Life Beyond the Echo Chamber

Echo Chamber: “a social environment or platform where individuals are exposed to information, opinions, and viewpoints that align with their preexisting beliefs and perspectives exclusively… a place where dissenting voices are muffled or entirely absent and where biases are confirmed rather than challenged. More often than not, such environments become a medium for the rampant spread of misinformation.” (How to Break Out of the Echo Chamber | Psychology Today)

We see it all over the place—most prominently perhaps in the political wars that rage in our culture: Fox News addicts over here… vying against the sound bites of MSNBC junkies over there.  The voices and opinions of each home base echoing within–overriding any ability to hear and relate to the other.

When it comes to this cultural reality and phenomena, the question that most occupies my heart and mind is that of “what is the proper role and relationship of the Church and Christianity with this notion and concept of echo chambers?”

At one time (and not so long ago), I conceived of the local congregation as an echo chamber of sorts: resounding and thereby reinforcing Christian teachings and practices. It’s a facet of many religions, in fact. Here, I recall the roots of that word, religion—where “religio” (from “re-ligare”) means “to bind.” Echo chambers, it might be argued, help to bind folks to the “truth” and vice versa.