The worldview of software...

Today was my first time operating our church's worship software EasyWorship. This is a presentation software specifically designed for congregational worship in contrast to traditional powerpoint which is business software. Well, I need a lot more practice, but I think we all worshiped despite my miscues. :-) It is a great software application and I think a worthwhile investment for any congregation, with two caveats attached. One, it still needs skilled people to plan the presentation and then execute the plan. Software doesn't enter into worship, it cannot seek the heart of God, and it cannot sense the mood of a congregation (in respect to Asimov I'll say at least not yet.)

The other caveat is that most software is created with a worldview at its heart. I noted above that MS Powerpoint was created as a business presentation application. It is used more broadly than that now but using it in a classroom environment has meant changes in how teaching happens in the classroom. I had an insightful conversation this week with a faculty member who doesn't use powerpoint for a particular class he teaches for very specific pedagogical reasons relating to how he understands legal practice.

Another example might be research software. I am learning a few data analysis software packages like Nvivo and Atlas-Ti to use in analyzing my research data. I took a workshop two years ago that really emphasised the importance of understanding the theoretical assumptions behind the software. The developers believe research should happen in a certain way, and they write software that reflects that approach (in this case Grounded Theory). I need to be aware of those assumptions as I use the software because they will influence my results.

When I use software in worship, the software will have an influence on the form of worship. Simply projecting the lyrics on the wall rather than reading the hymnal changes the tone of worship. A software like EasyWorship can introduce video clips into the worship stream. These mini-movies can add a slick and professional edge to worship. Some of them are kinda cool and I was thinking "hey, this would be good, and this one, and this too...." However, when I introduce this kind of media into worship I adopt certain ideas about worship. I can't do that uncritically. I must ask questions about what we believe about worship and community. I must ask questions about the "sound bite" generation and how church buys into that.

Software has worldviews implicitly embedded into it. Do I see what it is and am I ready to accept it? Hmmm...