Posted by Benjamin on: 03.25.2009 /
At the end of March Off The Map will be closing the Conversation at the Edge, Justice and Compassion, and eBay Atheist blogs to new posts. They’ll stay open a little longer than that for comments.
We appreciate everyone who has blogged for us on these three blogs and participated in the comments conversations. We’ll keep the existing content up even though the blogs are being closed.
The reason for closing them and opening our new blog, The Practicing Church, is that Off The Map’s focus has changed. As Jim wrote in From Mirrors to Maps on The Practicing Church blog
As Off The Map enters a new season we’re going to focus less on mirrors and more on maps, less on critiquing the church and more on energizing the church.
I’m going to miss all the great conversation and ideas being thrown around. Thank you so much for hanging out over the last two years. After this blog closes you’ll be able to find me online at my personal blog http://oxymoronredundancyparadoxtrap.blogspot.com. I’ll probably also still be hanging out a bit over at Off the Map’s new blog, The Practicing Church.
Joe will still be writing at A Life Reviewed, as well as running the Freedom Clothing Project. You’ll probably continue to see articles and posts by him elsewhere on the web as well (here, for instance).
Our huge thanks and best wishes also to Rachel, who was cofounder of Justiceandcompassion.com (and without whom the blog just hasn’t been the same =).
So long and thanks for all the fish. Do well, friends.
Comment by: martin gugino
1I am on the road and so not able to get to a computer quite as easily or often. Thanks Benjamin for your efforts and energy, as well as your thoughts and perspectives. I feel like this is all being thrown away, but after all, where could it be thrown?
Comment by: Benjamin
2Martin,
Being on the road a lot is rough, in my opinion. Hope it’s not too hard for you.
I felt pretty bummed about the blog ending too. But it makes sense to me from the perspective of OTM. I’m kind of bummed about the switch from mirrors to maps. I’m more a mirror kind of guy. But Jim is right, in a certain sense. Most people can’t really handle too much mirror, and will just turn off. Mirror types historically I think don’t really accomplish that much. I’m thinking of Jeremiah, for instance. =)
Thank you for *your* comments and insights. I knew I liked your take on things from the first time I saw persistent vegetative state.
I don’t really think it’s being thrown away. Conversations, “real” or “virtual”, change their participants, for good or bad. Hopefully this has been mostly for good. =)
Comment by: Helen
3Benjamin wrote:
I feel that way too and I also hope the conversations on our blogs have changed people in good ways.
Comment by: martin gugino
4I actually think that some of my harsh comments may have contributed to the demise, or at least might have in the world that I have come to know and love. I try to make my posts short, and therefore pack the punch. Especially if I think people are missing the issue. It is nice to have the conversations hosted on a site that gets some traffic - it makes it a little more open to all opinions. I like the fact that the site was open to church alumni who after all have not gone that far away, and are pondering many of the same problems (”what shall I do” being the old time favorite) as the church has always pondered.
This site and most sites have a technical problem that threads wander, and can’t be contributed to by others who were not there at the start and/or read it all. This is an area it would be nice to address on the new site, so that we can ratchet forward instead of sliding back.
Comment by: Helen
5Martin, the decision to close three blogs (all except The Practicing Church) isn’t because of your comments or anyone else’s - it’s because of Off The Map’s focus and emphasis going forward.
Comment by: Martn Gugino
6re Mirrors to Maps
I suppose one feels a need to have a reason to do things, while I feel no need to receive one. However since one was given, I do feel free to comment on it.
No need for a mirror? What is repentence triggered by - isn’t it a sight of yourself or an image in another of yourself? Why did Christ call them whitewashed sepulchres?
Do we need a map? This means are hands are free. Have we gotten someone else to carry our cross, while we navigate? What map do we need except to follow the drops of blood, until we get there?
Happy anniversary, Terri Shiavo.
