From the Printing Press to ChatGPT: How Information Revolutions Set Ideas Free

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door in 1517, it was bold — but without the printing press, it would have been little more than a local protest. What made the Reformation unstoppable wasn’t just the power of Luther’s ideas, but the speed at which they spread.

Until then, the medieval church controlled the theological “airwaves.” Scripture was read in Latin. Doctrine was filtered through authorised clergy. Heretical ideas could be stamped out simply by choking their circulation. But with Gutenberg’s press, pamphlets, tracts, and eventually Bibles appeared in the vernacular. Luther’s writings were reprinted in multiple cities within weeks. People could now read, compare, and debate for themselves.

The Reformation was not only a theological awakening — it was an information revolution. Technology broke the monopoly. Faith could move beyond centralised control and take root in ordinary people’s homes and hearts.

Fast forward 500 years, and we’re living through another upheaval. For decades, public conversation in the West was shaped by a handful of media outlets, often working from the assumption that religion should stay private. Publishing (including theology) was tribal and selective. To say something in the public square, you needed the gatekeepers.

Enter social media. Suddenly, people can speak from their lounge rooms to the world. Testimonies, sermons, songs, and prayers can go global without passing through an editor’s desk. Spirituality is no longer hidden — it’s personal and public. Likewise, theology from every era and perspective is at our fingertips.

Now add AI. A world-class Greek and Hebrew scholar, a vast library and librarian, a synthesiser and critic of ideas — if you know how to ask the right questions. Like the printing press, it will be used for both good and harm. But the potential is clear: another information revolution that could set ideas and conversation free.