David Lochhead

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David Morgan Lochhead (18 June 1936 – 15 June 1999) was a theologian who, as Professor of Theology, developed an interest in the role of computers and computer communication in theology. His speech in 1984 "Theology in a Digital World" ^[1] is credited with opening a unique branch of thought and study: the relationship between God and computers. One of his many addresses on the subject was entitled, "Does God Love Computers?" ^[1] Lochhead's involvement in the subject of computer communication predated the advent of the Internet by many years. He also helped found an ecumenical computer network. Since his death in 1999 there have been two symposiums in which scholars have discussed Lochhead's writings.^[2]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Academic studies 3 David Lochhead's Theology 4 Bibliography of David Morgan Lochhead 5 Computer pioneer 6 Buddhist-Christian Dialogue 7 Work with Native people 8 References

[edit] Biography

Born in Montreal in 1936, David Morgan Lochhead died in Saskatoon in 1999.

Although he served the United Church of Canada in many capacities, at the time of his death in 1999 he was Professor of Systematic Theology at the Vancouver School of Theology.^[3]

Lochhead was called upon by the United Church of Canada to write a statement on Theology and Christology for the church, which he did under the title “The Lordship of Jesus”, and which was distributed for study throughout the church. However, at the same time he was engaged in leadership, internationally, in reflection and action on the question of the actual and potential relevance of computer communication. He foresaw the tremendous global use of the computer and the World Wide Web.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Academic studies

Lochhead was born in 1936 in Montreal, where he attended McGill University. En route to his degrees in science, theology and philosophy of religion, he also studied at Union College, Vancouver, at the University of Oxford, England and at the University of Chicago, U. S. A. Ordained in 1962, he served two United Church parishes in Quebec and Ontario. At an unusually early stage in his career, David was named to the role of "teacher of the church", holding posts at St.Paul's College, Waterloo, Ontario; Coughlan College, St.John's, Newfoundland, and from 1978 at Vancouver School of Theology.^[4]

In 2006 David was awarded posthumously the title, “Professor Emeritus of Theology and Philosophy of Religion” by the Vancouver School of Theology.

[edit] David Lochhead's Theology

Religious Language: There is No Place to Start

One of David Lochhead’s philosophical and theological interests lay in attempting to find a common language for religion. He attempts to set the stage for this in an unpublished paper for the 1971 Canadian Learned Societies meeting, entitled “Beginning at the Beginning: Remarks on Methodology in Philosophy of Religion.” One of Lochhead’s central arguments is against that of Antony Flew, when Flew suggests (God and Philosophy, 1966) that we “begin at the beginning” and that the beginning is deciding upon and examining a “minimal definition: of ‘God’.”

Lochhead wants to show that for philosophy of religion, for history of religion, comparative religions, theology…not just that that is not a proper beginning, but the stronger thesis that “there is no such thing as the beginning at all.”

Lochhead summarizes Flew’s beginning as follows: Taking his cue from the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England, Flew proposes the following “minimal definition” of the word “God”: God is a “Being which is unique, unitary, incorporal, infinitely powerful, wise and good, personal but without passions, and the maker and preserver of the universe.” (God and Philosophy, 2.7). Religious belief, Flew suggests, stands or falls with the coherence of this definition - or something like it. The concept of God is logically fundamental to religious relief as a whole. (It is not clear the this would be an accurate portrayal of Flew's more current views.)

Lochhead’s quarrel is not with the “words” of the definition. It is an understanding that is in some sense representative. The real problem is, first, that it is not really a definition but a description. It is a description of a (real or imaginary) individual named “God”. Such a description is logically derivative out of a prior understanding that says, among other things, that no description of God is literally true.

Another part of the problem is that the word “God” is used ambivalently. As a common noun, it refers to a class of gods of various descriptions. A monotheist will hold that this class has only one member. As a proper noun, it names an individual. As Lochhead remarks, it is neither profound nor original to point out this dual logical role of the word “God”.

He goes on from this to identify three types of statement about God. In the first, a meaning is given to the common noun. This turns out to be the definition. In the second, an individual is identified as being a member (perhaps the only member) of this class of divine beings. This is the identification statement. The third class of statements presupposes both of the above, describes attributes, and statements are called attributive statements.

At this point, Lochhead moves to the “constructive task” in which he argues that the most important statements in a study of religion are the meaning statements and the identification statements. He argues that the two are necessary in any theological system. And finally, there is overwhelming variety in both meaning statements and identification statements. So overwhelming that: “The conclusion that must be drawn is that there is no such thing as religious belief or the theistic position that can be evaluated philosophically for its coherence and validity”.

I hope it is clear just how important this statement is. So, very briefly, let us look at this overwhelming variety in meaning and identification statements that led him to this rather radical conclusion. He begins with Karl Barth and Paul Tillich, and moves to others. With regard to the meaning statement, we see such alternatives as: “A god is a power responsible for the existence of the Universe”. “A god is what a man worships”. “A god is an ultimate concern”. “A god is the ultimate basis of man’s confidence and hope”. The fact that the options could be very greatly multiplied, he argues, “implies the possibility of an indefinite number of different types of theological endeavours.”

He adds: ”It is not necessary, therefore, that any two theologians must be understood as being engaged in essentially the same enterprise. For one, theology may be the demography of heaven. For another it may be the study of the meaning of human existence”.

The same comment is repeated with regard to identification statements. We find: “The supremely perfect being” (Rationalism). “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Blaise Pascal). “Being-Itself” (Paul Tillich). “The Thou which by its very nature cannot become it” (Martin Buber). “He Who Is” (Thomas Aquinas).

