TheoMedia: The Media of God and the Digital Age

The church is unsure of itself in the twenty-first centurys media culture. Some Christians denounce digital media while others embrace the latest gadgets and apps as soon as they appear. Many of us are stumbling along amidst the tweets status updates podcasts and blog posts wondering if we have ventured into a realm beyond the scope of biblical wisdom. Though there is such a thing as new media Andrew Byers reminds us that the actual concept of media is ancient theological and even biblical. In fact there is such a thing as the media of God. TheoMedia are means by which God communicates and reveals himself--creation divine speech inspired writings the visual symbol of the cross and more. Christians are actually called to media saturation. But the media that are to most prominently saturate our lives are the media of God. If God creates and uses media then Scripture provides a theological logic by which we can create and use media in the digital age. This book is not an unqualified endorsement of the latest media products or a tirade against media technology. Instead Byers calls us to rethink our understanding of media in terms of the media of God in the biblical story of redemption. The church has been unsure about how to discern Gods presence in the new media deluge. Andrew Byers work gives us much-needed language to draw on: from Scripture tradition and a savvy and nuanced wisdom about these media. This book should have existed long before. It is the definitive word on the church and digital technology. --Jason Byassee Research Fellow New Media Project Union Theological Seminary Andrew Byers has put new wine a culturally savvy reflection on the churchs engagement with modern media technology into an old wineskin: biblical theology. . . . If the medium is the message then the church needs the guidance Byers gives as it seeks to fulfill its vocation as Gods new media for communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to a spiritually distracted culturally noisy world. --Kevin J. Vanhoozer Research Professor of Systematic Theology Trinity Evangelical Divinity School In this arresting book Andy Byers has brought together three things: the reality of living in a media-saturated culture the priority of Scripture as a presentation of Gods mighty acts and deeds and Jesus Christ the consummate TheoMedium who holds them both together. A book of wisdom for todays--and tomorrows--Christian. --Timothy George Dean Beeson Divinity School of Samford University What do the voice of God and the voice of Siri have in common? Andy Byers answers this question by retelling the biblical story with fresh and vivid detail carefully pointing out the rich and varied ways God used media in each chapter. With his unique blend of compassionate pastoral care and insightful but accessible scholarship Byers offers us a theologically rich vision of the proper place of media in the life of the church. --John Dyer Executive Director of Communication and Educational Technology Dallas Theological Seminary Andrew Byers is a PhD student in New Testament at Durham University where he serves as the Chaplain of St. Marys College and as a theological consultant for the CODEC Institute (Christian Communication in the Digital Age). He is the author of Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint (2011) and his blog is www.hopefulrealism.com