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The Wolf in Their Pockets: 13 Ways the Social Internet Threatens the People You Lead
The world has changed. And we feel it in our homes, schools, and congregations.
We can hardly remember a time when we didn’t feel the influence of that back pocket device. The average social media user spends about two-and-a-half hours a day using social media. That’s more than enough time to shape our values and desires. Pastors, teachers, and parents feel their influence slipping away. We’re seeing increased loneliness, disunity, and self-absorption. But where do we go from here?
In The Wolf in Their Pockets, Internet expert Chris Martin examines the many ways we are being changed by social media. With a biblically informed voice, Martin both exposes the ways the Internet is distorting our life in Christ and shows us how to faithfully respond. Martin teaches us how to care for people who are obsessed with followers, views, and likes—and how to love those whose online influences have filled them with cynicism and contempt. Martin looks at how the social Internet is changing how we understand sex and beauty—what to do about the epidemic levels of anxiety—and how to redirect our hearts to worship Jesus Christ.
Shepherding and leading people has never been easy, but the social Internet has brought new challenges. We need the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and a powerful prayer life. Martin provides the biblical wisdom, direction, and hope necessary to combat The Wolf in Their Pockets.
We can hardly remember a time when we didn’t feel the influence of that back pocket device. The average social media user spends about two-and-a-half hours a day using social media. That’s more than enough time to shape our values and desires. Pastors, teachers, and parents feel their influence slipping away. We’re seeing increased loneliness, disunity, and self-absorption. But where do we go from here?
In The Wolf in Their Pockets, Internet expert Chris Martin examines the many ways we are being changed by social media. With a biblically informed voice, Martin both exposes the ways the Internet is distorting our life in Christ and shows us how to faithfully respond. Martin teaches us how to care for people who are obsessed with followers, views, and likes—and how to love those whose online influences have filled them with cynicism and contempt. Martin looks at how the social Internet is changing how we understand sex and beauty—what to do about the epidemic levels of anxiety—and how to redirect our hearts to worship Jesus Christ.
Shepherding and leading people has never been easy, but the social Internet has brought new challenges. We need the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and a powerful prayer life. Martin provides the biblical wisdom, direction, and hope necessary to combat The Wolf in Their Pockets.
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 7, 2023
23 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 13, 2023
I'll share my conclusion right out of the gates: I think Chris Martin’s new book The Wolf in Their Pockets should be required reading for church leaders. In it, Martin diagnoses 13 ways the social internet threatens the people we lead, sharing a biblical perspective and practical advice for thinking and ministering. (It reminds me of Tony Reinke’s book 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, but focused on leaders.) Each chapter addresses one of thirteen dangers of the social internet, first explaining the issue and God’s perspective, and finishing with practical advice.
An example of practical advice is from the chapter “Build Friendships.” Martin recommended churches “Create intentional, low-stakes social environments” for people to build relationships. This might take shape as creating a “Fellowship Team” of mature leaders who take it on themselves to bring disconnected people together for fellowship and fun.
If you’re a preaching pastor or college minister, you’ll want to highlight and take notes as you read—there are just too many sermon illustrations and applications to pass up. Your people need God’s Word applied to the way they use social media—one of the major forces of our day!
And if you are a church leader who uses the social internet a lot, this book will help you fight the sinful tendencies in your own life that are exacerbated by social media.
(Heads up: I got an advance copy from Chris Martin and Moody Publishers. And I’m glad I did!)
An example of practical advice is from the chapter “Build Friendships.” Martin recommended churches “Create intentional, low-stakes social environments” for people to build relationships. This might take shape as creating a “Fellowship Team” of mature leaders who take it on themselves to bring disconnected people together for fellowship and fun.
If you’re a preaching pastor or college minister, you’ll want to highlight and take notes as you read—there are just too many sermon illustrations and applications to pass up. Your people need God’s Word applied to the way they use social media—one of the major forces of our day!
And if you are a church leader who uses the social internet a lot, this book will help you fight the sinful tendencies in your own life that are exacerbated by social media.
(Heads up: I got an advance copy from Chris Martin and Moody Publishers. And I’m glad I did!)
March 6, 2023
Chris Martin is my go-to for all things social media and how to healthily engage in a world that lends itself to unhealthy habits. This book is incredibly easy to read, insightful, and simple to practice. I felt challenged in a lot of ways and ready to help those I lead navigate their social media intake in a way that leads them TOWARD Christ and community and not just away from social media.
As a counselor, this is a timely book for me as we are seeing more and more how the social internet impacts our mental health. I see it in my own life and in the lives of those I counsel. It made me realize I HAVE to check in with those I counsel about their time spent on social media. It’s not just a conversation to have when someone brings it up. We have to be more active in this as leaders and set the example of what we do with our time instead (which Chris gives a plethora of examples!) even when it’s hard, awkward, and not as rewarding as the dopamine hit of scrolling. The church is a body and a family and we should care what our brothers and sisters are doing with the majority of their time.
I’ve already shared this book with so many others and can’t wait to have more conversations about it.
As a counselor, this is a timely book for me as we are seeing more and more how the social internet impacts our mental health. I see it in my own life and in the lives of those I counsel. It made me realize I HAVE to check in with those I counsel about their time spent on social media. It’s not just a conversation to have when someone brings it up. We have to be more active in this as leaders and set the example of what we do with our time instead (which Chris gives a plethora of examples!) even when it’s hard, awkward, and not as rewarding as the dopamine hit of scrolling. The church is a body and a family and we should care what our brothers and sisters are doing with the majority of their time.
I’ve already shared this book with so many others and can’t wait to have more conversations about it.
March 4, 2023
I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher. I have since purchased three copies for the leadership team at our church. This book is written for Pastors and church leaders. It is written as a warning of what is going on in the lives of our congregations. It is timely and written as a warning and an encouragement to those leading groups of people who, in today's age, have all been given a platform to share their opinions and thoughts to as broad an audience as they can grow.
The book lays out thirteen ways to keep social media from changing us. Churches have increasingly become more and more challenging to lead, and Martin encourages leaders to lead from the front of culture rather than sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring what is happening around them.
Martin encourages us to remind people of the God-glorifying purpose for which we were created. We are God's children first, yet we often seek the approval of others around us, some whom we have never met. Martin encourages a proper and Biblical perspective in a world of "doom scrolling," where we continue to engage with social media even as we feel the often depressing effects that it gives us.
Martin says that the goal of social media platforms is to, in the simplest way, decide where we look with our eyes and what we do with our fingers. As church leaders, it is time to draw people back to what is essential, and for sure social media can play a positive role in this, but moderation is of the most significant importance.
