Thankful for your work, Emily. Especially appreciate your casting a light on the “manifesto.” Praying that our churches and families will embrace the call of deep discipleship so that we ensure that we’re being formed by the right things.
I completely agree with your take on the Tech Wise Family book. I read it several years ago and I was deeply disappointed. I felt like the author had some interesting ideas on TV and video games, but gave very weak advice when it came to smartphones. In my opinion the "everywhere all the time" nature of the smartphone made it much more problematic, and the book lacked useful advice about them. At the time I read this, I was feeling kind of alone, raising my family lower tech, and desperately seeking strong Christian voices on this issue.
Hi, Emily, I’d like to pushback on this post. I believe your critique of Andy’s book is unfair. Imagine it’s 2016. Almost no one was telling anyone to delay. I was in front of parents saying, “Wait!” and they all thought I was crazy. That’s when Andy wrote this. It’s not perfect, but from my observations, his book has done incredible good for many Christian families. I personally believe he deserves more praise than what you’ve offered him.
Hi, Chris! Thanks for taking the time to read & comment. I know so many people love this book, so I'm glad to hear some critique of my critique. :) I stand by my feedback as being totally fair. You know, and I know, there was already enough research out there in 2017 when Crouch's book released for us to be incredibly alarmed by the addictive nature of smartphones & social media. Yes, many parents may have been alarmed at stricter guidance, but it would have been the truth, potentially changing the trajectory of where we have currently found ourselves today.
As to my review being unnecessary, I disagree because Crouch continues to have a large following and his message is largely unchanged from 2017. (By way of example, he wrote in January 2025 on After Babel: "We give children screens—at home and school, and maybe at church as well—mostly not to solve their problem, but to solve adults’ problems. I am not saying there is no role at all for technology at home, school, and church or other religious communities. There are some things for which there is no non-technological substitute. Effective vaccines, for example,....") It's this type of talk where the definition of technology varies wildly and a caution morphs into an approval. I believe parents need straightforward, actionable advice instead.
I appreciate the exchange, Emily. Also, I deleted the word “unnecessary” from my initial post because upon further reflection, that was ME being unfair :)
Thankful for your work, Emily. Especially appreciate your casting a light on the “manifesto.” Praying that our churches and families will embrace the call of deep discipleship so that we ensure that we’re being formed by the right things.
Thank you, Drew! I join you in that prayer.
I completely agree with your take on the Tech Wise Family book. I read it several years ago and I was deeply disappointed. I felt like the author had some interesting ideas on TV and video games, but gave very weak advice when it came to smartphones. In my opinion the "everywhere all the time" nature of the smartphone made it much more problematic, and the book lacked useful advice about them. At the time I read this, I was feeling kind of alone, raising my family lower tech, and desperately seeking strong Christian voices on this issue.
Thank you for sharing!. Going against the grain wasn't easy for me on this one, so I'm encouraged to know it reasonated with you! :)
Hi, Emily, I’d like to pushback on this post. I believe your critique of Andy’s book is unfair. Imagine it’s 2016. Almost no one was telling anyone to delay. I was in front of parents saying, “Wait!” and they all thought I was crazy. That’s when Andy wrote this. It’s not perfect, but from my observations, his book has done incredible good for many Christian families. I personally believe he deserves more praise than what you’ve offered him.
Hi, Chris! Thanks for taking the time to read & comment. I know so many people love this book, so I'm glad to hear some critique of my critique. :) I stand by my feedback as being totally fair. You know, and I know, there was already enough research out there in 2017 when Crouch's book released for us to be incredibly alarmed by the addictive nature of smartphones & social media. Yes, many parents may have been alarmed at stricter guidance, but it would have been the truth, potentially changing the trajectory of where we have currently found ourselves today.
As to my review being unnecessary, I disagree because Crouch continues to have a large following and his message is largely unchanged from 2017. (By way of example, he wrote in January 2025 on After Babel: "We give children screens—at home and school, and maybe at church as well—mostly not to solve their problem, but to solve adults’ problems. I am not saying there is no role at all for technology at home, school, and church or other religious communities. There are some things for which there is no non-technological substitute. Effective vaccines, for example,....") It's this type of talk where the definition of technology varies wildly and a caution morphs into an approval. I believe parents need straightforward, actionable advice instead.
I appreciate the exchange, Emily. Also, I deleted the word “unnecessary” from my initial post because upon further reflection, that was ME being unfair :)
Hope we can find the time to chat more (offline). Thank you for all you do and your leadership on hard topics!
Really interesting read thank you!
Thanks! :)