The history of Christianity is intimately tied to the history of media, from the Roman codex to architecture to the printing press, and on through radio and film to the internet. Individual Christians, their churches and para-church organisations have long made use of distinct and popular media forms and affordances to accomplish their goals. From the spread of the gospel to the formation of churches and the facilitation of Christian community, media have always played a part in defining the faith. Especially in North America, media have been influential in spreading Christianity, complicating its ties to politics and culture, and reshaping church culture and the communal identities and practices of Christians across the continent.

This essay takes a topical approach to examining the history of Christianity and media in North America. Moving from the printing press and into the electronic age with radio, film, television and ultimately the internet, it illustrates the lasting impact that media have had on the development and character of the Christian faith in North America across denominations and perspectives. Following this history, the essay engages approaches from ‘digital religion studies’, which specifically seeks to understand intersections between new media, digital technology and religion. The essay concludes with an overview of current trends in research in digital religion and their relation to the study of media in North American Christianity.

The Printing Press

The relationship between Christianity and media is as old as the faith itself. Jesus and his disciples lived, taught and wrote at a time of great transition in the history of the alphabet, paper and other media for writing. In North America the development of Christianity was intimately tied to the invention of the printing press, which facilitated Martin Luther's break with Rome, the establishment of Protestantism and, in time, the Puritan flight to the New World. A printing press arrived in the USA in 1638, and in time print media proliferated in North America, although Canada's own print industry was not firmly established until the 1830s. Thus, a line can be traced from the printing press's influence on religion to the power of media in North America and its developing culture.