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Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age
What does it mean to be an analog church in a digital age? In recent decades the digital world has taken over our society at nearly every level, and the church has increasingly followed suit--often in ways we're not fully aware of. But as even the culture at large begins to reckon with the limits of a digital world, it's time for the church to take stock. Are online churches, video venues, and brighter lights truly the future? What about the digital age's effect on discipleship, community, and the Bible? As a pastor in Silicon Valley, Jay Kim has experienced the digital church in all its splendor. In Analog Church, he grapples with the ramifications of a digital church, from our worship and experience of Christian community to the way we engage Scripture and sacrament. Could it be that in our efforts to stay relevant in our digital age, we've begun to give away the very thing that our age most desperately needs: transcendence? Could it be that the best way to reach new generations is in fact found in a more timeless path? Could it be that at its heart, the church has really been analog all along?
216 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2020
90 people are currently reading
887 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
July 14, 2023
A great synthesis of ideas that confront and challenge the format and function of our churches. I've read quite a bit in the area of Christianity and technology, and think that Kim does an excellent job of creating an approachable and thoughtful engagement with the digital world in the way we worship, read scripture, and participate in community. Can't wait to read his follow-up "Analog Christian".
June 11, 2020
In this book, Jay Y. Kim shares a unique and helpful perspective on digital culture and Christianity, arguing that when churches adopt technology for the sake of relevance, they alienate the very people they are trying to reach. Churches often conduct their outreach with an advertising mindset, trying to reach the younger generation with their “product,” but because young people feel jaded towards consumer culture, this approach backfires. What young people are really seeking isn’t a high-energy rock concert, but a sense of transcendence within a meaningful community.
Kim argues that even though some forms of technology can enhance embodied gatherings, technology also distracts and distances people from one another. Throughout this book, he shares secular research findings about the impact of technology and explores the unintended consequences of common church-growth strategies, urging pastors to recapture healthy philosophical views of what worship, community, and Scripture-reading really mean. In the later chapters, he provides robust, clear examples of how Christians can recapture an embodied, transcendent faith, and best of all, he does this in a way that is accessible to a variety of church sizes and denominations, encouraging pastors to think through their local context instead of imitating whatever practices other successful churches are promoting.
Analog Church is a wonderful, timely resource for both pastors and laypeople who are reevaluating their ministry philosophies in light of COVID-19. Even though Kim’s writing predates the pandemic, his reflections on the role of technology in worship answer a lot of different questions that people are thinking through right now, and this book can be a wonderful tool for pastors and congregations as they evaluate what they will do differently in the future as they prepare to gather again.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Kim argues that even though some forms of technology can enhance embodied gatherings, technology also distracts and distances people from one another. Throughout this book, he shares secular research findings about the impact of technology and explores the unintended consequences of common church-growth strategies, urging pastors to recapture healthy philosophical views of what worship, community, and Scripture-reading really mean. In the later chapters, he provides robust, clear examples of how Christians can recapture an embodied, transcendent faith, and best of all, he does this in a way that is accessible to a variety of church sizes and denominations, encouraging pastors to think through their local context instead of imitating whatever practices other successful churches are promoting.
Analog Church is a wonderful, timely resource for both pastors and laypeople who are reevaluating their ministry philosophies in light of COVID-19. Even though Kim’s writing predates the pandemic, his reflections on the role of technology in worship answer a lot of different questions that people are thinking through right now, and this book can be a wonderful tool for pastors and congregations as they evaluate what they will do differently in the future as they prepare to gather again.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2023
A necessary book for a lot of “digital natives” who are starting to age into church leadership roles. This is a great book on how the modern American church’s practices and relationship to technology are at times unhelpful and at other times straight up harmful.
Kim’s thesis is that technology informs, but it’s analogue church practices that truly transform. COVID has shown how truly prophetic this book is.
This is a book that’s more about leading an analogue church than being an analogue church, if that makes sense. It stays interesting from start to end, and is one of the very few Christian books that I feel doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. I feel like I’m (as a layperson) missing some pieces of the puzzle of how I can contribute to an analogue church.
Maybe Kim didn’t have me in mind with this book, and that’s ok. I’m hopeful for the follow up “Analogue Christian” to see if that helps me to have a more full view of how normal people play a role in ‘analogue church-ing’.
That said, I think all Gen Z church leaders would benefit from this. It’ll expose what are likely blind spots for many.
Kim’s thesis is that technology informs, but it’s analogue church practices that truly transform. COVID has shown how truly prophetic this book is.
This is a book that’s more about leading an analogue church than being an analogue church, if that makes sense. It stays interesting from start to end, and is one of the very few Christian books that I feel doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. I feel like I’m (as a layperson) missing some pieces of the puzzle of how I can contribute to an analogue church.
Maybe Kim didn’t have me in mind with this book, and that’s ok. I’m hopeful for the follow up “Analogue Christian” to see if that helps me to have a more full view of how normal people play a role in ‘analogue church-ing’.
That said, I think all Gen Z church leaders would benefit from this. It’ll expose what are likely blind spots for many.
May 12, 2020
(4.5) Every era shapes the Church, and this digital era is no different. What really makes a church relevant? Why does the Church really exist, and what are its hallmark characteristics? Kim asks church leaders and all Christians to thoughtfully evaluate their answers to these questions. This book prompts us to be discerning about, and constantly attentive to the ways that our use of technology limits, hurts, or helps our discipleship, worship, community, and understanding of scripture.
Kim’s writing feels like having a warm, friendly, and respectful conversation about such contested aspects of the modern day Church.
Kim’s writing feels like having a warm, friendly, and respectful conversation about such contested aspects of the modern day Church.
April 30, 2020
This is a strange time to be reading this book. With much of the world locked down due to the coronavirus crisis, many churches are forced to conduct services digitally. They meet via virtual rooms. They see each other's faces (when the cameras are turned on), as well as the physical environment they are in. More often than not, they put on their best looks when online. In a digital environment, things are made to look more like zeros and ones, metaphorically. As the world becomes more digitized and virtualized, we have a challenge of trying to make human connections as authentic as possible. Knowing the limitations of technology is one thing. Making extra effort to bridge the gaps is another. In this increasingly hybrid community, we don't really have a choice. Digital Church is convenient but not necessarily practical; fast but not necessarily effective; comfortable but not necessarily authentic. Author Jay Kim takes a closer look at the differences between analog and digital communities and points out why digital connections can only go so far and are ultimately inadequate for true connections. He cautions readers against adopting a sense of what CS Lewis calls "chronological snobbery," which is another way of preferring new things over the new. True enjoyment and happiness comes not with the latest and greatest gizmos but the down to earth relational activities we do, especially those face-to-face. Otherwise, we reduce human relationships to convenience, efficiency, and even status updates. The latter especially is merely a tip of the understanding the iceberg of a person. One can post an emotional status now and a minute later feels totally opposite of what was posted.
Trouble is, what is updated online does not necessarily stays the same all the time. Things change. People change, but the online updates are only as accurate as the latest update. For all updates are but snapshots in time. Moreover, electronic mediums can only capture a figment of one's personality. Kim makes several good observations when comparing and contrasting digital vs analog. He notes that the main connection digitally is the camera, rather than the persons involved. For with the camera comes the temptation to be relevant at all costs, even if it means playacting. Taking a leaf from Marshall McLuhan's thesis about the medium being the message, he points out that the key to spirituality is transcendence rather than relevance. What he means is that kingdom matters are often contrary to worldly concerns. He turns against the fallacies of digital communications and points out at least three major negative influences. He critiques the relentless speed that forces us to keep pace beyond our ordinary rhythms. He notes the wide array of choices that render us confused and trapped amid the lack of knowledge of what is most appropriate. He warns us against the rise of individualism that digital technologies promote outwardly and cultivates inwardly. Worse, the triple promises of speed, choices, and individualism are presented as positive and productive values when they actually are contrary to true relationships. For speed makes us impatient; choices make us shallow; and individualism leads to isolation. I can identify with these, especially the metaphor of the front door, the kitchen, and the living room. Digital mediums are great when it comes to introducing and welcoming people at the front door. However, when it comes to the living room and the kitchen where most interactions and deeper communications are made, we need analog. Kim summarizes the call of the Church in three ways:
To gather when the world scatters.
To slow down when the world speeds up.
To commune when the world critiques.
The author covers three broad themes of worship, community, and scripture. On worship, beginning with a story of how one non-believer stopped coming to his church because she finds church like another "rock concert atmosphere." We are reminded that worship isn't limited to singing. It is whole body participation. For those of us with a nostalgic memory, we would remember the shift from repetitive singing to hymn books; from hymnals to projectors; and from overhead projectors to PowerPoint; and from PowerPoint to YouTube. All of these instruments of worship are leading our eyes in the name of relevance to wherever the technology is taking us. There is that subtle shift from harmonizing to individualizing; from congregational singing to performance watching. Kim covers a wide repertoire of modern worship elements that range from watching sermons at home to expectation of their pastors trying to emulate the star preachers. Sadly, this raises a new generation of copycats rather than creative preachers. Worship needs to be transformative and not mindless repetitive or reproduction of the latest and greatest ideas. Witnessing for Christ is the call of the Church; not watching performances of stars.
The book gets better as Kim makes many insights on community and scripture, both crucial to the meaning of worship. He compares the ancient building of the tower of Babel to the modern technological Babel where man seeks to control and circumvent everything that God had intended for. Technology has become a way for self-accomplishment and selfishness. He laments the new generation's ability to think deeper in an environment of quick thinking and shallowness. Interestingly, he observes how we tend to lower our expectations of others through the nature of digital babbling. This requires some explanation. This lowering of expectations is more about "superficial caricatures of others" rather than their abilities. Instead of assuming and drawing out the best of others, we superficially attach what we want on others and dumb our own ideas down on them. This damages community in more ways than one. Kim also distinguishes between "online church" and "Church online" preferring the latter over the former. This parallels Sherry Turkle's observation of the former being "alone together." A Church online is one where people gather and participate regardless of medium.
One disturbing discovery is the way many digital applications are designed with slot machine mentality. Kim cites a certain Tristan Harris who basically critiques these technological applications for their tendency to realign people to the organizational interests rather than to humanity's best interests. Subtly, the app creators aim to make people refresh the page frequently in the hope of seeing something they want to see, just like slot machines that tempt people to keep pulling the lever in the hope of landing the big prize. This is worth reflecting upon more thoughtfully instead of uncritical use. On Scripture, I appreciate the reminder that Christianity is a "bookish" faith, written to be heard and read, not downloaded and kept in our digital devices. Do read till the end of the book for the author to explain why the subtitle of the book is a bit of a "misnomer."