If you are a Pastor who struggles with overusing social media, or maybe you are leading people through a variety of issues that come with overusing social media, this book is for you. It touches on almost any social media aspect that may come up in our lives, including a helpful chapter on how we battle the misinformation of conspiracy theories running rampant around the internet and in our churches today.
The book lays out thirteen ways to keep social media from changing us. Churches have increasingly become more and more challenging to lead, and Martin encourages leaders to lead from the front of culture rather than sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring what is happening around them.
Martin encourages us to remind people of the God-glorifying purpose for which we were created. We are God's children first, yet we often seek the approval of others around us, some whom we have never met. Martin encourages a proper and Biblical perspective in a world of "doom scrolling," where we continue to engage with social media even as we feel the often depressing effects that it gives us.
Martin says that the goal of social media platforms is to, in the simplest way, decide where we look with our eyes and what we do with our fingers. As church leaders, it is time to draw people back to what is essential, and for sure social media can play a positive role in this, but moderation is of the most significant importance.
If you are a Pastor who struggles with overusing social media, or maybe you are leading people through a variety of issues that come with overusing social media, this book is for you. It touches on almost any social media aspect that may come up in our lives, including a helpful chapter on how we battle the misinformation of conspiracy theories running rampant around the internet and in our churches today.
October 28, 2023
People are spending more time on their phones and on social media than ever before. And that presents a discipleship and shepherding challenge for pastors, parents, and other Christian disciple-makers. In this helpful book, Chris Martin discusses 13 ways in which the social internet can shape people and how Christians can respond accordingly with the truth of God’s Word. Each chapter follows a similar outline: address the topic, see what Scripture has to say, identify potential distortions caused by the social internet, and discuss ways that pastors, parents, and disciplers can respond.
July 20, 2024
An excellent tool to help Christians to disciple one another as followers of Christ in a social media saturated world. Highly recommended, particularly for those leading others.
March 7, 2023
This is such an excellent book. I've read books on technology and social media before, but this one stands out because it has a specific focus: what it means for Christian leaders. I liked that the chapters really look into specific examples of how social media use has impacted our thoughts and actions and then, in the light of that reality, how we disciple/lead people in this day and age. (The assumption is that the people being led/shepherded are professing Christians.) While it is a book for leaders, it is equally convicting to the leader as you are made to evaluate your own heart idols and addictions that you may or may not realize you have, largely due to our constant exposure and use of social media. The author deals with sin in a very straightforward manner, but he also adds the hope and beauty of Christ and His gospel in every chapter. I read this book more slowly than many because it was so thought-provoking and insightful. I received an advanced copy from the author but have since purchased a copy to put in the library of a Christian school where my husband and I work here in Southeast Asia.
March 2, 2023
While a pre-release digital copy of this book was provided to me for review, I’ll disclaim that I also purchased a copy of my own accord, to have on my shelf and recommend to others. Much like Terms of Service, the author's first book, this is further writing on a topic that concerns and interests me greatly.
We’re all tired of this. Much of my adult life in the United States has been defined by acrimony. The American church is not so different from the rest of the world in this respect: we have all walked through contentious elections, the exhausting pandemic (that’s still not truly over, or is it?), and the vicious culture wars cranked up to 11. We’ve watched families, churches, and friend groups splinter over everything from medical science to politics to conspiracy theories.
“Love your neighbor,” said Jesus, but how do we do that when your neighbor is the one spouting conspiracy theories about pizza parlors, or a family member getting in fights with strangers in YouTube comments, or even a church congregant using the internet to attack you personally? How do we respond with love in these new situations? If you, like me, are sick of beating up and being beaten up, The Wolf in Their Pockets is a simple call to love those around you. More specifically, it’s a call to love those you are responsible for: whether members at a church that you pastor, friends and neighbors in a weekly small group, or even your own children and family.
These are not social media problems, exactly. They’re sin problems, magnified through the new prism of social media onto our newsfeeds, inboxes, and text messages. We’ve seen these problems before, and we’ll continue to see them again with new technologies. We have all grappled with the effects of a world crippled by sin. Even so, each day we have the challenge of facing sin in new, unforeseen contexts.
“Deep in our hearts, we long to be seen, even if we often fear being truly known.”
— Chris Martin, The Wolf in Their Pockets
The Wolf In their Pockets is a handbook considering how social media reflects our own sin back at us in various ways. In many ways, both Terms of Service and The Wolf in Their Pockets strike me as Neil Postman for the 2020s (indeed, Postman is amply quoted throughout this book, to great effect). The author does an excellent job of contextualizing the struggles that we face on the social internet: both with the teachings of the Bible, and against the backdrop of a broader timeframe of culture and history.
Each chapter considers a particular topic (anything from entertainment to friendship to worship), and briefly explains the biblical teaching behind it. Then, the chapter considers how social media affects us individually in this area of our lives.
Finally, each chapter then concludes with intensely practical applications in the lives of the people we lead and love (for those of you who skim, these takeaways are helpfully bolded). I found myself shaking my head nearly every chapter: after convicting me of my own flaws, Chris then turns around and gives me some of the most practical and helpful guidance on how to respond to the people around me when they exhibit the same flaws. I’ll quote just two, from the chapter on purpose, for your edification:
- “Remind people of the others-focused, God-glorifying purpose for which they were created.”
- “Create a loving, purpose driven culture of community.”
How to explain this in a sentence: this is my purpose as a leader of people, and it feels like too often over the past five years I’ve wandered from it. This is a careful book. It is written not only with care and love for the people that we lead, but also with great care for the leaders: those of us reading the book, who’ve maybe given up on the idea of reaching out to this person, or loving that person who has wronged us. You may find – as I did – that this book falls on welcome ears, encouraging and restoring a mind too prone to cynicism and despair (there’s even a whole chapter about cynicism: as someone who really needed to hear it, thanks, Chris).
I read The Wolf in Their Pockets first as a valuable field guide for loving the people around me as they interact with the internet: the internet that I help to create each day at my job. But second, I read this book as a much-needed reminder to myself to be cautious over how I let this Pandora’s box whisper truth to me. Being reminded of the latter has given me a renewed vigor for the former.
(This review was originally posted on my personal blog, Into the Book)
We’re all tired of this. Much of my adult life in the United States has been defined by acrimony. The American church is not so different from the rest of the world in this respect: we have all walked through contentious elections, the exhausting pandemic (that’s still not truly over, or is it?), and the vicious culture wars cranked up to 11. We’ve watched families, churches, and friend groups splinter over everything from medical science to politics to conspiracy theories.
