How the Telegraph Changed the Church

Click on http://www.cnn.com/ or http://www.foxnews.com/ and take a sampling of the news items. Ask yourself this question: How many of these items have ‘action value?’ By ‘action value,’ I mean information of such value action must be taken. In Neil Postman’s perceptive article, “The Peek-a-Boo World,” he asks the question like this: “How often does it occur that information provided you on morning radio or television, or in the morning newspaper, causes you to alter your plans for the day, or to take some action you would not otherwise have taken, or provides insight into some problem you are required to solve?”

The Internet now gives us access to information around the globe in moments. At times, we have the possibility of ‘scooping’ the powerful news conglomerates; we were in the right chat room at the right time. We have gigabytes of useless information lying at our fingertips.

A new article at The Ooze takes a fascinating look at the ways that the telegraph and changing ideas about the purpose of news broadcasts have radically affected the Church itself. The article offers some interesting suggestions about how you and your church can communicate not only to give information, but to inspire the reader or listener to actively respond to it.

Read "How the Telegraph Changed the Church."