Written by: gfesadmin on November 8, 2012

To Print or Not to Print

As printing presses began churning out books and material during the Reformation, the Catholic Church was in a quandary, according to Briggs and Burke in A Social History of the Media.  The conversation might have gone something like the following.   “That pest Luther is turning the heads of our parishioners.  His writings are convincing!  People are reading the bible for themselves.  Hmmm, But if we reply in kind, using this new form of communication – mass printing – it will only encourage people to read more, comparing both sides.  We don’t want that, we might even lose more people!”

Such was the conundrum facing the Church during the early days of the printing press.   Protestants were having their difficulties as well.  As printing began to create a “public sphere,” differing opinions could be espoused by anyone.  It was even suggested that part of the incredible growth in printing during this time was between Protestant infighting, trying to out-publish each other with tracts and pamphlets!

Censorship also surprised the Church.  As printed materials began to spread with greater circulation and people begin to put ideas and words on paper, unorthodox books and materials became common.  The Church, sensing a need to squelch this new-found liberal freedom, began circulating materials that listed what people shouldn’t read.  The most famous during this early period was the Index of Prohibited Books, which primarily listed Protestant theological writings.  But again, a result of censorship was only to awaken the masses to these new titles, which in turn became the desired reading material!

The same is true today.  Someone in the Evangelical world suggests a book should be forbidden, which only encourages many to read it for themselves.  How many sermons were preached from pulpits against Harry Potter because of the magic practiced within the pages, causing young boys and girls to read late into the night under the protection of their sheets in their beds?  Later, confusion would erupt in the minds of these young people when these same preachers praised Tolkien and Lord of Rings, somehow, seeing the magical powers of Tolkien differently.  Pronouncements in the name of God many times cause the average person to dismiss any censorship.

Media in the church has always been polemic.  The desire to influence using print, stage, icons, and electronic media is a continuing struggle.  We want to propagate information and issues, but for many it’s difficult using the “ways of the world.”   What’s a person to do?  Even Jesus used communication tools as he taught, didn’t he?  How far do we go?  Can an “R” rated movie be used for Christ, if it reaches those who might not enter a church?  What about books that poke fun at the church?  Are Donald Miller and Rachel Held Evans tools of the devil or have an inside track to Jesus’ ear?

What isn’t needed is another religious war with the printing of materials the guns and ammunition.  Isn’t it time we are more civil?  Let’s instead concentrate on the important things of Christianity, the dogma, leaving the opinions to those less consequential moments.

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