom there is no strangeness as regards the use of these technological
innovations. The second category are those who are immigrants to the digital culture, who were born in the yesteryears and who are finding their
way into the new culture. The third category habours missionaries of this new digital world and that category is better
understood in our setting. We should not forget too of those who are foreigners - they are very strange to
this culture, they are aloof and, they are not integrated, and they are not
even interested. It is obvious that they would not participate also in its
riches and blessings.
What
has been said so far about the digital culture is positive. However, being
managed by human beings, the possibility of its negative engagement is also
there and the Pope in that same message cautioned that: “if the new
technologies are to serve the good of individuals and of society, all users
will avoid sharing of words and images that are degrading of human beings, that
promote hatred and intolerance, that debase the goodness and intimacy of human
sexuality or that exploit the weak and vulnerable”.[6]
He also warned that the digital culture must not create a divide between those
who have access to it and those who don’t, that will reinforce the classism
already in the society. Furthermore, the media and other digital innovations
must not separate us from our families, neighbours and friends that we see every
day.
THE FAITH BEYOND THE PULPITS:
NEW FRONTIERS FOR AUTHENTIC FAITH EXPERIENCE
This
digital revolution has opened, if you like, a new space for evangelization and
catechesis. There is a new geographical
frontier to explore- a new world to evangelize. There is now a vivid
opportunity to go beyond the pulpits into the daily lives of the people. Or
more succinctly, to carry the pulpits
wherever we go! Our faith communication which is a prerogative of our
Christian vocation has found new ground-breaking exercise- and this we must do!
The
INTERNET is a concrete
exemplification of the merits of the digital revolution. Take a pulse and
reflect on the sociology of the internet. The internet is a community that is
both real and viable. How best do you define a society? Is it not a collection
of people who interact and have things in common sharing values and opinions?
With this digital turn-over, the cyberspace has worn the status of a living
society. Ideally, everything that is needed is seen on the internet and if you
have the means, you will get all you need. Have you ever imagine the quality of
time people, especially the youths, spend on the internet- surfing, browsing
and chatting? The more reason, Benedict XVI acclaimed that, “the internet must
become the New Areopagus where the
wisdom as Christ, the Son of God is taught. Qualifying the internet better, the
Pope Emeritus says the internet and social networking are: “portals of truth
and new spaces for evangelization.”[7]
Just
like there is need for every geographical space to be evangelised, there is
also great need for this digital culture and space- the internet to be
evangelised. The faith must be communicated in these places too. Little wonder,
Bishop Emmanuel Badejo- an apostle of
social communications’ evangelisation has suggested a “digital Pentecost” in
the face of the digital culture.
Social
networks must be gateways of truth and faith. We have a host of them: BBM
(Blackberry Messenger, yahoo messenger, windows messenger, Goggle talk, iSkoot,
Skype, Viigo, Parlingo, Whatsapps, Twitter, Badoo, Myspace, Tagged, Nimbuzz,
Netlog, Flickr, Snaptu, Facebook, Eskimi and the popular 2go. All these under
the transformation of a “digital Pentecost” must participate too in
communicating the Christian Faith which must be preached to the ends of the
earth.
Correspondingly,
the Catholic presence is highly needed on the TV stations, the DSTV and its
likes. They all must all work together unto good! The document on Social
Communications in the Vatican II documents- Inter-
Mirifica understands the values and the havocs inherent in all of these digital
and media products of man’s genius if they are misused and so the document
warns that: “The Church must employ the media for the single task of the
Church, that is, to announce the Gospel of her Lord. The Media must be for the
teaching of sound morals and doctrines. Blessed Pope John Paul II summaries the
need for a “digital Pentecost” when he avows in his message on the World’s Communication
Day 1990 below:
As the
Council Fathers looked up to the future and tried to discern the context in
which the Church would be called upon to carry out her mission, they could
clearly see that the progress of technology was already transforming the earth
and even reaching out to conquer space. They recognized that developments in
communications technology, in particular, were likely to set off chain
reactions with unforeseen consequences. Far from suggesting that the Church
should stand aloof or try to isolate herself from the mainstream of these
events, the Council Fathers saw the Church as being in the very midst of human
progress, sharing experiences of the rest of humanity, seeking to understand
them and to interpret them in the light of faith. It was for God’s faithful people
to make creative use of the new discoveries and technologies for the world…
employing the full potential of the “computer age” to serve the human and
transcendent vocation of every person, and thus to give glory to the Father
from whom all good things come.[8]
THE PARTICIPATION OF THE
AFRICAN (NIGERIAN) CHURCH: BE INVOLVED!