My Thoughts
==============
This is one of the most thoughtful books on technology and faith that I have read. Let me offer three thoughts. First, technology is making us put on individualistic weight. The other day, I was thinking about the reasons for binge watching. I grow up in an era of watching TV serials where episodes are released once a week. Before each new episode, we would gather together as a family after dinner and sit in the living room sofas waiting for the next exciting continuing episode. This became a routine we enjoy every week in front of the family TV. Nowadays, we have Netflix and all kinds of streaming services that allow us to stream many TV serials without having to wait. We watch it anytime instead of the weekly scheduled time. We watch it anywhere in our own rooms. We watch it on any devices convenient to us, even away from home. No longer do we bother to wait for the episodes to arrive. We simply wait until the entire series could be streamed and we can then watch at our individual convenience instead of using it as a time for family togetherness.
Second, Kim makes an important point about the decrease in qualitative value because of technology. In looking at the comparison between analog and digital, I note that there is also the difference in terms of quality. Jay Millar says it well when contrasting between modern MP3s and vinyl records, that "digitization is the peak of convenience, but vinyl is the peak of experience." This reminds me of the camera zoom lens. Digital zoom can magnify many times more compared to optical zoom. However, when it comes to quality, optical zoom beats out digital hands down. I cannot help but feel that a digitized generation have compromised quality for convenience. In doing so, they miss out on the true experience that only analog can provide.
Third, this book could be misconstrued as a technological Luddite. Perhaps, the author has been overly critical of technology that the book appears lobsided toward the negatives of technology in the Church. Probably, the book is geared more toward those who have blindly accepted technology as a good thing and uncritical about the way they use their digital devices. I understand where Kim is coming from. Some people may quote the Bible's teaching about the distinction of money vs the "love of money" as the root of evil, and apply that to technology, to say something like technology like money is neutral. I remember one of my theological professors assert that technology and money are never neutral. They are principalities of the world used by evil forces in this world. In an increasingly sinful and greedy world of commerce, there is no such thing as a win-win scenario on the use of technology. We need to be watchful and to be careful in how we use them. Thanks to Jay Kim, we have a book to remind us to do just that.
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Inter-Varsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Trouble is, what is updated online does not necessarily stays the same all the time. Things change. People change, but the online updates are only as accurate as the latest update. For all updates are but snapshots in time. Moreover, electronic mediums can only capture a figment of one's personality. Kim makes several good observations when comparing and contrasting digital vs analog. He notes that the main connection digitally is the camera, rather than the persons involved. For with the camera comes the temptation to be relevant at all costs, even if it means playacting. Taking a leaf from Marshall McLuhan's thesis about the medium being the message, he points out that the key to spirituality is transcendence rather than relevance. What he means is that kingdom matters are often contrary to worldly concerns. He turns against the fallacies of digital communications and points out at least three major negative influences. He critiques the relentless speed that forces us to keep pace beyond our ordinary rhythms. He notes the wide array of choices that render us confused and trapped amid the lack of knowledge of what is most appropriate. He warns us against the rise of individualism that digital technologies promote outwardly and cultivates inwardly. Worse, the triple promises of speed, choices, and individualism are presented as positive and productive values when they actually are contrary to true relationships. For speed makes us impatient; choices make us shallow; and individualism leads to isolation. I can identify with these, especially the metaphor of the front door, the kitchen, and the living room. Digital mediums are great when it comes to introducing and welcoming people at the front door. However, when it comes to the living room and the kitchen where most interactions and deeper communications are made, we need analog. Kim summarizes the call of the Church in three ways:
To gather when the world scatters.
To slow down when the world speeds up.
To commune when the world critiques.
The author covers three broad themes of worship, community, and scripture. On worship, beginning with a story of how one non-believer stopped coming to his church because she finds church like another "rock concert atmosphere." We are reminded that worship isn't limited to singing. It is whole body participation. For those of us with a nostalgic memory, we would remember the shift from repetitive singing to hymn books; from hymnals to projectors; and from overhead projectors to PowerPoint; and from PowerPoint to YouTube. All of these instruments of worship are leading our eyes in the name of relevance to wherever the technology is taking us. There is that subtle shift from harmonizing to individualizing; from congregational singing to performance watching. Kim covers a wide repertoire of modern worship elements that range from watching sermons at home to expectation of their pastors trying to emulate the star preachers. Sadly, this raises a new generation of copycats rather than creative preachers. Worship needs to be transformative and not mindless repetitive or reproduction of the latest and greatest ideas. Witnessing for Christ is the call of the Church; not watching performances of stars.
The book gets better as Kim makes many insights on community and scripture, both crucial to the meaning of worship. He compares the ancient building of the tower of Babel to the modern technological Babel where man seeks to control and circumvent everything that God had intended for. Technology has become a way for self-accomplishment and selfishness. He laments the new generation's ability to think deeper in an environment of quick thinking and shallowness. Interestingly, he observes how we tend to lower our expectations of others through the nature of digital babbling. This requires some explanation. This lowering of expectations is more about "superficial caricatures of others" rather than their abilities. Instead of assuming and drawing out the best of others, we superficially attach what we want on others and dumb our own ideas down on them. This damages community in more ways than one. Kim also distinguishes between "online church" and "Church online" preferring the latter over the former. This parallels Sherry Turkle's observation of the former being "alone together." A Church online is one where people gather and participate regardless of medium.
One disturbing discovery is the way many digital applications are designed with slot machine mentality. Kim cites a certain Tristan Harris who basically critiques these technological applications for their tendency to realign people to the organizational interests rather than to humanity's best interests. Subtly, the app creators aim to make people refresh the page frequently in the hope of seeing something they want to see, just like slot machines that tempt people to keep pulling the lever in the hope of landing the big prize. This is worth reflecting upon more thoughtfully instead of uncritical use. On Scripture, I appreciate the reminder that Christianity is a "bookish" faith, written to be heard and read, not downloaded and kept in our digital devices. Do read till the end of the book for the author to explain why the subtitle of the book is a bit of a "misnomer."
My Thoughts
==============
This is one of the most thoughtful books on technology and faith that I have read. Let me offer three thoughts. First, technology is making us put on individualistic weight. The other day, I was thinking about the reasons for binge watching. I grow up in an era of watching TV serials where episodes are released once a week. Before each new episode, we would gather together as a family after dinner and sit in the living room sofas waiting for the next exciting continuing episode. This became a routine we enjoy every week in front of the family TV. Nowadays, we have Netflix and all kinds of streaming services that allow us to stream many TV serials without having to wait. We watch it anytime instead of the weekly scheduled time. We watch it anywhere in our own rooms. We watch it on any devices convenient to us, even away from home. No longer do we bother to wait for the episodes to arrive. We simply wait until the entire series could be streamed and we can then watch at our individual convenience instead of using it as a time for family togetherness.
Second, Kim makes an important point about the decrease in qualitative value because of technology. In looking at the comparison between analog and digital, I note that there is also the difference in terms of quality. Jay Millar says it well when contrasting between modern MP3s and vinyl records, that "digitization is the peak of convenience, but vinyl is the peak of experience." This reminds me of the camera zoom lens. Digital zoom can magnify many times more compared to optical zoom. However, when it comes to quality, optical zoom beats out digital hands down. I cannot help but feel that a digitized generation have compromised quality for convenience. In doing so, they miss out on the true experience that only analog can provide.
Third, this book could be misconstrued as a technological Luddite. Perhaps, the author has been overly critical of technology that the book appears lobsided toward the negatives of technology in the Church. Probably, the book is geared more toward those who have blindly accepted technology as a good thing and uncritical about the way they use their digital devices. I understand where Kim is coming from. Some people may quote the Bible's teaching about the distinction of money vs the "love of money" as the root of evil, and apply that to technology, to say something like technology like money is neutral. I remember one of my theological professors assert that technology and money are never neutral. They are principalities of the world used by evil forces in this world. In an increasingly sinful and greedy world of commerce, there is no such thing as a win-win scenario on the use of technology. We need to be watchful and to be careful in how we use them. Thanks to Jay Kim, we have a book to remind us to do just that.
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Inter-Varsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
March 29, 2020
I read Jay Kim’s book “Analog Church” during the Covid-19 quarantine. As a Church leader, we, like many other churches, moved to online worship services during this crisis. As I began reading the book my initial thought was, “Oh no... here’s a book about the negatives of online church... in a season where every church has been forced to move online! What horrible timing for this book to come out!”
It didn’t take long for me to realize that nothing could be further the truth! The truth and encouragement Jay points to in this book is apt for any season... but is especially poignant in a season where we as church leaders have an excuse to focus on digital connections instead of real life ones.
“Digital informs... Analog transforms.” As a pastor always looking for ways to grow our church and influence- I was convicted and inspired throughout the book. I too, sometimes fall into the trap of “always longing for the bigger and the better.” But Jay’s questions:
“Does this entertain or engage?”
“Are we inviting people to watch or witness?’
are not only haunting in exposing my own motivations- but are so helpful in helping me lead our church in a greater Christ-like direction.
As a Christian leader, in this season, Jay has inspired me to not abandon “digital or online” connections for our church. But rather to use technologies to “increase our appetite for real connections.” Yes! That’s what it has always been about! Real people in real life:
-blood, sweat, tears, laughter and joy with people who bear the image of God! Real life and real love is always found and experienced in incarnation.
I found myself under-lining and highlighting multiple sentences on every page. As said in the Pentecostal world- Jay was... “reading my mail” by exposing lies I’ve bought into and inspiring life where I needed it.
I’m grateful for Jay’s timely words, encouragement, and insights. His message is one for not just the church in the 21st century... but one for our future centuries. I pray that my children and future grandchildren will be the church that demonstrates the transcendence of what it means to love and live like Jesus:
-to gather when the world scatters
-to slow down when the world speeds up
-and to commune when the world critiques.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that nothing could be further the truth! The truth and encouragement Jay points to in this book is apt for any season... but is especially poignant in a season where we as church leaders have an excuse to focus on digital connections instead of real life ones.
“Digital informs... Analog transforms.” As a pastor always looking for ways to grow our church and influence- I was convicted and inspired throughout the book. I too, sometimes fall into the trap of “always longing for the bigger and the better.” But Jay’s questions:
“Does this entertain or engage?”
“Are we inviting people to watch or witness?’
are not only haunting in exposing my own motivations- but are so helpful in helping me lead our church in a greater Christ-like direction.
