iGods

Today the world is literally at our fingertips. We can call, text, email, or post our status to friends and family on the go. We can carry countless games, music, and apps in our pocket. Yet it's easy to feel overwhelmed by access to so much information and exhausted from managing our online relationships and selves.

Craig Detweiler, a nationally known writer and speaker on media issues, provides needed Christian perspective on navigating today's social media culture. He interacts with major symbols, or "iGods," of our distracted age--Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Pixar, YouTube, and Twitter--to investigate the impact of the technologies and cultural phenomena that drive us. Detweiler offers a historic look at where we've been and a prophetic look at where we're headed, helping us sort out the immediate from the eternal, the digital from the divine.

“Detweiler is a Christian who loves God and is attached to his iPhone. While the benefits of technology are indisputable, many questions remain as to technology’s downside. Texting, social networking, and Internet research may not be enemies of faith, but Detweiler asks whether these activities and the technology behind them are making us more thoughtful, articulate, and loving people. . . . Detweiler’s analysis, although refracted through a Christian lens, is worthwhile reading for anyone concerned about the possibilities and perils of technology.”—Christopher McConnell, Booklist

“This is a wonderfully engaging romp through the largely American hills and valleys where theology and technology meet—a splendid contribution to the emerging conversations about what constitutes the good life in this age of information and communication technologies.”—Quentin Schultze, Calvin College; author of Habits of the High-Tech Heart: Living Virtuously in the Information Age

“Craig Detweiler is one of the best at interlacing theology and popular culture. With books on film and on gaming, and as the coauthor of a best-selling survey of the field, he now turns to consider technology and its effect on our lives. Is technology a gift or a curse? As we all sense, it is both. Engaging, well-researched, theologically probing, and sensitive to cultural change without either defensiveness or fawning, iGods will inform both addict and skeptic.”—Robert K. Johnston, professor of theology and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary; author of Reel Spirituality

“This volume has a timely aim: to temper the accelerations, distractions, temptations, and vulgarities of the Digital Age with a heedful remembrance of the Word of God. As digital tools creep down the age ladder all the way to toddlerhood and invade every space and hour of adulthood, Detweiler argues that conscientious people risk two extremes: succumbing to the avalanche or rejecting it outright. Neither one preserves what is best in digital experience, but we need a higher authority than ourselves to negotiate the right via media. Detweiler explains where that authority lies and in doing so provides one of the most important lessons in our time.”—Mark Bauerlein, author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future

“With iGods, Craig Detweiler provides a helpful assessment of our relationship to modern technology: how it shapes us as a society, as communities, as individuals, and as followers of Christ. With a breadth, depth, and balance that is uncharacteristic of books on technology, iGods walks us through a theology of technology that will be helpful for everyone who is a citizen of today’s digital world. Detweiler brings cultural savvy, theological know-how, and transparent passion to this book, making it both thoroughly readable and immensely insightful. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks to better understand the impact technology has on us, and who seeks to use it well for the kingdom of God.”—Brett McCracken, author of Hipster Christianity and Gray Matters: Navigating the Space between Legalism and Liberty

“Modern technology appears to make life easier, so we assume it must be a good thing. But Craig Detweiler isn’t so sure, and we benefit from his exploration its implications for our humanity. Read this remarkable book. You’ll never look at your mobile device in the same way again.”—Phil Cooke, filmmaker, media consultant, and author of Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social Media