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The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church
Doing Church in a Media-Drenched Culture It has been said, “the future is now.” From cell phones to mp3 players to the Internet, no previous age has seen such profound change manifested so quickly. But these thrilling, dizzying transformations are forcing the church to decide where it fits in all this progress. Shane Hipps presents the promise and peril of the emerging culture and its relationship to the emerging church. Looking beyond the details of what’s happening in communities of faith, Hipps analyzes the broader impact of technology and media on the church while engaging readers with questions such as: • Is media/technology value-neutral? • How has technology changed the way we think about Scripture, community, and worship? • What cultural opportunities has the church missed? • How should the church position itself to take advantage of coming cultural trends? Providing both history and prophecy, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture invites us to engage new cultural realities while staying connected to our spiritual heritage.
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 27, 2020
Though this is a few years old, I think this book can speak to the current situation the church is found in, during this pandemic. Shane Hipps does a great job of exploring the ins and outs of how various mediums affect culture. We tend to focus more on the message and content within our mediums and ignore the medium itself.
July 31, 2011
FABUOUS! If you serve in the arts ministry of a church this is a great book to read.
July 15, 2019
A bit challenging to to wrap my head around, but a worthy read. It raised my awareness of the effects of the medium on our lives and particularly on the way we worship
February 18, 2016
You wonder what you are in for when you read the blurb of this book. Eminent pastors and Christian authors all shout Hipps praises, but these commendations are all in the same vain: I wonder what would have happened had I not read this book. For church leadership, I would most certainly echo this sentiment. But as I hope to show in this short review, Hipps book is entirely relevant to any church goer who honestly wants to make sense of the electro-maelstrom that is today’s technology. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture takes no prisoners and demands some radical ‘re-appraisals’ of worship that have and will continue to raise conjecture. The long and short of it is that anyone, regardless of their position in the church hierarchy, should be glad this books exists. As Hipps states, it is only when we question a medium that we affirm our power over it.//
A quick caveat though. Hipps favours the Marshall McLuhan approach to cultural investigation and whilst this gives the book a good analytical framework, McLuhan’s own work should be subjected to critique. Without sugar-coating it, McLuhan’s work is an enormous can of worms. However, this does not in any way affect the integrity or validity of the book’s content. Hipps has recognised controversy where it does exist and encourages further analysis of any grey area.
The most powerful section of the book, certainly for me, was Hipps passionate acknowledgment of Christians being God’s ‘chosen medium’. In summary, his chapter screams “No more cop outs!” Is humanity flawed? Yes. Does this mean the Church is flawed? Yes. But too often we witness that old excuse “If you want to know what Christianity is like, don’t look at us Christians. We’re as messed up as everybody else. Look at Jesus.” There is certainly truth in this statement, but it is fast becoming the go-to line whenever we are challenged with some kind of church-related hypocrisy.
There are several chapters dedicated to the re-definition of terms such as ‘medium’ and ‘message’, and it is in these that Hipps demonstrates how (through Christ), God’s medium and message are combined perfectly. What’s more, God found a way to ensure the divine presence of Christ would remain active on earth through the creation of a new medium; the church. Thus, the Church is defined quite nicely as the medium for God’s ongoing revelation to the world. Consequently, we are faced with profound implications if we define the church in this way. Even more profound when you consider our current cultural context and interaction with today’s electrical maelstrom of technology.
Hipps speaks of us as ‘electric nomads’; individuals who are involved in the push-pull paradox of modern technology. More than ever before we are connecting to more people, more often over ever-increasing distances via our mobile phones, PDA’s and internet based social networking services. Yet for all this ‘connectivity’ can we truly say that we are part of an authentic community? Well, no. This is virtual community and something Hipps calls ‘the cotton candy quality relationship’. IE: Nothing wrong with it when used moderation, but poses a definite problem when it becomes the preferred form of community. Authentic community can not survive with this kind of technology facilitated ‘intimate anonymity’. Scripture calls us to authentic to community, labeling it as an absolute necessity and powerful witness. Yes, the old adage comes into play here: familiarity breeds contempt so we all need our space! The pull of the cotton candy community is huge as our current individualistic culture designates such conflicts as something to be avoided at all costs. A quote from Andy Crouch: “No one gets out of any serous experiment in human community-church, marriage, family or otherwise- without discovering and becoming an enemy”. Simply put, it will happen.
