Media are about communication and communication is about relationship.


Finding ways to engage specific media to enhance relationships, therefore, is important.


ing with a congregation in Africa with whom yours has a relationship? Imagine what a Bible study might be like in an online format that included your homebound members as well as Christians from Malaysia.


What are some good ways we can use media in various religious settings? Perhaps it’s helpful to think in


terms of affordances. That is, what does a specific medium “afford” or make possible? And what does it make difficult? Many of the media we traditionally use in worship—shared singing, times of silence, single voice proclamation of Scripture, incense— are ancient forms of communication that have stood the test of time. We are still experimenting with


new media. Consider Twitter. On the one hand it’s constraining—140 char- acters per message, immediately pub- lic, requiring Internet access—but it also affords certain actions not oth- erwise possible. Some congregations tweet concerns for shared prayer, for example. Others invite young people to tweet about sermons and incorpo- rate those into future sermons. Twit- ter “affords” a global, nearly instanta- neous reach. Further, there are now incred-


ibly rich media resources for Bible study, providing instant access to background information, pictures, graphics, music and more. During Lent there was a photo-a-day page on Facebook that provided an alter- nate way to visualize and reflect on religious themes, both for the photo creators and viewers. Our bi-campus course also gave a


glimpse of other possibilities of con- necting communities that could be extended globally. How about Skyp-


What do we need to be concerned about to assure faithful proclama- tion in the new media world? New forms of digital media have


impacted three factors: how we engage authority, what we mean by authenticity and how we experience agency. All three of these factors have been at work in previous media, so our challenge now is to discern how we might build authority, rather than assume it. We need to practice forms of communicating that resonate with authenticity in specific places and specific ways. Younger people have grown


up with digital media. They know how to access and curate materials thoughtfully, and they are often cre- ators of media. We need to consider how to help those who are less literate


For more information Storying Faith (www.storyingfaith.org) focuses on ways to engage digital storytelling in faith formation.


Biblical Studies and Technological Tools (www.bibleandtech.blogspot.com) covers just what its title says.


Keith Anderson and Elizabeth Drescher are helpful in thinking about new media. Check their books (The Digital Cathedral, Click2Save, Tweet if you (heart) Jesus) and their blogs (https://medium.com/ the-narthex).


Two of the most useful commentators on digital media more generally are:


Danah Boyd (http://onbeing.org/ program/danah-boyd-online- reflections-of-our-offline-lives/7449).


Howard Rheingold (http://rheingold.com) August 2015 15 regarding the digital landscape.


What are some key things congre- gations and Christians individually should understand about religion and the use of media? First and foremost, remember


that media are about communica- tion and communication is about relationship. Finding ways to engage specific media to enhance relation- ships, therefore, is important. So, too, is recognizing that our wider cultural spaces—at least in dominant U.S. middle-class white culture—privi- lege individuals and disadvantage communities. But our faith is deeply about com-


munity. Digital media can be a good means of engaging and building community, but such work has to be done intentionally, it doesn’t simply happen. That’s one reason why we offer a seminary course on religion and media. 


Hess


Hoffman


Author bios and note: Hess, professor of educational leadership at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and Hoffman, professor of biblical studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.), team taught a semi- synchronous, bi-campus course titled “Religion and Media” in January. Eleven students at Luther and four at Gettysburg took the course that involved online discussion forums, live video instruction by Hess and Hoffman, and interaction between the classes at the two campuses. The course provided an opportunity to explore ways in which church leaders might employ new technologies.


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