The
Church has no choice but to take advantage of this digital Pentecost. Blessed
John Paul II declared in Ecclesial in
Africa- the Post Synodal Document on
the Church in Africa, commenting on the use of the media for evangelisation
in Africa spoke with great urgency to the Church in Africa that “Today, the
Church has at her disposal a variety of means of social communication,
traditional as well as modern. It is her duty to make the best possible use of
them in order to spread the message of salvation.”[9]
It
is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church’s
authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate or incarnate that message
into the “new culture” created by modern communications… with new languages,
new techniques and a new psychology.[10]
The creation of this new psychology rests on the active presence of the Church
on air and a thorough, systematic and methodical process of liturgical and
spiritual inculturation.
Furthermore,
the Church must produce ministers and personnel who are eager to expose her
perspectives to the public at every occasion and on every issue. In this
digital age, silence is rarely golden. The digital media on the one hand
provides an immense amount of communication space waiting to be filled up in
most cases, to best effect, by the first client. [11]
Practically,
the Pentecostals have gotten this vibe faster than us and I dare to say that
they are challenging us speedily. Their use of the innovations of the digital
culture is magnificent- truth be told! We see them and we must give them that
kudos. Jokingly, many even make distinctions between Catholic Microphones and Pentecostal
Microphones to indicate the undying interest of these our brethren in the
pursuit and use of technologies to enhance their “Christian” message. We may
sit and criticise their theologies, liturgies and methods but the reality is
clear! Their presence is felt in the society chiefly through the air. I have caught many catholic families watching
Emmanuel TV, Christ Embassy TV and Winner TV and when I asked them why… they just
smiled… but such smiles are pregnant with meanings. We have to wake up!
Many
priests, religious and lay persons have degrees in journalism, social and pastoral
communications, even PHDS, what are they doing? Again, we claim that the
government does not allow churches to own media houses. The Pentecostals are
churches too! Thanks be to God! The internet does not need any governmental permission,
the internet is not limited to FM or Shortwave broadcast… with the internet we
can broadcast our message in any format, text, and video, audio.[12]
The Church must be at the lead in these ventures.
Nevertheless,
we cannot but recognise that the Church is on her feet working. Bishop Badejo
noted among other things in a lecture he gave us in 2011 that “there is a New
Catholic Television Project which comes on air in the New Year as a credible,
contemporary Catholic Voice and many priests and religious are studying social
communications and other innovations coming up! But the truth as he remarks
again is that “the digital world does not provide anyone the luxury of
complacency. The Church must be dynamic in its thinking, planning and projects
in the sector if truly she must be counted![13]
Hence, the Church must produce ministers and personnel who are eager to expose
her perspectives to the public at every occasion and on every issue. The
digital media on the one hand provides an immense amount of communication space
waiting to be filled up in most cases, to best effect, by the first client. [14]
THE ANALOG SEMINARIAN IN A
DIGITAL AGE: AN INCOMPATIBLE CHARADE
There
is nothing as absurd as being an outcast in the society. Being an outcast
completely affirms the non-existence of an individual. That is the case when an
analog seminarian communicates in this digital age.
Seminarians
and Pastoral agents must as a matter of necessity embrace these new instruments
of catechesis and evangelization. It is noticed that many do not readily see
the need for the incorporation of digitalization as one of the communication
channels of the Church. But it is an indispensable tool in this age.
