Currently in media
Telling God’s story in the digital age
From consumer to producer
In the beginning was information. This allusion to the opening line of John’s Gospel in the title of creation scientist Werner Gitt’s book really got my attention, and I think the idea deserves a closer look.
Not only is God’s information, his logos, Word, or whatever we wish to call it, embedded in DNA, it’s also present in other formats, such as speech, writing, print, and multimedia. The foundational and most communicative format is the “Word in flesh”: the person of Jesus Christ, the best example of “the medium is the message.”
Zooming out on our world’s timeline, the emerging big picture may help us make sense of how God may want to go about building his kingdom today.
Let’s start at the very beginning: God used his spoken word to create everything. Except us. He made us with his hands, and breathed his spirit into us, as though giving us an extra helping of “original information” from his very being. He endowed us with freedom of choice and creativity, ultimately giving us the honour of being co-creators with him. Indeed, we see this co-creative dynamic throughout Scripture: naming animals, building an ark, constructing a temple, making disciples – all to make God famous.
After using speech to create everything, God used stone tablets to give Moses the written revelation of himself. Then, in the middle ages, he used Gutenberg’s printing press as the new medium to kick-start the greatest revival in history.
Transitions
What should we be looking for today, as a generation of multimedia-savvy Christians comes of age? If we look at the effects on society of these major transitions between old and new media, we may find the same principles at work between traditional and new media today.
One thing new media has done every time is bring about some chaos.
For example, when literacy is first brought into an oral culture, say through missionary efforts, social structures often collapse, as the young folk pick up literacy much faster than the elders.
The hope of the gospel and literacy-bearing missionaries is that the Word of God will take root, and supersede competing worldviews. But in order to accomplish this, the Word of God needs to be well represented, “dwelling richly,” in this new environment.
And what about the printing press? Its introduction allowed information to flow to the masses, making scribes – those few who held the keys to what could be known about God – obsolete.
Because Gutenberg was a God-fearing man who chose to print the Bible as his first major work, the Word of God dwelt richly in this environment as well. The Bible became so readily available people could compare the teachings of the church to the Word of God. The stage was set for the Reformation.
The new literacy of our day is computer literacy. The new printing press is the internet. Is God’s Word riding this wave? Who are the ones becoming obsolete, and what structures are collapsing in our day? Is God’s Word dwelling richly enough among us to accomplish what it was sent out for?
Co-creators
Our role in this comes back to being co-creators with God – and creating stuff has never been easier. Tools to create movies, audio dramas, songs, games, graphics, stories, and articles are at our disposal as software programs, and so are the tools to spread this information. Kids pick up these skills quickly. But what they need from their leader figures is wisdom and moral direction, and perhaps some help on the content. (I find Jesus’ parables a great place to start.)
If there’s a way to harness the creative power of the media generation, while sharing God’s story with them, why not seize it? Many parents express concern about the time their kids spend in front of the computer or TV. My question is, “Doing what? Consuming or producing?”
Our creativity with new media brings us closer to the heart of God, as we develop our God-given skills, get a taste for what a relationship with our own creation feels like, and start to communicate love as passionately as God did throughout history. His ultimate act of communication was packing all his information into a human-compatible format: Jesus.
So, can we re-claim our place as co-creators with God, and join him where he’s already at work building his kingdom? Could we lure kids away from playing games and watching TV, and get them to make games and films, while sharing God’s story with them? Yes, they may still sit at the computer a lot, but something crucial will have changed: those who produce instead of simply consume are more likely to get to know God in the creative process, and will consume differently – more critically, more methodically, more thoughtfully. Especially when given a little guidance.
Maybe in this way, we could work together intergenerationally, to “let the Word of God dwell richly among us” (Colossians 3:16, paraphrased).
From consumer to producer
In the beginning was information. This allusion to the opening line of John’s Gospel in the title of creation scientist Werner Gitt’s book really got my attention, and I think the idea deserves a closer look. Not only is God’s information, his logos, Word, or whatever we wish to call it, embedded in DNA, it’s also present in other formats, such as speech, writing, print, and multimedia. The foundational and most communicative format is the “Word in flesh”: the person of Jesus Christ, the best example of “the medium is the message.”
Zooming out on our world’s timeline, the emerging big picture may help us make sense of how God may want to go about building his kingdom today.
Let’s start at the very beginning: God used his spoken word to create everything. Except us. He made us with his hands, and breathed his spirit into us, as though giving us an extra helping of “original information” from his very being. He endowed us with freedom of choice and creativity, ultimately giving us the honour of being co-creators with him. Indeed, we see this co-creative dynamic throughout Scripture: naming animals, building an ark, constructing a temple, making disciples – all to make God famous.
After using speech to create everything, God used stone tablets to give Moses the written revelation of himself. Then, in the middle ages, he used Gutenberg’s printing press as the new medium to kick-start the greatest revival in history.
Transitions
What should we be looking for today, as a generation of multimedia-savvy Christians comes of age? If we look at the effects on society of these major transitions between old and new media, we may find the same principles at work between traditional and new media today.
One thing new media has done every time is bring about some chaos.
For example, when literacy is first brought into an oral culture, say through missionary efforts, social structures often collapse, as the young folk pick up literacy much faster than the elders.
The hope of the gospel and literacy-bearing missionaries is that the Word of God will take root, and supersede competing worldviews. But in order to accomplish this, the Word of God needs to be well represented, “dwelling richly,” in this new environment.
And what about the printing press? Its introduction allowed information to flow to the masses, making scribes – those few who held the keys to what could be known about God – obsolete.
Because Gutenberg was a God-fearing man who chose to print the Bible as his first major work, the Word of God dwelt richly in this environment as well. The Bible became so readily available people could compare the teachings of the church to the Word of God. The stage was set for the Reformation.
The new literacy of our day is computer literacy. The new printing press is the internet. Is God’s Word riding this wave? Who are the ones becoming obsolete, and what structures are collapsing in our day? Is God’s Word dwelling richly enough among us to accomplish what it was sent out for?
Co-creators
Our role in this comes back to being co-creators with God – and creating stuff has never been easier. Tools to create movies, audio dramas, songs, games, graphics, stories, and articles are at our disposal as software programs, and so are the tools to spread this information. Kids pick up these skills quickly. But what they need from their leader figures is wisdom and moral direction, and perhaps some help on the content. (I find Jesus’ parables a great place to start.)
If there’s a way to harness the creative power of the media generation, while sharing God’s story with them, why not seize it? Many parents express concern about the time their kids spend in front of the computer or TV. My question is, “Doing what? Consuming or producing?”
Our creativity with new media brings us closer to the heart of God, as we develop our God-given skills, get a taste for what a relationship with our own creation feels like, and start to communicate love as passionately as God did throughout history. His ultimate act of communication was packing all his information into a human-compatible format: Jesus.
So, can we re-claim our place as co-creators with God, and join him where he’s already at work building his kingdom? Could we lure kids away from playing games and watching TV, and get them to make games and films, while sharing God’s story with them? Yes, they may still sit at the computer a lot, but something crucial will have changed: those who produce instead of simply consume are more likely to get to know God in the creative process, and will consume differently – more critically, more methodically, more thoughtfully. Especially when given a little guidance.
Maybe in this way, we could work together intergenerationally, to “let the Word of God dwell richly among us” (Colossians 3:16, paraphrased).
—Dan Klaue
