"Shane excavates beneath the surface layers to some deep insights that I’ll bet you’ve never considered before. I know he has helped me see new dimensions to the dangers and opportunities hidden both in the status quo and in the new emerging realities of the church… He sharpened a number of issues for me and left me sometimes murmuring, 'So that’s why…' and other times worrying, 'Oh, no…I hadn’t thought about that.'”
From the Foreword, by Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian and A Generous Orthodoxy
"In the ancient tradition of the “jeremiad,” this book issues a wake-up call to the traditional church and a warning to the emerging church—remember the rock from whence you were hewn, or else be invisibly mutilated by media."
Len Sweet, Drew University, George Fox University, preachingplus.com
"Perhaps like me there are times when after reading a book you are gripped by the feeling of fear. Not fear in what you have read, but fear in considering what it would have meant had you not read the book you just finished. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture is one of those books. This is the kind of book that you will be grateful you have read and will wonder how you have lived without it this long."
Doug Pagitt, author of Church Re-Imagined, Preaching Re-Imagined and BodyPrayer
"Shane Hipps provides a creative, in-depth exploration of the impact of the cultures of modernity and post-modernity on our understanding of the gospel as well as our expressions of church. His book cautions against simply riding the latest bandwagon, urging us to excavate the hidden forces that shape our thinking, attitudes and actions. The Emerging Church, at its best, is a missional response to cultures in transition, and not simply the latest attempt to appear relevant. This is a book that focuses on form and substance rather than image and style."
Eddie Gibbs, author Leadership Next and co-author Emerging Churches
"An eminently readable introduction to media ecology for the 21st Century. Any church wishing to increase their relevance to hyperlinked consumer culture would do well to read this accessible, thoughtful, and provocative book.”
Read Mercer Schuchardt, Assistant Professor of International Communications, Franklin College Switzerland and Publisher, Metaphilm.com
"This readable book challenges the church to think wisely and courageously about how it communicates in and beyond worship. Shane Hipps is proof that ancient wisdom is immediately practical, that prophetic voices are still alive and well, and that great ideas are the basis for servant actions. Read, learn, enjoy, and do."
Quintin J. Schultze, Ph.D., professor of Communication at Calvin College and author of High-Tech Worship? Using Presentational Technologies Wisely, and Habits of the High-Tech Heart
"Shane Hipps has confronted the 'plug and play' world of screen-dominated church head-on. His message: when media cycles through our projectors before it cycles through our theology, we’re putting our congregations at risk. A provocative but user-friendly guide to electronic culture."
Sally Morgenthaler, Founder of Sacrementis.com and Digital Glass Productions, author of Worship Evangelism
"Shane’s book is an essential guide to mastering the art of communication. That makes this book unique. He provides a foundational understanding of how different mediums of communication shape the content and intent of the gospel."
Rex Miller, author of The Millennium Matrix
"For some time now, the consequences of unreflective media saturation in the church have been evident to some perceptive observers. But, sadly, their warnings have gone almost completely unheeded. I truly hope that this book will end that. Shane Hipps is no Luddite; he doesn't want the church to tear down the video screens and throw away the microphones. He does want us to open our eyes to how media shapes us. His is an incredibly important message, and we ignore it to our own peril. And, appropriately, Shane delivers his message with wit and charm."
Tony Jones, author of The Sacred Way and Emergent National Coordinator