As a Christian leader, in this season, Jay has inspired me to not abandon “digital or online” connections for our church. But rather to use technologies to “increase our appetite for real connections.” Yes! That’s what it has always been about! Real people in real life:
-blood, sweat, tears, laughter and joy with people who bear the image of God! Real life and real love is always found and experienced in incarnation.
I found myself under-lining and highlighting multiple sentences on every page. As said in the Pentecostal world- Jay was... “reading my mail” by exposing lies I’ve bought into and inspiring life where I needed it.
I’m grateful for Jay’s timely words, encouragement, and insights. His message is one for not just the church in the 21st century... but one for our future centuries. I pray that my children and future grandchildren will be the church that demonstrates the transcendence of what it means to love and live like Jesus:
-to gather when the world scatters
-to slow down when the world speeds up
-and to commune when the world critiques.
July 31, 2020
Summary: An argument for churches maintain real community, participatory worship, the ministry of the word, and communion in an era when it is tempting to "go digital" with the rest of the culture.
This has been an interesting time to come out with a new book. This book takes "interesting" to a new level. It "dropped" on March 31, amid lockdowns and the pivot of business, education, and church to all-digital. In the words of the subtitle, it argues "why we need real people, places, and things in the digital age." Gathering to sing together in close proximity to other people in an enclosed space, listening to the Bible taught without a mediating screen, sharing the Lord's table right now seems like an epidemiologist's nightmare scenario. I can't recommend it--for now.
Jay Y. Kim's argument is an important one that our current constraints actually amplify. He commends "whole body" worship where we are not passive observers of a performance but actually join our voices with others. Right now, the most I can do is sing to a computer screen, with my mike muted, to the accompaniment of either an actual singer or a recorded music track. I've had desserts online and hundreds of conversations, including some rich interactions, but apart from socially distanced visits with family without hugs and a few socially distanced visits with friends, no real presence other than with my wife. I've listened to some great teaching of the scriptures and webinars with thought-provoking content (I've even hosted a few) but none of the times of sitting around a table, Bibles open, wrestling with a text and letting it wrestle with us together. I've not partaken of the Lord's Table since lockdowns began. I've heard of it being led virtually where we bring our own bread and cup. Our church does threefold communion including footwashing, a "love feast" or meal, and the bread and cup.
Kim, I believe, would argue that despite our increasing creativity with digital technology in this time, we are becoming more aware than ever of its limitations, as much of a mercy as it has been. We grow impatient, we become aware of how shallow many of our interactions are, and we feel our isolation even though we may have thousands of "friends" on our social media accounts. He proposes that the medium is not just a neutral means through which the message comes but that, in McLuhan's words, "the media is the message." He contends that the move of churches, even in normal times to an increasingly digitized worship is actually contrary to the spiritual longings of the rising generation's longing for transcendence rather than relevance, in the gatherings of God's people unmediated by digital technologies.
I think the misguided attempts of churches to gather during the pandemic, ostensibly for reasons of "religious freedom" actually reflect these longings, and make Kim's point. "Analog" church does something different than digital. It is incarnational, celebrating the Incarnate Lord. There has been a move away from such churches in recent years, and I've heard people say they can "do" church with the device in their pockets. What if one of the strange mercies of this pandemic is to make us so "Zoom-fatigued" that we re-examine our uses of digital technology, and realize the gift of hearing the real voices of the older woman who warbles and the fellow who can't carry tune in a bucket, but who sing with such joy that we get caught up. What if we rediscover what a pleasant and good thing it is to break bread around a common table?
Kim himself suggests as much in an interview on Front Porch Republic. He acknowledges the ways this technology has made it possible to stay connected when physical gatherings carry danger. He touches on how we may struggle to find our way back to embodied presence with others, when a hug with someone from another household is no longer dangerous. His hope is that we will recognize the gifts of our life together as the church, unmediated by technology and screens, and reconsider our embrace of digital technologies. My hunch is that we will continue to use some of these technologies, having discovered uses that extend beyond the pandemic. But Kim's book is one worth reading now as we consider what our transition to a post-pandemic new normal will look like. Hopefully it will be a new normal vibrant with warm, incarnate life, as warm as the vinyl some of us never stopped loving and others have newly discovered.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This has been an interesting time to come out with a new book. This book takes "interesting" to a new level. It "dropped" on March 31, amid lockdowns and the pivot of business, education, and church to all-digital. In the words of the subtitle, it argues "why we need real people, places, and things in the digital age." Gathering to sing together in close proximity to other people in an enclosed space, listening to the Bible taught without a mediating screen, sharing the Lord's table right now seems like an epidemiologist's nightmare scenario. I can't recommend it--for now.
Jay Y. Kim's argument is an important one that our current constraints actually amplify. He commends "whole body" worship where we are not passive observers of a performance but actually join our voices with others. Right now, the most I can do is sing to a computer screen, with my mike muted, to the accompaniment of either an actual singer or a recorded music track. I've had desserts online and hundreds of conversations, including some rich interactions, but apart from socially distanced visits with family without hugs and a few socially distanced visits with friends, no real presence other than with my wife. I've listened to some great teaching of the scriptures and webinars with thought-provoking content (I've even hosted a few) but none of the times of sitting around a table, Bibles open, wrestling with a text and letting it wrestle with us together. I've not partaken of the Lord's Table since lockdowns began. I've heard of it being led virtually where we bring our own bread and cup. Our church does threefold communion including footwashing, a "love feast" or meal, and the bread and cup.
Kim, I believe, would argue that despite our increasing creativity with digital technology in this time, we are becoming more aware than ever of its limitations, as much of a mercy as it has been. We grow impatient, we become aware of how shallow many of our interactions are, and we feel our isolation even though we may have thousands of "friends" on our social media accounts. He proposes that the medium is not just a neutral means through which the message comes but that, in McLuhan's words, "the media is the message." He contends that the move of churches, even in normal times to an increasingly digitized worship is actually contrary to the spiritual longings of the rising generation's longing for transcendence rather than relevance, in the gatherings of God's people unmediated by digital technologies.
I think the misguided attempts of churches to gather during the pandemic, ostensibly for reasons of "religious freedom" actually reflect these longings, and make Kim's point. "Analog" church does something different than digital. It is incarnational, celebrating the Incarnate Lord. There has been a move away from such churches in recent years, and I've heard people say they can "do" church with the device in their pockets. What if one of the strange mercies of this pandemic is to make us so "Zoom-fatigued" that we re-examine our uses of digital technology, and realize the gift of hearing the real voices of the older woman who warbles and the fellow who can't carry tune in a bucket, but who sing with such joy that we get caught up. What if we rediscover what a pleasant and good thing it is to break bread around a common table?
Kim himself suggests as much in an interview on Front Porch Republic. He acknowledges the ways this technology has made it possible to stay connected when physical gatherings carry danger. He touches on how we may struggle to find our way back to embodied presence with others, when a hug with someone from another household is no longer dangerous. His hope is that we will recognize the gifts of our life together as the church, unmediated by technology and screens, and reconsider our embrace of digital technologies. My hunch is that we will continue to use some of these technologies, having discovered uses that extend beyond the pandemic. But Kim's book is one worth reading now as we consider what our transition to a post-pandemic new normal will look like. Hopefully it will be a new normal vibrant with warm, incarnate life, as warm as the vinyl some of us never stopped loving and others have newly discovered.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
May 26, 2020
I am sure that when Jay Kim began writing Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age, that he never imagined that most people would be prohibited from attending church in person, meeting in person, and going to the store without a mask when the book came out. Analog Church is a delightful reflection on the importance of real physical, people and things in order for Christian community and spiritual transformation to thrive.
Kim divides this book into three main sections: Worship, Community, and Scripture. In each of these sections, Kim’s insights into the pitfalls of the digital age’s tendency to put everything online are sobering to say the least. While most today do whatever possible to make things quick, convenient, and unobtrusive, Kim makes the case that the Church should not be this way. There is a problem when a church service feels like a “nightclub” or “rock concert.” There is an even greater problem when there is no church service at all, but rather an “online congregation.” The paradox is striking, and Kim pulls no punches in exposing the dangers of “church online.”
It was fascinating for me to read this during quarantine, when my church is doing whatever possible to make church online feel as close as possible to analog church. However, as we can all realize, there is no substitute for in-person fellowship and corporate worship. Digital church will never be able to compete with analog church, and Kim’s book is a great starting point for anyone who has found themselves struggling with online church during quarantine. After reading this book, I am all the more eager for local congregations to be able to gather again, uninhibited by COVID-19. In order for Christian community to flourish and for disciples to be made, real, analog people, places, and things, are indispensable.
Thank you Jay, for this reflection on the importance of analog church. It is a reminder that is necessary for all, especially as we come out of quarantine.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from IVP via NetGalley for the purpose of this review. Ironically, it is an electronic copy. This is an honest review of Analog Church. I genuinely love this book, and I pray that you will too.
October 1, 2023
Ein ganz nettes Buch, was für eine analoge Kirche plädiert. Kim betont, dass Kirche auch online präsent sein sollte, aber der eigentliche Fokus auf dem Analogen liegen sollte. Das zeigt er an drei Beispielen: Anbetung, Gemeinschaft und Heiliger Schrift.
Insgesamt hat mir etwas inhaltliche Dichte gefehlt. Deswegen einen Stern Abzug. (Gestehe aber ein: Hat aber eben auch ein Pastor geschrieben - vermutlich deshalb auch so viele Geschichten drin)
Insgesamt hat mir etwas inhaltliche Dichte gefehlt. Deswegen einen Stern Abzug. (Gestehe aber ein: Hat aber eben auch ein Pastor geschrieben - vermutlich deshalb auch so viele Geschichten drin)
September 14, 2020
As a result of COVID-19, I have been thinking quite a bit about what, if anything, we lose as a church by not meeting in person. Our church livestreams a service on Sunday mornings that is highly polished, and thanks to Zoom our small groups continue to meet weekly as well, and there’s something about a screen that allows people to speak even more freely than they might in person. We have used Slack to improve communication between church staff and small group leaders, turning one-way email blasts into two-way conversations. We have raised and given away tens of thousands of dollars, meeting the needs of non-profit organizations, families, and individuals across Denver, all without meeting in person even once. The neighbors around the church haven’t had to complain about traffic congestion on Sundays even once in the last 10 weeks because nobody is driving anywhere.