“Love your neighbor,” said Jesus, but how do we do that when your neighbor is the one spouting conspiracy theories about pizza parlors, or a family member getting in fights with strangers in YouTube comments, or even a church congregant using the internet to attack you personally? How do we respond with love in these new situations? If you, like me, are sick of beating up and being beaten up, The Wolf in Their Pockets is a simple call to love those around you. More specifically, it’s a call to love those you are responsible for: whether members at a church that you pastor, friends and neighbors in a weekly small group, or even your own children and family.
These are not social media problems, exactly. They’re sin problems, magnified through the new prism of social media onto our newsfeeds, inboxes, and text messages. We’ve seen these problems before, and we’ll continue to see them again with new technologies. We have all grappled with the effects of a world crippled by sin. Even so, each day we have the challenge of facing sin in new, unforeseen contexts.
“Deep in our hearts, we long to be seen, even if we often fear being truly known.”
— Chris Martin, The Wolf in Their Pockets
The Wolf In their Pockets is a handbook considering how social media reflects our own sin back at us in various ways. In many ways, both Terms of Service and The Wolf in Their Pockets strike me as Neil Postman for the 2020s (indeed, Postman is amply quoted throughout this book, to great effect). The author does an excellent job of contextualizing the struggles that we face on the social internet: both with the teachings of the Bible, and against the backdrop of a broader timeframe of culture and history.
Each chapter considers a particular topic (anything from entertainment to friendship to worship), and briefly explains the biblical teaching behind it. Then, the chapter considers how social media affects us individually in this area of our lives.
Finally, each chapter then concludes with intensely practical applications in the lives of the people we lead and love (for those of you who skim, these takeaways are helpfully bolded). I found myself shaking my head nearly every chapter: after convicting me of my own flaws, Chris then turns around and gives me some of the most practical and helpful guidance on how to respond to the people around me when they exhibit the same flaws. I’ll quote just two, from the chapter on purpose, for your edification:
- “Remind people of the others-focused, God-glorifying purpose for which they were created.”
- “Create a loving, purpose driven culture of community.”
How to explain this in a sentence: this is my purpose as a leader of people, and it feels like too often over the past five years I’ve wandered from it. This is a careful book. It is written not only with care and love for the people that we lead, but also with great care for the leaders: those of us reading the book, who’ve maybe given up on the idea of reaching out to this person, or loving that person who has wronged us. You may find – as I did – that this book falls on welcome ears, encouraging and restoring a mind too prone to cynicism and despair (there’s even a whole chapter about cynicism: as someone who really needed to hear it, thanks, Chris).
I read The Wolf in Their Pockets first as a valuable field guide for loving the people around me as they interact with the internet: the internet that I help to create each day at my job. But second, I read this book as a much-needed reminder to myself to be cautious over how I let this Pandora’s box whisper truth to me. Being reminded of the latter has given me a renewed vigor for the former.
(This review was originally posted on my personal blog, Into the Book)
March 2, 2023
I read Chris Martin’s earlier book, Terms of Service, and was helped immensely by it. Because this follow up book was geared not at pointing out the dangers of the social internet but at guiding leaders to better help others avoid the pitfalls online, I jumped at it. They way the social internet is changing the thinking and values of both young and old today is astounding. Pastoral ministry is wildly different because of it. Having a knowledgeable and wise guide is essential if we are going to reach the hearts of others in the midst of the huge flow of information/misinformation. Chris has done this well. If you’re a pastor, teacher, parent, or leader of any kind, this book is a worthy addition to your toolkit.
I received a free pre-release digital copy to review, but have since purchased it and will be purchasing more to hand out to folks in my church.
I received a free pre-release digital copy to review, but have since purchased it and will be purchasing more to hand out to folks in my church.
March 6, 2023
I received an ARC Chris Martin and spent the past few days taking it in. Well researched, and deeply insightful, Chris reminds us where we started with technology and how we got to where we are now. That is, the power social media wields. How social media impacts how we think and our attitudes. Why we consider 'Going Viral = Good' for example. Chris points out the difference between how your mind is effected and your spirituality.
A must read for everyone, especially parents about to hand their child their first cell phone.
A must read for everyone, especially parents about to hand their child their first cell phone.
March 15, 2023
A well-researched, well-written book! The chapters on discernment and conspiracy theories alone are worth the price/read. Each chapter ends with principles for leaders, which are really practical and helpful. Overall, a great book about the effects of social media in the church.
Read
March 30, 2023Out of the thirteen chapters, only chapter seven (“Live Peaceably”) stood out to me as worth the read. I don’t want to tip the scale on the overall rating so I’ll leave mine in the review: 2/5. Other books I’ve read were referenced in this book, so not much new here.
April 24, 2023
Excellent resource for how the social internet has affected, does affect people individually and corporately. For anyone who leads, which is everyone.
July 11, 2025
read as a parent....but is helpful for any Christian navigating the world of social media and shepherding others.
4.2 starrrs
4.2 starrrs
September 16, 2023
This book Borrows a lot of the ideas from Neil Postman’s Entertaining ourselves to death and Truman’s Rise and triumph of the modern self and applies them specifically to the impact of social media use on church-going western Christians. The author covers a wide range of topics from anxiety and the commadafication of attention to conspiracy theories, conflict, and the dissolving trust of the clergy in the Information Age.
While I believe both the books mentioned above to be better, richer, and more thorough, Martin’s cliff note observations and conclusions are insightful, immediately applicable, and delivered in a bottom-shelf easy to read sort of way.
While I believe both the books mentioned above to be better, richer, and more thorough, Martin’s cliff note observations and conclusions are insightful, immediately applicable, and delivered in a bottom-shelf easy to read sort of way.
July 4, 2023
There's a wolf in my pocket. And probably in yours too. At least, that's what Chris Martin argues in The Wolf in Their Pockets: 13 Ways the Social Internet Threatens the People You Lead. The Bible describes false teachers as wolves out to get the sheep (Matt 7:15; Acts 20:28-29). Martin suggests that one of the most dangerous wolves out there today is in our pockets and in those of the people we lead: the social internet on our smartphones. For parents, pastors, and Christian leaders this poses a problem.
On average, most of us spend somewhere around 2.5 hours a day on social media (11). Given the sheer amount of time we spend online, we're right to wonder whether the social internet is shaping the people we lead more than we are. The Wolf in Their Pockets answers the question: what should we do about it? How do pastors and Christian leaders disciple their congregations when many individuals in their churches are being shaped by daily exposure to negative facets of social media? How do parents disciple and lead their children who are being influenced by the social internet? Martin takes a look at thirteen ways the social internet shapes those we love and lead, and offers advice for leadership and discipleship in our social media age (22).
