Research - Media and Culture
Whether we like it or not, the culture in which we live is ever-evolving. As Leonard Sweet points out, in a fluid culture the Church must become an "Aqua Church" if it truly hopes to bring light and transformation into the culture. One of the great challenges before us today is how we can best communicate the timeless truth of Christ with clarity and depth. As our culture continues to emerge, one of the undeniable shapers of the culture is the media. More than ever, the Church must come to understand the centrality of media in the rapidly accelerating cultural formation process if she is to best engage and transform the culture. It is our hope that the following books, articles, and links (some of which we have written and all of which we have been inspired by) will inspire you to critically assess the current issues in this vital area of ministry thought.
Media and Culture: Books
- Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information (1993, Plume/Penguin Books)
- Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media (1964, 1994, MIT Press)
- Kenneth A. Myers, All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes (1989, Crossway Books)
- Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985, Penguin Books)
- Neil Postman, Conscientious Objections (1988, Vintage Books)
- Neil Postman, The Disappearance of Childhood (1982, 1994, Vintage Books)
- Neil Postman, Technopoly (1993, Vintage Books)
- Douglas Rushkoff, Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture (1995, Ballantine Books)
- Douglas Rushkoff, The GenX Reader (OOP, Ballantine)
Media and Culture: Articles
- How the Bombarding Images of TV Culture Undermine... Words By By Douglas S. Groothuis
Media and Culture: Links
- Jacques Ellul
- Neil Postman
- Douglas Rushkoff
- Various Media and Culture Links