Gatherings

A revolutionary practice for meeting to address contemporary challenges originated during the late Renaissance in France and Italy. This development has an incredible backstory.

In France, gatherings were associated with salon, a French word derived from the Italian word salone referring to the large reception hall of Italian mansions. Originally the gatherings in these halls focused on literary and art appreciation, but they soon moved to religion, politics, and other social issues. The popularity of these events increased when thousands of printing presses made the swift circulation of news, the Scriptures, and new ideas accessible. The Church and governing authorities were unprepared for the increasingly literate populace.

During the early Reformation an exceptional French woman by the name of Marguerite de Navarre became quite influential. She was the sister to the king of France, Francois. Marguerite was a scholar in languages, philosophy, and the Scriptures. While Francois was a traditional Catholic, Marguerite de Navarre supported the reformers and much of their theology as a Catholic. She is usually referred to today as a mother of the French Renaissance because of her support for Leonardo da Vinci and other artists as well as for her bold writings on gender, marriage, and spiritual struggles. But Marguerite’s greatest contribution was as a mediator, protector, and creator of opportunities for the reformers. One of those opportunities was the gatherings, or salons.

Marguerite cared deeply about justice issues related to the poor, abuses against women, and persecution of the reformers. On occasion she petitioned to release reformers from prison. The famous scholar Erasmus and reformer John Calvin benefited from their association with Marguerite in other ways. Along with her cousin Renata di Francia, another fierce supporter of the reformers, she provided funds, a secluded place to write, and the use of salons to discuss their ideas. The combination of the printed word and these meetings helped incentivize the public to become literate.

Both Marguerite de Navarre and Renata di Francia appear to have branded the earliest practice of the salon, which continued to evolve. There is no officially recorded format for how these gatherings operated, but this much can be gleaned from a wide array of sources:

·      A host sends out an invitation, often announcing the topic in advance

·      The host or a guest speaker presents thoughts on a specific topic

·      The host facilitates the discussion among the guests—there is always discussion

·      Participants exchange ideas and are treated as equals, regardless of social distinctions

·      At many times the subjects being discussed are considerably pertinent to the times

·      The purpose of the gathering is to inspire, exchange ideas, and allow debate for the purpose of learning and to stoke collective passion—not division

In recent years, salons and similar gatherings under different names have seen a renaissance in Europe, where they are used to discuss major topics on the mind of younger generations. Two years ago, my wife Tricia and I began to host two or three small salons a year, discussing topics that were related to spirituality and culture. Interestingly, our good friend’s daughter, Justine Kolata, is the founder and director of a nonprofit cultural organization in London that works to revive the tradition of salon culture. Justine wrote this timely thought about salons in “A Renaissance of Salon Culture.”

Salons are one way of addressing this modern dilemma of isolation and malaise. They evidently do not replace the internet, social media, or other transformations in communication, which undoubtedly also have great benefits, but they offer an essential foundation for communication that has been corroded in the process of technological advancement, by creating communities around ideas in the real world where they matter most. One of the many problems that salon culture addresses is that unlike internet exchanges veiled in an anonymity which often fuels hatred, ignorance, and misunderstanding, in a salon, one must argue cogently for and publicly justify one’s ideas.[1]

In late March, when Covid-19 changed the ability for Christians to have intimate interactive worship, we began holding Sunday-morning salon-style meetings over Zoom for a group of a dozen or more friends and family. Our salon/gathering topics included how early Christians engaged with social unrest, the biblical versus popular concepts of empathy, the historical context of Jesus’ act of protest when he turned over the tables of the moneychangers, and our Lord’s strategy for bringing all people together under one banner. We have also compared and contrasted America’s justice system with the ideals established in Scripture. It became the preferred place for some of us to process and integrate our thoughts. I will begin placing notes for earlier and upcoming discussions on www.bridginginternational.com. 

In both my professional and private life I am motivated by collaborative efforts to understand and solve problems with the major players looking at the same information, side by side—even if it is through webinars. I can make the case that the best things that happen to address serious issues in the world occur when there is deep listening, shared information, and ample space for people to reflect without being shamed. A little humility, respect, and leadership can lead to integrative solutions. It can begin with good gatherings.

[1] https://www.publicspheresalons.com/whysalons