Martin calls Christian leaders and parents to start by engaging intentionally with social media, recognizing how it shapes the way we think, feel, and behave (16). We need to see how our relationship with the social internet shapes us to prize entertainment above all, value what gets the most attention, and find our identity in what the online world says is valuable (17).
Several recurring negative effects of social media pop up throughout the book:
Our relationship with social media can distort our understanding of identity and purpose. The social internet gives the illusion that we can be whoever and whatever we want (42). At the end of the day, "social media platforms are just mass behavior modification platforms designed to sell us advertisements" (73). As these platforms consume our attention, our sense of self can constantly change, and we often feel like we don't measure up to the lives of those the algorithms put before us. Other people always seem to be living more interesting and valuable lives. We compare ourselves with others and lose sense of our true purpose as image-bearers of God made to live for his glory.
Social media also reinforces the idea that we are the hero, the main character of the story. It lures us into thinking that life is all about being entertained and living a comfortable lifestyle where everything is instantaneous. Life becomes about expressing ourselves, trusting ourselves, always feeling the need to perform, and thinking that we're always right and everybody else is wrong. When we come to believe that we're the main character of our story, we are shaped toward pride, led down the road to anxiety, and give in to the worship of self. We are already by nature self-centered and drawn to comfort and ease, and social media simply plays on these sinful tendencies.
Truth can be hard to discern on social media. Martin reminds us that social media isn't really designed to be a trusted source of truth. He writes in a chapter on discernment:
"When we let social media take an inappropriate seat of authority in our lives, we let it define truth for us rather than deliver truth to us. We forget, or maybe we never even knew, that our feeds are designed to keep our attention, not inform us. Unfortunately, the kind of content that keeps our attention best is often the opposite of truth, or at least a gross distortion of it." (84, emphasis added)
Social media is all about our attention, not truth. Sure, there are many true posts, articles, and videos in our news feeds. But the algorithms that determine what we see on social media promote what they think will get our attention, not necessarily what is true. Both truth and error pass before our eyeballs as we scroll our ever-interesting news feeds or recommended videos. Social media makes discernment more difficult and can draw us to believe lies and half-truths and unfounded conspiracy theories.
These are just a few of the major ways social media can have a negative effect on us. The big question of the book, however, is: what are we as Christian leaders or parents supposed to do about it?
Martin offers no quick fixes. Most of his advice is simply basic Christian discipleship. He calls pastors, Christian leaders, and parents to fend off the wolf of the social internet by pressing on in true, biblical discipleship that cherishes real community and Christ-like character.
Leaders and parents must start by leading by example. We can't defend those we love from the wolves if we're caught in their jaws too. Parents who are constantly scrolling or pastors who are posting for likes won't make much headway in leading people toward a more positive relationship with the social internet. The principles Martin offers throughout the book apply to leaders just as much as those they lead.
Leaders in the church must pursue faithfulness, not flashiness. Churches must not give in to the brand-building model of social media platforms. The mission of the church is not entertaining the sheep in hopes of bringing more into the fold. The mission is making disciples of Jesus as we walk in faith, hope, and love (33). Pastors and leaders must remind their congregations that life isn't about comfort and entertainment, but about following Jesus in the way of the cross.
Leaders and parents must celebrate and promote real, embodied community. Social media offers us the relationships we crave without much of the awkwardness and difficulties that they entail. Yet, this is just another way the social internet plays off our desires for ease and comfort. We must point those we lead to the value of true community. Christian discipleship requires genuine Christian community in the context of a faithful local church.
Alongside genuine community, we must promote the everyday worship of God. Our devices consume so much of our time, and we must fight time with time. As Martin puts it, "Daily discipleship by social media is best fought with daily time with God," (205). We need to encourage those we lead to put down their screens and pick up God's Word and read it, pray it, and live it.
Ultimately, leaders and parents must pray often and rely on the Holy Spirit. We may feel powerless to disciple those we lead. It may seem that the wolf in their pockets is shaping them far more than we ever could and that there's little we can do about it. We need to let this feeling of weakness drive us to our knees in humble, prayerful reliance on the Spirit of God to work in their hearts.
We must actively engage the social internet. There's much we can do to promote healthy community, worship, discernment, encouragement, and humility in the lives of those we love and lead. But true change and growth comes from the work of the Spirit. So above all, we must lead and parent with persevering prayer.
My one critique of the book is that at times it seems to fall into what John Piper has called quantitative hopelessness. This is the discouraging sense that Christian leaders can feel when they compare the half-hour of teaching or preaching time they get with people to the hours their congregations, small group, or Sunday School class spends consuming entertainment. How can we hope to compete with that? How can a forty minute sermon once a week hold a candle to the 2.5 hours spent each day on social media?
At a few points in the book, Martin suggests that the only hope we have of fighting the negative influence of the social internet is by fighting time with time (64). There is surely truth here. True discipleship takes time and effort, and we must encourage those we lead to spend time with God daily. Yet, I think The Wolf in Their Pockets would have been stronger with a richer theology of preaching and teaching God's Word. Martin emphasizes that the Spirit alone can truly bring change in people. But what is the usual means the Spirit uses to change us? The Word of God.
So we might get discouraged by the sheer amount of time people we lead and love spend on the social internet compared to the time we get with them. But we can truly be hopeful that the Spirit can do much with the little we do have. We can trust that God's Word does not return void even when we preach to people with a wolf in their pockets (Isa 55:10-11).
The social internet is a powerful discipleship force. But God's Word is more powerful. We need to regain our faith in the power of the Word. God can use a thirty minute Bible lesson to bring someone from spiritual death to spiritual life. He can use a sermon or a Scripture-saturated conversation with your teenager to do more change in a heart than could be accomplished in fifty years of scrolling through Instagram.
We must fight time with time, yes. But we also need to make sure we're putting our hope in the right source: not time but the living and active Word of God (Heb 4:12). Martin is right on that our faith must be in God to be strong and bring about growth and change in those we lead and love (209). I would just emphasize more the normal means God uses to bring about this change: his Word.
Throughout The Wolf in Their Pockets, it becomes clear that social media, while new, simply amplifies age-old problems like self-centeredness, idolatry, pride, cynicism, anxiety, and on and on. The social internet uniquely plays on these and amplifies them. Thus, the wolves in our pockets are not only false Christian teachers/influencers on Facebook or TikTok but the entire system that shapes us in ways away from Jesus.
Christian leaders, pastors, and parents will benefit from The Wolf in Their Pockets as they see exactly how the social internet shapes those we lead. Martin offers sound, biblical advice throughout the book that calls us to value difficult discipleship, in-person community, discernment and truth, humility and peace, and the true worship of God.
