Choosing to Preach Discussion

re: #5 - The Medium is the Message?

Posted by George Bedlion on Dec. 03, 2007 at 00:07

Form is extremely important to communicating any message. You want to shape any medium in a way that enhances the understanding of the idea(s) you are trying to give. The many forms of writing found in scripture hugely shape how we view and take in the ideas of scripture. Wisdom literature, communal letters, prophetic literature, hyms and others give shape to messages from the bible. These different mediums are all focused on best communicating what the author wants the reader to understand. I liken it to language- if we want English speaking people to understand what we write or say we write it in English, not in Chinese or Greek. Preachers who take extra care with how the medium is tailored and shaped to his audience generally do the most justice to an idea or passage-provided their interpretation and research are solid. The form of our medium, or sermon, hugely effect how it is understood in our culture, with our language, in our communities.

re: #5 - The Medium is the Message?

Posted by Tom Reynolds on Sep. 22, 2007 at 00:12

It is possible for the medium to detract from the message of God. If people walk into a service each Sunday looking forward to hearing the pastor’s latest stories rather than anticipating how God will speak to them then it’s a problem. If the medium is more about story than divine proclamation it’s a problem. Similarly, if they expect a beautiful harmonic performance it’s a problem. The medium should help people enter into the presence of God and worship him. The medium is not the end in itself but the means to that end. This was better understood by traditional, high churches with their majestic architecture, robes, ceremonies, etc., which spoke of the majesty and wonder of God. If a church shows movies on Sunday morning are they any different than Michael Moore or Al Gore preaching their messages? The message is different but the medium blends all things together. Let us reserve some things for God alone so that the medium conveys at least as much as the words we speak.

re: #5 - The Medium is the Message?

Posted by Steve Driediger on Feb. 19, 2007 at 16:58

Just to be interesting, let’s flip this one around: is it possible for the message of the Bible to be a ‘medium’? Let’s assume that we know what the message of the Bible is: that God created us for a relationship with him and with his people (I know that’s far too brief, but it will do for now). The question now is this: is God’s relationship with his people a viable medium for his message to us? Let’s all agree that God part of God’s relationship with his people is the development of relationships with one another. So then the question is this: is the medium – the relationships that God’s people have with God and with one another – the message – that God created us for relationship with him?

re: #5 - The Medium is the Message?

Posted by Philip Yung on Feb. 01, 2007 at 18:22

While I do not fully agree while McLuhan that "the medium IS the message," I do believe that an idea and its form are integral to the message. I don’t believe you can take an message and strip it of its form and still have the same message. At the same time, a message stripped of its idea is just an empty container. An idea and its medium combine to form a message. Both parts are integral and have effect on one another.

Scripture is the communication of ideas through specific forms. Scripture presents concepts through different literary genres. The genre is integral to the concept and its interpretation. Therefore our preaching needs to take into account the genre and the concept of Scripture that we seek to exposit. To explain a text is to explain it in its entirety and in its integrity, communicating its genre and main idea in our sermon.