Happy New Year, all.
You may recall that the week between Christmas and New Year’s is my favorite week of the year, one ripe with possibilities of holiday outings, unrushed meals, and maybe organizing a closet or two. As it was, I was hammered by a bad cold this year (yes, I tested; no, it wasn’t Covid), so I mostly laid around on the couch and watched Premier League — the fixtures that weren’t postponed by Covid. Lest you think I didn’t accomplish anything, I want to report that I was extremely productive: I found the perfect position for my head to enable my ears to drain so I could hear again. I also spent time savoring the irony that as soon as my husband’s hearing improved, mine fell prey to the common cold.
But enough of that. I’m on the mend now, and even though the weekend was so warm that we opened windows and turned on fans, it’s now taken a good cold turn. I can’t handle the North Carolina summer very well anyway, but if there’s no cold snap in the winter, there’s no telling what will happen to my brain come August.
So for now, things are really looking up. Also, if we get to tomorrow morning and no one has attempted to violently overthrow the seat of government, we’re doing better than last year. Cheers!
The Part Where There’s an Essay:
Thought Trends in 2022
Recently I’ve been trying to put into words the thought trends that I see influencing the evangelical Christian church in 2022 (though I started in 2021 — check the archives). There are more, not fewer, than this. As a writing exercise and to encourage dialogue, I’ve attempted to keep the definitions brief.
To be clear, I’ve seen each of these in my conversations with my various communities. They are not pulled from internet interactions with strangers. They are in play in the minds of my friends, family, and myself.
Epistemic Trespassing
Perhaps a greater pandemic than Covid-19 in the Year of Our Lord 2022 is epistemic trespassing.
Well. That’s a fancy philosophical phrase to start off your 2022. Let’s break it down.
Epistemic: relating to knowledge; how we know things.
Trespass: to enter unlawfully upon the land of another.
If we put those two terms together, this means declaring yourself an expert in an area where you have no business doing so. You claim to have knowledge that you do not actually have the right to claim. More precisely, it’s “where someone with competence or expertise in one field moves into a different field and passes judgment—despite lacking knowledge and skill in the other field.” (Here is an interview with the man who coined this term.)
It’s as true in medicine as it is in theology as it is in car maintenance: you’d better be careful who you listen to.
It’s controversial these days to suggest that people ought to take measures against the pandemic (masks, vaccines). But what’s more discouraging to me is that it’s even controversial to suggest that someone consult with their doctor about it.
The very same doctor who they’d call in case of emergency; the very same medical staff they’d trust in a hospital room or clinic visit. These actual experts are unwelcome because an epistemic trespasser on the internet called them unsafe. The same doctor who knows their history, who went to medical school, who delivered their babies and prescribed them antibiotics to get over strep throat.
This is why our medical workers are utterly burnt out, friends. We ignore them and then we want them to fix the consequences.
To be sure, this happens in slow motion every day. Patients are told by doctors to quit smoking and improve their diets, and the doctors are still expected to come behind and address the health issues brought about by negligence on the part of the patient. But here we are, in the teeth of a health crisis and we’re just...ignoring the people who might try to save our lives next week.
This trend is also a curious one in other disciplines. The examples I gave above aren’t imagined. What does it look like when you seek out non-expert help in car repair? In theology? In education?
And I get it: who we call an “expert” is up for conversation as well. And I’m writing this as a person who just yesterday fixed her furnace with the help of YouTube. We all make allowances.
What is the answer for epistemic trespassing? As I’ve read a little about it, I’ve seen the terms “humility,” “ego,” and “modesty” show up frequently. How refreshing an idea: scholars, given a platform, willing to admit to what they don’t know. From the article linked above:
Whatever explains trespassing, I’m inclined to assume most of the behavior is well-intentioned. A principle named Hanlon’s Razor is useful: “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.” That may seem mean, but it is actually a charitable idea. I assume people trespass because they don’t recognize their ignorance.
More simply, recognize your own tendency to not stay in your lane. Try as hard as you can to stay in your lane. Don’t platform people who don’t, especially when it might put someone at risk. The end.
For the Anglophiles
One of the wonders of the internet is that you can run into treasures like this: Sir David Suchet reading you the entire Gospel of John from the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey. You don’t even have to buy a ticket or anything.
Reads & Listens of the Week
Today is the anniversary of the violent attack on the Capitol. Here’s an interview with Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, a congressman who was trapped in the gallery for some time on January 6, 2021. “I don't think people understand how close we came to the whole thing falling apart.” It’s important that Americans, especially Christians, tell the truth about what happened that day.
This week I was reminded of my love for the movie Yesterday. If you’ve enjoyed the Beatles documentary Get Back, this Danny Boyle film might be a nice follow-up. The plot asks a unique question and provides an ingenious answer. Plus, it’s chock full of songs from the Beatles catalog. Jared Wilson has some thoughts about the film here (spoilers!).
I always appreciate when Bill Simmons has Derek Thompson on to discuss Covid and the media’s coverage of it. It’s refreshing to hear someone say “here’s what we’ve gotten wrong so far, and here’s where we need to reserve judgment.” Omicron? Delta? Testing? Media? It’s all here.
The Dispatch rounded up the major stories of last year with their Year-End Fact Check.
Closer to Home
A while back on Story Warren, I composed a bit of praise for humble January.
“Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. To-day, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient short comings considerably shorter than ever. We shall also reflect pleasantly upon how we did the same old thing last year about this time. However, go in, community. New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions, and we wish you to enjoy it with a looseness suited to the greatness of the occasion.” — Mark Twain