OK, I’m sitting in “Technology is Not Neutral” with John Dyer.  He’s from DTS.

John has a really cute kid, but he kept him up last night.  John’s focus is on a the theological implications of using technology for ministry (note: ask him if he’s worked with Shane Hipps).

Yup, he knows Shane Hipps.  I’m glad that John’s here presenting, this is totally needed at a conference like this.  Tech is not all bright and beautiful – it has an impact on who we are and how we live (how many phone numbers do you have memorized?).

Tech alters us not in how we use it, but that we use it. Dang straight.

Medium shapes message (actually medium IS the message).

Bible has mediums:

• genres
• characters
• sites (burning bush)
• Incarnation

(Heh, everyone go read Flickering Pixels – John’s talk tracks brilliantly with is)

McLuhan’s 4 laws of media:

• what does it extend?
• what does it obsolete?
• what does it retrieve from a prior era?
• what does it reverse into?

(I really need to read McLuhan – here’s my yearly project)

History of Bible Tech:

4 stages (he gives dates, but I don’t track with them):

• oral – data exists only in the minds of the community (JPS did a great job with this)
• written – added consistency, but it was costly.  But the texts belonged to a community because the cost kept access time down.  Ancients did wonder if writing was a good thing (this illusion of wisdom – Socrates story).  Alphabet affects out thought – Alphabet vs. Pictograph language.
• printed – printing press blew up society.  Mass distribution of exact copies.  Cost went down – page numbers came into existence for the first time (references and footnotes, chapter and verse numbers explode into NT).  Knowledge become democratized for the first time, texts were no longer owned by particular communities.  It retrieves an communal understanding, but reversed into radical individualism.
• digital – Photograph and Internet/computer. Pictures invoke emotions (a picture is worth 1000 emotions).  Moving images lead to fast/trivial, entertaining, and passive understanding of media.  Story becomes important again (yay).  Computer blasts information at us, so we learn to scan information quickly.  Multi-tasking (ADD folks live well in this world).  We now have decontextualized language – Book to article to blog to comment to twitter.

I just got a tweet where you can get more information on M’s 4 laws of media: http://tinyurl.com/2p82l5

John just recommended flickering pixels – #win for me calling it early.

Google CEO still thinks that the best way to learn something is to read a book (totally agree).

Digitial Bible has pluses and minus:  moves from community text to “just data.”  Searches replace memory, and tools reverse into crutches.

John calls the “mediums change, but hte message is the same” like – Amen.

We need to go back to reading scripture out loud in community (especially w/o powerpoint).  [I agree with no powerpoint, but Keynote is OK.   hee hee]

We need to reduce information – it’s ok to click “mark all as read” in google reader.

johndyer@gmail.com

johndyer.name