As you know, our world offers us a feast of new multimedia — new video games every month, new Hollywood movie releases every week, new YouTube videos every minute, new social media updates every second, and a fresh set of Instagram images with every pull-down-to-refresh gesture.
So here we are, celebrating the centrality of the word, celebrating the ear, in the golden age of image — in the age of the eye. It’s been called “the age of spectacles.” Fitting.
This resulting ear/eye tension poses massive challenges for parents and for church leaders, pastors, worship leaders, youth leaders — anyone facing this inundation of media competing for the attention of the people we love and are trying to serve. So, how do we lead deeper into the faith those who are predominantly being led by the eye? That’s a huge challenge and my task today.