This and the following three entries all deal with the ways cultural forms (especially technology) shape Christian spirituality. Again and again, I return to this central insight from my friend Ken Myers, editor of Mars Hill Audio Journal (www.marshillaudio.org): “Cultural practices, forms, and fashions are treated by most Christians in a utilitarian way, not as carriers of meaning.”

 

It is my presupposition that most contemporary western Christians are not as discerning of this reality as we should be. How might one begin to think more critically about the ways in which today’s cultural tools and artifacts carry meaning, shaping assumptions but also offering ways to convey more thoughtfully the gospel within culture? Perhaps these links will prove useful for further reflection on that question.

 

There is a story of the 19^th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who in his later years developed failing eyesight. He experienced crushing headaches as he strained his eyes to read and write. This debilitation happened with the advent of the typewriter, and Nietzsche was encouraged to take up this new method of writing. It is said that the typewriter revived his career. Nietzsche mastered touch-typing, was able to work with his eyes closed, and resumed his prolific writing. But a friend of his, a composer, noticed a subtle change in Nietzsche’s work: his writing had become tighter, sparser, more telegraphic. When the friend pointed this change out to Nietzsche, the philosopher replied, “You are right. Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.”

 

I was reminded of that story recently when the new and much ballyhooed Apple iPad had its premier last month. As a lover of consumer gadgetry, I would love to own an iPad when these new tablet computers go on sale this spring. But why? More importantly, in what ways will this device, not unlike the invention of other recent electronic communication devices, influence the formation of our thoughts?

 

L. Gordon Crovitz writing in the Wall Street Journal uses the launch of the iPad to offer some historic perspective on the shift in language communication from type to electronic symbols: