A new online theology journal is hoping to bridge the gap between academics and laypeople. And it's all thanks to memes.

Micah Enns-Dyck is an undergraduate student at Canadian Mennonite University studying philosophy and theology. (Supplied)Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) student Micah Enns-Dyck is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Macrina Magazine. He became connected with a theological and philosophical community through his involvement with Facebook meme-pages.

Over the last two years, Enns-Dyck has become increasingly involved in different "Facebook forums, communities and meme-pages." Eventually starting his own meme-page, Hauerwasian Memes For Pacifist Teens. This page has gained popularity over the years and boasts 8,500 likes on Facebook.

Through this platform, Enns-Dyck has, "'met' a remarkable amount of incredible people ( people of all ages from across the world) who share similar interests and sensibilities."

Enns-Dyck is now using this platform a little differently than most meme-pages might. He says, "with the audience, I had on my meme-page I just felt like we could do something really cool, more than just making memes, which is great but we could do something constructive and generative.

"I think there are a lot of really strong writers in these circles and people who have strong ideas and thoughts, but the only avenues to explore those ideas are ... academic journals which are great but it is hard and not a lot of people read them because they are costly and usually pretty obscure, so that is an issue."

On the other hand, many non-academic theologians turn to personal posts or blogging to share their ideas. Enns-Dyck finds that these platforms, "just lack the richness of vision and thought."

The hope for Macrina is to be a medium between academic journals and blogs where "there can be this rigorous discipline and thought in a sort of way that it is not reduced at the academy."

The name 'Macrina' also encourages and stands for these principals. The Magazine is named after "St Macrina the younger. She was a 4th-century Christian in the Cappadocia era ... she is sort of seen as a real influence on the aesthetical movement in Christianity and the disciplined life of a Christian."

Enns-Dyck adds, "I think what drew me to her as a figure for the magazine was this rigorous discipline, this life of faith."

(Supplied)

The first issue of Macrina Magazine will feature articles, reflections, and essays from everyone involved in the publication. However, Enns-Dyck is looking forward to opening the publication up to the public in subsequent issues.

Enns-Dyck has written a short reflection for this first issue of the magazine on expression as a concept, "specifically, the risk that is involved in expression and sort of being at the mercy of another person when we express." 

A quote Enns-Dyck uses, to sum up, the magazine comes from the theologian Kevin Corrigan: "Philosophy is the spirit of living wisdom which embraces the whole of the human life prayer, manual work, hospitality, care of the sick, of the poor and dying. It is a life entirely given to God a life not without risk. A life lived on the boundaries of human nature. It includes a vibrant intellectually, a lifelong study, and a spirit of true inquiry and it culminates in the divine love of a person, Christ."

The first issue of Macrina Magazine launches this Saturday, with the website going live 12 p.m.