The Next Story: Faith, Friends, Family, and the Digital World - eBook

A pastor, noted speaker, and author of numerous articles, Tim Challies is a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere. Tens of thousands of people visit Challies.com each day, making it one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs in the world. Tim is the author of several books, including Visual Theology, Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History, and his latest ECPA award-winning book, Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God. He and his family reside near Toronto, Ontario.

Tim Challies knows technology and he knows the faith. So, when he writes on the intersection of technology and faith, it's a must read. The Next Story gives solid counsel to living out the gospel in the context of today's rapid progression of technology. — Ed Stetzer

All of us today—whether "digital immigrants" or "digital natives"—are living in the after-shock of the "digital explosion." Though our world has radically and rapidly changed, the fundamental question has remained the same: will we be found faithful? Tim Challies proves to be a faithful navigator, though humble enough to admit that he identifies with the rest of us as a fellow struggler. The result of his labors is an accessible guide full of wise reflection and practical counsel. What hath technology to do with the biblical worldview? Come and see. — Justin Taylor, Managing Editor, ESV Study Bible

No one I know is more thoughtfully connected to and wisely critical of the digital universe that envelops us than Tim Challies. His insightful reviews help many of us traverse the mountains of books that we must ascend every year to remain well informed about Christian publications, and with The Next Story he also helps us navigate the rapidly expanding digital explosion. The beauty of the book is not simply its wow factor (“I had no idea all of that was happening on the web, etc.”), but more importantly its heart concern (“How do I stay virtuous in a virtual world?”). Challies’s work is cutting edge in the best sense, helping Christians to sever themselves from the sin that so easily (and subtly) entangles in order run the race that glorifies Christ. — Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary

There are many books evaluating the nature and impact of new media. There are many books on Christian discipleship. However, this book brings these issues together, with profound simplicity and well-informed analysis. This is an important book not only for church leaders but for all of us who seek to understand how we are used by our technology as well as use it. — Michael Horton, Professor, Westminster Seminary

The digital revolution is one of the most important developments of our times. Christians need good, solid, and insightful guidance as to how to engage the digital world without surrendering to the digital mind. Tim Challies is uniquely qualified to write this book and I greet its arrival with enthusiasm. — R. Albert Mohler Jr, President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

If I outsource memory is it an advance or a loss? Where is wisdom in the immediacy of the information explosion? Can we really affirm biblical authority when Wikipedia is truth? Tim Challies uses theoretical, experiential and theological lenses to give us a prophetic assessment of our digital age. He unpacks the opportunities of increased connection as well as the new Gnosticism of the dis-incarnations of the virtual society. He calls us to extricate ourselves from the ADHD world of information overload to live as whole persons giving ourselves to wisdom and worship of God alone. — Dr. Gerry Breshears, Professor, Western Seminary

A pastor, noted speaker, and author of numerous articles, Tim Challies is a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere. Over 20,000 people visit Challies.com each day, making it one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs in the world. Tim is also the editor of DiscerningReader.com, a site dedicated to offering thoughtful reviews of books that are of interest to Christians. Tim is the author of The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment and Sexual Detox. He and his family reside near Toronto, Ontario.

Are cellphones and wikis good for faith? Author and Christian blogger Challies applies the discernment taught in his first book (The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment) to the subject of digital technology. He writes that technology is from God, but its merits and downfalls depend on how people use new devices--and how they allow those devices to use them. Though Challies is not the first author to warn about overuse, he takes a unique, comprehensive view of technology through the contexts of Christian theology, theory, and everyday experience. After offering a brief history of technology from the steam engine to the mobile phone, he examines six ways in which the latest digital media are affecting our behaviors (e.g., reducing accountability, changing our perception of truth). As we "approach a frontier," Challies cautions readers to consider potential behavioral changes before they are written into our history. While he does not draw definitive conclusions, the questions he poses will give readers necessary pause and help them to take a careful look at technology's place in their lives. (May) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.