On the other hand, when I sing during the service, I don’t hear the swell of voices behind and around me. When I read the confession, I don’t hear a whole community of voices confessing with me. When the pastor presents communion, people all over the city are not coming together to remember the body and the blood, but are eating and drinking alone in their own homes, in an ironic reversal of 1 Corinthians 11. When the service is over and I close my laptop lid, the music abruptly cuts off. There is no hum of happy conversation, there is nobody to catch up with, nobody to give a friendly handshake or hug. There is no unforeseen, whimsical, fortuitous conversations that take me by surprise and transport me into someone else’s worries and wonders. I send a wave emoji through the chat and then go cook yet another box of mac and cheese for my children before putting them down for naps. Technology is definitely a blessing in this cultural moment, but it is no panacea.
Going Analog
So what should we say? Fast forward a few years when we’re (hopefully) past this Coronavirus. In the context of normal life, how should the church appropriate technology for its aims? May we adapt to a technological future for the church? Should we? These are the questions pastor and author Jay Kim seeks to answer in his new book, Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age. Drawing upon history, theology, and biblical studies, Kim makes the argument that while digital technology certainly does offer intriguing possibilities for the life of the church, we have been too uncritical in our adoption of these technologies into our churches. He wants the church to think not only of the possibilities, but also the drawbacks technology has upon our personal and communal formation. In short, he wants the church to return to its "analog" roots rather than simply assuming we can make the jump to digital without losing our integrity.
It’s worth noting that digital technology is hardly the first kind of technology that the church has ever had to wrestle with, and Kim examines ways in which things like church buildings, printed Bibles and hymnals, and more have shaped the life and practice of Christians through the centuries. While we tend to think of something like the printing press as an unequivocal win for the church, the reality is much more complicated. Printing songs of worship in a hymnal allows the church to sing a greater variety of songs, but it also turns our heads down toward a book rather than up to see the people singing around us. Then the overhead projector solves that problem, but opens up its own set of issues. Kim’s point is that no technology is wholly good: as pastors and elders shepherd their churches into new developments and unforeseen technological revolutions, they need to do so reflectively, thoughtfully, and with due care.
Another challenge people are wrestling through in this time of Coronavirus is that if we’re all just sitting at home watching sermons online anyway, what’s the difference between me tuning into my own church’s livestream and that of a more famous preacher? If I’m going to watch a video of a sermon, why not just watch the best preachers with the best streaming equipment? Of course, this question has been around a lot longer than Coronavirus, having gained prevalence years ago when people started putting videos and podcasts of their sermons up online free of charge. Now, however, nobody is going to know whether I "tuned in" to my church or not, so why does it even matter? Surely I won’t be missed, right?
Kim argues that this is one of the primary downsides of digital technology, because the church is more than communication, more than content: it is also communion. We gather together with the community of Christ precisely because each person does matter and should be missed. Discipleship is not merely a matter of knowing the right things or even of doing the right things, but of learning and doing and growing together with the church. We are not individually the body of Christ; we compose the body of Christ together. When a pastor preaches a sermon, it should not be the same regardless of who is in the audience; a sermon is a contextual thing that changes depending upon who it is preached to and what those particular people need to hear from the Lord. So yes, it does matter which livestream you tune into during this pandemic, and yes it also matters that your pastor makes an effort to know the people of the congregation. Pastors may need to lean heavily upon digital communication platforms to gain that knowledge, but it is necessary work in any season.
Kim also urges Christians to consider how digital technology shapes us on a habitual and practical level. There is an inescapable slowness to spiritual growth, just as good food takes time to cook. Yet digital technology trains our expectations and habits in the opposite direction, training our brains, thumbs, and hearts to expect speed and easy consumption. The amount of time it takes you to "get" a tweet or a ‘gram is generally no longer than the amount of time it takes to read it or look at it. That is to say, digital media does not require reflection, and in fact it actively pushes against it.
He also draws the fascinating correlation between the psychology of a slot machine and that of apps where you constantly pull to refresh or scroll forever looking for an interesting little thing. The goal of the pseudo-random slot machine is to keep you going indefinitely, giving you just enough hope that you’ll win big without ever actually following through on that promise. We have all seen interesting things on our timelines, but have we ever really "won big"? Does the value that the timeline provides justify the time investment of filling every empty moment with a flick flick of the thumb? To put it even more bluntly, it is doubtful that any of us would retire to the nearest casino to find rest for our souls or seek communion with God. Is it all that different to pull that environment into our homes and churches through our phones?
Concerns
There is a lot to commend about Analog Church, but it is not without its concerns. Though this is a blanket statement, the book as a whole seems to lean more heavily upon fears about technology and guilt about our improper uses of it than any sort of robust theological reflection on embodiment. To be fair, Kim does talk about how the incarnation implies the goodness of in-person churchly endeavors. He does do word studies on the New Testament’s use of sarx and the implications of our fleshly bodies. But I couldn’t help shake the feeling that even as sympathetic as I am toward his argument, I wasn’t all that convinced.
At one point, Kim suggests that the "one another" commands of the NT are "difficult at best, and impossible at worst, to do online." For a quick refresher, the New Testament commands us to
Serve one another. Bear with one another in love. Speak and sing the words of God together. Make music together. Teach and challenge one another. Keep one another accountable. Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Do not give up meeting together. Be hospitable to one another. Experience fellowship together. Confess to one another. Pray for one another. Eat and drink together.
But which of these are actually impossible to do online? I agree that some of them are awkward when mediated digitally, but the truth is that we have done these things during this pandemic, and we have done them over digital media. We have "had dinner" with folks by setting up a laptop with Zoom at the end of the dinner table. We have had worship nights over Zoom. We have faithfully texted one another encouragement and challenge. We have talked about hard topics and read entire books over Zoom. We pray and confess and even just hang out. I don’t debate that all these things are very different than they would be in person, but Kim goes on to argue that since these things are "difficult" or "impossible" to do online, that therefore "These practices of the church… require physical presence," which is just flatly not true. Kim’s argument would have been strengthened by acknowledging where technological media of communication are sufficient or even uniquely valuable in these "one another" commands even while arguing that in-person communion is irreplaceable.
I also deeply appreciate Kim’s critique of consumeristic mindsets when we approach the church. He does a good job of articulating why the church is starkly different than our curated online "communities" of people who are exactly like us. Nevertheless, he himself leans upon consumerism when encouraging pastors to reconsider his analog vision of the church:
Younger generations, having grown up in an over-digitized world, feel this on an intrinsic level and are seeking out experiences they can see, hear, feel, and touch. They realize that ordering a book online and walking through a bookstore are two palpably different things. They’re longing for analog. And this offers the church a never-before-seen missional opportunity, to provide these sorts of transcendent spaces that are so few and far between in the digital age.
And also:
We’re beginning to see this turn toward analog worship surfacing in surprising places. New Life Church in Colorado, an evangelical, multisite megachurch of more than ten thousand people, concludes their Sunday gatherings at their large downtown campus by singing the Doxology in acapella every week. Other large, influential churches like Willow Creek in Illinois, Mars Hill in Michigan, and the Village Church in Texas are incorporating more participatory liturgy into the regular rhythms of their weekend gatherings. These communities, sometimes categorized from the outside as "seeker-sensitive" or "attractional" churches, are recognizing the need for a more participatory and engaging worship environment, and are making necessary changes.
I’m not here to dispute whether "younger generations" as a bloc are wanting more tactile worship experiences or not. What I take umbrage with is that this is essentially a market argument: the market is demanding more participatory, analog experiences, so therefore let’s provide that. People very well could be hungering for that vision of church, but this fact by itself does not establish that the church must therefore move in that direction. This rhetorical move also works to undermine the overall argument of the book, because that sword cuts both ways: if the even younger next generation tires of formal liturgies, candles, and "analog worship experiences," should we conclude that the church has an obligation to deliver a digitally mediated worship service instead simply because that’s what they say they hunger for?
Conclusion
I am a software engineer and I have seen the digital product development cycle from the inside for many years now in many different contexts. The attention economy is a real thing, and it concerns me deeply. I find many developments in the industry to be concerning at best as regards our humanity and our awareness of our own embodiment. We are more than our avatars and our streams of consciousness piped into our twitter feeds. Though his case could’ve been stronger, I quite appreciate the work Jay Kim is doing in Analog Church and I think it would be beneficial for the average pastor to pick up a copy and think carefully through what he says. He didn’t write this in the context of COVID-19, but as we find ourselves in a digital-only church right now it would be wise of us to consider our practices and the technologies we make use of when we return IRL.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.
On the other hand, when I sing during the service, I don’t hear the swell of voices behind and around me. When I read the confession, I don’t hear a whole community of voices confessing with me. When the pastor presents communion, people all over the city are not coming together to remember the body and the blood, but are eating and drinking alone in their own homes, in an ironic reversal of 1 Corinthians 11. When the service is over and I close my laptop lid, the music abruptly cuts off. There is no hum of happy conversation, there is nobody to catch up with, nobody to give a friendly handshake or hug. There is no unforeseen, whimsical, fortuitous conversations that take me by surprise and transport me into someone else’s worries and wonders. I send a wave emoji through the chat and then go cook yet another box of mac and cheese for my children before putting them down for naps. Technology is definitely a blessing in this cultural moment, but it is no panacea.
Going Analog
So what should we say? Fast forward a few years when we’re (hopefully) past this Coronavirus. In the context of normal life, how should the church appropriate technology for its aims? May we adapt to a technological future for the church? Should we? These are the questions pastor and author Jay Kim seeks to answer in his new book, Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age. Drawing upon history, theology, and biblical studies, Kim makes the argument that while digital technology certainly does offer intriguing possibilities for the life of the church, we have been too uncritical in our adoption of these technologies into our churches. He wants the church to think not only of the possibilities, but also the drawbacks technology has upon our personal and communal formation. In short, he wants the church to return to its "analog" roots rather than simply assuming we can make the jump to digital without losing our integrity.
It’s worth noting that digital technology is hardly the first kind of technology that the church has ever had to wrestle with, and Kim examines ways in which things like church buildings, printed Bibles and hymnals, and more have shaped the life and practice of Christians through the centuries. While we tend to think of something like the printing press as an unequivocal win for the church, the reality is much more complicated. Printing songs of worship in a hymnal allows the church to sing a greater variety of songs, but it also turns our heads down toward a book rather than up to see the people singing around us. Then the overhead projector solves that problem, but opens up its own set of issues. Kim’s point is that no technology is wholly good: as pastors and elders shepherd their churches into new developments and unforeseen technological revolutions, they need to do so reflectively, thoughtfully, and with due care.
