Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Call number
261.56 CHA
Publication
ZONDERVAN
Description
Even the least technical among us are being pressed from all sides by advances in digital technology. We rely upon computers, cell phones, and the Internet for communication, commerce, and entertainment. Yet even though we live in this "instant message" culture, many of us feel disconnected, and we question if all this technology is really good for our souls. In a manner that's accessible, thoughtful, and biblical, author Tim Challies addresses questions such as: * How has life--and faith--changed now that everyone is available all the time through mobile phones? * How does our constant connection to these digital devices affect our families and our church communities? * What does it mean that almost two billion humans are connected by the Internet ... with hundreds of millions more coming online each year? Providing the reader with a framework they can apply to any technology, Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for our lives, and how it impacts the Christian faith.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lauranav
In The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies seeks to show how technology affects us, changes the way we live, has costs as well as benefits. He also challenges us to think deeper, want more from life than the shallow thinking that comes with so much of the
The first section points out some truths about technology - why it is necessary and also why it is often destructive. He recounts a history of technology up to the digital explosion, showing how each advance in technology brought great benefits but also many changes, and some costs.
The second section discusses 6 ways our lives have changed due to the digital technology available to us. He discusses how our habits of communication have changed. And how most of our communication is mediated rather than face to face. Last month I read Pride and Prejudice, which is a book very much centered around gatherings, long personal letters among friends and family, and travel for in-person visits. Tim Challies points out much of this has been sacrificed and is now considered inconvenient in the age of email and blogs. He picks on using email instead of phone calls, as many consider phone calls an interruption. I choked on this a little bit, as I remember as a child thinking that a phone call was an interruption and how we should strive to not be at the mercy of the ringing phone. But his point was that we would rather send a quick email than spend time really talking to someone by phone (or even video conferencing).
He also talks about being distracted and how the demands of technology to switch tasks and check so many different things are robbing us of our ability to focus and spend longer amounts of time working and thinking. He follows this up with a talk about how we want more and more information, but spend less time really seeking true knowledge or wisdom.
The last two chapters cover the way we are losing a concrete idea of truth and authority, leaning more toward the wiki version of truth by consensus rather than truth by facts as studied and explained by experts. And he covers the weird way we want to be visible and sacrifice privacy for much of that. Even if we aren't worried about being visible, the convenience factor very often drives us to give up our privacy and allow a data trail to be collected, collated, and analyzed.
Many times through the book I would have the thought that I am nothing like what he is describing. I don't think this was pride thinking that I am not that bad. Just shock that so many other people must be this addicted to their technology. I can still find plenty to convict me of my own habits with technology, desire for more and more information, and ability to be distracted. I also agree with his premise that if we keep watch over our lives with our theology in mind, knowing Jesus as our living Savior and seeking to please Him and live our lives to God's glory, we will need to and be able to evaluate our habits, including those using technology, with discernment.
A worthy and sobering read. Much more descriptive than prescriptive, as he says was his intent. Food for thought. Will we take the time to think it through and take action?
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technological gadgets we surround ourselves with. This deep thinking includes the perspective of a Christian who believes in an almighty God who calls us to be holy.The first section points out some truths about technology - why it is necessary and also why it is often destructive. He recounts a history of technology up to the digital explosion, showing how each advance in technology brought great benefits but also many changes, and some costs.
The second section discusses 6 ways our lives have changed due to the digital technology available to us. He discusses how our habits of communication have changed. And how most of our communication is mediated rather than face to face. Last month I read Pride and Prejudice, which is a book very much centered around gatherings, long personal letters among friends and family, and travel for in-person visits. Tim Challies points out much of this has been sacrificed and is now considered inconvenient in the age of email and blogs. He picks on using email instead of phone calls, as many consider phone calls an interruption. I choked on this a little bit, as I remember as a child thinking that a phone call was an interruption and how we should strive to not be at the mercy of the ringing phone. But his point was that we would rather send a quick email than spend time really talking to someone by phone (or even video conferencing).
He also talks about being distracted and how the demands of technology to switch tasks and check so many different things are robbing us of our ability to focus and spend longer amounts of time working and thinking. He follows this up with a talk about how we want more and more information, but spend less time really seeking true knowledge or wisdom.
The last two chapters cover the way we are losing a concrete idea of truth and authority, leaning more toward the wiki version of truth by consensus rather than truth by facts as studied and explained by experts. And he covers the weird way we want to be visible and sacrifice privacy for much of that. Even if we aren't worried about being visible, the convenience factor very often drives us to give up our privacy and allow a data trail to be collected, collated, and analyzed.
Many times through the book I would have the thought that I am nothing like what he is describing. I don't think this was pride thinking that I am not that bad. Just shock that so many other people must be this addicted to their technology. I can still find plenty to convict me of my own habits with technology, desire for more and more information, and ability to be distracted. I also agree with his premise that if we keep watch over our lives with our theology in mind, knowing Jesus as our living Savior and seeking to please Him and live our lives to God's glory, we will need to and be able to evaluate our habits, including those using technology, with discernment.
A worthy and sobering read. Much more descriptive than prescriptive, as he says was his intent. Food for thought. Will we take the time to think it through and take action?
Show Less
LibraryThing member christian2
Tim Challies book The Next Story is a masterpiece in its field. The book effectively engages with all the primary practical imports of technology to drive home the principle that using technology for the glory of God is both a challenge and an opportunity for Christians (blurb).
