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iPod, YouTube, Wii Play
Should Christians w00t or wail about the scope and power of modern entertainment? Maybe both. But first, Christians should think theologically about our human passion to be entertained as it relates to the popular culture that entertains us. Avoiding the one-size-fits-all celebrations and condemnations that characterize the current fad of pop culture analyses, this book engages entertainments case by case, uncovering the imaginative patterns and shaping power of our amusements. Individual chapters weave together analyses of entertainment forms, formats, technologies, trends, contents, and audiences to display entertainment as a multifaceted formational ecology.
- GenresTechnologyTheology
220 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 16, 2014
A great title and a thought provoking read, with great insights.
The first two chapters concentrate on general aspects of entertainment and its impact on us, our thinking, our time, its ubiquitousness etc. After setting out the framework in superb style, allowing for entertainment both being trivial and a subversive self-glorifying power, Laytham tackles various entertainment media in turn - music, YouTube, Twitter, Gaming & Gambling, and a few others.
Generally well balanced, seeing entertainment neither as an exclusively frivolous waste of time, nor as Satan's cunning masterplan to sidetrack the world, nor as the way to do church and present the gospel.
Laytham strikes a reasonable balance throughout, if a little too favourable, for this reader, of some forms of media input, seeming to stretch the point to see more usefulness than is perhaps there. Yet he is far from uncritical, and provides many helpful critiques and insights into what is going on when we engage, and in particular when the church tries to copy the world and do entertainment in the church instead of worship.
Well worth the read to get your head around some of the impacts that may not have struck you.
My copy is well highlighted.
The first two chapters concentrate on general aspects of entertainment and its impact on us, our thinking, our time, its ubiquitousness etc. After setting out the framework in superb style, allowing for entertainment both being trivial and a subversive self-glorifying power, Laytham tackles various entertainment media in turn - music, YouTube, Twitter, Gaming & Gambling, and a few others.
Generally well balanced, seeing entertainment neither as an exclusively frivolous waste of time, nor as Satan's cunning masterplan to sidetrack the world, nor as the way to do church and present the gospel.
Laytham strikes a reasonable balance throughout, if a little too favourable, for this reader, of some forms of media input, seeming to stretch the point to see more usefulness than is perhaps there. Yet he is far from uncritical, and provides many helpful critiques and insights into what is going on when we engage, and in particular when the church tries to copy the world and do entertainment in the church instead of worship.
Well worth the read to get your head around some of the impacts that may not have struck you.
My copy is well highlighted.
Displaying 1 of 1 review