"Deep Reading" (Rachel B. Griffis, Julie Ooms, & Rachel M. De Smith Roberts)

TITLE: Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of Our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age
AUTHOR: Rachel B. Griffis, Julie Ooms, & Rachel M. De Smith Roberts
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2024, (240 pages).
 

Recently, there has been a swath of books about reading, good reading. Since Mortimer Adler's classic on "How to Read a Book," there has been various additions from various authors like Robert Alter, Jeffrey Bilbro, Harold Bloom, Susan Gallagher & Roger Lundin, Alan Jacobs, Karen Swallow Prior, Jessica Hooten Wilson, etc. This book is a compelling addition to this library of excellent perspectives on reading. It is a treasure to behold. The key thesis in this book is that reading is a powerful mechanism for spiritual formation. Before embarking on this journey, there are three major impediments to overcome: Distraction, Hostility, and Consumerism. The way to achieve deep reading is to adopt practices to subvert these three vices. Otherwise, we become vulnerable to the ills of technology, adopt superficial reading, and lose the opportunity to grow the virtues of good reading. This book asks and probes not just the things we read but also questions surrounding who we are, why we read, and how we are reading. In other words, readers will not only be reminded about the need for deeper reading skills, they will recognize how modern culture is impacting general reading habits. These are warnings to be heeded wisely. We ignore them at our peril. The authors ask some poignant questions such as:

"Trust" (Dominique Shelton Leipzig)

TITLE: Trust.: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
AUTHOR: Dominique Shelton Leipzig
PUBLISHER: Charleston, SC: Forbes Books, 2024, (399 pages).
 

It is not easy to trust what we see today. From Artificial Intelligence to Deep Fake technologies, it is becoming easier to manipulate data for illegitimate ends. With innovation comes the tendency for cheating and criminal activities. Data security is critical to preserve the integrity of businesses and maintain positive public trust. All it takes is a data leak, hacking, systems malfunction, or an infiltration of ransomware, and the corporation's activities easily come to a standstill. According to Dominique Shelton Leipzig, the problem with modern corporate boardrooms is that data management is typically delegated to backroom staff, like data scientists or IT professionals. Some don't know the right questions to ask about their data in the first place. This calls for a more proactive approach when dealing with data and information in the company. Data stewardship cannot be left to consultants, or engineers in the data center, or outsourced to cheaper IT professionals outside. They need to be managed responsibly. Senior management needs to be held accountable. Data breaches and data security lapses cannot be blamed on data center staff. CEOs must take an active interest in the integrity and use of data in their organizations. With more businesses and information being collected and stored both inside and outside the organizations, there needs to be a heightened awareness and responsibility about its collection, management, protection, and usage. Companies of all sizes need a proper data strategy. The thesis in this book is that to re-establish trust in organizations, it is high time for senior management to take leadership of their corporate data as a critical asset. In Leipzig's words, one must "lead with trust." That means three things:

"Digital Liturgies" (Samuel D. James)

TITLE: Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age
AUTHOR: Samuel D. James
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2023, (208 pages).

Just saying that the digital revolution has changed the world is an understatement. Like the story of two young fish that fail to understand what water is, some of us who have been so immersed in technology do not understand what it means to live without technology. Digital immigrants are those who have "immigrated into" the modern technology platforms while digital natives are those who grew up in technology right from the start. Regardless of whether one is a digital immigrant or native, the inherent threats to personality are the same for all. No one will be able to escape the far-reaching tentacles of the Internet and modern digital technologies. This book is a critical look at the way technology is shaping us and its implications for Christians wanting to live fruitfully in an increasingly complex world. He attempts to help us discern the digital world with biblical wisdom ethically, practically, and theologically. Concerned about the incredible amount of time people spend online, author Samuel James reflects on the significance of living in a world of "screens, algorithms, and pixels." From the threat of fake news to the dangers of disembodied living, this book is a crucial alarm to wake us up from becoming too trusting to the point of idolizing technology. It is also a wake-up call for any uncritical use or reliance on the technology we have gotten so used to using. He asks questions like:

"Following Jesus in a Digital Age" (Jason Thacker)

TITLE: Following Jesus in a Digital Age
AUTHOR: Jason Thacker
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2022, (176 pages).
 

