By Brad Isbell
Most of us have at least heard of the thesis/theory of 20th-century Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan, “the medium is the message.” In simplest terms, the statement (which would have made a great tweet five decades later) means that content (the intended message) is shaped and altered—sometimes dramatically— by the medium, the way and form in which the message is delivered. The theory, if true, has dramatic implications for the church. McLuhan, an adult convert to Rome who hated Vatican II, was vehemently anti-Protestant. Ironically, he considered Protestants to be slaves to the visual because they rely on the printed word, preferring the auditory Romanists (ideally murmuring Latin), ignoring Rome’s actual images and pervasive visuals. Yet, some of his ideas are helpful as we consider what is appropriate for Reformed worship.
When McLuhan thought of worship, he thought of the Roman sort that prevailed from the Council of Trent until Vatican II. When we think of Reformed worship, we think not only of what has been found in Presbyterian and Reformed churches since the 16th century, but also of the worship of the early church and of the simple, word-saturated worship that is commanded and modeled in the New Testament.
Of course, things have changed in 2000 years; we are not going to “RETVRN” to any pristine, perfect early church worship. In the first place, there was no such thing. Had there been, Paul’s letters to the Corinthians would have been unnecessary. Over the course of a few posts, I hope to utilize McLuhan’s insights and questions to help us evaluate Reformed worship in all its modern variety, starting with a remark about, of all things, electricity.1
I do not think that the powerful forces imposed on us by electricity have been considered at all by theologians and liturgists. My conversations at St. Michael’s College give me the impression that nothing has been looked at in this area, in spite of its importance. These great movements have gone unnoticed.
Theologians have the impression, I imagine, that everything will return to normal in a very short time. Well, no! Things will not restabilize.2
McLuhan’s alarm over the effects of technology is relevant and relatable. When McLuhan says “electricity,” he is mostly thinking of amplification. He would say that the microphone killed the Latin mass…allegedly because distinctly hearing the Latin was worse than vaguely hearing it! McLuhan also complains that an amplified voice can seem to come from multiple directions, rather than from a single point.3 Anyone who has experienced a cavernous cathedral knows how difficult it can be to hear anything distinctly within their echoing stone confines. There is no doubt, however, that amplification (a mascot for modernization) has also affected Reformed worship. How? Let us count a few of the ways. Ampification (and “electrification” more generally, including the internet) may:
make the megachurch possible, thus undermining presbyterian church government and proper care and oversight of a human flock—a flock of such a size that a small group of shepherds can care for.
make timid preachers seem palatable. Even a mumbling, seemingly unconvinced preacher can be heard with a microphone, and conversational styles can supplant the proclamational. Yet, ironically, modern technology can also create dissent and dissatisfaction by inviting comparison of nearly any preacher in the world to one’s local minister.
prioritize performative, professionalized worship music (by making it seem attainable), which small churches may not be able to pull off…and everyone knows the megachurch next door does it better because they can watch it on their phones.
democratize and “smorgasbordize” doctrine so that online Christians can be exposed to a nearly endless buffet of innovations, rabbit holes, hobbyhorses, opinions, and religious celebrities, most of whom have something to sell. Church hopping and virtual church “test drives” have never been easier; the incentive for churches to engage in marketing and corporate tactics has never been stronger. The retail term “churn” strikes fear into church leaders!
encourage the use of audio-visual technology that makes the authorized visuals of the church (the two sacraments) seem insignificant by comparison.
make idols of production and “excellence,” which always seem to require the acquisition of more and more technology.
cause “created” content (usually digital) to compete with the Lord’s Day-centered means of grace. Can’t go to church? Just download a podcast or watch YouTube while having brunch.
In short, the challenges of modernization and technology tempt Reformed churches to become more like evangelicals, who have little fear of constant change. Presbyterian and Reformed structure, discipline, spiritual ministry, reverence, simplicity, distinctive and settled doctrine, and contentment are all under fire.
McLuhan has a point about the importance of the auditory: faith is said to come by hearing. Over-reliance on individual experience with the printed page or pictures (moving or otherwise) may effectively stop up our congregants’ ears when their faith might be built up by hearing.
McLuhan reminds us that technology shapes us and our worship. In the increasingly artificial and virtual world of 2025, the reminders are more needed than they were in the quaintly analog days of the 1960s and 1970s.
The effects of technology on humans have not been entirely ignored, but the subject is not one most have time for. Interestingly, modern social critics such as Peter Hitchens have blamed the breakdown of family life (in part) on central, forced-air heating.
McLuhan, Marshall, The Medium and the Light, Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2010), 45-46.
This is from the chapter “First Conversation with Pierre Babin,” (mid-1970s) . Babin was a Roman Catholic priest, the college mentioned was Roman Catholic, and the theologians in question were likely all Roman Catholic.
Ibid, p. 112 - “Another effect of the mike (sic) at the altar has been to turn the celebrant around to face the congregation. By the same token, amplifiers which are placed in the church to create sounds from all directions at once make the church architecturally obsolete. In a word, the mike makes worshippers demand an intimate and small group of participants. On the other hand, the microphone makes it so easy for a speaker to be heard by many, also forbids him to exhort or be vehement.” This is an idiosyncratic take, but ultimately it justifies the sensual worship of Rome, where impressions and experience trump the power of the spoken word.