6. Silence in modern and future Christianities
'Silence in modern and future Christianities', lecture 6 in Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch's Gifford lecture series on silence and Christianity
Lecture abstract
We consider the democratisation of the quest for silence in industrial society: the tangling of a secular society with the silences provided by Christian tradition, through for instance the popularity of retreats, or the observance of silence in remembrance. We see the importance of ‘whistle-blowing’ to modern Christianity, and its use of the historical discipline. We ponder the relation of agnosticism to silence; the role of music in silence and Christian understanding; the relationship between Word and Spirit in the future of Christian life