There probably aren’t a lot of folks who begin their careers creating ads for Porsche before pastoring a Mennonite church.  This is Shane Hipps’ story in a nutshell and it allows the author of Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith a perspective on the affects of technologies many of us are unaware of.  In addition to his unique background, Hipps’ has extensively researched the writings and research of Marshall McLuhan, “the most important thinker you’ve never heard of.”  McLuhan was a scholar of media theory most known for his phrase, “The medium is the message.”  We tend to be concerned with the content (message) of media, but McLuhan was one of the first to show the affect of the technology (medium) regardless of its content.  Throughout his book Hipps shows the significant implications of McLuhan’s work on the nature of Christian faith.

Flickering Pixels is a quick read (most of the book’s 17 chapters are just a few pages long) and full of useful analysis and timely examples of technologies’ unnoticed impacts.  Hipps is an able guide who mines McLuhan’s research for practical applications.  Some  will be prompted to read the primary sources (the book contains a generous list of resources for further reading), but for those who have primarily been interested in media’s content, Flickering Pixels provides plenty of fodder for thought and conversation.

I enjoyed this book on two levels.  First, as a future parent I found plenty to be disturbed about.  In a section about computer-enhanced beauty Hipps writes,

The most “beautiful” individuals in the world must be thoroughly transformed before being shown to the public.  Is it any wonder that eight-year-old girls are already questioning their own self image?

Second, as a pastor Hipps is interested in how different technologies manipulate faith development and community life.  The evangelical stream of American Christianity that I wade in has often been an early adopter of technology: radio, TV, the Internet, etc.   Flickering Pixels makes the strong case that we’ve too often overlooked the affects of these technologies while glorifying their usefulness.  A recent example of this is for churches to use video feeds so that one person can preach to congregations in different locations.  While the content may be helpful, many of these churches haven’t considered how the medium itself is impacting the congregation.

At times I wished for a more coherent narrative throughout the book; the concise chapters can feel a bit scattered.  Even so, this is a book I’d pass on to most anyone, including friends who don’t share my Christian faith.  At the very least, Flickering Pixels causes the reader to think more carefully about how we receive news, entertainment, and communication.  And in our media-saturated world, that’s no small thing.