Android, Apple TV, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc are all familiar names in our modern culture. The news that we get in the past via newspapers, TV, and radio, are now being disseminated faster and more efficiently throughout the world. No more waiting for the latest paper edition at our regular newsstands. All it takes now is an Internet connection all at the convenience of a modern smartphone. Unsurprisingly, this modern innovation has changed the way we interact with people and communicate with one another. Traditional barriers of entry have been lowered. The communications bigwigs now have to compete not just with their mega-peers, but also with individual social media enthusiasts. The Internet and social media are here to stay. This will affect our relationships in how we live and what we say. Due to the ease of getting into social media, fake news are also on the rise. How do we deal with this new reality? How could we discern each piece of news as they come along? Are all sensational news false? Are all routinely boring stuff true at all? Technology is shaping us in more ways than one. Like the proverbial face of beauty that launched a thousand ships, an insensitive Tweet or a scandalous post could launch thousands of reactions, protests, and even violence. Author Jason Thacker notices the impact of technology and offers us some powerful reflections on what technology is, what technology demands of us, and how we could co-exist ethically and meaningfully with people in a society drowning in technological waters. Thacker offers us four reflections to help us recognize the technology that is trying to shape us, and the need to be true to ourselves. 

"The Life We're Looking For" (Andy Crouch)

TITLE: The Life We're Looking For
AUTHOR: Andy Crouch
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Convergent Books, 2022, (240 pages).
 

As more people live and work online, the age-old question of what are we looking for remains unanswered. What are we searching for whenever we are at an Internet search engine? Are we dependent on personalization algorithms to tell us what we need or do we already know what we want? During our times of loneliness, what are we looking for to fill that relationship vacuum? Clearly, there is a growing problem. Research continually reveals that the problem of loneliness is growing. Technology was supposed to be the relationship saviour, but alas, it might have worsened the problem instead. The key is not to let technology lead us but to recognize our unique personhood. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle is not just impersonal, it reduces relationships to transactions. Just like cashiers going through the motion of collecting money for purchases without even looking at their customers. Worse, in an Internet age, transactions are increasingly conducted without having to talk to a human face or person. The framework of the book is as follows. First, the author highlights the growing problem of living in an increasingly impersonal world. Aided by technology, this trajectory is poised to get worse. If it is not recognized or addressed, we might be paying a deep price for the cost of technological and scientific advancement. Crouch asserts that every human person is a "heart-soul-mind-strength complex designed for love." The heart arouses our desire. The soul drives the depth of ourselves. The mind influences our quest for knowledge. The will emboldens our energy toward actions. Our chief goal is love. 

"God, Technology, and the Christian Life" (Tony Reinke)

TITLE: God, Technology, and the Christian Life
AUTHOR: Tony Reinke
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2021, (320 pages).
 

We have a lot of technology around us. We have different types of devices. Many of us use them on a daily basis. We need them. We cannot do without them. If we are to take a moment to ask ourselves, "What is Technology?" we might pause and wonder what kind of a question is that. For many people, the use of technology has become so ubiquitous that it has become an uncritical use of such powerful tools without actually knowing its grand purpose and significance. Fair to say, not many people really know how "technology" is defined. If we go back in history, human progress can be classified under different ages. The Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Nuclear Age, the Computer Age, and now the Technology Age. The common thread through all of them is the rising capability and discovery of tools to assist and improve human lives. Hunting tools from bones and stones were invented in the Stone Age. Engraving was introduced during the Bronze Age. The wheel was invented in the Iron Age. Nuclear power and the hydrogen bomb were creations in the Nuclear Age. Then comes the familiar personal computer and cell phones in the Computer and Technology Ages respectively. Even the biblical story of David and Goliath is a powerful story of the kind of technology being used at that time. Author Tony Reinke comes from a family of inventors. Out of his research and reflection, he sees technology as a way to tell the story of the human race. Through innovative skills and creative techniques, technology moves from animate functions like pulleys, to inanimate capabilities such as driving a car. Now we have technologies with automated abilities like self-driving cars and self-learning algorithms. The philosophical question is this: Is technology leading us toward a "dystopia" like Babel or a "heavenly utopia?" Reinke refuses to be drawn to either extreme, choosing the middle path. He enlists the help of nine voices to reveal 12 common myths about technology. These voices are mostly from the Modern Age: John Calvin the Reformer; Charles Spurgeon the Preacher; Abraham Kuyper the Theologian; Herman Bavinck the Calvinist; Jacques Ellul the French Philosopher; Wendell Berry the Conservationist; Kevin Kelly the technologist; Elon Musk the trendsetter; and Yuval Noah Harari, the Jewish Professor of History. All of these voices speak into the purpose and use of technology. He deals with six key questions:

