Comments on: A Curmudgeon Weighs in on Evangelical Worship: Disney World Worship, Part 3: The Sovereignty of Technology http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/01/a-curmudgeon-weighs-in-on-evangelical-worship-disney-world-worship-part-3-the-sovereignty-of-technology/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:09:10 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: David Nelson: “A Curmudgeon on Evangelical Worship” « Matt Capps Blog http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/01/a-curmudgeon-weighs-in-on-evangelical-worship-disney-world-worship-part-3-the-sovereignty-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1071 David Nelson: “A Curmudgeon on Evangelical Worship” « Matt Capps Blog Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:22:12 +0000 http://betweenthetimes.com/?p=903#comment-1071 [...] A Curmudgeon Weighs in on Evangelical Worship: Disney World Worship (Part 3): The Sovereignty of Tec... [...] [...] A Curmudgeon Weighs in on Evangelical Worship: Disney World Worship (Part 3): The Sovereignty of Tec… [...]

]]> By: Hannah Nelson http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/01/a-curmudgeon-weighs-in-on-evangelical-worship-disney-world-worship-part-3-the-sovereignty-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1057 Hannah Nelson Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:40:22 +0000 http://betweenthetimes.com/?p=903#comment-1057 sad! it's over!? oh well. "or maybe offense to you." funny. :) sad! it’s over!? oh well.
“or maybe offense to you.” funny. :)

]]> By: K. Marriner http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/01/a-curmudgeon-weighs-in-on-evangelical-worship-disney-world-worship-part-3-the-sovereignty-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1052 K. Marriner Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:05:29 +0000 http://betweenthetimes.com/?p=903#comment-1052 Dr. Nelson, I've appreciated your posts on evangelical worship. I'm no worship leader, but it's always helpful to be more thoughtful and prayerful about those things which we just assume or may take for granted. I look forward to reading future posts on the subject and to your wry wit. Dr. Nelson,
I’ve appreciated your posts on evangelical worship. I’m no worship leader, but it’s always helpful to be more thoughtful and prayerful about those things which we just assume or may take for granted. I look forward to reading future posts on the subject and to your wry wit.

]]> By: J.Burkett http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/01/a-curmudgeon-weighs-in-on-evangelical-worship-disney-world-worship-part-3-the-sovereignty-of-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-1042 J.Burkett Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:25:51 +0000 http://betweenthetimes.com/?p=903#comment-1042 Does an A/V liturgy sacrifice biblical literacy? Thank you for the article on “The Sovereignty of Technology.” A response: “The Medium is the Message” according to Marshall McLuhan (a Christian through the influence of G.K. Chesterton) in his 1964 work _Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man_. He was something of a prophet (forth telling the values) of our electronic age, and his insights apply today. One question McLuhan asks concerns trade-off: If media extends (or amplifies), what does it make obsolete (or abridge) in the process? I think everyone has experienced the same effect: Our A/V medium scarifies the written word. As Dr. Nelson experienced, "I made use of video to display the Scriptures,” and it had the unintended consequence of closing books: “some people had quit bringing their Bibles to church,” but most, I suspect, brought their Bibles but did not open them. This is a consistent response. We close our Bibles; we close our hymnals; we close our “worship folder” (b/c it's all announcements anyway). We become passive (feminized?), and we begin to lose or never develop biblical literacy because the church’s visual liturgy no longer values literature. In my humble opinion, the church should do everything possible to help people become more biblically literate. You make your own application. As an individual, I will not let the medium lull me to sleep! I open my Bible, and if possible I sing with the hymnal (which retains punctuation, of both kinds). In reading I sometimes enjoy the amplification because I know the written words. Does an A/V liturgy sacrifice biblical literacy?

Thank you for the article on “The Sovereignty of Technology.” A response: “The Medium is the Message” according to Marshall McLuhan (a Christian through the influence of G.K. Chesterton) in his 1964 work _Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man_. He was something of a prophet (forth telling the values) of our electronic age, and his insights apply today.

One question McLuhan asks concerns trade-off: If media extends (or amplifies), what does it make obsolete (or abridge) in the process? I think everyone has experienced the same effect: Our A/V medium scarifies the written word.

As Dr. Nelson experienced, “I made use of video to display the Scriptures,” and it had the unintended consequence of closing books: “some people had quit bringing their Bibles to church,” but most, I suspect, brought their Bibles but did not open them. This is a consistent response. We close our Bibles; we close our hymnals; we close our “worship folder” (b/c it’s all announcements anyway). We become passive (feminized?), and we begin to lose or never develop biblical literacy because the church’s visual liturgy no longer values literature.

In my humble opinion, the church should do everything possible to help people become more biblically literate. You make your own application. As an individual, I will not let the medium lull me to sleep! I open my Bible, and if possible I sing with the hymnal (which retains punctuation, of both kinds). In reading I sometimes enjoy the amplification because I know the written words.

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