Book Write-Up: Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age

Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe.  Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education.  IVP Academic, 2018.  See here to purchase the book.

The Lowes both work at Liberty University.  Stephen is graduate chair of doctoral programs and teaches Christian education.  Mary also teaches and is associate dean for online programs.

The essential argument of this book is that Christians online can create a nurturing environment for each other, one that encourages believers, fosters sanctification, and fulfills the “one another” commands in the New Testament.

Here are some thoughts about this book:

A.  The book effectively argues that Christians can find community online.  And why not?  I fail to understand the view that people can only know each other and be authentic friends in person.  Online relationships can actually be deeper than relationships in person, since people may find that they can share more information about themselves, their thoughts, and their feelings online.

B.  The book made an interesting point about how students’ online comments were stylistically and substantially better than the papers that they wrote.

C.  The book made a lot of the usual arguments about the importance of Christian community: you cannot grow alone, the New Testament was directed to groups, there are many “one another” commands in Scripture, you need to love others.  The book illustrated this eloquently with beautiful imagery, as when it talked about no one in the ecosystem thriving alone but needing nutrients from others in the ecosystem.  Broken relationships can hinder that, the book argued, which is why reconciliation is important.  The book provided examples of how mutual edification can take place, both online and offline.  People can pray for each other.  They can work together on service projects.  They can worship with each other.  Plus, holiness is contagious.  Being around other Christians can encourage one to practice holiness, to love and to serve.

D.  My struggle with the book is that it tended to present a rosy picture of Christian community, both online and offline.  Online communities can be cliquish, and people online can be nasty to each other.  Resentments and unfriending can easily arrive, and remain.  Indeed, lots of relationships can be fostered online, but many can be destroyed.  Then there is the reality that not everybody is good at making friends online, coming up with things to say that can generate a lot of likes.  To its credit, this book addressed some of this.  It occasionally acknowledged the negative experiences that people have online.  It pointed to the Corinthian community in the New Testament as an example of a dysfunctional community.  It stated that even those on the social margins online can benefit, as they have online networks that can assist them in finding employment.  The book was also compassionate towards those who struggle to be articulate in offline, traditional classrooms, showing how some of them thrive in online settings.  Still, the book could have been less rosy, acknowledging more the negative aspects of online communities, and perhaps offering suggestions as to how Christians can navigate their way through those.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  My review is honest.