It Matters How You Get Your Information

Neil Postman, a professor at New York University in the field of education, in 1985 wrote the now classic book, Amusing Ourselves To Death, which critiqued the impact of television and media on public discourse and culture. He argued that the medium through which information is conveyed significantly influences its content and meaning. He said that television promotes superficiality and triviality in public discourse. This aligns with what scripture reveals about the importance of truth and the dangers of deception.

God through the Bible emphasizes the significance of words of conveying God’s message. Postman also discussed how that the medium of communication, then television but today add to that the greater impact of the cell phone and personal computer, transformed religious practices into forms of entertainment. He said that it diminished the sacredness of worship.

Scripture indicates the priority and superiority of exegesis of scripture, exposing the text of God’s Word. Regular exposure to certain forms of communication undermine the way someone thinks and processes information. Scripture requires a print basis rather than an image basis. Print also encourages what God requires, that is, a linear, sequential mode of thinking, what Isaiah 28:10 calls line upon line and precept upon precept. God expects reading the text of scripture and engaging with it in a systematic manner.

Television shrinks the necessary attention span required for the critical thinking skills to comprehend and apply what God says in His Word. The primary means we get our information can and will combat the basis for obeying God.