Explores the role of new spiritual communities, the personal relationships we have with our gadgets, helping you think about the many, often subtle, ways technology has seeped into every aspect of our lives and changed the way we do faith.
Stephen K. Spyker
Hardcover
6 x 9, 176 pp | 978-1-59473-218-8
Can you live a spiritual life in a hyperconnected world?
“Technology is part of what defines us; it’s part of what makes us human. More than that, the technologies we adopt affect the very type of humans we become. The tools we choose to use and how we use them affect how we think, how we make decisions, how we relate to one another, how we construct knowledge, even how we think about God.”
—from the Introduction
Every day, new technologies affect your life at home, at work and at play. But how often do you pause to consider how your computer, mp3 player, cell phone, or PDA influence your spiritual life—your beliefs, your faith, your fundamental understanding of God?
With wit and verve, Stephen Spyker leads you on a lively journey through the many ways technology impacts how we think about faith and how we practice it. He explores the role of new spiritual communities, the personal relationships we have with our gadgets, our changing expectations, helping you to think about the many, often subtle, ways technology has seeped into every aspect of our lives and changed the way we “do” faith.
- Can online churches replace traditional houses of worship?
- Will my iPod give me peace of mind?
- Is technological convenience undermining our ability to create community and make commitments?
Whether a technophile or technophobe, no matter your faith or background, this book will entertain and challenge you while encouraging you to take a fresh look at spirituality in our modern world.
“A wonderfully provocative analysis of the impact of technology on our lives. Challenges us to examine honestly our assumptions and beliefs about technology and how it shapes us. His questions are superb—we would all do well to adopt them as our own.”
—Rabbi David W. Nelson, author of Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World
“Skillfully explores our long-standing relationship to technology, while inviting us to consciously evaluate the new influences, positive and negative, that technology has on our spiritual lives.”
—Stephanie Ford, assistant professor of Christian spirituality, Earlham School of Religion
“Engaging ... gives us much clear and solid information ... to reflect on [technology] and make our own choices [on how to use it].”
—National Church Library Association
“Asks good questions and points us in the right direction as we think about the information revolution and its impact on our lives and our spiritual communities.”
—Spirituality & Practice
“Strikes a useful and necessary balance between the new and ancient, the simple and complex. Envisions a technological future informed by our faith, and a faith enriched and expanded by scientific progress. Those of us who live with a foot in each world are in Spyker’s debt.”
—Philip Gulley, Quaker pastor; author of If God Is Love: Rediscovering Grace in an Ungracious World and other books
“An engaging and often entertaining look at how we might think about technology and use it in our lives.”
—Timothy W. Seid, PhD, associate dean, Earlham School of Religion
“Delightfully readable and decidedly fresh—challenges the usual arguments dividing technology and spirituality, inviting us to live the deeper connections between these topics. An unexpected plus—it is totally fun!”
—Rev. Dr. Tara Lea Hornbacker, associate professor of ministry formation, Bethany Theological Seminary
