Church and Media

As I deal with the growing use of visual media in church, I wonder how much is too much. In my opinion the "too much" level is only really hit when the media takes away from the power of the message. Media needs to be an enhancing tool, not the end all. However on the flip side I think we need to think outside the box, and look at concepts that may seem taboo. One example of this is the idea of entertainment. I am not saying that the church needs to become Hollywood, but more that we should learn from them to understand how they can get people to sit through a three hour movie and pay up to ten dollars to do it.

It's not the first time the Church has taken this step. In the medieval age and through the enlightenment, the church was the place where theatre was getting the biggest push. The use of Morality plays to get the message across to a illiterate society was the norm.

Well we aren't a illiterate society today, but we are a media driven society. When most college age students get there news from comedy central's "The daily show," we can determine that those students need more then just a normal talking head newscaster.

Let us learn how to use entertainment concepts for the growth of the Kingdom, while always remembering that they are a tool for the communication of the message.