"Following" (Jason Byassee and Andria Irwin)

TITLE: Following (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
AUTHOR: Jason Byassee and Andria Irwin
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (208 pages).
 

Even with technological advances, there is almost always a constant divide between two poles. There are the Technological Luddites and the Technophiles. There are the modernists and the mystics. In a digital age, there are digital immigrants and digital natives. These are some of the distinctions between the old and the new forms of thinking. In a book written by a digital immigrant (Byassee) and a digital native (Irwin), we get a fascinating conversation about what discipleship means in a digital age. While getting online is easy, discerning what is going on is not so straightforward. In the area of discipleship, learning how to discern is increasingly important as many Christians go online and interact more on the Internet. Theologically, one of the biggest heresies throughout history was Gnosticism. This heresy is basically about dualistic views of life, seeing earthly things as evil and heavenly things as good. Salvation is thus a matter of running away from this world into the real good one. It is still occurring today to fuel any inclination toward escapism especially in times of trouble. Closely related to Gnosticism is Manicheism, something that had influenced St Augustine in his earlier days. This heresy is not as extreme as Gnosticism but still retains semblances of Gnostic beliefs into seeing some things as good and some things as evil. The Truth is, God has created creation as good, and right theology needs to discern what is good and fallen, against what the heresies claimed as inherently or naturally evil. The authors here seek to find a balance between the two heresies so as to make sense of what is theologically true and coherent with the human experience. In an age where the online environment is threatening to pull people toward any heretical extremes, they urge readers to learn to refrain, to restrain, and to rest from constant online engagement, without jettisoning the usefulness of technology. They also show us how to discern what are the things that can and cannot be done online. One of the key questions posed is:  "How might we use technology, perhaps despite its intentions, to trick ourselves into a more embodied life of discipleship?"

"Parenting Generation Screen" (Jonathan McKee)

TITLE: Parenting Generation Screen: Guiding Your Kids to Be Wise in a Digital World
AUTHOR: Jonathan McKee
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2021, (208 pages).

Did you know that 10 is the average age a kid gets a phone in America? Did you know that the most common reason why parents give kids a smartphone so early is to anticipate emergencies? By the time a kid turns 13, nearly three-quarters of his contemporaries would already have a phone with a screen. How do you parent a young child in a smartphone era? Experts have said that parents ought to wait until kids are older and more mature before giving them the phones. Many caved in to their children's pleas while others simply do not know how to respond to the demand tsunami. Sadly, this has led to uncontrolled and unlimited use of the smartphones by children totally oblivious to the dangers of the Internet. So the key question for parents is this: What are we going to do? Author Jonathan McKee begins by cautioning us not to look for quick fixes. Instead, develop a connection with our kids before correction. Love needs to come before limits; bonding before boundaries; and communication before commandments. Urging us to pause before confiscating the devices, begin with conversation with our kids. That means learning not just to express our concerns but also to understand what our kids are going through. Then there is the question of what age is best to give our kids smartphones. With peer pressure and the torrent of requests, parents will find it increasingly difficult to deny this request. Plus, screen gadgets nowadays are everywhere. They are in computers, laptops, tablets, small gadgets, TV screens, and even in vehicles! If we say no to one, how do we consistently maintain our stance for the others? Perhaps, it is more important to show kids the reasons and the thinking process instead of plainly a yes or a no answer. We have heard scientific evidence about kids staying up late at night and how screens stimulate their brain activity. This in turn affects our children's mental health and sleep patterns which could lead to depression and emotional problems. Then there is social media and the seductive attraction to fame, game, and all kinds of exposure, including illicit ones. 