Yes, there's probably a wolf in your pocket and in the pockets of those you're responsible to lead. But we don't need to despair. We need to recommit to the hard work of biblical discipleship and trust God's Spirit to be strong where we are weak.
(Note: I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher.)
This review was originally posted on my blog: theologyandtech.com.
On average, most of us spend somewhere around 2.5 hours a day on social media (11). Given the sheer amount of time we spend online, we're right to wonder whether the social internet is shaping the people we lead more than we are. The Wolf in Their Pockets answers the question: what should we do about it? How do pastors and Christian leaders disciple their congregations when many individuals in their churches are being shaped by daily exposure to negative facets of social media? How do parents disciple and lead their children who are being influenced by the social internet? Martin takes a look at thirteen ways the social internet shapes those we love and lead, and offers advice for leadership and discipleship in our social media age (22).
Martin calls Christian leaders and parents to start by engaging intentionally with social media, recognizing how it shapes the way we think, feel, and behave (16). We need to see how our relationship with the social internet shapes us to prize entertainment above all, value what gets the most attention, and find our identity in what the online world says is valuable (17).
Several recurring negative effects of social media pop up throughout the book:
Our relationship with social media can distort our understanding of identity and purpose. The social internet gives the illusion that we can be whoever and whatever we want (42). At the end of the day, "social media platforms are just mass behavior modification platforms designed to sell us advertisements" (73). As these platforms consume our attention, our sense of self can constantly change, and we often feel like we don't measure up to the lives of those the algorithms put before us. Other people always seem to be living more interesting and valuable lives. We compare ourselves with others and lose sense of our true purpose as image-bearers of God made to live for his glory.
Social media also reinforces the idea that we are the hero, the main character of the story. It lures us into thinking that life is all about being entertained and living a comfortable lifestyle where everything is instantaneous. Life becomes about expressing ourselves, trusting ourselves, always feeling the need to perform, and thinking that we're always right and everybody else is wrong. When we come to believe that we're the main character of our story, we are shaped toward pride, led down the road to anxiety, and give in to the worship of self. We are already by nature self-centered and drawn to comfort and ease, and social media simply plays on these sinful tendencies.
Truth can be hard to discern on social media. Martin reminds us that social media isn't really designed to be a trusted source of truth. He writes in a chapter on discernment:
"When we let social media take an inappropriate seat of authority in our lives, we let it define truth for us rather than deliver truth to us. We forget, or maybe we never even knew, that our feeds are designed to keep our attention, not inform us. Unfortunately, the kind of content that keeps our attention best is often the opposite of truth, or at least a gross distortion of it." (84, emphasis added)
Social media is all about our attention, not truth. Sure, there are many true posts, articles, and videos in our news feeds. But the algorithms that determine what we see on social media promote what they think will get our attention, not necessarily what is true. Both truth and error pass before our eyeballs as we scroll our ever-interesting news feeds or recommended videos. Social media makes discernment more difficult and can draw us to believe lies and half-truths and unfounded conspiracy theories.
These are just a few of the major ways social media can have a negative effect on us. The big question of the book, however, is: what are we as Christian leaders or parents supposed to do about it?
Martin offers no quick fixes. Most of his advice is simply basic Christian discipleship. He calls pastors, Christian leaders, and parents to fend off the wolf of the social internet by pressing on in true, biblical discipleship that cherishes real community and Christ-like character.
Leaders and parents must start by leading by example. We can't defend those we love from the wolves if we're caught in their jaws too. Parents who are constantly scrolling or pastors who are posting for likes won't make much headway in leading people toward a more positive relationship with the social internet. The principles Martin offers throughout the book apply to leaders just as much as those they lead.
Leaders in the church must pursue faithfulness, not flashiness. Churches must not give in to the brand-building model of social media platforms. The mission of the church is not entertaining the sheep in hopes of bringing more into the fold. The mission is making disciples of Jesus as we walk in faith, hope, and love (33). Pastors and leaders must remind their congregations that life isn't about comfort and entertainment, but about following Jesus in the way of the cross.
Leaders and parents must celebrate and promote real, embodied community. Social media offers us the relationships we crave without much of the awkwardness and difficulties that they entail. Yet, this is just another way the social internet plays off our desires for ease and comfort. We must point those we lead to the value of true community. Christian discipleship requires genuine Christian community in the context of a faithful local church.
Alongside genuine community, we must promote the everyday worship of God. Our devices consume so much of our time, and we must fight time with time. As Martin puts it, "Daily discipleship by social media is best fought with daily time with God," (205). We need to encourage those we lead to put down their screens and pick up God's Word and read it, pray it, and live it.
Ultimately, leaders and parents must pray often and rely on the Holy Spirit. We may feel powerless to disciple those we lead. It may seem that the wolf in their pockets is shaping them far more than we ever could and that there's little we can do about it. We need to let this feeling of weakness drive us to our knees in humble, prayerful reliance on the Spirit of God to work in their hearts.
We must actively engage the social internet. There's much we can do to promote healthy community, worship, discernment, encouragement, and humility in the lives of those we love and lead. But true change and growth comes from the work of the Spirit. So above all, we must lead and parent with persevering prayer.
My one critique of the book is that at times it seems to fall into what John Piper has called quantitative hopelessness. This is the discouraging sense that Christian leaders can feel when they compare the half-hour of teaching or preaching time they get with people to the hours their congregations, small group, or Sunday School class spends consuming entertainment. How can we hope to compete with that? How can a forty minute sermon once a week hold a candle to the 2.5 hours spent each day on social media?
At a few points in the book, Martin suggests that the only hope we have of fighting the negative influence of the social internet is by fighting time with time (64). There is surely truth here. True discipleship takes time and effort, and we must encourage those we lead to spend time with God daily. Yet, I think The Wolf in Their Pockets would have been stronger with a richer theology of preaching and teaching God's Word. Martin emphasizes that the Spirit alone can truly bring change in people. But what is the usual means the Spirit uses to change us? The Word of God.
So we might get discouraged by the sheer amount of time people we lead and love spend on the social internet compared to the time we get with them. But we can truly be hopeful that the Spirit can do much with the little we do have. We can trust that God's Word does not return void even when we preach to people with a wolf in their pockets (Isa 55:10-11).
The social internet is a powerful discipleship force. But God's Word is more powerful. We need to regain our faith in the power of the Word. God can use a thirty minute Bible lesson to bring someone from spiritual death to spiritual life. He can use a sermon or a Scripture-saturated conversation with your teenager to do more change in a heart than could be accomplished in fifty years of scrolling through Instagram.
We must fight time with time, yes. But we also need to make sure we're putting our hope in the right source: not time but the living and active Word of God (Heb 4:12). Martin is right on that our faith must be in God to be strong and bring about growth and change in those we lead and love (209). I would just emphasize more the normal means God uses to bring about this change: his Word.