Another challenge people are wrestling through in this time of Coronavirus is that if we’re all just sitting at home watching sermons online anyway, what’s the difference between me tuning into my own church’s livestream and that of a more famous preacher? If I’m going to watch a video of a sermon, why not just watch the best preachers with the best streaming equipment? Of course, this question has been around a lot longer than Coronavirus, having gained prevalence years ago when people started putting videos and podcasts of their sermons up online free of charge. Now, however, nobody is going to know whether I "tuned in" to my church or not, so why does it even matter? Surely I won’t be missed, right?
Kim argues that this is one of the primary downsides of digital technology, because the church is more than communication, more than content: it is also communion. We gather together with the community of Christ precisely because each person does matter and should be missed. Discipleship is not merely a matter of knowing the right things or even of doing the right things, but of learning and doing and growing together with the church. We are not individually the body of Christ; we compose the body of Christ together. When a pastor preaches a sermon, it should not be the same regardless of who is in the audience; a sermon is a contextual thing that changes depending upon who it is preached to and what those particular people need to hear from the Lord. So yes, it does matter which livestream you tune into during this pandemic, and yes it also matters that your pastor makes an effort to know the people of the congregation. Pastors may need to lean heavily upon digital communication platforms to gain that knowledge, but it is necessary work in any season.
Kim also urges Christians to consider how digital technology shapes us on a habitual and practical level. There is an inescapable slowness to spiritual growth, just as good food takes time to cook. Yet digital technology trains our expectations and habits in the opposite direction, training our brains, thumbs, and hearts to expect speed and easy consumption. The amount of time it takes you to "get" a tweet or a ‘gram is generally no longer than the amount of time it takes to read it or look at it. That is to say, digital media does not require reflection, and in fact it actively pushes against it.
He also draws the fascinating correlation between the psychology of a slot machine and that of apps where you constantly pull to refresh or scroll forever looking for an interesting little thing. The goal of the pseudo-random slot machine is to keep you going indefinitely, giving you just enough hope that you’ll win big without ever actually following through on that promise. We have all seen interesting things on our timelines, but have we ever really "won big"? Does the value that the timeline provides justify the time investment of filling every empty moment with a flick flick of the thumb? To put it even more bluntly, it is doubtful that any of us would retire to the nearest casino to find rest for our souls or seek communion with God. Is it all that different to pull that environment into our homes and churches through our phones?
Concerns
There is a lot to commend about Analog Church, but it is not without its concerns. Though this is a blanket statement, the book as a whole seems to lean more heavily upon fears about technology and guilt about our improper uses of it than any sort of robust theological reflection on embodiment. To be fair, Kim does talk about how the incarnation implies the goodness of in-person churchly endeavors. He does do word studies on the New Testament’s use of sarx and the implications of our fleshly bodies. But I couldn’t help shake the feeling that even as sympathetic as I am toward his argument, I wasn’t all that convinced.
At one point, Kim suggests that the "one another" commands of the NT are "difficult at best, and impossible at worst, to do online." For a quick refresher, the New Testament commands us to
Serve one another. Bear with one another in love. Speak and sing the words of God together. Make music together. Teach and challenge one another. Keep one another accountable. Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Do not give up meeting together. Be hospitable to one another. Experience fellowship together. Confess to one another. Pray for one another. Eat and drink together.
But which of these are actually impossible to do online? I agree that some of them are awkward when mediated digitally, but the truth is that we have done these things during this pandemic, and we have done them over digital media. We have "had dinner" with folks by setting up a laptop with Zoom at the end of the dinner table. We have had worship nights over Zoom. We have faithfully texted one another encouragement and challenge. We have talked about hard topics and read entire books over Zoom. We pray and confess and even just hang out. I don’t debate that all these things are very different than they would be in person, but Kim goes on to argue that since these things are "difficult" or "impossible" to do online, that therefore "These practices of the church… require physical presence," which is just flatly not true. Kim’s argument would have been strengthened by acknowledging where technological media of communication are sufficient or even uniquely valuable in these "one another" commands even while arguing that in-person communion is irreplaceable.
I also deeply appreciate Kim’s critique of consumeristic mindsets when we approach the church. He does a good job of articulating why the church is starkly different than our curated online "communities" of people who are exactly like us. Nevertheless, he himself leans upon consumerism when encouraging pastors to reconsider his analog vision of the church:
Younger generations, having grown up in an over-digitized world, feel this on an intrinsic level and are seeking out experiences they can see, hear, feel, and touch. They realize that ordering a book online and walking through a bookstore are two palpably different things. They’re longing for analog. And this offers the church a never-before-seen missional opportunity, to provide these sorts of transcendent spaces that are so few and far between in the digital age.
And also:
We’re beginning to see this turn toward analog worship surfacing in surprising places. New Life Church in Colorado, an evangelical, multisite megachurch of more than ten thousand people, concludes their Sunday gatherings at their large downtown campus by singing the Doxology in acapella every week. Other large, influential churches like Willow Creek in Illinois, Mars Hill in Michigan, and the Village Church in Texas are incorporating more participatory liturgy into the regular rhythms of their weekend gatherings. These communities, sometimes categorized from the outside as "seeker-sensitive" or "attractional" churches, are recognizing the need for a more participatory and engaging worship environment, and are making necessary changes.
I’m not here to dispute whether "younger generations" as a bloc are wanting more tactile worship experiences or not. What I take umbrage with is that this is essentially a market argument: the market is demanding more participatory, analog experiences, so therefore let’s provide that. People very well could be hungering for that vision of church, but this fact by itself does not establish that the church must therefore move in that direction. This rhetorical move also works to undermine the overall argument of the book, because that sword cuts both ways: if the even younger next generation tires of formal liturgies, candles, and "analog worship experiences," should we conclude that the church has an obligation to deliver a digitally mediated worship service instead simply because that’s what they say they hunger for?
Conclusion
I am a software engineer and I have seen the digital product development cycle from the inside for many years now in many different contexts. The attention economy is a real thing, and it concerns me deeply. I find many developments in the industry to be concerning at best as regards our humanity and our awareness of our own embodiment. We are more than our avatars and our streams of consciousness piped into our twitter feeds. Though his case could’ve been stronger, I quite appreciate the work Jay Kim is doing in Analog Church and I think it would be beneficial for the average pastor to pick up a copy and think carefully through what he says. He didn’t write this in the context of COVID-19, but as we find ourselves in a digital-only church right now it would be wise of us to consider our practices and the technologies we make use of when we return IRL.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.
May 22, 2020
I recently received my copy of Jay Kim’s Analog Church in the mail, almost as if it was written and sent along for the specific time I found myself in. Like most churches, we had just made the tough decision to postpone in-person gatherings in the wake of COVID-19, and we were scrambling together to provide an online alternative.
I’ll be transparent . At first, the notion of “church online,” while frustrating and not ideal, felt better than simply nothing. At least people could worship in their homes, hear a sermon each week, and stay “connected.” But as time has gone on, I feel the discontent grow within me. I feel the exasperation of not being truly gathered. I feel isolated from Christian community. I feel more disengaged from worship than ever. And if I, as a pastor, feel this way, what is the average churchgoer feeling? And, perhaps more importantly, why do we feel this way?
Analog Church helps to answer the “why?” behind these feelings that I (and maybe yourself) have dealt with in this season. It sheds light on the ways that digital church, while a gift to the Church in many ways, ultimately falls short as a substitute for the Church as gathered, incarnational, and spatial.
Prior to the pandemic, many congregations have prioritized “going digital” to enhance an overall worship experience. From livestreams to lecterns to lighting boards, our gatherings have become digitized, even going as far as to scatter us from one another, in the name of multi-site.
We can make our logic sound spiritual to ease our conscience. We’re “creating an intimate atmosphere for worship,” or “making the gospel more easily accessible to more people.” But if we are not careful, good intentions easily morph into swimming along with the spirit of the culture, and leaving the Spirit himself behind.
Jay Kim does a great job of exposing some of these digital impulses and, without discrediting them entirely, explains their insufficiency to mirror a gathered, present, embodied people. Kim asserts, “we must critically examine and consider if in our churches we’ve succumbed to the cultural temptation of emphasizing spectacle over substance” (62-63).
One of his most compelling examples is the modern treatment of the sermon, how it has treated what was meant to be a witnessing experience into a watching experience (67). He recalls a moment when preaching that he was encouraged to “look directly into the camera at the back of the room so the campuses feel connected to you” (47).
This is not the kind of worship we were made for — tethered by text or digital renderings of image-bearers. Only an analog approach to church can help us truly flourish in Christ’s community. “Being shoulder to shoulder and blocking out time in our busy schedules to focus on a particular goal—alongside others who share the same goal—keeps us motivated, encouraged, challenged, and leads to transformation. None of this can be replicated online” (116).
This book not only legitimizes the ache we may be feeling in these days, but it helps us see that (Lord willing) when we gather together again, we cannot afford to take the analog components of church life for granted. The Lord is “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Col. 4:3), not at the expense of technology, but neither subservient to it. Analog Church is a great book for church leaders to consider as they return to services and weigh their digital presence in the next season of ministry.
I’ll be transparent . At first, the notion of “church online,” while frustrating and not ideal, felt better than simply nothing. At least people could worship in their homes, hear a sermon each week, and stay “connected.” But as time has gone on, I feel the discontent grow within me. I feel the exasperation of not being truly gathered. I feel isolated from Christian community. I feel more disengaged from worship than ever. And if I, as a pastor, feel this way, what is the average churchgoer feeling? And, perhaps more importantly, why do we feel this way?
Analog Church helps to answer the “why?” behind these feelings that I (and maybe yourself) have dealt with in this season. It sheds light on the ways that digital church, while a gift to the Church in many ways, ultimately falls short as a substitute for the Church as gathered, incarnational, and spatial.
Prior to the pandemic, many congregations have prioritized “going digital” to enhance an overall worship experience. From livestreams to lecterns to lighting boards, our gatherings have become digitized, even going as far as to scatter us from one another, in the name of multi-site.
We can make our logic sound spiritual to ease our conscience. We’re “creating an intimate atmosphere for worship,” or “making the gospel more easily accessible to more people.” But if we are not careful, good intentions easily morph into swimming along with the spirit of the culture, and leaving the Spirit himself behind.
Jay Kim does a great job of exposing some of these digital impulses and, without discrediting them entirely, explains their insufficiency to mirror a gathered, present, embodied people. Kim asserts, “we must critically examine and consider if in our churches we’ve succumbed to the cultural temptation of emphasizing spectacle over substance” (62-63).