"Restless Devices" (Felicia Wu Song)

TITLE: Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age
AUTHOR: Felicia Wu Song
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021, (232 pages).

With the fast-changing technological landscape, issues pertaining to human-machine interactions continue to evolve. Since the turn of the century, people are increasingly using technological devices in all of their human interactions. Whether one is a digital native or digital immigrant, the common denominator between the different generations is the use of technology. What is increasingly common is that time spent for both adults and kids on digital devices is also rising, albeit for different reasons. Addiction, mental health, restlessness, and so on are becoming more unsettling each day. Just think about it. How many people can live without WiFi or some form of Internet access? In this book, author and professor Felicia Wu Song argues that we are all descending down a digital environment that is threatening to unravel our personhood and calls us all to start on the journey to recover our humanness through a process of re-embodiment. We do not have to surrender to every desire to upgrade our devices or to constantly check our phones for the latest news. Song proposes three paths forward:

1. Spiritual disciplines and practices
2. Recovery of our Human Embodiment
3. Living in Community

"Tech Titans of China" (Rebecca A. Fannin)

TITLE: Tech Titans of China: How China's Tech Sector is challenging the world by innovating faster, working harder, and going global
AUTHOR: Rebecca A. Fannin
PUBLISHER: Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2019, (256 pages).

Those of us who live in the West would be familiar with the Tech Titans of America, in particular, the Silicon Valley of California. At the end of the Millenium, there were the AOLs, Blackberrys, IBMs, the HPs, the Ciscos, the Dells, Yahoo, and so on. Today, these companies have been eclipsed by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and so on. Like the common saying that the big will eat up the small, the new threat to these Western Tech Titans are coming from East Asia, namely, China. Calling them the BATs of China, these rising tech titans of China (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) are challenging the FANGS (Facebook, Amazon/Apple, Netflix, Google) in the search, e-commerce, social networking, and many other technology domains. WeChat's userbase has surpassed WhatsApp. China's Silicon Dragon is China's emerging equivalent of Silicon Valley. In fact, China has grown from copying to innovating. If imitation is the biggest form of flattery, the successes of many Chinese tech firms have been validated with Western firms doing the copying instead. Facebook imitates WeChat's messaging features. Amazon has to play catchup in some areas too. Even the giant Apple are copying some of Xiaomi's business model. It is not just the speed of innovation that is catching up, it is also about the super-quick time that these Chinese corporations need to overtake their Western counterparts. Like the words of Gary Rieschel, "China is going to eat Silicon Valley's lunch." While it is true that some areas of advancement are due to government protectionist measures, a sizable chunk of innovation is due to the relentless entrepreneurial spirit and hardworking culture so synonymous with the Chinese. Not only that, the work rate of the Chinese is unmatched. Working over 12 hours per day, six days a week, and having meetings on weekends. Many of these are all-nighters that reflect a workaholic culture not often seen in America. With an enormous domestic market, a relentless entrepreneurial spirit, a workaholic culture, and a protectionist government, all signs point to inevitable domination within China first, and the world next. 

"Posting Peace" (Douglas S. Bursch)

TITLE: Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It
AUTHOR: Douglas S. Bursch
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021, (204 pages).

We are increasingly angry online. Anything could become an anger trigger, a point of contention, or an explosive rant. With more people stuck at home during the pandemic, this situation seems to be getting worse. With such high temperatures on social media, what if this is just the early stages of an even bigger problem? Can we do something about such divisions? How can we bring about greater unity and calm in the digital world? Could the online wars contribute to the growing polarization among different sides and opinions? Lamenting on the inability of people (including Christians) to speak the truth in love, author Douglas Bursch probes the ongoing social media heat and helps us find a way to cool down and to be peacemakers. Otherwise, things might very well become more polarized. The key thesis in this book is that Christians need to lead the way in online communications to be peacemakers. It is hoped that such efforts would lead to greater restraint, reconciliation, and restoration of goodness in our relationships. The author knows this the hard way. Having been a talkshow host who tries to bring conservatives, moderates, progressives, and liberals to the same table to remove contentious debates, he has experienced bitter feedback and disappointment as people use the platform to hurl their views down the rest. The verbal mudslinging spoke louder than his voice of moderation. Many of the comments he received were mean and harsh. Political infighting and social media seem to feed off each other, deepening the existing divisions and widening the cracks. He also learns that for talk show hosts to be successful, they have to hold a strong opinionated side. Staying in the middle ground hardly cuts it. 

