Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James

Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel D. James (Crossway, 2016).

In this book, Samuel James warns against one of the most common mistakes we make when thinking about the nature of our digital environment, namely, not thinking about the nature of our digital environment! 

The Big Idea—The medium affects us more than we realize: Digital Liturgies begins by arguing that the internet and digital technologies are not merely neutral tools or optional conveniences, but a pervasive "habitat" that influences how we think, feel, and live. James claims that the social internet mediates our experience of reality in a way that often distorts it, subtly molding our desires and values. 

Rather than simply offering new functions or efficiencies, the web becomes a foundational medium through which many of us now view life itself. To make these observations, James draws on several writers and thinkers in the field of media ecology and philosophy (Marshall McLuhan; Neil Postman; Jamie Smith).  

At the heart of the book are five "digital liturgies." These digital liturgies are patterns of thought and behavior that the online environment tends to habituate.

• Authenticity (the pressure to craft and present a digital self); 
• Outrage (the culture of instant anger, reactive judgement, and outrage-driven engagement); 
• Shame (ease of shaming, cancel culture, and moral judgment); 
• Consumption (endless scrolling, content consumption, restlessness, and distraction); and 
• Meaninglessness (a sense of emptiness, fragmented attention, and loss of deeper purpose)

James argues that even if users don’t consciously engage in extreme versions of these behaviors, the very structure and logic of digital technology tend to rewire our minds, making certain modes of living the default (e.g., shallow, reactive, self-focused). 

Rather than simply advocating for wholesale abandonment of technology, James invites Christians to resist the soul-shaping pull of digital culture by returning to biblical wisdom, embodied practices, and genuine community. He suggests that Christians should cultivate habits of reflection, rootedness in God’s truth, and relational connection in "real life." Such practices will reorient us toward what is eternal, stable, and truly human. 

This volume helps us see the internet not as a neutral playground, but as a powerful social space that demands discernment, wisdom, and humility. The kind of reflection James encourages in this book should be an intentional practice for us all. 

Some Notes:

• See further details about this volume and Sam's Substack. Cf. my goodreads & reviews of volumes in the ESV Commentary series; Thanks to Crossway for this review copy.