{"id":1094,"date":"2010-04-27T12:00:01","date_gmt":"2010-04-27T12:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/is-powerpoint-the-enemy.html"},"modified":"2010-04-27T12:00:01","modified_gmt":"2010-04-27T12:00:01","slug":"is-powerpoint-the-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/is-powerpoint-the-enemy.html","title":{"rendered":"Is PowerPoint the Enemy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just finished reading an intriguing article in the New York Times<\/i>: “We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint”<\/a> by Elisabeth Bumiller. Bumiller documents the omnipresence of PowerPoint in military briefings as well as the growing disdain for PowerPoint among those who give and receive these briefings. <\/p>\n

Here are some representative excerpts:<\/p>\n

\"powerpoint-navy-5.jpg\"<\/span>“PowerPoint makes us stupid,” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps,
\nthe Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in
\nNorth Carolina. (Photo<\/a>: A naval vice admiral makes a presentation with PowerPoint.)<\/p>\n

“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and
\nthe illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone
\ninterview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not
\nbullet-izable.”<\/p>\n

Despite such tales, “death by PowerPoint,” the phrase used to described
\nthe numbing sensation that accompanies a 30-slide briefing, seems here
\nto stay. The program<\/a>,
\nwhich first went on sale in 1987 and was acquired by Microsoft soon
\nafterward, is deeply embedded in a military culture that has come to
\nrely on PowerPoint’s hierarchical ordering of a confused world.<\/p>\n

Gen. David H. Petraeus<\/a>,
\nwho oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and says that sitting
\nthrough some PowerPoint briefings is “just agony,” nonetheless likes
\nthe program for the display of maps and statistics showing trends. He
\nhas also conducted more than a few PowerPoint presentations himself.<\/p>\n

Commanders say that the slides impart less information than a five-page
\npaper can hold, and that they relieve the briefer of the need to polish
\nwriting to convey an analytic, persuasive point. Imagine lawyers
\npresenting arguments before the Supreme Court in slides instead of
\nlegal briefs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course the military isn’t the only place one finds PowerPoint presentations. The use of digital projection is common in schools, universities, and churches. Many pastors use PowerPoint (or similar programs) in preaching and teaching. <\/p>\n

So what do you think? Is PowerPoint the enemy? Or could it be a friend? When is the use of PowerPoint acceptable, even effective? When does it “make us stupid”? What do you think about PowerPoint in church? In sermons?  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just finished reading an intriguing article in the New York Times: “We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint” by Elisabeth Bumiller. Bumiller documents the omnipresence of PowerPoint in military briefings as well as the growing disdain for PowerPoint among those who give and receive these briefings. Here are some representative excerpts: “PowerPoint…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nIs PowerPoint the Enemy? - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1094\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}