"Communicating with Grace and Virtue" (Quentin J Schultze)

TITLE: Communicating with Grace and Virtue: Learning to Listen, Speak, Text, and Interact as a Christian
AUTHOR: Quentin J Schultze
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020, (144 pages).

Communications seem to be an evergreen topic for discussion. Many schools and universities continue to offer courses that specialize in both the art and science of communications. Books continue to be written about the ways and means to communicate even as we deal with cultural and technological changes. Yet, one thing is to be expected. It is only a matter of time before we encounter difficulties in communications. In other words, there is no way we can separate life from conflicts. Being people from different backgrounds essentially mean that we have to deal with differences sooner or later. Even the best types of relationships require a fair bit of knowledge about conflict management. These include marriages, relationships with office colleagues, social circles, Church communities, online correspondences, and increasingly on social media. Enters the call toward "servant communication" which author and professor Quentin Schultze defines as "a way of using God’s gift of communication to love God and our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31)." It begins with a willingness to accept the challenge to practice such communications as a way to witness grace and love. At the heart of this virtue is the practice of gratitude. The more grateful we are, the more able we are to practice graciousness in our communications. Christians are called to honour God in all that they do. Schultze knows the challenges of doing that. Thus, he guides us through some barriers, to point out how sin has made us broken, which not only affects us, but also the way we communicate. Here, the author lays out bare his past brokenness to demonstrate that he knows personally what it means to be part of a broken relationship. 

"The Dark Side of Our Digital World" (Andrew Weiss)

TITLE: The Dark Side of Our Digital World: And What You Can Do about It (LITA Guides)
AUTHOR: Andrew Weiss
PUBLISHER: Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020, (272 pages).

We live in a world of information technology. Almost everything in the world has a digital counterpart. One of the signs of the digital revolution is the impact of e-Commerce and the way we are living our lives. We are slowly moving from snail-mail to email; from texting to social media; and from face-to-face communications to video conferencing. Looking at the way technology stocks had usurped the top positions of traditional bricks and mortar companies, we know that the world of digital is here to stay. Our world has changed forever and there is no going back to the slow-paced world of yesterday.  For all the fascination and the optimism that comes with digital platforms, a few people are not content in simply consuming these stuff as they come along. They question. They critique. They look outside the box to try to challenge conventional ways of thinking. One such explorer is Andrew Weiss, a librarian and cultural observer who recognizes the dark side of the digital world, which is what this book is all about. It is essentially learning to use digital tools wisely while being aware of the insidious dark side. Written in four parts, the first three parts deal with the awareness while the final part offer steps toward redemption. 

"Analog Church" (Jay Y. Kim)

TITLE: Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age
AUTHOR: Jay Y. Kim
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, (216 pages).

This is a strange time to be reading this book. With much of the world locked down due to the coronavirus crisis, many churches are forced to conduct services digitally. They meet via virtual rooms. They see each other's faces (when the cameras are turned on), as well as the physical environment they are in. More often than not, they put on their best looks when online. In a digital environment, things are made to look more like zeros and ones, metaphorically. As the world becomes more digitized and virtualized, we have a challenge of trying to make human connections as authentic as possible. Knowing the limitations of technology is one thing. Making extra effort to bridge the gaps is another. In this increasingly hybrid community, we don't really have a choice. Digital Church is convenient but not necessarily practical; fast but not necessarily effective; comfortable but not necessarily authentic. Author Jay Kim takes a closer look at the differences between analog and digital communities and points out why digital connections can only go so far and are ultimately inadequate for true connections. He cautions readers against adopting a sense of what CS Lewis calls "chronological snobbery," which is another way of preferring new things over the new. True enjoyment and happiness comes not with the latest and greatest gizmos but the down to earth relational activities we do, especially those face-to-face. Otherwise, we reduce human relationships to convenience, efficiency, and even status updates. The latter especially is merely a tip of the understanding the iceberg of a person. One can post an emotional status now and a minute later feels totally opposite of what was posted.