“To look for some common ideology under the description ‘belief in God’ is, to put it mildly, naïve.” Thence the conclusion quoted above: there is no such thing as “religious belief” or “the theistic position.” Therefore, for the philosopher, there is no beginning at which to begin.

Now there may be ways around this conclusion, particularly if we move to seeking the commonality of religious experience in the act – in the verb rather than the noun. But there remains a real stark importance in Lochhead’s observations to the philosophy of religion, the study of world religions, and to theology.

[edit] Bibliography of David Morgan Lochhead

1977 - The Liberation of the Bible (The Student Christian Movement of Canada, 1977, World Student Christian Federation of North America - 1977)

1978 - The Lordship of Jesus, report of the Committee on Christian Faith to the 27th General Council of the United Church (Toronto: The United Church General Council, 1978)

1981 - Living Between Memory and Hope - a Bible Study for Today, with B. J. Klassen (Toronto: Division of Communication, United Church of Canada, 1981)

1983 - Faith of the Church, ten essays on some fundamentals of the faith (Toronto: United Church Observer, 1983)

1988 - The Dialogical Imperative - A Christian Reflection on Interfaith Encounter (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1988)

1988 - Theology in a Digital World(Toronto: United Church Publishing House, 1988) - a collection of six essays: Theology in a Digital World; Theology about a Machine; Does God Love Computers? The New Electronic Church; The Tower of Babel Revisited; Toward a Theology of Information

1988 - General Council Online, David Lochhead, Editor (Vancouver: Small Computers in the Church Committee, 1988

1997 - Ecunet ’97 Conference Proceedings May 28-31, 1997 (Vancouver: Chalmers Institute, 1998) - David chaired this conference - his introduction of J. T. Roberson is included, David delivered his Theme Presentation: "Modem Dreams" (included) at the closing Banquet.

1997 - Shifting Realities (Geneva: WCC (World Council of Churches) Publishing, 1997)

1997 - Online Distance Education and the Digital Revolution (Vancouver: Chalmers Institute, 1997)

The following articles are available on David Lochhead's web-page: ^[5]

1988 - The Magical Computer

1990 - Have You Hugged Your Computer Today?

1991 - Software World

1994 - Technology and Interpretation - a Footnote to McLuhan

1995 - Living in Virtual Un/Reality (at Ecunet '95, Baltimore)

1995 - Technology, Communication, and the Future (at Ecunet '95, Baltimore)

1997 - Technology and Distance Education - (SACEM, Fort Worth Texas)

[edit] Computer pioneer

Lochhead was a pioneer user of a personal computer from before 1980. He taught himself the programming language to turn the computer into an aide for him in his theological and biblical studies.^[6] Lochhead establishing a personal FidoNet site, linking up with other sites across North America.

Lochhead met others of similar interest from many other Churches, primarily in the U. S. A. They began to communicate together using The Source an online service provider founded in 1979, one of the early computer networks. ^[7] They learned how the Participate ("Parti") software enhanced dialogical discussion. He started UCHUG, a group of computer enthusiasts from the United Church of Canada in an experiment financed by the Church. Out of many discussions an ecumenical network took shape involving dozens of other Churches. By 1985 the network was operating which two years later was called was incorporated as Ecunet, Inc. David Lochhead was elected the first President of Ecunet, Inc, which has grown from a membership of a few hundred to many thousands. ^[8]

[edit] Buddhist-Christian Dialogue

By the mid-80's, partnering with the American theologian John Cobb he was in the forefront of Buddhist-Christian encounter,. Out of this experience came his important 1988 work, The Dialogical Imperative. ^[9]

[edit] Work with Native people

In 1985 the Vancouver School of Theology began to examine how the school could become involved with First Nations people. As a member of faculty Lochhead was very active in furthering this development. The school joined with four groups to form the Native Ministries Consortium which began in 1985 to offer a summer school for the training of First Nations lay leaders in their various Churches. David participated in these summer schools. By 1989 the school decided to develop a Master of Divinity degree by extension for First Nations people and Lochhead was a key person on the joint faculty-First Nations committee that was tasked with developing this program and created one of the first courses to be used in the curriculum.

One of the challenges in delivering this extension program was ongoing communication with the tutors and students in the field as the program grew to involve First Nations people in such distant places as Northern British Columbia, Northern Manitoba, Alaska, South Dakota. Lochhead was instrumental in developing a network of communication through his involvement with Ecunet. Each area obtained modems and joined Ecunet through which ongoing contact and communication was facilitated. Lochhead set up several workshops to train both tutors and First Nations people in the use of telecommunications. All of this was before the development of the Internet.

An offshoot of David’s involvement with native people was the establishment of FidoNet Bulletin Boards in Northern British Columbia. Through his association with the Venerable John A. (Ian) MackKenzie, Archdeacon of Caledonia and a member of the Nisga’a Tribal Council, Lochhead eastablished three Bulletin Boards: first in Terrace in the home of Ian Mackenzie and became the first BBS for Terrace. Second in the HQ of the Nisga’a Tribal Council in New Aiyansh and third in the Synod office of the Diocese of Caledonia in Prince Rupert. This early use of new technology by the Nisga’a provided part of the impetus for that nation to make more and more use of the computer generated virtual world. Indeed by the early nineties the Nisga’a had developed one of the first Geographical Information System in northwestern BC.

[edit] References