I certainly know what question I was asking after all the dust settled… Is there some method in the madness? Why on earth would God choose such a frail and inconsistent medium to embody his abiding message? I think it is fair to say it is logical that such a message of redemption and reconciliation would be better carried by bent and bruised hearts as living testament to God’s stunning power to reach through human sin, failure and sadness. It’s not a call to perfection, but a call to increase a great witness as God’s chosen medium.
A quick caveat though. Hipps favours the Marshall McLuhan approach to cultural investigation and whilst this gives the book a good analytical framework, McLuhan’s own work should be subjected to critique. Without sugar-coating it, McLuhan’s work is an enormous can of worms. However, this does not in any way affect the integrity or validity of the book’s content. Hipps has recognised controversy where it does exist and encourages further analysis of any grey area.
The most powerful section of the book, certainly for me, was Hipps passionate acknowledgment of Christians being God’s ‘chosen medium’. In summary, his chapter screams “No more cop outs!” Is humanity flawed? Yes. Does this mean the Church is flawed? Yes. But too often we witness that old excuse “If you want to know what Christianity is like, don’t look at us Christians. We’re as messed up as everybody else. Look at Jesus.” There is certainly truth in this statement, but it is fast becoming the go-to line whenever we are challenged with some kind of church-related hypocrisy.
There are several chapters dedicated to the re-definition of terms such as ‘medium’ and ‘message’, and it is in these that Hipps demonstrates how (through Christ), God’s medium and message are combined perfectly. What’s more, God found a way to ensure the divine presence of Christ would remain active on earth through the creation of a new medium; the church. Thus, the Church is defined quite nicely as the medium for God’s ongoing revelation to the world. Consequently, we are faced with profound implications if we define the church in this way. Even more profound when you consider our current cultural context and interaction with today’s electrical maelstrom of technology.
Hipps speaks of us as ‘electric nomads’; individuals who are involved in the push-pull paradox of modern technology. More than ever before we are connecting to more people, more often over ever-increasing distances via our mobile phones, PDA’s and internet based social networking services. Yet for all this ‘connectivity’ can we truly say that we are part of an authentic community? Well, no. This is virtual community and something Hipps calls ‘the cotton candy quality relationship’. IE: Nothing wrong with it when used moderation, but poses a definite problem when it becomes the preferred form of community. Authentic community can not survive with this kind of technology facilitated ‘intimate anonymity’. Scripture calls us to authentic to community, labeling it as an absolute necessity and powerful witness. Yes, the old adage comes into play here: familiarity breeds contempt so we all need our space! The pull of the cotton candy community is huge as our current individualistic culture designates such conflicts as something to be avoided at all costs. A quote from Andy Crouch: “No one gets out of any serous experiment in human community-church, marriage, family or otherwise- without discovering and becoming an enemy”. Simply put, it will happen.
I certainly know what question I was asking after all the dust settled… Is there some method in the madness? Why on earth would God choose such a frail and inconsistent medium to embody his abiding message? I think it is fair to say it is logical that such a message of redemption and reconciliation would be better carried by bent and bruised hearts as living testament to God’s stunning power to reach through human sin, failure and sadness. It’s not a call to perfection, but a call to increase a great witness as God’s chosen medium.
February 19, 2008
The premise of this book is that the medium is the message. The way we communicate is just as important as what we communicate. This is an important book that alerts us to the affect of electronic culture on the church. Most helpful in understanding this is how the author explains the move from oral culture to print culture after the printing press was invented (1400s) and how this affected the church. We face a similar change now as we move away from print culture.
March 30, 2009
While the theology goes a little sideways once in a while, the basic concepts of the book regarding the use and implications of media in worship and church are very thought provoking. Shane has a deep and brilliant way of thinking about cultural ramifications and where media has been, is and where it's going. A good read for any pastor.
May 9, 2012
Had some good things to say and gave a Christian perspective on media’s effect. Little scattered in thought at times and many statements in the ‘practical’ section were not well supported. Overall a good read; will need to read it again.
December 28, 2015
Fascinating look at our digital culture and the effect it has on our communication of the Gospel.
May 27, 2009
Interesting...to a point.
June 30, 2010
A bit challenging to to wrap my head around, but a worthy read. It raised my awareness of the effects of the medium on our lives and particularly on the way we worship.
January 18, 2013
This is really a profound book with a clear-eyed look at the hidden ways technology mediums influence us. Well worth the read. And it inspires me to take a look at some of the original sources too.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews