Scrolling Ourselves to Death : Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age

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

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.

Collin Hansen (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the vice president for content and editor in chief for the Gospel Coalition and the executive director of the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and wrote Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. He is an adjunct professor and cochair of the advisory board at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. You can follow him on X at @collinhansen.

Read Mercer Schuchardt (PhD, New York University) is associate professor of communication at Wheaton College. He earned his doctorate under the invitation of the late Neil Postman at NYU’s Media Ecology program. He is also a member of the Media Ecology Association and the International Jacques Ellul Society. Schuchardt is a contributor to several books on communication and media theory, is the editor of You Do Not Talk About Fight Club, and the co-founder and editorial chair of the online journal Second Nature. He and his wife, Rachel, have ten children.

Joe Carter (MDiv, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a senior writer for the Gospel Coalition, the author of The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents, the editor of the NIV Spiritual Habits Bible, and coauthor of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator. He also serves as an associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia.