Expressing Theology by Jonathan Roach

Author:Jonathan Roach [Roach, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cascade Books
Published: 2015-08-18T07:00:00+00:00

The Times They Are a Changin’

Distracted readers are just one of the problems we face as authors. How people read also appears to be changing. This change will impact how we write. Readers read e-books differently than they read print books. The vast majority of theologians produce narratives for linear, paper-based readers, but as readers change how they read, we will need to change too. Joseph McCormack argues that “we are transitioning from a text-based world to a visual one. Screens and interactive media pervade all parts of our lives. Screens are in our homes, our classrooms, our elevators, even our bathrooms. They have replaced phones, books, newspapers, billboards, and printed menus.”153 You must consider how your messages translate from the paper page to the digital page. You must research the reading trends of your intended audience and write to their style and needs. Non-linear models of reading and interactive theology are just two of the possibilities awaiting us.

The social, economic, and environmental realties of our little blue and green planet also point to the changing signs of the time for theological communication. Richard Lischer notes, “after Auschwitz, Hiroshima, Vietnam, Cambodia, Rwanda, all the words sound hollow . . . When the message of Jesus Christ can be Nazified or made the tool of racism, anti-Semitism, apartheid, or capitalism, it is time for preachers to shut up and take stock of themselves.”154 These realities impact your ability to compel readers to read theology. You must take stock of your words and how you converse with your audiences. The future of theological communication will be difficult for theologians, but I find it full of exciting possibilities.

Take a Moment to Reflect:

1. Reflect on how you read: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. What do you know about reading?

2. How does understanding how you read help you write for other readers?

3. What realities impact how theology is read today?

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