Scan barcode
randalljgreene's review against another edition
2.0
One of the core propositions of this book is that the word "network" characteristically sums up the nature of the internet and the structure by which it's affecting society. It's an interesting proposition, and not one I'd thought about in exactly those terms before.
Of course, the internet is literally a network of devices (and of the people who use those devices), so it technically makes sense, but for most folks, I think that technical infrastructure of the internet operates two or three layers deeper than they function within. Since it is not a part of their daily experience of being online, it seems to me like a strange choice to make such a strong focus at the core of your book. It creates an unnecessary hurdle to overcome because, in addition to developing that model of network theology, you now have to help your readers understand why the network even makes sense in the context of their own lived experience.
This is one of the biggest shortcomings of Networked Theology, in my opinion. The authors clearly know the many angles of their subject matter well -- which is especially notable because their work occupies the unique intersection of online connection and theology -- but their message is muddled in a failure to understand their audience.
On the one hand, they spend a lot of time detailing the history and terms of media studies as if they are writing to a general audience; on the other hand, they continue to use jargon and an academic style that was often difficult for me to wade through, and I have two degrees in this exact subject matter!
The first half of the book lays a groundwork understanding of media theory, how the internet works, and how theological praxis is being impacted by the increasing use of networked tools. The second half builds on that framework by exploring questions like "Who is my neighbor in an online context?" and "How can Christians use technology responsibly?" Unfortunately, while their responses to those questions are well-formed, they are not particularly novel, and they seem to me to be so abstract as to be mostly unhelpful.
It would have been more useful for them to narrow their focus into a particular area of new media and examine that area's application to the Church -- for example, if they would have considered how Christian communities could use video streaming to enrich their sense of community connectedness. Instead, the broad approach in this book only gives us practical ideas that feel incohesive and difficult to apply.
Of course, the internet is literally a network of devices (and of the people who use those devices), so it technically makes sense, but for most folks, I think that technical infrastructure of the internet operates two or three layers deeper than they function within. Since it is not a part of their daily experience of being online, it seems to me like a strange choice to make such a strong focus at the core of your book. It creates an unnecessary hurdle to overcome because, in addition to developing that model of network theology, you now have to help your readers understand why the network even makes sense in the context of their own lived experience.
This is one of the biggest shortcomings of Networked Theology, in my opinion. The authors clearly know the many angles of their subject matter well -- which is especially notable because their work occupies the unique intersection of online connection and theology -- but their message is muddled in a failure to understand their audience.
On the one hand, they spend a lot of time detailing the history and terms of media studies as if they are writing to a general audience; on the other hand, they continue to use jargon and an academic style that was often difficult for me to wade through, and I have two degrees in this exact subject matter!
The first half of the book lays a groundwork understanding of media theory, how the internet works, and how theological praxis is being impacted by the increasing use of networked tools. The second half builds on that framework by exploring questions like "Who is my neighbor in an online context?" and "How can Christians use technology responsibly?" Unfortunately, while their responses to those questions are well-formed, they are not particularly novel, and they seem to me to be so abstract as to be mostly unhelpful.
It would have been more useful for them to narrow their focus into a particular area of new media and examine that area's application to the Church -- for example, if they would have considered how Christian communities could use video streaming to enrich their sense of community connectedness. Instead, the broad approach in this book only gives us practical ideas that feel incohesive and difficult to apply.
tdwightdavis's review against another edition
2.0
This book is emblematic of the primary problems I have with A) scholarship done on technology and B) evangelical theological works. Let’s dive in.
A) I’m unconvinced that technology is something that can be dealt with well in traditional, book/monograph level scholarship. The amount of time it takes to produce a book means you’re already years behind on current trends by the time the book is published. This book was published in 2016 and it already feels dated. There’s a also a significant problem with older folks writing about tech who didn’t grow up with the internet in that they tend to still treat it as if it’s this ethereal and suspicious thing, whereas for me the Internet is just as much a part of life as anything else. I’ve known it pretty much my whole life. The writing in this books comes off as dated, uninformed, and out of touch.
B) Evangelical theology relies so much on the Bible. And that’s fine. But what ends up happening, especially in a book on something like the Internet, is proof texting. The Bible doesn’t have answers about the Internet. So what ends up happening here is we get some vague prooftexting about wisdom and discernment etc. This is something I see all the time in evangelical theological monographs. Rather than relying on intense and rigorous theoretical, interdisciplinary, and intersectional analysis, evangelicals tend to stick to surface level reads of difficult issues and proof texting the Bible. I find this method intensely unpersuasive, especially considering that my theology of scripture is fundamentally different from that held by the authors of this book.
Oh. And you immediately lost me when you suggested YouTube should be used for apologetics.
A) I’m unconvinced that technology is something that can be dealt with well in traditional, book/monograph level scholarship. The amount of time it takes to produce a book means you’re already years behind on current trends by the time the book is published. This book was published in 2016 and it already feels dated. There’s a also a significant problem with older folks writing about tech who didn’t grow up with the internet in that they tend to still treat it as if it’s this ethereal and suspicious thing, whereas for me the Internet is just as much a part of life as anything else. I’ve known it pretty much my whole life. The writing in this books comes off as dated, uninformed, and out of touch.
B) Evangelical theology relies so much on the Bible. And that’s fine. But what ends up happening, especially in a book on something like the Internet, is proof texting. The Bible doesn’t have answers about the Internet. So what ends up happening here is we get some vague prooftexting about wisdom and discernment etc. This is something I see all the time in evangelical theological monographs. Rather than relying on intense and rigorous theoretical, interdisciplinary, and intersectional analysis, evangelicals tend to stick to surface level reads of difficult issues and proof texting the Bible. I find this method intensely unpersuasive, especially considering that my theology of scripture is fundamentally different from that held by the authors of this book.
Oh. And you immediately lost me when you suggested YouTube should be used for apologetics.
More...