{"id":15396,"date":"2017-11-16T16:47:32","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T00:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=15396"},"modified":"2017-11-16T16:48:20","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T00:48:20","slug":"to-junkspace-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/to-junkspace-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"To Junkspace and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

It can be extremely \u2018heady\u2019 stuff, and for those outside academia discourse on Social Theory is confusing, jargon filled, and completely disconnected to real life. Yet the proponents of Social Theory\"\" offer us an opportunity to recognize that \u201cwe live in new worlds of social and cultural organization.\u201d[1]<\/a> Anthony Elliott attempts to provide a thorough account of the development of Social Theory in an effort to demonstrate the variety of voices that have contributed to understanding society and its structures. As the text progresses it provides much in the way of historical foundation, clarifying the social construct evident in the present.\u00a0 While some would suggest that the various theorists have only interpreted what may be occurring in society, in some cases their provocative interpretations have acted as a catalyst for the development of new awareness and direction, causing change in the surrounding culture. It must be acknowledged from the outset that Social Theory is largely a Western interpretation stemming from the Enlightenment and therefore any insights gained come from that perspective thus they are not necessarily universally applicable.<\/p>\n

Being conversant in the historical underpinnings of social structure does help, in fact, clarify much of what is evidently occurring in society at present, marking the process that has brought us to this point. Its purpose then is \u201cto assess the pace of change occurring in our lives today, as well as to critique the large-scale institutional forces driving such social change.\u201d[2]<\/a> Here is why Social Theory matters to us as doctoral students. In attempting to recognize a problem, research around it, and make an effort to suggest a new course it is imperative that the social constructs are accounted for and the implications of such are understood. Without that understanding it is likely we are simply spitting into the wind.<\/p>\n

It is the rampant individualism that may be having the most telling effect on Western society, particularly in regard to the Church. Evident all around is the attitude that \u201cpeople increasingly think only of their own private satisfactions and personal pursuits, which in turn weakens the spirit of active citizenship.\u201d[3]<\/a> Active citizenship can be equated with community, kinship, belonging, caring for others; exactly the characteristics encouraged within the body of Christ that may no longer be seen by a significant portion of society as important qualities worthy of pursuit. Allan Bloom builds on this idea and \u201chas attacked what he terms our \u2018culture of moral relativism\u2019. People today, writes Bloom, are \u2018spiritually unclad, unconnected, isolated, with no inherited or unconditional connection with anything or anyone\u2019.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The resultant condition is a disequilibrium, an inability to make sense of one\u2019s surroundings suffering through a hedonistic lifestyle that according to Zygmunt Bauman limits morality to private \"\"determinations and \u201cinvolves the renunciation of ethical freedom for the intoxications of consumerism.\u201d[5]<\/a> In addition, according to Rem Koolhaas responding to Frederic Jameson, this disequilibrium is a direct result of arriving in \u2018Junkspace\u2019, defined as \u201cliterally a no-place, one that cannot be grasped, following no decipherable rules.\u201d[6]<\/a> It is the \u201cvisual and spatial effect of global capital run haywire.\u201d[7]<\/a> Even our churches have developed into a form of Junkspace, cookie cutter programs, worship spaces, music and messages, offering little or no meaning by which to become oriented. This all in an effort to maintain relevance and grasp the last vestiges of Christian influence over society. It is in the ability to discern insights such as this that Social Theory has the power to aid our understanding, providing opportunity for introspection and meaningful dialogue about appropriately redeeming the culture around us.<\/p>\n

As society continues to evolve so too our understanding of ourselves. In order for the Church to remain a meaningful place for people to recognize who they are it will need to be conversant in the dialogue of Social Theorists in order to stay abreast of the developing mindsets. One thing is certain, it has taken the Church years to recognize that they are \u201canswering questions the world is no longer\"\" asking.\u201d[8]<\/a> If we are to continue to introduce people to the person of Jesus it will have to be done through the appropriate cultural context. While the church seems to continue to remain stuck in modernity in both structure and message, frequently providing simplistic answers to challenging problems, Social Theorists apparently recognize \u201cthat human experience is multiple, dispersed, fragmented, complex, contradictory.\u201d[9]<\/a> People in the present era in the West \u00a0\u201cdo not expect any more to find the all-embracing, total and ultimate formula of life without ambiguity, risk, danger and error, and is deeply suspicious of any voice that promises otherwise.\u201d[10]<\/a> Yet, the junkspace much of the Church seems to inhabit most readily provides exactly that voice.<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s \u2018heady\u2019, confusing and jargon filled, but Social Theory provides the Church with language with which to dialogue and come to terms with the surrounding society. It challenges the Church to\u00a0consider its own assumptions about the needs of society and how best to address them, and for those willing to do the work develop Christ centered communities that help individuals orient themselves to God even in the midst of the junkspace in which they live. Don\u2019t give up on Social Theory just because it\u2019s difficult. Make the effort to understand, that the message of the Gospel will be communicated in a way that impacts for eternity. Is this what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Corinth; \u00a0\u201cI have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.\u201d[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 7). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 14). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 28). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 28). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 280). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Jungkeit, Steven. “The Dreamlife of Junkspace: Utopia, Globalization, and the Religious Imagination.”\u00a0Union Seminary Quarterly Review<\/em>\u00a064, no. 1 (2013): 36-46. Accessed November 13, 2017. ATLA Religion Database [EBSCO]. P. 37<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid p. 38<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Spong, Rev. Dr. John. “Postmodernism.” Speech, Wellington, New Zealand, 1996.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 253). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction (p. 282). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> 1 Corinthians 9:22, NRSV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It can be extremely \u2018heady\u2019 stuff, and for those outside academia discourse on Social Theory is confusing, jargon filled, and completely disconnected to real life. Yet the proponents of Social Theory offer us an opportunity to recognize that \u201cwe live in new worlds of social and cultural organization.\u201d[1] Anthony Elliott attempts to provide a thorough […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[744,238,1082,395],"class_list":["post-15396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-contemporary-social-theory","tag-elliott","tag-junkspace","tag-postmodernism","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15396"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15398,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15396\/revisions\/15398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}