One of his most compelling examples is the modern treatment of the sermon, how it has treated what was meant to be a witnessing experience into a watching experience (67). He recalls a moment when preaching that he was encouraged to “look directly into the camera at the back of the room so the campuses feel connected to you” (47).
This is not the kind of worship we were made for — tethered by text or digital renderings of image-bearers. Only an analog approach to church can help us truly flourish in Christ’s community. “Being shoulder to shoulder and blocking out time in our busy schedules to focus on a particular goal—alongside others who share the same goal—keeps us motivated, encouraged, challenged, and leads to transformation. None of this can be replicated online” (116).
This book not only legitimizes the ache we may be feeling in these days, but it helps us see that (Lord willing) when we gather together again, we cannot afford to take the analog components of church life for granted. The Lord is “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Col. 4:3), not at the expense of technology, but neither subservient to it. Analog Church is a great book for church leaders to consider as they return to services and weigh their digital presence in the next season of ministry.
July 21, 2020
Jay Kim must have started writing this book before the COVID-19 pandemic hit America, but it arrived at my house while I was quarantined. Like pastors all over the world, I was forced to do church "on-line" creating "virtual communities." The reach of on-line broadcasts was amazing and the initial reaction from people who found "zoom prayer meetings" and "Facebook live" a welcome balm in the midst of a scary time, was reassuring. Many in church leadership think that God is using this pandemic to push the church into the virtual world and that this will be the biggest change in ecclesiology since the printing press put Bibles in the hands of lay people. Jay Kim is here to say "not so fast." As a pastor in silicon valley, Kim knows both the power and the limitations of technology. He asserts that the church has always had to respond to changes in technology and that they often bring both good and bad. As part of a preaching staff of a large multi-site church he knows the growth potential of using video preachers. He knows the power of music and social media. He just does not think that digital experiences create disciples and he wants us all to take some time to consider where we are going. Like any book written by a preacher it is filled with personal anecdotes, illustrations and straightforward Bible teaching. Some of his comments are more powerful than others and some argument, while always well said, have little to do with the present digital age. He makes a compelling argument about the loss of attention span that come with online engagement and how the online world is geared to give you want you want immediately and to connect you to other people who already think like you. But discipleship is not about getting what you want (even from God). It is about forming your life according to God's will and loving people in his family even if they are not like you. He does not think that real community can happen digitally. People have to be face to face and spend in-person time together, something he calls "Analog Church." His comments on communion, while helpful are not new. People have been telling the non-liturgical church that they need to take communion more seriously for decades (probably longer). And his emphasis on slow bible reading and "the whole narrative of God" certainly predate the explosion of the internet in the mid 90s. Isolating Bible verses for personal application dates back to the 19th century and has made myopic disciples since then. Still, you could make the case that things are worse now because they are changing faster and the lure of the digital world is powerful. To put is succinctly, Kim wants us to use technology wisely and not be used by technology naively. Real life happens face to face, not image to image, and this must always be our aim. His argument is compelling and should be considered by everyone in church leadership today.
September 18, 2022
Very much appreciated this book and the call for a return to tangible and “analog” practices in our churches and worship gatherings. Occasionally, however, I felt like the author’s point was based on preference rather than biblical reasoning—for example, he describes the problem of megachurches having the pastor on a video screen. Is that my personal preference? No. Do I think that a church can still fulfill its mission and be an Acts 2 assembly if they are watching a pastor on a screen? Yes.
I did like his point though that getting away from the video sermons reduces the temptation to elevate Christian celebrities. I thought it was cool how he pointed out that both Tim Keller’s and Matt Chandler’s churches in the last few years moved from having several remote campuses to changing those satellite locations to their own individual local churches. That leads me to believe that they truly aren’t in it for the fame or the power, while there are certain megachurch pastors that I can’t imagine ever giving up their audience.
Good book; quick and helpful read.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“While we can certainly communicate digitally, we can only commune in analog. Digital technologies are exceptional and efficient when it comes to the exchange of information, but they are abject failures when it comes to the exchange of presence.” Page 109
“Church communities cannot be built primarily around content, because while great content can inform and even inspire, content alone is never enough to transform us. Transformation in the life of the church is always an analog experience, as we journey shoulder to shoulder with other people, gathering in real ways as real people, to invite God to change us individually and collectively. We experience this transformation in a variety of ways—singing together, listening and speaking of God’s grace and truth, the breaking of bread, the sharing of resources, the giving of our time and energy and creativity, remembering and celebrating via the sacraments, and on and on—but all of these ways are in some form or fashion, tangible and physical. Content matters in as much as it moves us toward real participation and action within the actual church community.” Page 96
I did like his point though that getting away from the video sermons reduces the temptation to elevate Christian celebrities. I thought it was cool how he pointed out that both Tim Keller’s and Matt Chandler’s churches in the last few years moved from having several remote campuses to changing those satellite locations to their own individual local churches. That leads me to believe that they truly aren’t in it for the fame or the power, while there are certain megachurch pastors that I can’t imagine ever giving up their audience.
Good book; quick and helpful read.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“While we can certainly communicate digitally, we can only commune in analog. Digital technologies are exceptional and efficient when it comes to the exchange of information, but they are abject failures when it comes to the exchange of presence.” Page 109
“Church communities cannot be built primarily around content, because while great content can inform and even inspire, content alone is never enough to transform us. Transformation in the life of the church is always an analog experience, as we journey shoulder to shoulder with other people, gathering in real ways as real people, to invite God to change us individually and collectively. We experience this transformation in a variety of ways—singing together, listening and speaking of God’s grace and truth, the breaking of bread, the sharing of resources, the giving of our time and energy and creativity, remembering and celebrating via the sacraments, and on and on—but all of these ways are in some form or fashion, tangible and physical. Content matters in as much as it moves us toward real participation and action within the actual church community.” Page 96
October 16, 2020
Woah, this book is SO good and so important. It feels very timely and adds a needed perspective to the larger conversations happening right now around the dangers of social media and digital technology.
Kim's emphasis on analog and "slow" means of doing church is refreshing. He dives into some of the psychology of social media and the digital age and how those values have changed the ways we think, behave, and relate to each other, and thus also changed the ways we do church, read Scripture, and relate to God. My husband and I just watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix and a lot of those ideas and concerns are echoed here by Kim.
People are craving real, in-person community more than ever these days and the church could (and should) be the place that is best positioned to provide that. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, we've all experienced firsthand the ways that online community are a nice, temporary substitute but just not the same as face-to-face, analog interactions. Kim says that technology can be used to "inform", but we need embodied, in-person experiences to "transform".
This book seems to be aimed mostly at pastors and church leaders, but I think any Christian considering the effects of digital technology on their faith could gain a lot from reading this. Definitely recommend and looking forward to discussing this further with my church leaders and community. 4.5 stars.
Kim's emphasis on analog and "slow" means of doing church is refreshing. He dives into some of the psychology of social media and the digital age and how those values have changed the ways we think, behave, and relate to each other, and thus also changed the ways we do church, read Scripture, and relate to God. My husband and I just watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix and a lot of those ideas and concerns are echoed here by Kim.
People are craving real, in-person community more than ever these days and the church could (and should) be the place that is best positioned to provide that. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, we've all experienced firsthand the ways that online community are a nice, temporary substitute but just not the same as face-to-face, analog interactions. Kim says that technology can be used to "inform", but we need embodied, in-person experiences to "transform".
This book seems to be aimed mostly at pastors and church leaders, but I think any Christian considering the effects of digital technology on their faith could gain a lot from reading this. Definitely recommend and looking forward to discussing this further with my church leaders and community. 4.5 stars.
February 18, 2020
Analog Church by Pastor Jay Kim is a wake-up call to the Church as it tries to market itself as a commodity. Instead, Jay reminds us that this was never what Christianity was meant to be in the first place. So many aspects of Church are impossible to do digitally. The nature of the Church is to do life together, growing as disciples, radically reordering our lives around the one who has called us to follow him.
Looking specifically at how we worship, how we build community, and how we practice scripture, Jay gives us clear reasons for doing Church the old-school, analog way. He also states a myriad of examples, providing practical ways for us to lead others back to the roots of our faith together. I highly recommend this book to pastors and ministry leaders seeking to plant new churches, revitalize old ones, and follow Christ in making disciples.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, and have reviewed it willingly.
Looking specifically at how we worship, how we build community, and how we practice scripture, Jay gives us clear reasons for doing Church the old-school, analog way. He also states a myriad of examples, providing practical ways for us to lead others back to the roots of our faith together. I highly recommend this book to pastors and ministry leaders seeking to plant new churches, revitalize old ones, and follow Christ in making disciples.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, and have reviewed it willingly.
May 14, 2020
This is an interesting book to read during the Covid-19 crisis. I found it a helpful reminder that as a people and as church we were made for the face to face, the analog, rather than only digital. This books appeals to us to consider the great benefits of being analog, looking at the history of how technology has changed the way we do church, both its positive & negative sides. During Covid-19, there is a distinct lack of the analog and an increase in the digital, but what about when its over? What happens next? Do we continue with online church or do we introduce more ways to be face to face? This book will help and challenge you as you face those questions. One thing I know from reading this book, it made me yearn to see others, gather around the dinner table, go for walks and sing alongside my brothers and sisters. Looking forward to those days.
*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
January 20, 2021
The book is good for both leaders and just members of the church alike. For those who may be struggling to grasp what may be wrong with the local church, this book may provide many answers. This book responds to the digitization movement that our culture is continuously pushing towards. Pastor Jay brings back what Christian life is supposed to look like especially in regards to community, and how Jesus calls us to not be alone but rather with others, doing life together - breaking bread , gathering at homes, praying for one another, being present in times of despair, providing for one another's needs (physically and emotionally), etc. If we really dive deep into this concept of doing life together in person as believers, then we should be able to see that love, though it can be shown and shared virtually, drives us to physically be with one another.
September 2, 2023
Read it!
After leaving a cultish church, I am very hesitant to join a community again. I would much rather sit at home and try to watch a church service. I feel the isolation and loneliness deeply. I don't think I have fully healed, but this book helps me not give up on community. Its fundamental idea, as the title suggests, is that church only truly works in the presence of human beings and not from the distance of the digital. Christianity is an embodied religion, and the author urges us not to settle for the digital as a substitute for the real. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope everyone gets a chance to read it.
After leaving a cultish church, I am very hesitant to join a community again. I would much rather sit at home and try to watch a church service. I feel the isolation and loneliness deeply. I don't think I have fully healed, but this book helps me not give up on community. Its fundamental idea, as the title suggests, is that church only truly works in the presence of human beings and not from the distance of the digital. Christianity is an embodied religion, and the author urges us not to settle for the digital as a substitute for the real. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope everyone gets a chance to read it.