"Three Pieces of Glass" (Eric O. Jacobsen)

TITLE: Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens
AUTHOR: Eric O. Jacobsen
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020, (288 pages).

Relationship is the glue that bonds a society together. Driven by a desire to belong, we live in a challenging environment to navigate between our inner needs and outer cultural climate. Author Eric Jacobsen calls refers to this as "the crisis of belonging." Why a crisis? It is because of three key challenges or barriers that are keeping people from one another: Relational; Place; and Narrative. Throughout the book, readers will see how these three challenges constantly prevent people from finding their sense of belonging. Written in four parts, Jacobsen skillfully guides us through the reasons why we are increasingly lonely. Beginning with the scene from Cheers where the chorus chimes, "You want to be where everybody knows your name," he paints a picture where we all long to belong. With rising fragmentation of society, the diminishing common spaces to gather, and the loss of a common story that we can share in, it is becoming harder to build relationships.  The irony is that, while we all want to have our own private spaces in life, we hide that innate desire in us to want to connect publicly. Jacobsen looks at the problem of relationships and belonging through several different angles.

"Always On" (Angela Williams Gorrell)

TITLE: Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape (Theology for the Life of the World)
AUTHOR: Angela Williams Gorrell
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019, (208 pages).

The new media is defining us in more ways than one. This is not just social media. It is a new age of media technology and people interactions that revolutionizes the way we work, play, and live. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have changed the way we communicate with one another. People express themselves using online platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Consumers buy and sell on sites such as eBay and Amazon while many play online Internet games with people they have never met face to face. This is the face of the new media. Like any phenomenon or change of social landscape, there are plus and minus aspects. It has the potential to communicate and to bring about a lot of good in brand new ways. Unfortunately, the downsides are also huge. In order to ensure we have a healthy kind of hybrid, that is, to maximize the positive and minimize the negative, it would be a great way forward. This could be done through "interested conversations" that enables meaningful dialogue that are both "theologically reflective" as well as "Spirit-guided." Author Angela Gorrell brings us through a fascinating journey through the new media terrain. It is an ambitious attempt to connect ancient faith with modern media. Like our modern multimedia folks, the early church communicate with one another through many senses such as "written, oral" and "reading and singing." The common theme is communicating. The difference is the specific ways we communicate the written, the spoken, and the various dialogue avenues. While that might be true, it is also true that social media has been mixed with fake news and "empty and shallow" talk. This is a legitimate concern but the potential for Christians to influence worldviews is too big to be ignored.

"Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age" (Stephen D. Lowe & Mary E. Lowe)

TITLE: Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education
AUTHOR: Stephen D. Lowe & Mary E. Lowe
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2018, (250 pages).

We are living in an increasingly digital world. In such a ubiquitous environment, almost everything seems to be going digital. From printed papers to ebooks; groceries to e-shopping; communications to GPS directions; anything that could be digitized would be digitized. With the Internet at a global scale, more people are interconnected than ever. What about faith? What about spiritual formation matters? What about online theological education? According to the authors, two of the biggest challenges to teaching spiritual education online "were community formation and spiritual growth." It could be due to the difference between digital natives and digital immigrants. It could be due to the lack of experience in the new digital world. It could also be due to the skepticism among many educators. Whatever the case, both Stephen and Mary Lowe believe that online education is not only here to stay, they are poised to become a major part of spiritual formation, both communally and personally. Rather than outright rejection or cynical avoidance, perhaps a model to teach and help people Perhaps, just like the speed of evolutionary progress, why not use the ecological model of spiritual formation? For using ecology as a metaphor gives at least three advantages. It is interconnected. It takes time. It requires mutual dependence. It brings together the importance of both communal and individual health. Moreover, this motif is biblical. From Genesis to Revelation, the gospel parables about ecological growth, ecological references in Paul's epistles, there is a strong motif about ecology and faith.

