However, this type of software is killing our (myself included) ability to do real, serious scholarship. It makes it too easy to find little factoids just as you need them, and most of us (myself included) do not commit the kind of study time required to make ourselves true scholars of the Word.
Could I make a suggestion: T. David Gordon, Reformed Worship in the Electronic Age. Four lectures on media ecology (with special reference, eventually, to issues of worship). The first lecture and a half or so are background on media ecology. Highly recommended*.
If that's too long, check out his short piece on Education and Electronic Media. Same stuff, smaller bite.
Our tools, in this case our communications media, shape us. It behooves us to be aware of it. Electronic media seem to be uniquely stupifying. Uniquely powerful, but we flail around like cats chasing a laser dot. I'm not sure there are good answers, and I grope for Christian wisdom on the topic.
(I volunteered to do a presentation on "technology and distraction" for men's group at church, little knowing how big the topic was.
A ping to a few other saints that might be interested.)
*Though I think he overstates the scarcity of writing materials in a chirographic culture. He seems to think parchment is all there was to write on, prior to Gutenberg.
Let’s take this a step further...
Enter any number of churches and what do you see?
Huge screens flashing lyrics to the hymn or praise tune with a serene backdrop of some type. It’s not the same as interacting with book. You look towards the front to see the screen and there are any number of distractions that will take your attention away from the lyrics.
Thank you very much for the links. I will definitely add them to my Christmas Break Reading List. And I should move them to the top of the list.