The World of Broadcast communication and the Celebration churches

Although the shift away from a “print oriented” society began with the creation of photographs, radio and movies, it was television’s entrance in the 1950s which cemented the change in the way we think. Rex Miller, in The Millennial Matrix, focuses on the addition of television as the defining medium for the third era in communication. Broadcast communication would alter our perception of the world, transform the understanding of effective communication, redefine learning and truth, undermine the authority of institutions and completely revolutionize the American church. I found it fascinating to read this portion of Miller’s book as I readily recognized the familiar world of my childhood and yet found I was mostly blind to the effect Broadcast communication has had on the culture at large and on the church in particular.

Ultimately television changed the way we thought as much as it changed how we communicated. The very experience of watching the little screen created a psychological phenomenon called gestalt – when images merged into a whole in the mind creating a sort of “aha” experience (p.55). Watching the images on the television became a reality in its own right with incredible authority given to the truth experienced through an overly simplified presentation laced with emotional energy.

This highly diverse and flexible reality went a long way toward the dismantling of modernism. The TV allowed us to be privy to information about a world that had been previously hidden or disguised. Television exposed the contradictions of government during the Vietnam era and in the Watergate fiasco. It allowed viewers to see firsthand the dark secrets of racism and the scary world of the McCarthy era. It showed a new generation, that life and history were not as neat and orderly as depicted in all those books we read. Soon the youth of the 60s and 70s began to question everything, demand verification of fact. Doubt in objectivity was even possible. Modernism, with its linear forward march to an ever improving world came to a screeching halt. Truth was now found in what appeared right in the moment to the observer and felt compelling in the soul.

For millions of people in western society in the later part of the twentieth century television became the unifying force of culture. Television has the power to reach past physical and conceptual boundaries and unite whole countries through a common experience. It could reconstruct complex life issues into simple visual messages that could be easily digested by the masses. Family life was defined by Leave it to Beaver. The world was delivered to our living rooms by Walter Cronkite. The power of television’s images could replace millions of written words (p. 59).

Miller believes that the extraordinary success of what he calls the large celebration churches can be directly attributed to these churches taking full advantage of the fascination with Broadcast communication, at least in American culture (p. 60). A quick look at the sanctuaries of the celebration churches illustrates the reliance on the Broadcast model. Sanctuaries are set up in a theater style with elaborate sound and light effects and usually feature a large screen which dominates the stage area. The congregation is treated to emotive visuals and video clips that communicate simple messages targeted around the central theme of the day.

The celebration pastor delivers the message, Johnny Carson style, from an outline, by memory or with the assistance of cue cards flashed on the back wall for his or her eyes only. Scripture is the launching pad, but the typically simple message is driven home with humor, stories, slogans and dramatic moments utilizing the art of broadcast communication. The focus is on presentation over content.

Musical texts in the celebration church are verbally simple, often repeating phrases ad nauseam in a style not unlike repetitive contemplative prayers. The music is closely related to pop and thus sound familiar to Broadcast ears tuned regularly to the radio. The melodies and chordal structure are deceptively simple allowing for rote learning, but the complex rhythms and driving beat of the drums keeps the music energetic and enthusiastic.

Ultimately the casual, celebratory atmosphere of worship in these churches makes Sunday morning an “event”. People come expecting excitement, something new, and most importantly, they expect to be moved by the Spirit known through the collective experience in worship.

For Christians reared in the intellectual, word driven, reformation churches still common in mainline denominations like my own Presbyterian church, the celebration churches seem foreign at best. We often hear criticism that celebration worship services are focused on entertaining the crowd rather than on worshiping God. The content of the message is criticized for being simplistic and the music is said to lack depth. Miller says the critiques are only natural as Reformation worship is decidedly left brain while celebration worship is almost completely right brain. He points out that “print makes reason king and stimulates reflective thinking” while “broadcast elevates desire and emotion and stimulates reflexive thinking – the kind of thinking that fighter pilots, emergency room workers, cops on the beat and you driving your car do.” (p.66) He rightly observes that “reformers are from Mars and celebrationists are from Venus” (p. 66).

What does that mean for the mainline reformation churches that want to hang on to the print communication world with their complex preaching, poetic and theological hymns and liturgical forms? Is there no choice but to give in to a culture saturated in Broadcast communication so we can continue to spread the Good news as we know it? Well… hang on,'cause there’s a new world comin’ and we’re about to shift again with the entrance of digital communication! Stay tuned for the next blog.