Week #3 Hidden Chains of Media!

It is almost hard to believe that on Monday we began our third week in the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family (NHICF). There are so many things that we could write about, but words really cannot convey the things that we are learning in and out of class!

I do want to appologize for not having put any photos up yet. It has been difficult to get any to upload with the inconsistancy of the internet connection. We hope to have some up soon, but if we cannot get any up then you all may just have to wait until May to get pictures! :o)

God is really teaching me (Rachel) so much about relationships! He is really directing me into some sort of ministry. I have no idea what it looks like yet or what form it will take, but I am increasingly having a desire to build solid, deep, lasting relationships with the women around me. It is almost distracting! I am so eager to come home to put into practice the things I have learned in the past 2 weeks, but I also know that I am not fully prepared for that! I still have 17 1/2 weeks of teaching in the institute before I can fully understand all that He is teaching me now! Please continue to pray that we will be open to what God is trying to teach us so that our lives will be transformed!!

Yesterday (Mike) in class we discussed "technology" and the effect that is has on our lives. Ironically, while Keith was teaching his cell phone began ringing and would not stop til he answered it. A few minutes later it began ringing again. A few minutes later it rang again. We were all so frustrated with the disruption. It was rude and shallow that he would consider answering his phone over teaching his lesson to us. Have you had an experience like that? Maybe you were talking with someone and then their cell phone rang and they answered it. It was like this cell phone was his screaming baby and it would not be quiet until he consoled it. Keith was giving the cell phone power. Power to control him. The point is that technology is not neutral. So is it good or bad? I bet you are saying 'that evil cell phone.' Wrong. Something becomes bad when it has reversal effects on us. You see the cell phone is not bad because it interrupted class, it only became bad when Keith gave it power to control him. It in essence became a god. This can happen with any form of technology and media. We all know that many of us have given TV too much power, we have allowed ourselves and children to be given over the power of video game consoles. We are in a culture of technology and media overload. We need to carefully think through the effects that technology and media has on us. What kind of power does the medium (a vehicle carrying information) of facebook or this blog have over you? We need to be aware of the truth that the medium eventually becomes the message. Here are some of the 'Laws of Media' or questions you should ask about media, 'What does the medium extend?' Essentially, all forms of media and technology are extensions of our human capacities. For instance, the cell phone is the extension of our voice and our hearing. The computer is an extension of our mind 'the ability to make outlines on Microsoft Word for my sermons' it also combines many other human capacities like sight, hearing, voice, etc. I hope you get the point. Second, 'what does the medium replace or make obsolete?' Third, 'what does the medium reverse into?' For instance, the car is an extension of my legs and can get me from point 'a' to point 'b' much faster. But if there is a traffic jam then the medium revereses. Last, 'what does the medium retrieve?' The book that this discussion was primarily based off of is entitled The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps. We would definitely encourage you to take a look at this book and allow the author's thoughts to penetrate your heart and cause you to really think about the abundance of technology that we are accustomed to using and its effects on our lives. Hipps has another book that is similar but condenced which is called Flickering Pixels. Again, we would encourage you to take a look at the perspective this brings on the way technology influences and inprisons our culture, churches, lives, relationships, etc. As the Church, we need to be careful in how we share the gospel with through the medium of media. In doing so, we risk changing the message of the gospel itself. God intends us His body to be the message of His gospel. We are the best medium to proclaim the greatest news and to be His hands and feet.
4tg,
Michael and Rachel Ervin