Comment by: Benjamin
7Martin,
I agree that we need mirrors. It seems to me Jim is talking about two different ways of modeling. One way is, perhaps, more focused on the relationship between subject and object–how do we see ourselves/our ingroup? The other way is more focused on the relationship between self (as subject AND object) and “the outside world”. There is a strong relationship, it seems to me, between the questions “How do I change myself?” and “Where shall I go next?” They are definitely two different ways of addressing important questions, and each has, I suppose, their good uses.
I think you and me rather like holding up mirrors, and are willing to do so even when we and those around us must surely flinch. There’s something to be said for that–we all need to flinch at *least* occasionally, for sure =).
It’s interesting that you use the word “repent”. One can think of that word from a mappish perspective. Maps can also show us that we are headed the wrong direction, and need to turn around, right?
To me it feels like OTM is going a bit more “on the map” with the shift from mirrors to maps. It feels like a loss. Some of us (me for sure, I think), are wired to stay somewhat permanently off the map. But we’re (I’m thinking) a pretty smallish minority. Seems like to get things done on a large scale one has to be willing to get on the map a bit. =) I mean … Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for instance, is accomplishing pretty freaking amazing things in my opinion. And they are very much, in a sense, on the map. I can’t really think of any organizations that are mostly mirror rather than map that are accomplishing nearly that much.
BICBW.
Thoughts?
Comment by: Helen
8Martin, metaphors/word pictures are limited - I think the point of the transition is that Off The Map wants to move from focusing on critique (mirrors) - which doesn’t tend to be well-received and doesn’t necessarily give you guidance in what to do about the critique - to providing tools for improvement (maps)
To be an effective change agent we need methods that will be well-received enough that people adopt them.
Comment by: Benjamin
9It’s the all important pragmatism which Obama so brilliantly models.
Comment by: Joe
10It strikes me that there is no shortage of maps in the Christian community - what is sorely lacking is opportunities for Christians to listen quietly to people with alternative experiences, including doubters, thinkers, atheists, the hurt and broken.
OTM therefore becomes On The Map, an opportunity to provide another Christian package in an overbloated market of Christian products. Jim - what makes you think there is a better market for your truth compared to everyone else’s?
If feels to me that you’re recoiling from the uncomfortableness of relating to the angry, pained, depressed, doubting constituency that frequent the OTM blogs in preference to the clean-nice-tidy Christians.
Of course that is your prerogative and your lookout. But for the record, I think you are throwing away the only thing that is distinctive about your organisation and attitude to date.
Comment by: Helen
11Joe, I understand why it looks that way to you.
The Practicing Church absolutely aims to encourage practices like “Christians listen[ing] quietly to people with alternative experiences, including doubters, thinkers, atheists, the hurt and broken.” That’s one of the places the map leads.
To me the question is: will more opportunities for those people to be listened to be created by Off The Map having those blogs open, or by Off The Map focusing on connecting with Christian communities and encouraging them to be better at listening to broken people?
Based on recent experience with the blogs, I think the latter is more likely, because almost everyone who has been commenting on our blogs lately is a regular commenter. The opportunity to be listened to in that format hasn’t been effectively reaching that many people lately imo. I liked that it showed we were willing to listen and I hope we can continue to convey that. But just like giving a fish is less helpful than teaching how to fish, it would have much more reach if Off The Map can encourage others to create listening opportunities than if we offer a few ourselves (especially if those few aren’t being used very widely). And since the reality that we don’t have unlimited resources make it advisable to choose a focus, I would rather Off The Map focuses on encouraging others to create opportunities than just offering a few ourselves.
Comment by: Joe
12Whilst I’d obviously agree that there are not infinite resources, I don’t see the two options you’ve presented as mutually exclusive.
Anyway. What I think matters not a jot. Good luck.
Comment by: Helen
13Thanks for sharing, Joe.
Comment by: martin gugino
14Thanks, it’s been nice.
Comment by: Helen
15Martin and Joe, I should have already said this: thanks for your contributions to this blog.