Dr. David Murray, at first glance, doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would give a detailed commentary on how Christians should respond to Internet technologies. First off, he’s an Old Testament professor at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. With a job like that I’d be expecting him to teach a class on the animal sacrifices in Leviticus, not a video course on things as modern as Facebook and iPads. Second, with his pleasant Scottish brogue, you’d expect to hear him behind a pulpit or telling stories around a campfire, not teaching a crash course for parents living in the digital age.
But Dr. Murray’s presentation in God’s Technology is both engaging and educational. It is the best audio-visual resource I have seen to date designed to help parents to train their children for life in a digital world.
God’s Technology takes a very realistic Christian approach to the subject of Internet technology, highlighting timeless Biblical principles and applying them to a very timely subject. His perspective on how sinful people use the Internet in unhealthy and wicked ways offers a needed corrective to those parents who would hastily embrace all technology has to offer. And his perspective on God as the ultimate creator of the good gifts brought through Internet technology guides parents away from taking strictly separatist attitudes toward the computer.
Christian parents of any denomination can benefit from what Dr. Murray teaches. For the more tech-savvy parent, some of the material might seem a bit elementary, but all parents will benefit from Murray’s explanation of how to shepherd the hearts of their children when it comes to the digital revolution.
The goal of God’s Technology is to give parents a plan for training their children to become responsible adults, able to live out their values online. Dr. Murray’s seven-step training program to help their kids develop “disciplined discernment” about using the Internet is a very timely teaching for today. Parents need a good long-term plan about how they are going to introduce their children to and guide them through the world of cyberspace. Murray’s program does just that, using both broad principles and very specific examples.
I found the whole presentation in God’s Technology to be very easy to follow, visually attractive, and rich in detail. It is ideal for small groups or Sunday School classes who are looking for a short (38-minute) but informative presentation about this topic.
This resource comes with my highest recommendations.
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