Blessed
Pope John Paul II led the way for the Catholic participation in the media when
he launched the Vatican website, www.vatican.va
which has continued to be a blessing for the universal Church. Benedict XVI and Pope Francis followed suit
in that gesture of openness to the modern world. And they have both shown tremendously
that, this is a new path for the Church as part of her response to the
civilisation of her time. They are both icons of digital evangelisation. In
November, 2012, Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, launched the papal official
twitter account @pontifex and upon his inauguration, Francis has continued with
that handle, just in a month of his stepping into office, his followers on
Twitter doubled that of Benedict XVI. Pope of them have been so acclaimed:
“digital priests” and have both set the standard and pace for us to follow in
our encounter of this new age using its own methods and instruments of
communication.
Furthermore,
the recent applause and ovation given to Pope Francis by TIMES MAGAZINE and the
media is worthy of mention. The Vicar of Christ, His Holiness, Pope Francis,
the Leader of over 1.2 billion Catholics was awarded with that title of the Man
of the Year, 2013. The Pope’ presence on the media has ensured that ovation and
that applause, beyond the ordinary title, shows that the Pope has continued to
represent truly what he stands for to the universe- as the Vicar of Christ.
More
than ever, in the Western World just as it is here too, Bishops are now on
facebook, twitter and others engage the people of God in interactive faith
sessions. These are pathways to teach us that the digital world should not
scare us, rather we must get our hands on deck for serious faith interactions
on these social networks.
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
DIGITAL EVANGELISATION
Provide Training and Moral
Formation: Because of the complexity of digital
culture and its instruments, there is need for adequate training in the
technical know-how, and how best to handle those equipment. There is need for
psychological training for those personnel who would be in charge of social
communications. They need to understand the dynamics of the society and the art
of effective communication. Furthermore, there is a huge responsibility on the
part of the Church to form these personnel morally. They must therefore be
morally and psychologically fit to handle the running of social communications.
Define the Scope and need for
Ethical formation
The
Church must help the society discover the need for an ethics of the media and
technology. The Church must help people see those ways in which these
inventions can undermined individual’s spirituality and relationships.
Arouse interest among the
faithful
The
digital Pentecost must not only
remain in and with the hierarchy of the Church, otherwise it will be a dead
process of communication. Pastors of souls must evoke interest and commitment
from the faithful. Every doubt of insecurity and corruption must be cleared
from the faithful’s psyches. They must be so interested to get the best out of
these innovations.
Understand the rules and methods
on media evangelisation
Finally,
users of this new technology must understand perfectly the guidelines and rules
guiding the digital culture. Digital evangelisation just like preaching a
homily from the pulpit has norms and regulations that guide the exercise. More
importantly, there are some guidelines that must be met and fulfilled to effectively
communicate on the internet particularly as it concerns an interactive faith
exercise.
CONCLUSION
According
to Rev. Fr. Dr. George Ehusani, “the truth of the matter is this: the success
of the Church’s ministry in every age depends to a reasonable extent on the
ability and readiness of her agents to make effective use of the forms and
tools of communication available in the particular age and environment.”[15]
In this digital age, we cannot confine ourselves to the old, monologue methods
alone, we must make a move for the new globalisation without forgetting or
altering the contents of Christ’s message.
Priests and pastoral workers, through the use of these digital
innovations and the media are poised better to reach a wider audience even
beyond their wildest imaginations. In that sense, therefore, we are becoming Global ministers of the word and sacraments[16]
which is primarily the mandate of Jesus Christ to reach the ends of the earth.
Let
me leave you with these questions to ponder: how many of us seminarians are at
home with these media technologies? How many of us are abreast with the new ICT
facilities for learning and teaching? How many of us have web blogs, websites
or online database where we can share our reflections, ruminations and affect
the lives of the people positively? If seminarians of this age and epoch have
not learnt and applied ourselves to these things, then the apparent prophecy of
Rev. Fr. George Ehusani might be true that: “we may just be here graduating 19th
century priests for the 21st century society… can I hear you say God Forbid to
that?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Benedict
XVI. Message
for World Communication Day 2010. Priest
and Pastoral Agents in the Digital World. Vatican:
Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, January 25, 1990.
