Hidden Power of Electronic Culture : How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church

by Shane Hipps

• ISBN13: 9780310262749
• ISBN10: 0310262747
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-16
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

"Shane Hipps reveals the subtle secrets of electronic culture and the hidden ways it is shaping the church. Looking beyond the details of what's happening in communities of faith, Hipps analyzes the broader impact of technology and media on the church."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Gratitudes	7	(2)
Foreword	9	(4)
Brian McLaren
Introduction	13	(8)
PART I: NEW WAYS TO PERCEIVE
Seeing But Not Perceiving	21	(8)
Perceiving the Powers That Shape Us	29	(16)
Printing: The Architect of the Modern Church	45	(18)
Electronic Media: Planting the Seeds of the Emerging Church	63	(24)
PART II: ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PRACTICE
Evolving the Medium and the Message	87	(16)
Community in Electronic Culture	103	(22)
Leadership in Electronic Culture	125	(20)
Worship in Electronic Culture	145	(20)
Epilogue	165	(2)
Bibliography	167	(4)
Endnotes	171

Excerpts

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel,
and Church
Copyright © 2005 by Shane A. Hipps
Youth Specialties products, 300 South Pierce Street, El Cajon, CA 92020 are
published by Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, MI
49530.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hipps, Shane A.
The hidden power of electronic culture: how media shapes faith,
the Gospel, and church / Shane A. Hipps.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-10: 0-310-26274-7 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26274-9 (pbk.)
1. Christianity and culture. 2. Mass media--Influence. 3. Mass
media--Religious aspects--Christianity. 4. Technology--Religious
aspects--Christianity. 5. Popular culture--Religious aspects
--Christianity. I. Title.
BR115.C8H56 2005
261.5’2--dc22
2005024206
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy
Bible: New International Version (North American Edition), copyright ©1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House.
Photo on page 74: ©1995, The Washington Post. Photo by Carol Guzy. Reprinted
with permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—(except for brief quotations in
printed reviews) without the prior permission of the publisher.
Web site addresses listed in this book were current at the time of publication.
Please contact Youth Specialties via e-mail ([e-mail]) to report
URLs that are no longer operational and replacement URLs if available.
Creative Team: Carla Barnhill, Kristi Robison, Janie Wilkerson,
and Mark Novelli
Cover design by Rule29
Printed in the United States

A few years after I graduated from
college, I became a lay leader at
my local church. The pastor invited
me to join a “task force” (a
sexy name for a committee) that
was assembled in order to rethink
and revamp our contemporary
worship service. At the time we
had two services: a traditional service
featuring an organist and a full choir leading hymns, and a
contemporary service featuring a band leading praise music. Our
contemporary service was fl oundering; the attendance was low and
the energy lacking.
Our discussions as a task force centered on things like the style
of worship leading, an inadequate sound system, and poor acoustics.
Eventually, these conversations led us to consider the controversial
measure of introducing a projection screen. The vast majority of our
debate on this issue concerned questions of costs, logistics, and aesthetics.
We wondered where the money would come from. Would
the screen be obtrusive? Where would we put it? How would the
older generation feel about it? These were all valid and important
questions, but we began to believe these were not the most important
questions for us to ask.

“IS TWENTIETH CENTURY
MAN
ONE WHO RUNS
DOWN THE STREET
SHOUTING, ‘I’VE GOT
THE ANSWERS. WHAT
ARE THE QUESTIONS?’”
—MARSHALL MCLUHAN

CHAPTER ONE
SEEING BUT NOT PERCEIVING
THE HIDDEN POWER OF ELECTRONIC CULTURE
Our original reason for considering a projection screen was
largely imitative—all good contemporary services have one. But
as we worked through the issue, we realized the rationale of “everybody
is doing it” was fl awed, and we began exploring different
questions: Why do all contemporary services have a screen? What is
the effect of using a projection screen versus using a hymnal or bulletin?
How would this new form of media alter the congregation’s
experience in worship?
After some discussion, we came to the conclusion that a screen
frees the body from the bulletin or book. It invites movement, dance,
and physical expression in worship. It lifts the heads of congregants,
amplifying the sound and energy of their voices. We believed all of
these were the chief marks of a “good” contemporary service, and
they became our guides as we worked to implement this simple
change. While this decision was about a relatively minor concern in
the life of our church, there was great value in asking this new set of
questions. When we considered the broader implications of a seemingly
simple decision, it changed the nature of the debate, freed us
from our opposing camps, and opened us to better ways of thinking
about the rest of the service.
Our conversation was in no way unique to that church. Nor did
our insights reflect a grand breakthrough in understanding worship
technology. But I believe we hit on the fundamental issue of the ways
in which media affect the gathered community. Unfortunately, these
issues are often only raised—if they are raised at all—when dealing
with simple forms such as the projection screen. We seem less interested
in asking this question about the more pervasive and complex
cultural forces at play both inside and outside of the church. For
example, if something as simple as a projection screen can have a
dynamic effect on a congregational experience in worship, what happens
when more complex media are infused into the life of a church
or into the lives of the people who are the church? What is the effect
of the Internet on the way we think about and do church? How does
the medium of television shape our understanding of community,
leadership, and mission? In what ways is our understanding of the
gospel altered when we communicate or preach with pictures instead
of words?
MEDIA: THE CULTURAL ARCHITECT
The answers to these questions are based on a simple notion: The
forms of media and technology—regardless of their content—cause
profound changes in the church and culture. The power of our media
forms has created both challenges and opportunities in the ways
the people of God are formed. Unfortunately, just as Dorothy and
her companions missed the man behind the curtain in The Wizard
of Oz, we stand oblivious to the hidden power of media. Most of us
point and stare at the giant wizard head wreathed in flame, quite
unaware it is only a distraction—the con man’s sleight of hand.
The time has come for the church to pull back the curtain and
expose the true effects of media. While this may sound like the hunt
for some notorious villain, it is not. The media to which I am referring
are neither evil nor good. Yet this in no way means they are
neutral. Their power is staggering but remains hidden from view.
Because we tend to focus our gaze on their content, the forms of
media appear only in our peripheral vision. As a result they exert a
subtle yet immense power. By exposing their secrets and powers, we
restore our ability to predict and perceive the often unintended consequences
of using new media and new methods. This understanding
of media is crucial to forming God’s people with discernment,
authenticity, and faithfulness to the gospel.
MR. NO DEPTH PERCEPTION

---

Excerpted from The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church by Shane Hipps
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.