I really enjoyed two books that I read recently because they bring a fresh approach to the subject matter and are presented in such a positive manner. I have never been to Rob Bell’s Mars Hill Church but know that the ministry has blessed many people. So I was curious to read his first book, Velvet Elvis. The design of the book is very cool and is written in a very easy style to read. Rob has thought about how to bring Jesus to his generation and raises appropriate questions about the church. His honest and straightforward style is very refreshing and I found I was blessed by this book as it made me look at my Christian beliefs in new ways.
Another great book that I have been talking about and recommending to people is entitled A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age by Daniel H. Pink. He presents a strong case for the future belonging to those who are able to maximize the right side of their brain – the artistic and holistic side. He effectively uses research to back up his contention that six aptitudes will be essential in the future: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. These aptitudes are what essentially separate humans from machines (he includes spirituality under meaning). The development of these aptitudes has huge implications for education and industry as well as basic human fulfillment in life. The loss of human dignity that occurs when man is replaced by machine is restored through recognizing, developing, and celebrating the gifts uniquely found in humans. Although I do not believe that the author is a Christian, he leads the reader through the discussion of spirituality and meaning such that the pump is very primed for next steps toward belief. This book led me to sing praise to God as I understood in new ways how we are made in the image of our Creator. Here is a good article about the book.
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Dan,
Good book and good review. I think what Dan is pointing a finger on is the current era dominated by broadcast media. The print era is the age of the left-brained thinking - the age of rationalism. The broadcast era has been the age of expression and creativity. Watching TV closes down the left side of the brain because the fluid dots that make up the images of television flow too quickly to process in a sequential manner. The right side is perfect to prcess fluid mediums and able to recognize patterns.
I mention this in my chapter regarding broadcast. If my approach is accurate then the emerging digital environment will engage both sides of the brain and we will be entering an era of integrated thinking - the age of creativity.
We've come from the age of wisdom (oral culture), reason (print culture), innovation (broadcast - right brain) into an age of creativity - (digital - integrated thinking).
Of course - Dan is right on target because those raised in a TV world are reaching the key places of leadership. But the future is in the hands of our 12 year olds.
Rex
www.millenniummatrix.com
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