Scrolling Ourselves to Death
Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age
Published on 15. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-4335-9944-6 (ISBN)
Description
Christian Wisdom for Our Tech-Saturated Age
The rapid advance of digital technology is reshaping our world and warping our minds. The onslaught of social media and smartphones has brought an appetite for distraction, an epidemic of loneliness, and increased rates of mental unhealth. For Christians, the digital revolution has profound implications for spiritual formation and mission. How should believers respond to the theological and discipleship challenges of scrolling life?
On the 40th anniversary of Neil Postman's prophetic book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), Scrolling Ourselves to Death gathers today's most incisive writers to think critically about the shaping power of contemporary technology. This book explores Postman's insights, connects them to the challenges facing Christians today, and turns difficult challenges into life-giving opportunities for the church. Stepping back from their screens, readers will be equipped to live faithfully, and grow spiritually, in a "scrolling ourselves to death" world.
Practical: Includes action steps readers can use to reclaim a healthy life in a tech-saturated world
Wise: Helps readers become more discerning in the way they think about and utilize technology
Perfect for Small Groups: Includes discussion questions at the end of every chapter
Useful for Church Leaders or Ministry Staff: Perfect for those who want to help those they lead think more carefully about technology
Expert Contributors: Features insights from a wide variety of leading Christian thinkers on technology, faith, and culture
The rapid advance of digital technology is reshaping our world and warping our minds. The onslaught of social media and smartphones has brought an appetite for distraction, an epidemic of loneliness, and increased rates of mental unhealth. For Christians, the digital revolution has profound implications for spiritual formation and mission. How should believers respond to the theological and discipleship challenges of scrolling life?
On the 40th anniversary of Neil Postman's prophetic book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), Scrolling Ourselves to Death gathers today's most incisive writers to think critically about the shaping power of contemporary technology. This book explores Postman's insights, connects them to the challenges facing Christians today, and turns difficult challenges into life-giving opportunities for the church. Stepping back from their screens, readers will be equipped to live faithfully, and grow spiritually, in a "scrolling ourselves to death" world.
Practical: Includes action steps readers can use to reclaim a healthy life in a tech-saturated world
Wise: Helps readers become more discerning in the way they think about and utilize technology
Perfect for Small Groups: Includes discussion questions at the end of every chapter
Useful for Church Leaders or Ministry Staff: Perfect for those who want to help those they lead think more carefully about technology
Expert Contributors: Features insights from a wide variety of leading Christian thinkers on technology, faith, and culture
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Wheaton, IL
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
354 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4335-9944-6 (9781433599446)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2025
Crossway
€8.88
Available for download
Persons
Brett McCracken is a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition and the author of The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World and Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community. He lives with his family in Southern California.
Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for the Gospel Coalition. He is the editor of Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church and coeditor of Faithful Exiles: Finding Hope in a Hostile World. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.
Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for the Gospel Coalition. He is the editor of Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church and coeditor of Faithful Exiles: Finding Hope in a Hostile World. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.
Content
Introduction: Back to the Future: How a 1985 Book Predicted Our Present (Brett McCracken)
Part 1: Postman's Insights, Then and Now
Chapter 1: From Amusement to Addiction: Introducing Dopamine Media (Patrick Miller)
Chapter 2: From the Clock to the Smartphone: A Brief History of Belief-Changing Technologies (Joe Carter)
Chapter 3: From the Age of Exposition to the Age of Expression (Jen Pollock Michel)
Chapter 4: The Origins and Implications of a Post-Truth World (Hans Madueme)
Chapter 5: Striving for Seasonableness in a "Now . . . This" World (Samuel D. James)
Part 2: Practical Challenges Facing Christian Communicators
Chapter 6: How the Medium Shapes the Message for Preachers (Collin Hansen)
Chapter 7: Apologetics in a Post-Logic World (Keith Plummer)
Chapter 8: Telling the Truth about Jesus in an Age of Incoherence (Thaddeus Williams)
Chapter 9: "Unfit to Remember": The Theological Crisis of Digital-Age Memory Loss (Nathan A. Finn)
Part 3: How the Church Can Be Life in a "Scrolling to Death" World
Chapter 10: Use New Media Creatively but Cautiously: Video as Case Study (G. Shane Morris)
Chapter 11: Reconnect Information and Action: How to Stay Sane in an Overstimulated Age (Brett McCracken)
Chapter 12: Embrace Your Mission: Tangible Participation, Not Digital Spectating (Read Mercer Schuchardt)
Chapter 13: Cling to Embodiment in a Virtual World (Jay Y. Kim)
Chapter 14: Heed Huxley's Warning (Andrew Spencer)
Epilogue (Ivan Mesa)
Acknowledgments
General Index
Scripture Index
Part 1: Postman's Insights, Then and Now
Chapter 1: From Amusement to Addiction: Introducing Dopamine Media (Patrick Miller)
Chapter 2: From the Clock to the Smartphone: A Brief History of Belief-Changing Technologies (Joe Carter)
Chapter 3: From the Age of Exposition to the Age of Expression (Jen Pollock Michel)
Chapter 4: The Origins and Implications of a Post-Truth World (Hans Madueme)
Chapter 5: Striving for Seasonableness in a "Now . . . This" World (Samuel D. James)
Part 2: Practical Challenges Facing Christian Communicators
Chapter 6: How the Medium Shapes the Message for Preachers (Collin Hansen)
Chapter 7: Apologetics in a Post-Logic World (Keith Plummer)
Chapter 8: Telling the Truth about Jesus in an Age of Incoherence (Thaddeus Williams)
Chapter 9: "Unfit to Remember": The Theological Crisis of Digital-Age Memory Loss (Nathan A. Finn)
Part 3: How the Church Can Be Life in a "Scrolling to Death" World
Chapter 10: Use New Media Creatively but Cautiously: Video as Case Study (G. Shane Morris)
Chapter 11: Reconnect Information and Action: How to Stay Sane in an Overstimulated Age (Brett McCracken)
Chapter 12: Embrace Your Mission: Tangible Participation, Not Digital Spectating (Read Mercer Schuchardt)
Chapter 13: Cling to Embodiment in a Virtual World (Jay Y. Kim)
Chapter 14: Heed Huxley's Warning (Andrew Spencer)
Epilogue (Ivan Mesa)
Acknowledgments
General Index
Scripture Index