Positive Values
In what sense are the Internet and social media potentially valuable for wisdom? We know the many downsides to online life. What are the upsides? In my view there are at least three.
1. Access
The Internet has removed barriers to accessing knowledge and education. If the idea of a public library (free access to books) was one small step in the direction of democratizing knowledge, the Internet was a giant leap. Today, if you have Internet access on your phone or computer, you have history’s most potent library card. You have access to all the wise sages of the past from Plato to Proust to Plantinga. On YouTube you can gain the knowledge you would get at a university. An uneducated pastor in rural India who might never be able to attend seminary can, through the Internet, access all man ner of theological resources essays, sermons, book reviews, video lectures to help him better handle Scripture and care for his flock.
Brett McCracken
Crossway. 192 pp.
In an effort to help us consume a more balanced, healthy diet of information, Brett McCracken has created the “Wisdom Pyramid.” Inspired by the food pyramid model, the Wisdom Pyramid challenges us to increase our intake of enduring, trustworthy sources (like the Bible) while moderating our consumption of less reliable sources (like the internet and social media). At a time when so much of our daily media diet is toxic and making us spiritually sick,
The Wisdom Pyramid suggests that we become healthy and wise when we reorient our lives around God the foundation of truth and the eternal source of wisdom.
By Seth Satterlee | Jan 15, 2021
This season, religious publishers turn to the ways spirituality can uplift those suffering from depression or anxiety. They also continue to confront systemic issues at the heart of abuse scandals and propose grassroots strategies to overcome social inequalities.
Top 10
Yvonne Orji. Worthy, May 25 ($26, ISBN 978-1-5460-1267-2)
Emmy-nominated comic actor Orji shares 25 life lessons infused with the wisdom of the Bible and aimed at helping readers pursue ambitious goals.
Checking In: How Getting Real about Depression Saved My Life and Can Save Yours
Michelle Williams. Thomas Nelson, May 25 ($26.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-2333-6)
Williams, a member of Destiny’s Child, details her struggles with depression and her decision to check into a treatment facility in 2018. There, she found power in God’s unpredictable plan for her life.