Day 2 Session 3
Shane Hipps
"How Technology Shapes the Sermon"
Shane, a former marketing and advertising executive, focused on the brilliance of
Marshall McLuhan, the man he refers to as "The greatest thinker you've never heard of." McLuhan predicted concepts similar to Amazon.com 30-40 years before the internet was available to the public.
We often hear the statement "The methods always change, but the message stays the same."
Shane explained that "The medium IS the message."
The way you say something is more important than what you actually say.
"Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb-stance of the technological idiot...for the content of any message is the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind." -Marshall McLuhan
In another thought, Shane explained, "We are what we behold."
He added, the printing press was the first assembly line of the industrial age. It was linear, sequential, uniform, and repeatable type. It helped to shape how we interacted with various areas of our lives, including other technology, even architecture. Before the printing press, churches met to share the stories of Jesus. But with the printing press came the concept of "transfer of information." Clergy deviated from leading the conversation and now started lecturing on the topic. The first pews were created and the church's architecture was changed in order to better provide the "transfer of information."
Between 1850 and 1900 many technologies had started to harness the use of electricity. Among these was photography.
Shane explained, "With technology comes an increased inability to utilize abstract thought."
The words create a thought of an image, but the picture creates an emotion connected to an image.
Shane explained that "a picture is worth a thousand words" is a good thought, but words are not interchangeable with pictures.
In "the boy is sad" the words stimulate the left brain....the image stimulates the right.
The words are conceptual...the picture is holistic.
The words are sterile...the picture is emotional.
"Images pin the logical side of our brains to the back of our skull." The image overrides any logical thinking. This is why advertisers use images instead of essays to sell their products.
On the left is text that represents a syllogism or an argument used in explaining a logical conclusion. On the right is the eastern symbol, the Yin Yang, used to explain the existence of opposing forces in nature, spirituality, or human thought.
Image based cultures move from western thinking to more eastern thinking.
Left brain - semi colon plus closed parenthesis
Right brain - :) emoticon
Letters in and of themselves do not mean anything. That is what makes them useful. We ascribe meaning to them when used in context.
The letter "L" does not, on it's own mean anything.
But when used in a specific context:
it means something very specific.
- Image based cultures create a literary deficiency.
- you will remember an image far better than the description of that image.
- image limits possibilities but creates a shared experience,
- what does the image actually do? vs. what do the words actually say?
-if you want to unleash imagination...use words.
-if you want to create a shared experience...use images.
Image vs. Words has shaped how we view many things.
Before the printing press, people focused on the Gospels when examining the Bible. Why? Because they were basically stories about Jesus. They were easy to share with others verbally.
Shane explored the use of images and words through modern eras:
Middle Ages - the message was the story of Jesus. Because of imagery, the ability to communicate through image, stained glass was utilized to tell the story. (it was difficult to put Paul into pictures)
Martin Luther believed that John, Paul, and Peter were more important than Matthew, Mark, and Luke, because they appealed to logic, thought, and reason.
We must understand how to use technology instead of being used by it.
-So what does all of this mean for the sermon?
In order to understand the shift in the technological impact on the sermon, we must consider the focus of the church service:
In the middle ages, the service was focused on the Eucharist and the homily. The alter was the visual focus.
The homily was given in Latin. This was not the common language of the people. In fact it was the language of the educated. Because of this focus, there was an emphasis on mystery...or not really understanding, but welcoming the unknown into the service.
In the industrial (print) age, the service focus was shifted to the sermon and the visual shift was directed to the pulpit. The church became a lecture hall. It was common for a "sermon" to be a four-hour scholarly dissertation.
In the television (broadcast) age, the stage became the focus. The church became a studio with lights, sound equipment, and projection. The pastor became the host or star of the show while a band became the opening act.
In the internet age, the focus shifted to connecting people and providing a shared experience. The church became a coffee shop. The pastor became the facilitator.
Interestingly, you can find an example of all of these types of churches within a 20 mile radius of most major metropolitan cities.
There are some practices that can help us become better artists of preaching:
-the art of surprise: this is not necessarily the use of paradox or absurdity.
"When you keep them guessing, they pay attention."
3 types of surprise:
- exegetical: this is providing contextual information, asking questions of the text, find answers to those questions.
- rhetorical: used with familiar texts or topics. Create dissonance where there was none. Planting an itch so they can scratch.
- linguistic: become a student of language. Fine new words for old thoughts. Use poetry to get to the heart. Use prose to illuminate the crux of the passage.
Shane then walked us through a case-study of the John's account of Jesus' first miracle: turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
- rhetorical surprise: John mentions this as the 1st miracle. Why? Isn't this an odd miracle? Examine the Hebrew perspective on wine in relation to celebration, joy, and abundance. Rabbinical thought: "without wine, there is no joy." Connect Jesus with the "abundance of God."
-exegetical surprise: notice the jars - the container not the content. Jesus used the jars that were for "ceremonial washing" when empty wine jars (amphora) would have been available. Using ceremonial jars for anything other than washing would have violated purity laws. Jesus chose the ceremonial jars for a specific reason. What was that reason?
- linguistic surprise: examine the amphora, study Rabbinical sayings, look to other biblical passages for insight. Find a new way of saying what we have become familiar with.
The art of the sermon has much to do with mastering the art of letting go.
- We pour ourselves into a message and then we have people tell us it was "a good sermon." We didn't want a good sermon, we wanted pure life transformation.
"When I learned to be divested in the outcome, life change started to take place." Sure we want life change to take place, but when we fearlessly and honestly offer what God has given us without reservation, bias, or expectation, we will see His results.
"You do not need encouragement to breath, you just do it."
"I have not achieved, I have tasted."
Prior to image, we had heroes for what they had done or accomplished. With image, we now have celebrities who are known simply for being seen.
There are technophiles and technophobes. We must have both eyes open and see technology for what it is: a tool, not a solution.
Simplicity:
The problem is not simplicity, but simplicity on the front side of complexity. It is very different from simplicity on the far side of complexity. This is why wise sayings mean much more from an older person who has seen much life. Their simple, "God has a plan for us" has depth to it in light of their lives.
Labels: Christianity, Creativity, interpretation, postmodernism, theology