Throughout The Wolf in Their Pockets, it becomes clear that social media, while new, simply amplifies age-old problems like self-centeredness, idolatry, pride, cynicism, anxiety, and on and on. The social internet uniquely plays on these and amplifies them. Thus, the wolves in our pockets are not only false Christian teachers/influencers on Facebook or TikTok but the entire system that shapes us in ways away from Jesus.
Christian leaders, pastors, and parents will benefit from The Wolf in Their Pockets as they see exactly how the social internet shapes those we lead. Martin offers sound, biblical advice throughout the book that calls us to value difficult discipleship, in-person community, discernment and truth, humility and peace, and the true worship of God.
Yes, there's probably a wolf in your pocket and in the pockets of those you're responsible to lead. But we don't need to despair. We need to recommit to the hard work of biblical discipleship and trust God's Spirit to be strong where we are weak.
(Note: I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher.)
This review was originally posted on my blog: theologyandtech.com.
March 25, 2023
Across thirteen chapters, Chris Martin analyzes four influences of the “social internet” to guard against (entertainment idolatry, cynicism, anxiety, and conspiracy theories), seven attributes to cultivate in light of social media (purpose, friendships, priorities, discernment, humility, living peaceably, and worship), and two topics worth thinking more about (authority and sex).
The style of each chapter is consistent. Each comes with, 1) a biblical rationale for caring and cultivating the chapter’s key theme, 2) an unpacking of how social media pushes against the theme, and 3) how to cultivate the chapter’s main theme as a leader.
My favorite four chapters were on friendship, entertainment, anxiety, and authority. On friendship, he cautions readers about online influencers replacing relational presence. On entertainment, he echos Neil Postman’s concern of being placated by screens instead of living on purpose. On anxiety, the “hallway effect” was unpacked; we are constantly observable via our online profiles and this gives us a sense of ongoing performance with no time for the “backstage.” On authority, Martin notes how the byproduct of podcasts like The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill led people to look down on their own pastors, who have nothing to do with Mark Driscoll. Given the precipitous decline in institutional trust, we would do well to say aloud Chris Martin’s words on page 149, “Authority is good.”
I appreciate how practical many chapters were. For example, to combat isolation he suggests churches create proactive “Fellowship Teams” to help people spend physical time with one another outside the church building. In the chapter on Live Peaceably, he says leaders should cultivate an atmosphere of affirmation, consistently recognizing how Christ is working in those they lead. On anxiety, among other suggestions, he encourages readers to “point people to the rest and acceptance we have in the finished work of Christ.” Amen.
Who is this book for?
This is a fast-paced book. You won’t get a full biblical theology of various themes but you will get lots of Scripture, lots of evidence of the impact of social media, and lots of ideas for responding whether you’re a pastor, teacher, or parent. Positively, a book of this nature can act as a sort of field guide to come back to as you prepare for a sermon or are thinking through a certain issue. Negatively, the book can feel like an assortment of blog posts without an overarching vision for the Christian life.
But again, this is for leaders. There are plenty of other books to describe the Christian life. This book, as Martin says, is “about how social media affects your ability to disciple and lead others.”
If you’re a school administrator, teacher, or school board member, then this is a good book to give you justification for having a no-phone school policy.
If you’re a pastor who has a sense that social media is a problem but you are unclear how — this book will sharpen your perspective, clarify the problems you’re already seeing, and give you some ideas on how to respond.
If you’re a parent who is considering giving your child a phone, you should read this book to get a sense of what’s at risk.
And if you’re skeptical about whether social media is really so damaging in the first place, this book will likely convince you otherwise.
Evaluation
Overall, The Wolf in their Pockets is engaging, direct, and helpful. Most readers will come away with caution in using social media platforms, and that’s good, but they will also be inspired to grow some atrophied spiritual muscles, and that’s even better.
At the end of the day, let’s just admit we can’t eat of the bread and drink of the cup using an iPhone app. There are limitations to non-physical communication (see 2 John 13). Our devices can be, and too often are, a distraction from what matters.
Let’s grow in our awareness of the ways the social internet is impacting us, grow in our knowledge of what God is asking of us, and let’s do a better job of making disciples, loving our neighbour, and glorifying God as a result.
The style of each chapter is consistent. Each comes with, 1) a biblical rationale for caring and cultivating the chapter’s key theme, 2) an unpacking of how social media pushes against the theme, and 3) how to cultivate the chapter’s main theme as a leader.
My favorite four chapters were on friendship, entertainment, anxiety, and authority. On friendship, he cautions readers about online influencers replacing relational presence. On entertainment, he echos Neil Postman’s concern of being placated by screens instead of living on purpose. On anxiety, the “hallway effect” was unpacked; we are constantly observable via our online profiles and this gives us a sense of ongoing performance with no time for the “backstage.” On authority, Martin notes how the byproduct of podcasts like The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill led people to look down on their own pastors, who have nothing to do with Mark Driscoll. Given the precipitous decline in institutional trust, we would do well to say aloud Chris Martin’s words on page 149, “Authority is good.”
I appreciate how practical many chapters were. For example, to combat isolation he suggests churches create proactive “Fellowship Teams” to help people spend physical time with one another outside the church building. In the chapter on Live Peaceably, he says leaders should cultivate an atmosphere of affirmation, consistently recognizing how Christ is working in those they lead. On anxiety, among other suggestions, he encourages readers to “point people to the rest and acceptance we have in the finished work of Christ.” Amen.
Who is this book for?
This is a fast-paced book. You won’t get a full biblical theology of various themes but you will get lots of Scripture, lots of evidence of the impact of social media, and lots of ideas for responding whether you’re a pastor, teacher, or parent. Positively, a book of this nature can act as a sort of field guide to come back to as you prepare for a sermon or are thinking through a certain issue. Negatively, the book can feel like an assortment of blog posts without an overarching vision for the Christian life.
But again, this is for leaders. There are plenty of other books to describe the Christian life. This book, as Martin says, is “about how social media affects your ability to disciple and lead others.”
If you’re a school administrator, teacher, or school board member, then this is a good book to give you justification for having a no-phone school policy.
If you’re a pastor who has a sense that social media is a problem but you are unclear how — this book will sharpen your perspective, clarify the problems you’re already seeing, and give you some ideas on how to respond.
If you’re a parent who is considering giving your child a phone, you should read this book to get a sense of what’s at risk.
And if you’re skeptical about whether social media is really so damaging in the first place, this book will likely convince you otherwise.