Challies book is
Firstly, Challies deals with technology from the inside. As a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere, author of Challies.com, which receives over 20,000 hits a day and editor of DiscerningReader.com, Challies is not only qualified but competent in his field. From the very first page, the reader is impressed by his approach: one characterised by a reason, born out of experience, but not overly cautious. He rightly recognises that both an ‘unqualified embrace’ of technological advances and ‘strict separation’ are missing something vital, a ‘biblical, God-honouring response’ (32), yet bestows more respect on the latter. Challies attitude exudes a balance and competence that captures the reader’s heart.
Secondly, Challies approach to the subject of digital technology is grounded in one simple principle: look deeper (39). He rightly discerns that we are ‘prone to be quite lazy in our thinking about technology’ (41). Thus, his book promotes not rigid legalism but a rationalism that will benefit every user of technology, Christian or otherwise. His book deals with core principles of technology; by referencing communication, distraction, information and authority, the maxims which he uncovers will remain timelessly relevant in a rapidly changing field.
Thirdly, Challies writes to change. Not to change technology, but to change people. Or rather, to point his readers to the only source of change – the true wisdom found in Jesus Christ. In a world of Facebook-frivolity, he declares that “shallow words reveal a shallow heart” (79) and champions instead a life “submitted to the One who is Truth” (82). Most chapters close with a comprehensive Application section and Questions for Reflection. Challies’ Epilogue is a summary of how his book has changed him and articulates his deepest desire simply and succinctly: “I want you to take what’s true and have these things shape your relationship with technology in a way that suits your unique situation” (193). Rather than be shaped by our technology, Challies urges us to shape it for the glory of God.
Challies book accomplishes its mission. It takes the reader on a journey of understanding in a world we travel every day, but hitherto had only a dim notion of where we were really headed. It breathes clarity into confusion and cultivates technological confidence in an age of digital dictation. The sincerity of the author and his steady reliance on Scripture ensure that, for every reader, the next story can truly be His story.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Challies book is
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quite unique, in a Christian book field with few comparable books. Three things, however, make it a book to treasure.Firstly, Challies deals with technology from the inside. As a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere, author of Challies.com, which receives over 20,000 hits a day and editor of DiscerningReader.com, Challies is not only qualified but competent in his field. From the very first page, the reader is impressed by his approach: one characterised by a reason, born out of experience, but not overly cautious. He rightly recognises that both an ‘unqualified embrace’ of technological advances and ‘strict separation’ are missing something vital, a ‘biblical, God-honouring response’ (32), yet bestows more respect on the latter. Challies attitude exudes a balance and competence that captures the reader’s heart.
Secondly, Challies approach to the subject of digital technology is grounded in one simple principle: look deeper (39). He rightly discerns that we are ‘prone to be quite lazy in our thinking about technology’ (41). Thus, his book promotes not rigid legalism but a rationalism that will benefit every user of technology, Christian or otherwise. His book deals with core principles of technology; by referencing communication, distraction, information and authority, the maxims which he uncovers will remain timelessly relevant in a rapidly changing field.
Thirdly, Challies writes to change. Not to change technology, but to change people. Or rather, to point his readers to the only source of change – the true wisdom found in Jesus Christ. In a world of Facebook-frivolity, he declares that “shallow words reveal a shallow heart” (79) and champions instead a life “submitted to the One who is Truth” (82). Most chapters close with a comprehensive Application section and Questions for Reflection. Challies’ Epilogue is a summary of how his book has changed him and articulates his deepest desire simply and succinctly: “I want you to take what’s true and have these things shape your relationship with technology in a way that suits your unique situation” (193). Rather than be shaped by our technology, Challies urges us to shape it for the glory of God.
Challies book accomplishes its mission. It takes the reader on a journey of understanding in a world we travel every day, but hitherto had only a dim notion of where we were really headed. It breathes clarity into confusion and cultivates technological confidence in an age of digital dictation. The sincerity of the author and his steady reliance on Scripture ensure that, for every reader, the next story can truly be His story.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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LibraryThing member Steve777
Very helpful overview of the various aspects Christians must consider when evaluating the role of digital media in their lives.
LibraryThing member remikit
Good book. Lots of good points - the digital world is eating away at community and how virtual community fails to replace it with the same quality of relationships, How in this easily distractable digital world we have so much information that we are failing to turn it into knowledge and then
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wisdom. I just wish he could have written more about a reasonable response to these real problems. Hopefully that is another book. Show Less
LibraryThing member ebnelson
The book is framed as a pragmatic discussion promising the reader suggestions on more faith-filled and deliberate way of living in the digital world, but the reason I recommend it is that the reader gets more than that. In his discussions about distractions, mediated reality, and wikis Challies
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gives great teachings on the purpose of the Christian life, the personal nature of Christ and his community, and the nature of Truth. Essentially, because of the book’s context, i.e., living in a digital world, he’s able to explain spiritual truths in a way that probably much easier for non-philosophers to grasp their significance. Doctrinally, it’s solid and appropriate for Western Christians from any tradition. Show Less
LibraryThing member david__clifford
From a recent review "Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for our lives, and how it impacts the Christian faith." This has been a very helpful book that has given me insight into the impact that technology has on my life each and
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every day. Well worth the read. Show Less
LibraryThing member HGButchWalker
Thought-provoking discussion of how the digital revolution has impacted our thinking, our culture, and our spiritual lives. Tim Challies has put together a very helpful discussion, being both even-handed and Biblical. These are not the rantings of a technology-hating rambler. Tim is thoughtful in
If you are a gadget-loving Christian, you should read this book.
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both the areas of theology and technology. As a technology leader at a Christian ministry, this book gives me much more to think about. If you are a gadget-loving Christian, you should read this book.
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ISBN
9780310329039