December 25, 2021
It’s difficult to disagree with this book. I was always going to agree with the recommendation of analog church.
Kim does a good job of making the importance of analog clear whilst recognizing and leaving room for areas where technology is a helpful aid for the church.
Especially poignant in the midst/wake of COVID-19. Precisely the reminder we need in the push to everything-online-all-the-time.
Kim does a good job of making the importance of analog clear whilst recognizing and leaving room for areas where technology is a helpful aid for the church.
Especially poignant in the midst/wake of COVID-19. Precisely the reminder we need in the push to everything-online-all-the-time.
January 27, 2022
“We’re changing the church experience from an extended meal at a dining table into a truncated series of tweets, and we’re losing our aptitude for nuance, generosity, and engagement.”
A timely book written just before, and published at the start of the pandemic in America. A good reminder of the importance of community, and that we were never meant to be isolated from one other.
A timely book written just before, and published at the start of the pandemic in America. A good reminder of the importance of community, and that we were never meant to be isolated from one other.
May 11, 2020
One of the BEST books on ministry that I have read in a long time! I found myself nodding along so much, almost as much as I found myself saying, "That's exactly what I have been thinking!" If you are involved in congregational ministry on any level, do yourself a favor and pick up this volume.
December 30, 2020
The premise is solid. A few small things that raised my eyebrows (like the paragraph on interpretive painting during worship services--to each their own, but not my cup of tea.) Overall, a helpful reminder that much of what is helpful for our souls is not digital and though technology is helpful, we create sacred space for analog realities.
January 2, 2021
Timely read amidst Covid and the movement towards digital church
Church leaders ought to read this as they consider and think through recovering from COVID in 2020 as he details various challenges digitalism brings to Christianity.
Church leaders ought to read this as they consider and think through recovering from COVID in 2020 as he details various challenges digitalism brings to Christianity.
January 5, 2021
An insightful critique of our shallow, digital, individualistic age and a compelling case for churches to create spaces for deep, embodied worship and discipleship that the world so desperately needs.
October 4, 2020
In a frenetic, fragmented digital age—the habits and effects of which are increasingly leaking into churches—I really appreciate the message of this book.
October 5, 2020
Super helpful. In our season of revaluing and restructuring church programs, would that many church leadership folks add this to their reading lists.
May 7, 2025
yes! let's go analog, church!
May 29, 2020
Analog Church was published into a time when it was both more needed and more unwelcome than ever. This book was published during the Coronavirus pandemic which caused churches all around the world to go digital for their church services.
Jay Kim's message is unwelcome because what good does it do to criticize meeting online when we have no other choice? Most people feel the inadequacy of meeting online and would welcome being able to meet together. They don't need to be told meeting in person is better, they can feel the strain of isolation on themselves and their communities.
The book is also incredibly timely. For now that all of our churches have been forced to go online, we have all been given a taste of what online worship looks like. Many who find themselves able to experience church in their pajamas in their own homes may find it difficult to go back to church after life goes back to normal, whatever that means. If you can sing at home and hear the message without having to leave home, why do you need to go in person? Going online may push many people and churches to stay online. We cannot assume that technology will give us more than we take from it. If we forget the end for which we utilize online streaming utilities, then we will fall captive to the means (streaming technologies), and continue to use those technologies even after they no longer serve their purpose. Analog Church is a book which speaks to these concerns and gives a firm no to whether we can forgo the real in favor of the virtual. We need this truth now more than ever.
Analog Church has an introduction, three parts (worship, community, and scripture), and a short conclusion. The basic idea of the book is that we have let digital values of the digital enter into our churches at the expense of the analog reality. Digital technologies have given us speed, which has made us impatient. Digital life has caused a proliferation of choices, which has made us shallow. The digital age has brought about individualism, which has made us isolated. The counter to speed, choices, and individualism and the impatience, shallowness, and isolation they bring is an analog.
Nowhere in the book does Jay Kim define explicitly what he means by analog or what he means by digital (analog worship is defined, but the terms have a broader usage then worship), but the way analog is used throughout the book would give analog the meaning of physical and real. Analog then means real and physical. Digital is viewing a streaming worship service, while analog is sitting in a pew or chair in a physical building. Digital is sending a text saying "I'm sorry", while analog means saying it face to face in person. Digital is the internet and mass communication, while analog is whatever is physical and embodied.
Kim examines history, science, media ecology, and scripture to make his case that digital church is not what we need. We need real people, places, and things instead. Worship, though commonly used as a synonym for singing, in fact is something that involves our whole body. Singing and listening is a part of worship, but not the whole part. Worship is incomplete without our whole body.
A similar contrast made when considering community. True community can only happen in person. We cannot weep with those who weep or mourn with those who mourn virtually. The digital value of individualism is also contrary to the church as a family. The church is made up of chosen individuals, but the individuals are chosen by God, not by each other. We are family because God chose us, not because we like each other.
Scripture is the final area of the book. Here Jay Kim examines the digital patterns and what they have done to our bible reading habits. The bible is meant to be read and understood as a whole, not only in parts, yet Instagram and social media have a tendency to ignore the context of a verse or a quote. The digital value of speed does not help transform us. Efficiency may be a good goal for software, but not for discipleship.
Analog Church is two different books. One is a book of ecclesiology, written to call the church back to the analog way. The other is a criticism of technology. The part of the book which deals with the churches practices and criticizes the digital values which have sneaked into the church is fantastic. I wish more church leaders were thinking about this topic and would engage with what Jay Kim was reading. Analog Church is a call to think about why we worship as we are and whether what we are doing will truly transform, or only get people in the door and provide information to them.
The part of the book which engages in a criticism of technology is more uneven. His individual criticisms of technologies and their uses are excellent, but where he falls short is in his inconsistent view of the nature of technology, and his mostly uncritical view of the analog tradition.
Before engaging in a criticism of technology it has become commonplace to give a quick personal biography to show that the author is not against technology, but the ways technology has been used poorly. This claim is often done in defense against a criticism of being a Luddite and rejecting technology. To criticize technology strikes many as backwards and reactionary. Many, especially those in Silicon Valley, would agree wholeheartedly with Douglass Adams's rules for technology
I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Douglass Adams - The Salmon of Doubt
A successful criticism of technology, especially by an older person, needs to show why their criticism isn't merely reactionary. Writing a criticism of technology from within Silicon Valley is facing an uphill climb to acceptance, but Jay Kim's Analog Church does attempt to provide a criticism of technological usage in churches. If Jay Kim is accused of rejecting technology or being a Luddite, it comes despite his best attempts to state otherwise (e.g., "This is not a blanket critique of the usage of video in churches" p 50, "This is not to say that videos should be totally removed from the life of the church. Far from it, actually" p 70, "I am not suggesting we do away with online presence altogether. Far from it.").
While the majority of Jay Kim's technological criticisms are newer, he also shows the downsides to older technologies, namely the hymnal. By going back to the past and showing the failures of past technologies, Jay Kim shows that he is not merely criticizing what is new. New is not the problem. Whatever interrupts the life the church and limits our ability to be transformed is the problem.
In the philosophy of technology, there are two main views about the nature of technology: technological determinism and technological instrumentalism. Technological determinism believes that technologies drive human behavior and culture in ways unexpected and unintended. Technological determinists believe technology is not neutral. Technological instrumentalists on the other hand believe that any given technology is neutral. What matters is the people and cultural context a tool is used in.
Jay Kim would seem to align himself with the technological instrumentalists, but some of his conclusions make more sense from a technological determinist framework. To put it another way, Jay Kim seems to affirm that technology is neutral, but his conclusions seem to imply that technology is not neutral. This inconsistency leads to the biggest flaw of the book. The clearest example of his view of technology is "There's nothing inherently wrong with bricks. Like all technologies, bricks can be used for good. And like all technologies, bricks can be used to harm." (p 85). This is an excellent example of viewing technology as neutral. How you use the technology is what matters, not the technology itself. Nothing is inherently wrong with bricks, and by implication, all technologies.
Yet this view of technology does not jive with his some of his explanations of the changes technology has brought about. When talking about the changes projectors and hymnals have brought to our churches, he makes several important observations. "While the hymnal allowed the church to greatly expand its repertoire of songs, it focused the collective gaze of the community downward. In some ways, a sense of togetherness and belonging was lost as eyes became affixed to the words and notes on the pages of individual hymnals held in individual hands. However, this loss was mitigated by the added benefit of being able to sing a wider variety of songs in unison" (p 42). In this example Hymnals brought about real and lasting changes to the way we worshiped and the choices of the individuals didn't bring about the change. The technology brought about the change. This is the technological determinist view.
I mention the above inconsistency not to point out an example of Jay Kim's poor reasoning, but because I think his understanding of the nature of technology leads him to a different set of conclusions than if he viewed technology as not neutral. Analog Church is an optimistic book. Despite the calls to turn away from digital and turn to analog, the tone is hopeful throughout that turning away can be done and that our mega church institutions can be reformed. If you accept that technology is not neutral and all the implications that come with it, then you will necessarily find yourself facing a much more daunting set of problems. If technology is not neutral, then we are left with the possible conclusion that technology has caused more harm then good. At that point, it is no longer how you use a technology which matters, but rejecting the use of the technology itself. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Either technology is neutral and can be used for good or evil and there is nothing inherently wrong with a technology, or technology brings about change regardless of the use of it. Jay Kim puts affirms both views in this book, but he cannot affirm both.
Another flaw with the book is the lack of clarity on what is meany by analog or digital. At no point in the book is analog clearly defined. I believe that analog is used as a synonym for real and embodied throughout the book. This lets him oppose analog with digital quite easily. The enemy becomes digital tools and values, and analog values and tools are good. The problem is that sometimes digital technologies have recovered something good which analog has lost. L.M. Sacasas observes that in analog cultures, we are more likely to be disenchanted and view the material world as "just". A star is "just" a ball of gas. Love is "just" our natural working out of our evolutionary desire to make. A digital culture allows for us to view to world with more enchanted eyes. Thanks to the digital, people now realize they are "enmeshed in systems beyond their capacity to master." We now see clearer than we did in the analog age that we live amidst forces we cannot escape. A valid criticism of the digital can still be made, but contrasting digital with analog, especially when analog isn't clearly defined, is not a valid contrast. Both have problems, and while digital's problems are many and dangerous, analog also caused many dangerous problems for us as well.