Evaluation
Overall, The Wolf in their Pockets is engaging, direct, and helpful. Most readers will come away with caution in using social media platforms, and that’s good, but they will also be inspired to grow some atrophied spiritual muscles, and that’s even better.
At the end of the day, let’s just admit we can’t eat of the bread and drink of the cup using an iPhone app. There are limitations to non-physical communication (see 2 John 13). Our devices can be, and too often are, a distraction from what matters.
Let’s grow in our awareness of the ways the social internet is impacting us, grow in our knowledge of what God is asking of us, and let’s do a better job of making disciples, loving our neighbour, and glorifying God as a result.
March 7, 2023
Chris Martin’s new book, The Wolf in Their Pockets, is the book for such a time as this. The whole of it not only seeks to guide its reader through the complicated social and cyber milieu commonly seen today, but in a refreshing way it weaves the good news of Christ through each chapter. This provided a special kind of encouragement that aided in warding off the bleak outlook of today’s social media thralldom.
I mentioned earlier that the book “seeks to guide”, but really, the book is a guide.
If I were required to travel through a place like the Amazon Rain Forest to reach some intended destination, the only sane way through would be by way of a guide.
A guide who was familiar with the land, the paths, and the hazards.
A guide who not only had the jungle mapped out, but also provided his carefully annotated maps to those who would follow behind him.
A guide who offered pure nourishment in the parts of the jungle filled with attractive, yet perilous fruits.
The Wolf in Their Pockets is that guide and is—I believe—a necessary companion on the journey of navigating the convoluted paths of the social internet. If you are connected to social media in large or small ways, or have relationships with people who are connected to it, adopt this book as your pocket companion and guide through the inevitable cyber and social journey we all, in this lifetime and potentially many more, must go on.
Martin never talks down to his reader in the book. Rather, he takes special care and attention to intelligently, yet gently, edify and lift up.
In the same way, as we attempt to edify and humbly engage in the ministries and various relationships that feel the sting of the modern social internet, keep this book in your pocket, a prayer on your lips, and apply the encouragement Martin ends his book with to each weakness that pervades our lives,
“Trust God to be strong.”
I mentioned earlier that the book “seeks to guide”, but really, the book is a guide.
If I were required to travel through a place like the Amazon Rain Forest to reach some intended destination, the only sane way through would be by way of a guide.
A guide who was familiar with the land, the paths, and the hazards.
A guide who not only had the jungle mapped out, but also provided his carefully annotated maps to those who would follow behind him.
A guide who offered pure nourishment in the parts of the jungle filled with attractive, yet perilous fruits.
The Wolf in Their Pockets is that guide and is—I believe—a necessary companion on the journey of navigating the convoluted paths of the social internet. If you are connected to social media in large or small ways, or have relationships with people who are connected to it, adopt this book as your pocket companion and guide through the inevitable cyber and social journey we all, in this lifetime and potentially many more, must go on.
Martin never talks down to his reader in the book. Rather, he takes special care and attention to intelligently, yet gently, edify and lift up.
In the same way, as we attempt to edify and humbly engage in the ministries and various relationships that feel the sting of the modern social internet, keep this book in your pocket, a prayer on your lips, and apply the encouragement Martin ends his book with to each weakness that pervades our lives,
“Trust God to be strong.”
March 13, 2023
This was a really well-done book on how to lead the people around you who might view life through the distortions fostered by social media. Honestly, that’s all of us- so this book does a great job of convicting the reader, while also equipping you for the task of pouring this hope and encouragement into others. Chris goes through various distortions such as seeing life as entertainment, cynicism, warped views of sex, even conspiracy theories. The chapters follow the pattern of: presenting the problem, explain what God says about that idea, detail how social media distorts this, and finally instruct how we can encourage others to reject the false and hold to the true.
Though some dangers might be well known (we’re all aware that social media brings outrage over peace), many points were very helpful and offered me a new way to look at what lies I’m believing because I hold the world in my back pocket. I also really was edified by the application points on how we can lead others. I’m not a pastor, nor am I even a Bible teacher/leader at the moment, and my children are far too young for social media-however, just reading the application points helped me know what to speak to myself, and even gave me ideas of things I could use in my own conversations with friends to encourage and refocus us on what’s true and good.
I’d heartily recommend this book to any leader or lay church member. We all need the reminders, and whether it’s our kids, or our friends, we can encourage and build up the members of the body who are around us with these messages.
Though some dangers might be well known (we’re all aware that social media brings outrage over peace), many points were very helpful and offered me a new way to look at what lies I’m believing because I hold the world in my back pocket. I also really was edified by the application points on how we can lead others. I’m not a pastor, nor am I even a Bible teacher/leader at the moment, and my children are far too young for social media-however, just reading the application points helped me know what to speak to myself, and even gave me ideas of things I could use in my own conversations with friends to encourage and refocus us on what’s true and good.
I’d heartily recommend this book to any leader or lay church member. We all need the reminders, and whether it’s our kids, or our friends, we can encourage and build up the members of the body who are around us with these messages.
Read
July 14, 2023! 2023: Book #7 in My Project! I A Faith-oriented book/month. My personal self-help thing. I'm anti-cheese, Bono-esque in my beliefs, sometimes terribly old-fashioned, oft-repugnant to my fellow religious folk. Here's book 7/12 (I don't count it on BB)
I do recommend this one. It's really more a clergy-speaking-to-others-in-leadership kind of book, but its content is completely relevant to anyone who cares about others.
It's an honest critique on social media consumption. While I read it as a mom--your basic Christian mom who, like, rages against the machine--I think anyone would find it hard to escape the cultural critique found in here, like it's relevant to everyone on social media.
I underlined so much that I'm not pulling out any one quote--but I agreed with the author. I did like how he used a famous quote from David Foster Wallace, who was NOT speaking of social media:
"Everything in my own immediate experience supports my belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence . . . Think about it: There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of. . ."
So many valid questions raised . . . I'm kinda just making these up, my thoughts . . .
--Did we build our own Tower of Babel?
--We created Frankenstein?
--Why are we sooooo eager to claim our own exceptionalism?
--Isn't this like DOPESICK or meth or crack? Will we do ANYTHING to hold on?
--Gen X still has a "real" life. Did we lose Gen Z? I mean it. Did we lose them?
I do recommend this one. It's really more a clergy-speaking-to-others-in-leadership kind of book, but its content is completely relevant to anyone who cares about others.
It's an honest critique on social media consumption. While I read it as a mom--your basic Christian mom who, like, rages against the machine--I think anyone would find it hard to escape the cultural critique found in here, like it's relevant to everyone on social media.
I underlined so much that I'm not pulling out any one quote--but I agreed with the author. I did like how he used a famous quote from David Foster Wallace, who was NOT speaking of social media:
"Everything in my own immediate experience supports my belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence . . . Think about it: There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of. . ."
