Comments on: God Does Not Post to YouTube? Dr. Read Schuchardt on the Morality of Media http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/ Technology is Fast, but Redemption is Slow Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:58:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brandon Collins http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8544 Brandon Collins Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:59:00 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8544 First of all, wow. That was fantastic. I was blown away by some of the parallels and conclusions that he draws. However, I'm left with more questions that answers and I can't decide if I entirely agree with everything it seemed he was communicating. Is he saying that audio is better than video? He seems to suggest it. I agreed with some of his points (we are lead to believe that seeing is believing, we feel that we won't listen if we don't like what we see, etc.), but language itself is visual. Words are symbols that represent pictures. When we hear words, we visualize their meaning. Jesus used stories and word pictures to communicate during his ministry. Can we really say that listening is "better" than seeing? Also, he read a quote that seemed to suggest that the medium is important rather than just the truth it communicates. This seems to be echoes by a comment above about someone getting saved after seeing Billy Graham on TV. I have always viewed communication technology as morally neutral and equally valid. The thing that makes it good or bad is the truth that one uses it to communicate. If the medium plays into the worth of something (rather than just the truth it communicates), then what can we say about music? What style of music is the best? How can we decide? Finally, about written media, God did WRITE the 10 commandments down. He WROTE judgment on a wall to judge a Babylonian king. He commanded that new kings must make a copy of the WRITTEN law when they became king so that they would know it more thoroughly. There are studies that show that reading increases vocabulary and IQ. I've heard it said that "Text is still the king of media," and I agree. Can't reading a story produce the same mental images that hearing a story produces? I don't have a lot of answers... just questions. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks of some of this. First of all, wow. That was fantastic. I was blown away by some of the parallels and conclusions that he draws.

However, I’m left with more questions that answers and I can’t decide if I entirely agree with everything it seemed he was communicating.

Is he saying that audio is better than video? He seems to suggest it. I agreed with some of his points (we are lead to believe that seeing is believing, we feel that we won’t listen if we don’t like what we see, etc.), but language itself is visual. Words are symbols that represent pictures. When we hear words, we visualize their meaning. Jesus used stories and word pictures to communicate during his ministry. Can we really say that listening is “better” than seeing?

Also, he read a quote that seemed to suggest that the medium is important rather than just the truth it communicates. This seems to be echoes by a comment above about someone getting saved after seeing Billy Graham on TV. I have always viewed communication technology as morally neutral and equally valid. The thing that makes it good or bad is the truth that one uses it to communicate. If the medium plays into the worth of something (rather than just the truth it communicates), then what can we say about music? What style of music is the best? How can we decide?

Finally, about written media, God did WRITE the 10 commandments down. He WROTE judgment on a wall to judge a Babylonian king. He commanded that new kings must make a copy of the WRITTEN law when they became king so that they would know it more thoroughly. There are studies that show that reading increases vocabulary and IQ. I’ve heard it said that “Text is still the king of media,” and I agree. Can’t reading a story produce the same mental images that hearing a story produces?

I don’t have a lot of answers… just questions. I’m curious to see what everyone thinks of some of this.

]]> By: Thoughts: God and Youtube Do Not Mix - ChurchCrunch http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8368 Thoughts: God and Youtube Do Not Mix - ChurchCrunch Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:10:41 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8368 [...] [HT: John Dyer] [...] [...] [HT: John Dyer] [...]

]]> By: John Dyer http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8317 John Dyer Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:32:01 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8317 You're absolutely right. Almost all books on technology (Dr. Schuchardt writes from the "media ecology" perspective) frame the discussion with roughly four stages of communication technology (oral, written, print, and digital). Each of these technologies impacts language, communication, and human being. I would bet Dr. Schuchardt would agree with you that the printed Bible is still as much impact on society than digital technologies. You’re absolutely right. Almost all books on technology (Dr. Schuchardt writes from the “media ecology” perspective) frame the discussion with roughly four stages of communication technology (oral, written, print, and digital). Each of these technologies impacts language, communication, and human being. I would bet Dr. Schuchardt would agree with you that the printed Bible is still as much impact on society than digital technologies.

]]> By: Revsimmy http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8316 Revsimmy Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:19:38 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8316 "No attention span needed." Very thought-provoking and challenging. And yet... much of what he says could be applied (with modification) to the print culture that has been dominant in Western culture and Christianity for the the past few centuries. For example, the way Western Christians read the Bible has already been modified - by lectionaries that only give us a few verses when read in church, by devotional aids like Bible-reading notes that give us a few verses and a couple of paragraphs of comment. And this is in print, and well before the internet, twitter etc. Is the impact of electronic media as negative as these clips from Dr. Schuchardt imply? (and I realize these ARE just extracts from something longer). “No attention span needed.” Very thought-provoking and challenging. And yet… much of what he says could be applied (with modification) to the print culture that has been dominant in Western culture and Christianity for the the past few centuries. For example, the way Western Christians read the Bible has already been modified – by lectionaries that only give us a few verses when read in church, by devotional aids like Bible-reading notes that give us a few verses and a couple of paragraphs of comment. And this is in print, and well before the internet, twitter etc. Is the impact of electronic media as negative as these clips from Dr. Schuchardt imply? (and I realize these ARE just extracts from something longer).

]]> By: Danny http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8222 Danny Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:42:11 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8222 My first reaction... sweet - now I have to find this Professor Schuchardt on Twitter. hmm.... My first reaction… sweet – now I have to find this Professor Schuchardt on Twitter. hmm….

]]> By: Stephen Bateman http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8200 Stephen Bateman Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:45:55 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8200 Wow that first video was really good. Except does that rule out sharing the gospel over the phone? Television ministries? Personally speaking, my grandma saw Billy Graham on TV like 50 years ago, and responded to God then. She still loves Jesus today... Wow that first video was really good. Except does that rule out sharing the gospel over the phone? Television ministries?

Personally speaking, my grandma saw Billy Graham on TV like 50 years ago, and responded to God then. She still loves Jesus today…

]]> By: Adam http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8188 Adam Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:03:52 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8188 John - Thanks for the shout out! Adam John –

Thanks for the shout out!

Adam

]]> By: Fluency » In blogosphere http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8168 Fluency » In blogosphere Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:20:25 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8168 [...] Are we over mediated (have to much media intake)?–yes. [...] [...] Are we over mediated (have to much media intake)?–yes. [...]

]]> By: John (Human3rror) http://donteatthefruit.com/2010/01/prof-schuchardt-cuts-to-the-moral-heart-of-media/#comment-8153 John (Human3rror) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:04:42 +0000 http://donteatthefruit.com/?p=612#comment-8153 he's so hawt. he’s so hawt.

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