Yesterday at Gracepoint Berkeley church, Bibliopolis got a shout out and some major props from Pastor Ed Kang. It wasn’t just about Bibliopolis and our reading revolution here, but about thinking overall. He talked about the need to be able to hold words in our minds, especially as we are regularly hearing messages from the word of God. Words apart from the bells and whistles of audio and video that we are used to in much of our screen-based lives. You can read some more the researched benefits of reading for adults, as well as children.

So ironically enough, I’m going to share a video from the Internet with you to drive this point home. You might be asking why I would post a video, when Pastor Ed’s whole point was about the need to read. Many of you have seen this awesome video from Epipheo already, but it’s currently not available in our country. The video below is a PBS interview with Nicolas Carr, the author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains (2010), which I recommend as an accessible history of the relationship between technology and thinking. So, while it’s not as cool with the animation, it’s two people talking, so I feel a little less guilty about posting a video! You do have to hold some ideas in your head in order to process their words. 🙂

The video is already dated, and Carr’s prediction at the end has indeed come true, wouldn’t you say? What parts of the interview resonated with you? What implications do you recognize especially for 21st century Christians? Have you taken any steps to unplug? Have you read The Shallows? If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts below!