Brokenness in an Echo
The book Sway by Pragya Agarwal has some very timely application for the ways that our unconscious bias can create significant obstacles and issues in our interaction with each other and with society. He addresses a number of biases and shares stories about how they have real world implications. For this blog I want to share a story of where I have seen this play our in a very real way in my life experience.
The Echo
Agarwal notes that echo chambers are a place where people hear the some information and train of thoughts repeatedly. He notes, “Bill Gates has said that technology such as social media ‘lets you go off with like minded people, so you’re not mixing and sharing and understanding other points of view.’..” He continues, “It’s turned out to be more of a problem than I, or many other, would have expected.'” (159) This is an example of a place that an echo chamber can form. “Our beliefs are reinforced by being amplified inside this metaphorical echo chamber.” (161) There are so many problems with the echo chamber effect and how it changes our views and disrupts logical thinking. It even allows for prejudice to form and radicalization to occur. There was a recent movie released called the Social Deleihma that tells the story of this phenomenon and how the constant information changes people and leads them in decision making. Spoiler alert! The movie ends with 2 teens arrested after falling into this way of thinking from an echo chamber created from social media. Agarwal writes, “Our biases are created, manipulated and perpetuated by what is called the ‘availability cascade.’ The more we hear something around us, the more we believe it.” (162) So how does this relate to my story? It is a story about an echo chamber that lead to brokenness in community.
Brokenness
The United Methodist Church has been seen in the media recently for its very ugly split. The reasons for this split are complicated by the fact that echo chambers have formed and information has been spread that has led to drastic measures by some. This past year churches have been leaving the denomination over many issues, some that are simply not based in fact but have spread through these echo chambers causing churches to respond based in fear and emotion, taking steps to disaffiliate. In Texas this radicalization was completely in your face and would consume any conversation with people in methodist circles. People asking often which side you stood on. The more the conversations carried on the deeper entrenched people became and all other view points were cast aside. Communities were broken apart, friendships were ended, families were divided. The conversations seised and sides were chosen. Witnessing the hurt and heart break was unbearable at times.
Lost Church
In the end many of my friends and churches I have served made the choice to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. In the aftermath of all the meetings and votes the dust has begun to settle. Some people are now begging to ask more questions about “why?”, he question they should have been asking during the process. There is now a trend of people wondering if they made the right decisions in the way they voted and wondering how they got to where they are. Churches and communities have been rocked by the divide and brokenness abounds, while the church that many had called home for generations is lost. In other parts of the country the echo chambers were not as active and the results have been less extreme as the large part of the church waits for decisions from leadership.
Our unconscious bias can be a dangerous thing when met with echo chambers, especially when emotions are charged, fear is real, and untruth is circulating. “Mark Twain allegedly noted: ‘A Lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.'”(162)
Im not sure where we go from here, other than to continue to pray, grieve, and seek reconciliation in the midst of deep brokenness.
- Pragya Agarwal, Sway Unraveling Unconscious Bias (Dublin: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2021)
About the Author
Sara Taylor Lattimore
Sara is adopted, a wife of 17 years, a mother to 2 amazing children who give her opportunities to be a cheerleader, dress up like a princess, play soccer in the mud, and go on amazing adventures. With a Bachelors in political science and sociology, Sara worked for Child Protective Services as a legal caseworker before following a call into full-time ministry in 2008. During her time in full-time ministry Sara has served in medium to large size local congregations, as well as camp ministry. Sara has a passion for serving others, writing, and speaking. In 2016 Sara worked on a joint publication as a Curriculum Writer. Sara wrote the Intergenerational/Family & Day Camp Resources in “Beyond Belief” for InsideOut Christian Resources for Outdoor Ministry- Published by Chalice Press- Release Date 2018. Sara is looking forward to writing her own book next. Sara completed her MDiv from Iliff School of Theology in 2019 and is currently working on her Doctorate in Leadership and Global Perspectives from Portland Seminary. Sara currently serves as Lead Pastor of a local church in Southwestern Montana. She has previously served in ministry positions leading congregations in engaging globally in healthy mission and outreach partnerships, living life missionally, building innovative programs, and building relationships as the Director of Missions and Outreach, College Ministry Coordinator, Family and Children’s Ministry Director, Director of Christian Education, and Camp Program Director. She is an innovator and visionary who looks to find empowering and dignity restoring ways of building communities of belonging, while listening and partnering with others to find ways to also address the needs of the communities she is planted in. Beyond her work, Sara dreams of growing her family through adoption, kayaking with Orcas, going on pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in Spain, traveling in an RV across North America, and traveling internationally.2 responses to “Brokenness in an Echo”
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Sara – Brilliant post in how you juxtaposed unconsious bias and echo chambers. Each on their own are insidious. Together, they can cause all kinds of destruction. How are you leading your current church through the UMC journey? I pray that your members will have open hearts, hands and minds as you move forward in service to Christ.
Laura, leading churches through this messy process has been challenging. IT takes lots of prayer and very careful conversations. I have worked very hard to be as neutral as possible and to preset the facts as neutral as possible. I think as a leader my job is to inform them with the most reliable information and then lead them through what ever choice they make.