Fr. Nicholas Dellermann (STOTS Alumnus 2008) was asked to lead a workshop at the annual College Conference East, hosted by the OCF and held this year at the Antiochian Village on Dec. 28-31.

His workshop entitled Transfiguring Culture: Renewal of the Mind emphasized understanding culture as a shared response of individuals or groups of individuals within a particular historical moment and setting. 

This was placed within the context of the emergence and vast global popularity of social networking technologies such as Facebook and Twitter. 

It went on to examine how the Church can use such technologies to enhance and support our common experience as Orthodox Christians but also cautioned against some of the potential dangers that can arise naturally when any kind of public discourse occurs within such an open and easily manipulated forum.

The workshop closed with a group discussion on the nature of shared experience itself and the differences between that and True Communion as it occurs within the liturgical life of the Church.

The Keynote speaker was Dr. Gayle Woloschak, a molecular-biologist, and director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science in Chicago, IL. 

Her three part presentation was on The Church and Technology: Bioethical Considerations. 

For a full list of speakers and events a link to the OCF website has been provided below.