It seems like it is taking my wife and me a long time getting to know each other's parents. I blame cell phones. If Amy's family wants to talk to her, they call her phone; if my parents want to talk to me, they call mine. If we had a land line, I'd have to answer my in-laws' calls sometime. As it is, we really only speak when we're together for holidays. The very technology that's supposed to bring us together actually keeps us from connecting.
Shane Hipps' Flickering Pixels: How technology shapes your faith (Zondervan, 2009) talks about how other media—including books, television, and the Internet—all influence the way we process reality and, as a result, the way we understand our faith. If you've ever wanted to know how the development of printed books during the Reformation affected the future of Christianity, or if you'd like to hear how the telegraph encouraged postmodernity, you'll find Flickering Pixels an interesting read.
Hipps' writing style is clear and engaging. He avoids denouncing any technology or blaming the church for using it. His goal is simply to make people aware of the subtle influence of electronic media on the average person's faith. And I think he's a grand success. I finished the book with a long list of questions—not because Hipps didn't do his homework, but because he opened up a whole new world to me that I hadn't considered before.
I recommend reading the book with a friend or small group. You'll have lots to talk about.
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The media is the message, right? How else could we be restrained to summing up whole books in 250 words or less?
Posted by: mattlumpkin | February 19, 2009 11:13 PM