Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps

I've been reading this book. It is a recommendation from a DTS professor. It was in a list of books about church organization and planting.

This book is a review of Marshall McLuhan. Now I read "Understanding Media" about 40 years ago. The simple idea was that "the medium is the message". I thought I understood what McLuhan was trying to say. I've never forgotten that and did use it to understand that radio was a hot medium and TV was a cool medium. I think that is a quote from McLuhan. And I think I understand what that means.

Hipps seems to be trying to use McLuhan's methods on more modern media such as the internet.

Right now I am about half done with the book. He is speaking about the effects of the printing press. He describes that as a medium change: printing. The proliferation of books made changes in the way people think.

Before books and printing the church used pictures and icons to explain the message to largely illiterate parishioners. Now there were books, Bibles and also books from the former great cultures that occurred before the "Dark Ages". So many of the books printed were of the great Greek and Roman works that had been preserved.

Hipps mentioned a very interesting thing. He said the advent of printing brought a revival of Paul's letters. Paul's intricate arguments cannot be depicted by pictures or anything iconic.

Also now the Bible was in the hand of individuals allowing for individual opinion. Before this a more corporate understanding was brought by oral messages, especially sermons and teachings done by priests.

I am finding this all very interesting. But no, I still can't remember it as well as I would like.

But the McLuhan message is still helpful. I do like McLuhan and agree with Hipps that he is a under appreciated genius.