Hot or Cool? Media in worship

Reading the online magazine, Collide, I came across an article about using media in ministry. Our media-hungry culture causes us to feel like we need to compete with Avatar and U2 concerts in order to catch people's attention. One section of the article jumped out at me. The author quoted a staff writer's blog post titled "Should Sunday Morning Be 'Hot' or 'Cool'?"

(T)he difference between movies and comics is a classic illustration of what Marshall McLuhan called “hot”and “cool” mediums, a distinction which classifies how much participation is required from a person to engage the medium. A comic is “cool” because it requires a reader fill in the sounds, smells, and details of what happens between the panes. In contrast, a film is “hot” because it completely envelopes a moviegoer’s senses and requires almost no participation or thought to grasp what’s happening.

Similarly, a sketch is “cool” because the viewer needs to fill in the details, while a photograph is “hot” because it contains highly detailed information. An article in USA Today is “hot” because the information is predigested and requires little thought, while T.S. Elliot’s poem The Wasteland is “cool” because the reader has to work hard to fully understand it.

So what about Sunday morning? Should the things we do on Sunday morning – music, Communion, preaching – be “hot” like the Watchmen movie (highly defined, intense, requiring little participation) or “cool” like the Watchmen graphic novel (more muted, requiring the congregant to think and process)? Some of both? A continuum? What helps people grow more deeply in their faith?

I love the idea of giving the congregation room to think and process what they are hearing, learning and experiencing. Which is more influential in the way you live your life? A big budget, action movie like Transformers or a simple, yet intimate, evening with friends and family? I would assume that most of you would choose the latter. Why is that? Time with friends and family touches more than just our vision and hearing, but it moves us emotionally as we grow closer to a friend, feel loved by family and experience humorous moments with a group of people we care about. Which way should the Church lean when reaching out to our neighbors? A balance of both is appropriate, but it's so easy to get wrapped up in trying to entertain that we sometimes forget about the value and power of friendship and family. Are we depending on the two-minute flashy video and rock-infused worship music to reach the hearts of our congregation, or are we allowing the Holy Spirit to work through God's Word within a loving and caring community of believers?