Christian Book Notes

Darling, Daniel.  iFaith: Connecting with God in the 21st Century.  Birmingham: New Hope Publishers, 2011.  160 pp.  $12.99.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

Pastor Darling is the senior pastor at Gages Lake Bible Church in Chicago.  (Yes, he is a Cubs fan and I will continue to pray for his baseball soul!)  He has also authored Crash Course and Teen People of the Bible both also published by New Hope publishers.  You can read more by Daniel at his website or follow him on Twitter.

Summary

We live in a digital age.  You are reading this review because of the age we live in.  Sadly, many have made the wireless tools into idols today.  We have iPhone’s, iPads, Blackberries, Android’s, Envy’s, etc. and many have succumbed to iDolatry because of them.  Darling offers 10 concise chapters that bring the reader back to the truth that we must spend time with the Lord.

Daniel takes common everyday technological terms like email, hotspot, virus, blue-screen, etc and redeems them in a way that will lead the reader to worship.  We are graciously reminded on every page that we will be held accountable for how we are using the gifts we have in this age.

At the end of each chapter is a list of questions along with some recommended resources.  These both help the reader to study further on each area of his life

Review

Aside from one book being mis-titled (Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges was renamed Acceptable Sins - which is a very common mistake!) I found nothing in this book that caused me concern.  Often times, a book on the digital age comes off sounding the bell that we ought to go back 2 centuries and give up our technology.  As great as that might be, we all know it is impossible.  We can, however, redeem the time we spend and allow it to bring us back to the main thing – worshiping God.

Now when I whip out my iPhone to check my Facebook account, I find that I am reminded to say a prayer or offer a praise to the Lord.  That does not mean that we should not set aside intentional time (that is not the message Daniel is giving!), but it does mean that we should be constant in prayer (Eph. 1:15-23).

Recommendation

iFaith was a quick read that had a lasting impression. If you struggle with the technology of today taking over your life, then I would recommend reading this resource.  It would also make a great gift for that person you know who is steeped in technology whether by profession or for the fun of it.  It was a joy to read and, as I said above, had a lasting impression on me.