You may have noticed over the past few weeks, things are changing on the blog. Change evokes many feelings, a sense of loss, a sense of excitement; amidst all of that it can also be reminder to pause and reflect. As we move forward we choose to reflect. Reflect on this one tube of the internet we have journeyed down for a year.
Danielle:
Smoke, Mirrors and Cigarettes was
birthed out of a woeful unemployment support group meeting one year ago. The
blog aimed to unite Duncan, Silas and I in our strife and help us face life as it is.
We declared our state of woe to the internet world with our first tag line
“Bible College grads loosing their minds and their faith.” Like a volcanic
eruption, we spewed scorching thought and emotion in every direction. In fear
that our volcanic ash might spread too far and threaten future relationships, we
turned down the heat and moved to “Difficult questions and discussion about life and faith.” This tag line still encompassed strife and woe but with less concentrated acid. Now, the ash has settled,
the magma has cooled, and I anticipate lasting volcanic rock will form as we take up “Navigating
an Age of Anxiety” with a larger community.
Silas:
Tag lines, love to hate them. From honesty, to function, to direction. This is how I understand the progression of the blog and in turn the corresponding tagline. We opened with blunt, unashamed, honesty. We were stir crazy, unemployed, and in various stages of deconstruction. Needing to vent, blog it. Got a beef, blog it. Want to say nothing at all, blog it. Such was the beginning. But soon there was concern. Were we endangering future careers, who was reading this, were we being destructive? Thus the first tag line was deposed and faded into memory, enthroning and beginning the long reign of "Difficult questions..." which served as a noble ruler of the blog. It kept us somewhat focused, it related in abstraction just like any distant and aging ruler. But soon there was dissension among the ranks. The ruler did not seem to apply as well as it used to. A new direction was rising from among the proletariat. The function of the blog was changing, becoming a guide through life. Lives that continued to change. Lives that were shell shocked on all sides by confusing and unsatisfactory answers. Where to go, what to do? But in the midst of that confusion arose the purpose itself. The purpose of open honest engagement with the options. The blog had become a space to navigate such things. Be it religion, politics, justice, or to engage them via art, music, or critical review. Thus the navigator was born to rule the domain of uncertainty and smoke in the wind.
Such is my recollection of the rulers known as "tag line".
Duncan:
I like like tag lines. The challenge to declare identity, ideas and meaning in as short a possible phrase... A phrase that says just enough and not too much. I think I first tag line: "bible college grads losing their minds and faith" ultimately said too much. While it expressed the angst of a trajectory we perhaps had moments of being on, it was neither the direction we desired, nor the journey we have really taken. However, I think it was good to put words to an experience and fear and in so doing gain some perspective and control as to what was going on in our lives, what we were doing and what we could do.
Our second tag line that has guided most of the year, "Difficult questions about life and faith..." maintains the sense of dissatisfaction present in the first tag line, however moves from personal lament to prophetic challenge and critique. One of the experiences of trying to reintegrate into life after graduating bible college was a deep deep frustration with simple answers which whitewashed complexity and rhetorically badgered opponents into submission with spiritual language. This was something we experienced both within bible college and also the church. However, it was also something we were now equipped to identify and challenge. The importance of a voice of dissent is something that has haunted my ears and my life as I have navigated the challenge both on the internet and in conversation of when and how to disagree and present alternative perspectives, problematic premises and inconsistent thinking.
Our new tagline, "Navigating an age of anxiety..." expresses a desire move toward proactive thought and action. We have with varying degrees of consistency maintained this space, as a place for open thought, questions, creativity, lament and celebration. We are excited to continue to this communal creative and intellectual embrace of life. We have formally invited a number new authors to become regular contributors, we are excited to engage with each other and our readers in this ongoing intentional fashion as we navigate life as thoughtfully and creatively possible. Hopefully leaving each other, our communities, countries, and planet more aware and with more shalom in the process. Our world is plagued by war and destruction... we seek peace and reconciliation, we seek freedom in truth, we believe in the possibility of hope.
This blog has moved from a cry of lament, to soapbox of critique, to an act of faith.
Where to now?
New authors, a new layout, and new direction while blogging. These are things we (and hopefully now you) are excited about. Now in reverse order. Direction: after a year of open, unadulterated, blogging, we found ourselves restless about the content the blog. Therefore, we have decided to categorize our blogs. As you can see, we did not so much limit the scope of our blog, rather we gave it some guidelines. Hopefully all of your favourite topics are accounted for and maybe some new ones peek your interest. This direction has lead to some formatting changes, which should aid your reading and internet lurking experience. Last but not least, we look forward to the introduction of some new authors to the blog. Fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, specific niches, a growing blogging community. It all sounds fun, does it not?
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