Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology

Beginning with the question, “What does my faith have to do with my work as an electrical engineer?” Schuurman addresses how Christian faith informs computer technology in this thoughtful and timely work. Addressing practitioners, students, and anyone interested in computer technology and its philosophical, moral, ethical, and theological dimensions, Schuurman does his best to flesh out how bytes relate to beliefs, and how Christians can best use technology with love and care. An engineer, Schuurman stands on the shoulders of theological and philosophical progenitors of the discussion of the interplay between technology and theology such as Jacques Ellul and Neil Postman. Admitting that technology is a human cultural activity that is “value laden,” Schuurman does not juxtapose technology and theology oppositionally, but instead offers an optimistic vision of how belief imbues technology with greater purpose; he also takes time to critique humanity’s negative use of technology and discusses some of technology’s potential pitfalls. While at times Schuurman gets technical and overly complex, the book is succinct enough to keep even the non-technical reader engaged. (June)