So many valid questions raised . . . I'm kinda just making these up, my thoughts . . .
--Did we build our own Tower of Babel?
--We created Frankenstein?
--Why are we sooooo eager to claim our own exceptionalism?
--Isn't this like DOPESICK or meth or crack? Will we do ANYTHING to hold on?
--Gen X still has a "real" life. Did we lose Gen Z? I mean it. Did we lose them?
March 12, 2023
Chris Martin has written an intensely timely book for every church leader (or even civic leader) to read. The immense number of adults and teenagers who are involved in the 'social internet', as Martin calls it, makes its presence one of great consequence. Chris Martin delves into the ways that social interconnection without personal interaction has created waves of struggle and difficulty that no generation has seen before. This book was valuable to me. At nearly 60 years old, I clearly remember a time living without a cell phone - much less interactive apps and networks! But the current generation has no knowledge of that. As a result, there is not only a network of amazingly good connectivity at their fingertips, but there are also many dark dangers and psychological consequences. Christian parents, ministers, elders, Bible class teachers, and leaders of any sort will appreciate the way that Martin has broken down the threats, offered specific and practical suggestions, and alerted us to things we did not know prior. At least I did not. I highly recommend this book. I seldom give five stars - but the immediate need for this book as well as the content and style made that an easy choice.
I did receive Chris' book ahead of time free of charge. I did buy a copy when it became available. I am pretty much a book snob, so in no way did his provision of the book make me give a good review.
I did receive Chris' book ahead of time free of charge. I did buy a copy when it became available. I am pretty much a book snob, so in no way did his provision of the book make me give a good review.
March 6, 2023
This book was written for pastors and church leaders, but I would suggest that anyone who has any influence over internet choices (I.e parents) should read this book. The writing is not complicated but it does force you to look at what you and those around you are getting sucked into everyday. There is so much about the internet and especially social media that threatens the health and well being of all of us. Chris Martin is able to give us a great overview of what we consume and also how we are being consumed. Get this book amd share it with the leadership team at your church and most importantly, make sure everyone else in the congregation is aware of what is trying to influence them and their families.
March 24, 2023
Prior to actually reading this, I assumed it would be another book warning of the litany of issues associated with the social internet. Martin could have picked any one of the near infinite rabbit holes and started mud-slinging with psychology and statistics. What I read, however, was a gospel-saturated book on living as a Christ-follower. Yes, our use of social media is the focal point of his thesis, but the rich theology of Christ is woven throughout with a much darker thread. Martin points us to the Jesus and His church while appropriately seating technology as "a" major issue not "the" major issue of our sinful habits. Highly recommend - it is an accessible-to-read book for congregants and pastors alike.
July 24, 2023
I just grabbed the audiobook from Libby to listen to while I worked without hearing anything on the book, and was very pleasantly surprised at how thoughtful and impactful it was. I was worried that it would fall into the typical way of how older generations talk about the internet, but found much of it to be very relatable and applicable for me as a young adult, and the aim of this book was for church leaders to lead their congregations well, so what wasn’t for me was obviously for others, and I still learned from it. Lots of unique takes that I appreciated as someone who has read quite a bit on this topic!
July 27, 2023
This is a thought-provoking book. It is written for Christian leaders, and the author point out ways in which social media can influence the people in your congregation or ministry. Most of what he highlights is relatively well-known. For example, social media can cause us to have anxiety. The interesting part about this book is that he does provide some scriptural guidance on each of the thirteen problems that he highlights. Social media is here to stay, and it can be good. However, it also has definite dangers that we need to be aware of and also need to make sure we provide sound counsel on as well.
August 29, 2024
The title gives it away - everything about social media is BAD! Martin's intro talks about intentional engagement rather than passive ignorance or uncritical embrace but he then spends 13 chapters telling us everything that's wrong with it and nothing that is good, beautiful or true. This is classic of the evangelical genre, sadly. And in so many of the 13 chapters he mistakes form and content because he essentially misunderstands what social media is rather than what it does. Therefore one comes away with the impression that there is nothing to redeem it. Unfortunately another 'be afraid' book that has no benefit. Half truths are more dangerous than lies sadly.
March 13, 2023
I have been challenged by Chris’s book. It provides eye opening insights into the ways social media influences and even hijacks the discipleship process for people we know and love. He shows how our phones become tools of distraction and temptation, leading us away from our purpose to worship God and make him known in the world. I highly recommend pastors, church leaders, and disciple makers to pick up this book. I imagine it will be especially helpful for anyone working with teens and young adults in any capacity. Read this book!
April 8, 2023
This book hits on some of the most import things for church leaders to be thinking about. If we are in the business of discipling those God has placed in our care (and we are), we should be paying attention to the most powerful discipling forces in our congregants lives. The social internet exerts a large influence on all of us and this book provided help for church leaders in understand what that influence is, how it works and just how powerful it is.
It also gives helpful suggestions for how to address this challenges that we face. This is a book I plan to re-read
It also gives helpful suggestions for how to address this challenges that we face. This is a book I plan to re-read
December 10, 2024
This book offers several helpful warnings to pastors, ministry leaders, parents, and really anyone that finds themselves on the internet these days. As the title and the cover display, this is a weighty read. Martin deals with an array of dangers lurking on the internet on social media and beyond. He does give useful feedback on how to protect and combat these dangers in each chapter to aid the reader.
It was a bit heavier and more burdensome than I was expecting. I left several of the chapters feeling concerned and overwhelmed by the pervasiveness of these technological wolves.
It was a bit heavier and more burdensome than I was expecting. I left several of the chapters feeling concerned and overwhelmed by the pervasiveness of these technological wolves.
March 24, 2023
Upfront… this book is primarily geared toward those in a leadership position. I think others still would find profit in reading it as they can examine how the social internet is affecting them as well.
As a leader though, I found this book immensely beneficial. I have a better understanding of the ways the social internet is affecting those I lead. Not only that, every chapter is chalk-filled with application of how to help combat such effects.
Thanks Chris Martin for another great read!
As a leader though, I found this book immensely beneficial. I have a better understanding of the ways the social internet is affecting those I lead. Not only that, every chapter is chalk-filled with application of how to help combat such effects.
Thanks Chris Martin for another great read!
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June 22, 2023I found this book interesting, but a little lighter on content than I expected based on other reviews. It was written for church leaders, but also felt like it was talking down to us at times, explaining that idolatry doesn’t have to involve a carved image, that Christian friendship is essential in discipleship, etc. It was lighter on research and heavier on basic devotional thoughts than I anticipated.
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