Another problem with not defining more clearly what is meant by analog or digital is that digital gets criticized for things traditional analog would also be guilty of. In the book he gives the example of texting his wife "I'm sorry" and how his wife correctly understood that he had not apologized yet. If the same thing had been done with a handwritten letter instead of text message, the underlying problem would still be the same. He would still not have apologized, yet we stretching the definition of digital to include a letter. A letter is physical and real, in ways a text message is not. Yet the letter still would fail to apologize. Digital alone doesn't create the problem, and without a clear definition, analog will not provide the solution. More clarity on what was meant by analog and digital would have strengthened the book.
I am grateful for having read Jay Kim's book, and I hope and pray that more pastors start thinking critically about technology and the desire for technique at the heart of American culture. While I don't believe his proposals go far enough in rejecting technology, and I think his inconsistent view of technology limits his criticisms, his book is one of the better popular, Christian books on technology I have read. I will recommend it to others if I get a chance.
Jay Kim's message is unwelcome because what good does it do to criticize meeting online when we have no other choice? Most people feel the inadequacy of meeting online and would welcome being able to meet together. They don't need to be told meeting in person is better, they can feel the strain of isolation on themselves and their communities.
The book is also incredibly timely. For now that all of our churches have been forced to go online, we have all been given a taste of what online worship looks like. Many who find themselves able to experience church in their pajamas in their own homes may find it difficult to go back to church after life goes back to normal, whatever that means. If you can sing at home and hear the message without having to leave home, why do you need to go in person? Going online may push many people and churches to stay online. We cannot assume that technology will give us more than we take from it. If we forget the end for which we utilize online streaming utilities, then we will fall captive to the means (streaming technologies), and continue to use those technologies even after they no longer serve their purpose. Analog Church is a book which speaks to these concerns and gives a firm no to whether we can forgo the real in favor of the virtual. We need this truth now more than ever.
Analog Church has an introduction, three parts (worship, community, and scripture), and a short conclusion. The basic idea of the book is that we have let digital values of the digital enter into our churches at the expense of the analog reality. Digital technologies have given us speed, which has made us impatient. Digital life has caused a proliferation of choices, which has made us shallow. The digital age has brought about individualism, which has made us isolated. The counter to speed, choices, and individualism and the impatience, shallowness, and isolation they bring is an analog.
Nowhere in the book does Jay Kim define explicitly what he means by analog or what he means by digital (analog worship is defined, but the terms have a broader usage then worship), but the way analog is used throughout the book would give analog the meaning of physical and real. Analog then means real and physical. Digital is viewing a streaming worship service, while analog is sitting in a pew or chair in a physical building. Digital is sending a text saying "I'm sorry", while analog means saying it face to face in person. Digital is the internet and mass communication, while analog is whatever is physical and embodied.
Kim examines history, science, media ecology, and scripture to make his case that digital church is not what we need. We need real people, places, and things instead. Worship, though commonly used as a synonym for singing, in fact is something that involves our whole body. Singing and listening is a part of worship, but not the whole part. Worship is incomplete without our whole body.
A similar contrast made when considering community. True community can only happen in person. We cannot weep with those who weep or mourn with those who mourn virtually. The digital value of individualism is also contrary to the church as a family. The church is made up of chosen individuals, but the individuals are chosen by God, not by each other. We are family because God chose us, not because we like each other.
Scripture is the final area of the book. Here Jay Kim examines the digital patterns and what they have done to our bible reading habits. The bible is meant to be read and understood as a whole, not only in parts, yet Instagram and social media have a tendency to ignore the context of a verse or a quote. The digital value of speed does not help transform us. Efficiency may be a good goal for software, but not for discipleship.
Analog Church is two different books. One is a book of ecclesiology, written to call the church back to the analog way. The other is a criticism of technology. The part of the book which deals with the churches practices and criticizes the digital values which have sneaked into the church is fantastic. I wish more church leaders were thinking about this topic and would engage with what Jay Kim was reading. Analog Church is a call to think about why we worship as we are and whether what we are doing will truly transform, or only get people in the door and provide information to them.
The part of the book which engages in a criticism of technology is more uneven. His individual criticisms of technologies and their uses are excellent, but where he falls short is in his inconsistent view of the nature of technology, and his mostly uncritical view of the analog tradition.
Before engaging in a criticism of technology it has become commonplace to give a quick personal biography to show that the author is not against technology, but the ways technology has been used poorly. This claim is often done in defense against a criticism of being a Luddite and rejecting technology. To criticize technology strikes many as backwards and reactionary. Many, especially those in Silicon Valley, would agree wholeheartedly with Douglass Adams's rules for technology
I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Douglass Adams - The Salmon of Doubt
A successful criticism of technology, especially by an older person, needs to show why their criticism isn't merely reactionary. Writing a criticism of technology from within Silicon Valley is facing an uphill climb to acceptance, but Jay Kim's Analog Church does attempt to provide a criticism of technological usage in churches. If Jay Kim is accused of rejecting technology or being a Luddite, it comes despite his best attempts to state otherwise (e.g., "This is not a blanket critique of the usage of video in churches" p 50, "This is not to say that videos should be totally removed from the life of the church. Far from it, actually" p 70, "I am not suggesting we do away with online presence altogether. Far from it.").
While the majority of Jay Kim's technological criticisms are newer, he also shows the downsides to older technologies, namely the hymnal. By going back to the past and showing the failures of past technologies, Jay Kim shows that he is not merely criticizing what is new. New is not the problem. Whatever interrupts the life the church and limits our ability to be transformed is the problem.
In the philosophy of technology, there are two main views about the nature of technology: technological determinism and technological instrumentalism. Technological determinism believes that technologies drive human behavior and culture in ways unexpected and unintended. Technological determinists believe technology is not neutral. Technological instrumentalists on the other hand believe that any given technology is neutral. What matters is the people and cultural context a tool is used in.
Jay Kim would seem to align himself with the technological instrumentalists, but some of his conclusions make more sense from a technological determinist framework. To put it another way, Jay Kim seems to affirm that technology is neutral, but his conclusions seem to imply that technology is not neutral. This inconsistency leads to the biggest flaw of the book. The clearest example of his view of technology is "There's nothing inherently wrong with bricks. Like all technologies, bricks can be used for good. And like all technologies, bricks can be used to harm." (p 85). This is an excellent example of viewing technology as neutral. How you use the technology is what matters, not the technology itself. Nothing is inherently wrong with bricks, and by implication, all technologies.
Yet this view of technology does not jive with his some of his explanations of the changes technology has brought about. When talking about the changes projectors and hymnals have brought to our churches, he makes several important observations. "While the hymnal allowed the church to greatly expand its repertoire of songs, it focused the collective gaze of the community downward. In some ways, a sense of togetherness and belonging was lost as eyes became affixed to the words and notes on the pages of individual hymnals held in individual hands. However, this loss was mitigated by the added benefit of being able to sing a wider variety of songs in unison" (p 42). In this example Hymnals brought about real and lasting changes to the way we worshiped and the choices of the individuals didn't bring about the change. The technology brought about the change. This is the technological determinist view.
I mention the above inconsistency not to point out an example of Jay Kim's poor reasoning, but because I think his understanding of the nature of technology leads him to a different set of conclusions than if he viewed technology as not neutral. Analog Church is an optimistic book. Despite the calls to turn away from digital and turn to analog, the tone is hopeful throughout that turning away can be done and that our mega church institutions can be reformed. If you accept that technology is not neutral and all the implications that come with it, then you will necessarily find yourself facing a much more daunting set of problems. If technology is not neutral, then we are left with the possible conclusion that technology has caused more harm then good. At that point, it is no longer how you use a technology which matters, but rejecting the use of the technology itself. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Either technology is neutral and can be used for good or evil and there is nothing inherently wrong with a technology, or technology brings about change regardless of the use of it. Jay Kim puts affirms both views in this book, but he cannot affirm both.
Another flaw with the book is the lack of clarity on what is meany by analog or digital. At no point in the book is analog clearly defined. I believe that analog is used as a synonym for real and embodied throughout the book. This lets him oppose analog with digital quite easily. The enemy becomes digital tools and values, and analog values and tools are good. The problem is that sometimes digital technologies have recovered something good which analog has lost. L.M. Sacasas observes that in analog cultures, we are more likely to be disenchanted and view the material world as "just". A star is "just" a ball of gas. Love is "just" our natural working out of our evolutionary desire to make. A digital culture allows for us to view to world with more enchanted eyes. Thanks to the digital, people now realize they are "enmeshed in systems beyond their capacity to master." We now see clearer than we did in the analog age that we live amidst forces we cannot escape. A valid criticism of the digital can still be made, but contrasting digital with analog, especially when analog isn't clearly defined, is not a valid contrast. Both have problems, and while digital's problems are many and dangerous, analog also caused many dangerous problems for us as well.
Another problem with not defining more clearly what is meant by analog or digital is that digital gets criticized for things traditional analog would also be guilty of. In the book he gives the example of texting his wife "I'm sorry" and how his wife correctly understood that he had not apologized yet. If the same thing had been done with a handwritten letter instead of text message, the underlying problem would still be the same. He would still not have apologized, yet we stretching the definition of digital to include a letter. A letter is physical and real, in ways a text message is not. Yet the letter still would fail to apologize. Digital alone doesn't create the problem, and without a clear definition, analog will not provide the solution. More clarity on what was meant by analog and digital would have strengthened the book.
I am grateful for having read Jay Kim's book, and I hope and pray that more pastors start thinking critically about technology and the desire for technique at the heart of American culture. While I don't believe his proposals go far enough in rejecting technology, and I think his inconsistent view of technology limits his criticisms, his book is one of the better popular, Christian books on technology I have read. I will recommend it to others if I get a chance.
October 15, 2020
This is a much needed message reminding us of our need for connection and face to face in the middle of online and digital forms of worship and connection.
June 7, 2020
Just an excellent diagnosis of our digital moment and the disastrous effects it is having on Christian discipleship. Also a great critique of churches and leaders who have unthinkingly gone along with the digital stream rather than speaking and forming their people prophetically against it. One of the strengths is that he does not toss the baby (technology) out with the bath water. There is a place for the right use of technology for the good of the Kingdom and the glory of God.
This book will serve as an excellent resource for pastors in all places as we begin to reimagine corporate worship and church life in our post-COVID contexts. (4.5)
This book will serve as an excellent resource for pastors in all places as we begin to reimagine corporate worship and church life in our post-COVID contexts. (4.5)
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