Benedict
XVI. New Technologies, New Relationships,
Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship. Vatican:
Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, 2009.
Flannery
Austin. Vatican II Documents. Bangalore: Theological
Publications, 2010.
John
Paul II. Ecclesia in Africa. Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, 1995.
John
Paul II.
Message for the World Communications Day. L’Osservatore
Romano. Vatican: Libreria Editrice
Vaticana,
January 25, 1990.
John
Paul II. Redemptoris Missio. Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, 1990.
Ojiefo
Emmanuel
(Ed). Golden Jubilee Colloquium of The
Voice Magazine. Ibadan: Simplicity Touch, 2011.
Pastoral
Instruction.
Aetatis Novae- On Social
Communications on the Twentieth Anniversary of Communion et
Progression.
Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, February 1992.
PRESENTED
AT THE NACATHS’ SYMPOSIUM HELD OF 17/01/2014
[1] Pastoral Instruction, Aetatis Novae- On Social Communications
on the Twentieth Anniversary of Communion et Progression, (Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, February 1992 ), no. 1
[3] Bishop Emmanuel Badejo,
“Stand up and be counted- The Church in Nigeria and the Digital Age Today ”a
keynote address in Golden Jubilee
Colloquium of The Voice Magazine (Ibadan: Simplicity Touch, 2011), p. 12
[4] Pope Benedict XVI, New Technologies, New Relationships,
Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship (Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, 2009)
[5] Victor Ibiyemi, “Media and
Evangelisation in Nigeria: 50 years after Inter
Mirifica” in Fifty Years After Vatican II, Challenges, Faith and Culture,
NACATHS Journal Vol. 23, March 2013 (Nigeria: NACATHS, 2013), p. 31
[6] Pope Benedict XVI, New Technologies, New Relationships,
Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship (Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, 2009)
[7] Benedict XVI, Message for
World Communication Day 2010, “Priest and Pastoral Agents in the Digital World”
quoted in Victor Ibiyemi, “Media and Evangelisation in Nigeria: 50 years after Inter Mirifica” in Fifty Years After
Vatican II, Challenges, Faith and Culture, NACATHS Journal Vol. 23, March 2013,
p. 36
[8] John Paul II, Message for
the World Communications Day 1990, in L’Osservatore
Romano and (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, January 25, 1990) p. 6 cf.
“Gaudium et Spes” in Vatican II Documents
edited by Austin Flannery, (Bangalore: Theological Publications, 2010), no. 5
[11] Bishop Emmanuel Badejo,
“Stand up and be counted- The Church in Nigeria and the Digital Age Today ”a
keynote address in Golden Jubilee
Colloquium of The Voice Magazine,
p. 18
[12] George Ehusani, “Pastoral
Ministry in a Digital Age: The Challenges of Optimal Utilization of Modern ICT
in the 21st Century” in Golden Jubilee Colloquium of The Voice Magazine, p. 43
[13] Bishop Emmanuel Badejo,
“Stand up and be counted- The Church in Nigeria and the Digital Age Today ”a
keynote address in Golden Jubilee
Colloquium of The Voice Magazine, p. 19
[14] Bishop Emmanuel Badejo,
“Stand up and be counted- The Church in Nigeria and the Digital Age Today ”a
keynote address in Golden Jubilee
Colloquium of The Voice Magazine, p.18
[15] George Ehusani, “Pastoral
Ministry in a Digital Age: The Challenges of Optimal Utilization of Modern ICT
in the 21st Century” in Golden Jubilee Colloquium of The Voice Magazine, p.45
[16] George Ehusani, “Pastoral
Ministry in a Digital Age: The Challenges of Optimal Utilization of Modern ICT
in the 21st Century” in Golden Jubilee Colloquium of The Voice Magazine, p. 46