"Selfies" (Craig Detweiler)

TITLE: Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Age
AUTHOR: Craig Detweiler
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2018, (240 pages).

The invention of the self-facing camera has also invented another word in our popular language: Selfie. On the surface, it seems like some harmless photograph for keepsake. Since everybody's doing it, it should be ok, right? Not so fast. There are more things happening below the surface consciously and sub-consciously. According to author and professor Craig Detweiler, it is something that reveals our conflicted thoughts about ourselves. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook Live, and all kinds of social media apps are able to help us capture precious selfie moments. What they fail to capture is the underlying philosophies or meanings attached to such selfie movements. Enter this book that reflects on the meanings, the conflicts, the pluses and minuses of this cultural phenomenon. With selfies, there is no longer private moments but public. There are no longer just self-image but shared images. Anything we put out there is subject to a multitude of interpretations and criticisms. With technology that are increasingly self-learning and automated, every selfie we take could be automatically uploaded the moment our devices establish an Internet connection. With our increasing array of digital devices, multiple copies could be backed up or shared across different platforms and distributed throughout our social and public spheres. Whether it is to bolster our self-image or simply to have our pictures on some famous landmark, Detweiler helps us ask questions to distill this phenomenon into some fundamental self identity and our endless search for meaning, and more importantly for God.

"The Tech-Wise Family" (Andy Crouch)

TITLE: The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place
AUTHOR: Andy Crouch
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2017, (226 pages).

Whenever there is anything latest and greatest, not only will there be hype, there will also be concerns about how it will affect relationships both present and future. Some would harp back at the "good old days" and dismiss the vogue of the day. Others would do the reverse, committing the error of what CS Lewis has called as "chronological snobbery," where the newest trends are deemed better than the past. Both are poor responses to changing cultural forces. The way forward is neither abandonment or careless acceptance. It is wisdom. This wisdom includes the appropriate ways to work with rather than abandon technology. It means putting technology in its proper place instead of letting it set our pace. It is knowing about what the new movements are, what are the sources, and how best we can respond. In Culture Making, Andy Crouch critiques the two conventional approaches of culture. The first is unwitting acceptance while the second is unnecessary rejection. He then argues for the path of creative culture making. This book follows up on such a mindset. Instead of totally embracing or rejecting technology in our digital world, we need to learn to be wise in our use of technology. In a survey of parents with regard to the difficulties of modern parenting, technology tops the list of parenting concerns.

Crouch writes:

"12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You" (Tony Reinke)

TITLE: 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You
AUTHOR: Tony Reinke
PUBLISHER: Wheaton IL: Crossway Publishers, 2017, (224 pages).

If there is any one icon of our modern age, it would be the ubiquitous cell-phone. Not too long ago, we have credit card companies like American Express whose catchy advertisement says: "Don't leave home without it." Now, we cannot leave our homes without our phones with us. Some people would even drive all the way back from work when they realize they had left their phones at home. It has become our scheduler, daytimer, our work device, our home appliance, our online radio, our social media outlet, our camera, our notebook, our key way of communications, and many more. Yet, there are risks with regard to its use. This book demonstrates to us that there are at least 12 ways that we are being changed by this little device. Like a small rudder that turns a large ship, the little cell-phone can turn even the toughest human being. In the foreword to this book, John Piper declared that "smartphones are dangerous" simply because it can become an idol. The famous media critic, Marshall McLuhan asserts that technology, which includes smartphones are essentially extensions of oneself. Jacques Ellul warns us about the unpredictability of these new innovations while Oliver O'Donavan reminds us to be aware of the more important things BEFORE the proliferation of the smartphone. While some medical professionals may focus on the dangerous effects of radiation from the phone, Reinke looks from a lifestyle angle. Spurred by critical analyses from Oliver O'Donavan, Jacques Ellul, and Marshall McLuhan, the author approaches smartphones from a measured angle, not taking extreme views of either good or bad. Specifically, he asks: "What is the best use of my smartphone in the flourishing of my life?" He calls readers to re-examine the ways they are using the phone. He maintains that he is also writing for himself. That is true because the smartphones have affected most people on this planet. It is rare to ever find anyone without a cellphone these days.