Dr. Eugene Gan is a distinguished professor of communications at the famous Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He has literally made his own the documents of the Catholic Church on communications and has presented them in a most engaging and interesting manner in seven "media keys" and a fascinating introduction, "Googling with God: A Catholic Approach to Media".
In an increasingly secularized environment, in which religion is no longer featured except in a sensational manner in the general media and in which it is so often forced to live in a ghetto, Dr. Gan offers a challenging vision of how, why and when to use all media in an imaginative, challenging and faith-filled way. His stimulating first chapter, "The Media Landscape", offers what he calls "A Bird's Eye View of the Digital World." This is followed by seven "media keys": Balance, Attitude Awareness, The Dignity of the Human Person, Truth-Filled, Inspiring, Skillfully Developed, Motivated by and Relevant to Experience. Frankly, I wish that such a book had existed when I was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications as a text which I could have recommended. The important thing, however, is that it exists now to provide a text, context and challenge for those who wish to bring both Christian principles and professional excellence to their work in the media. -John Patrick Cardinal Foley Grand Master, Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem President Emeritus, Pontifical Council for Social Communications |
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Some things take experience. Some things take a dad. And other things take a university professor. And some things must take all three. Eugene Gan has drawn on his experience as a user and creator of all sorts of media, his concerns as a father, and his understanding of the way college students live with their ever-present electronics to create a book that answers questions (and worries) that many Catholics may have had in the back of their minds for a long time.
I am delighted with what Eugene Gan has done to make the Church's tradition of teaching on the media not just accessible but practical. (If! weren't using my thumbs to type this, I would definitely give "Infinite Bandwidth" two thumbs up.) His book will be especially helpful to Catholics who (like the Church herself) recognize that the culture we live in is formed in great part by the use of communications technologies. Unplugging across the board is not an option the Church recommends. The Church is not afraid of media! She sees them as "marvels" the Lord has put in our hands. Gan provides the reader with seven keys to healthy Catholic media use. He drew all seven from official Church documents, synthesizing 70 years of official teaching into a practical guide to living as genuinely Christian citizens of the media culture. His self-evaluation questions are totally on target, addressing not just abuse by excess (unrestrained or uncritical media consumption) but also by defect (limiting oneself to the most unchallenging movies, or failing to create positive media content). Best of all, Gan gives the whole presentation a supernatural grounding by connecting each of the "keys" to healthy media use to a specific virtue. I commend Eugene Gan highly for a well-crafted work that am going to refer to often and recommend broadly. Gratefully in St. Paul, Sister Anne Joan Flanagan, FSP,Daughters of St. Paul, a.k.a. "nunblogger" |
Engaging and thoughtful as all media should be, Dr. Gan practices what he preaches in his book Infinite Bandwidth. He skillfully summarizes over seventy years of Catholic teaching on the marvels and menace of media and offers an engaging reflection as well as a helpful approach to media use for parents and teachers alike. If you are looking for a Catholic guide in this age of shifting values and the proliferation of the communication tools, Infinite Bandwidth is a tremendous resource.
Father Robert P. Reed, President, The CatholicTV® Network |
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Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media by Dr. Eugene Gan is a great gift to the Church as we experience a surge of media and social communication. Dr. Gan masterfully pulls together the many Church documents and statements on media through the years. From these documents, Eugene gives us seven media keys to help people properly critique all forms of media. He uses the same keys in helping those who produce media to evaluate what they are creating and how it can best serve the mission of the Church in today's world. Dr. Gan makes it clear that people must not run in fear from the latest technologies and new forms of media, but embrace them with a critical eye and use them well for proclaiming the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith in a more credible manner. Dr. Gan demonstrates the necessary tools to view media with a Catholic mind and heart. His book will change the way you view your next movie, listen to that new song, what games you play on your computer and the apps in your iPhone. If all people of faith follow the seven keys presented by Eugene Gan, they will consume media and media will not consume them.
Father Jay Finelli, the iPadre Catholic Podcast & Videocast |