Luther and Media
Given that Reformation Day is near, we thought it would be time to focus our attention on the monk with the mallet. Carl Trueman, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary speaks about Martin Luther and media. Luther’s is an interesting study in the effects of media on the church. Trueman discusses Luther’s context and draws parallels to the contemporary church. All the way from the printing press to Twitter, join us for a fascinating discussion on a timely subject.
Books by Carl Trueman
- Luther’s Legacy: Salvation and English Reformers, 1525–1556
- Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen Calvinism
- The Claims of Truth: John Owen’s Trinitarian Theology
- John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man
- Wages of Spin: Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism
Links
- Dr. Trueman’s articles and posts at Reformation21.
- Themelios
- Carl Trueman fan page on Facebook (this is just plain humorous)
[...] We recently had the opportunity to have Carl Trueman join us again on Christ the Center to discuss the subject of Martin Luther and the use of Media at the time of the Reformation. This is a subject that Camden and I are especially fascinated by, considering the instrumentality of books and printing in the advancement of the Reformation. Could we be on the precipice of another age in which Reformation could be promoted by the use of electronic resources? We are sure that you will enjoy this episode. You can listen here. [...]
I’m currently in the middle of listening to the podcast of this episode and wanted to respond to what you were discussing about the difficulty of reading books and other lengthy writings online. One observation I have made about that difficulty is that with reading, skimming through the material to get a sense of the broader context, being at least somewhat aware of what’s ahead, as well as the convenience of thumbing back through to review what’s already been read, is an important part of the process of comprehending what one reads. I find this to be more difficult with reading online books, and is likely the case with Kindle and other such readers as well.
This occured to me a few years ago as I installed a Bible on my PDA. I realized that all I’ve got is these few lines in front of me–as I scroll down, what’s been read is gone, and what’s to be read isn’t visible yet. Suffice it to say, my Bible reading is largely done the old fashioned way. I must say, also, as a bibliophile, how glad I am that this is the case. I’ve never believed those who claim print media will be utterly eliminated one day. There may be some fluctuation in sales for a season, but I don’t think the changes will ever completely get to the point that there is absolutely no market for books.
Hellow I’m from Brazil. Lovely the Study
Good topic. Although lacking a solid perspective on the role of media in ministry.
Next time bring in Doug Groothuis, Quentin Schultz or another media academic that can provide some educated background on how “the media is the message” (McLuhan).
Keep it up!
Charles,
You might be interested in our interview with Greg Reynolds on media ecology (specifically related to preaching).
http://reformedforum.org/ctc34/