Scrolling Ourselves to Death

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.

1. Opening Credits
2. Introduction: Back to the Future: How a 1985 Book Predicted Our Present (Brett McCracken)
3. Part 1: Postman’s Insights, Then and Now
4. Chapter 1: From Amusement to Addiction: Introducing Dopamine Media (Patrick Miller)
5. Chapter 2: From the Clock to the Smartphone: A Brief History of Belief-Changing Technologies (Joe Carter)
6. Chapter 3: From the Age of Exposition to the Age of Expression (Jen Pollock Michel)
7. Chapter 4: The Origins and Implications of a Post-Truth World (Hans Madueme)
8. Chapter 5: Striving for Seasonableness in a ‘Now . . . This’ World (Samuel D. James)
9. Part 2: Practical Challenges Facing Christian Communicators
10. Chapter 6: How the Medium Shapes the Message for Preachers (Collin Hansen)
11. Chapter 7: Apologetics in a Post-Logic World (Keith Plummer)
12. Chapter 8: Telling the Truth about Jesus in an Age of Incoherence (Thaddeus Williams)
13. Chapter 9: ‘Unfit to Remember’: The Theological Crisis of Digital-Age Memory Loss (Nathan A. Finn)
14. Part 3: How the Church Can Be Life in a ‘Scrolling to Death’ World
15. Chapter 10: Use New Media Creatively but Cautiously: Video as Case Study (G. Shane Morris)
16. Chapter 11: Reconnect Information and Action: How to Stay Sane in an Overstimulated Age (Brett McCracken)
17. Chapter 12: Embrace Your Mission: Tangible Participation, Not Digital Spectating (Read Mercer Schuchardt)
18. Chapter 13: Cling to Embodiment in a Virtual World (Jay Y. Kim)
19. Chapter 14: Heed Huxley’s Warning (Andrew Spencer)
20. Epilogue: (Ivan Mesa)
21. Closing Credits