Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age (with study questions)
by Samuel D. James
2023 / 184 pages
As I read Digital Liturgies, I kept being vaguely bothered by the title and the cover. This looks like an abstract, philosophical book – useful in its own way, but not necessarily a helpful read for the average Christian, who might pick up something like Andy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family instead. I only cracked it open because of a recommendation – and was surprised to find it a very accessible, relevant, and important book about our technology-immersed world.
In the author’s own words, this book is about the “spiritually formative power of the web.” James points out that, as Christians, we’re very aware of the dangerous content online; but we may not realize how much we’re influenced, and not in a biblical direction, by the medium itself. He explains the underlying philosophy of “expressive individualism,” and how it plays out in many harmful and problematic ways. He describes the “liturgies” of the online world:
- authenticity – “my story, my truth
- outrage – James likens the web to a “gladiator arena”
- shame – “cancel culture”/online “mobs”
- consumption – specifically of pornography
- meaninglessness – “death by minutiae”
James further talks about how technology is “rewiring” our brains:
“Conversation is harder, reading is much more of a slog, and mental busyness is so alluring I almost feel restless when I’m not distracted…. All of us seem to feel like we’re in some kind of spiritual and intellectual haze.”
Yes, some of his arguments get a little academic (like the section where James delves into personal computing’s roots in transhuman philosophy), and I admit I didn’t follow every detail. Whether you’re interested in getting quite that deep or not, though, you’ll find a lot to ponder and use in James’ book.
As I finished it, I was also struck by how my first complaint with the book was actually a reinforcement of one of the book’s arguments: my Internet-trained brain wanted something catchier, splashier, more attention-grabbing.
Maybe it’s time for us as Christians to start deliberately re-training our brains – with the help of resources such as this one, but, more importantly, as we’re “transformed by the renewal of our minds” through the work of the Spirit (Romans 12:2).
You can listen to the author discuss his book on the What Would Jesus Tech podcast below.
