Restless Devices

"Felicia Wu Song begins with an all-too-plausible premise: that today's young people are best understood not as digital natives but rather as an indicator species. If this is the case, perhaps their rising levels of anxiety and loneliness point to a troubling toxicity in our digital ecosystem. Song's pastoral book also guides us toward ways that we can all begin the work of restoring a polluted social ecology so that we might enjoy healthier relationships with one another and with God."

-Jeffrey Bilbro, associate professor of English at Grove City College and editor in chief at Front Porch Republic

"Engineers may build our digital tools, but we need wise social scientists like Felicia Wu Song to help us understand their wider impact. This timely book not only illuminates the challenges of a society saturated by digital technology but also points a way forward with practical guidance for living faithfully in a digital age."

-Derek C. Schuurman, professor of computer science at Calvin University and author of Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology

"Dr. Song unpacks a modern digital landscape that is cracked and parched—but she doesn't leave us in our thirst. Instead, she extends her hand and guides us back to the source of living water by way of a well-trodden path she has traveled with her students throughout her professorship. It is a true gift to journey with Dr. Song toward a reimagined relationship with our devices—one where we're transformed less by them, and more by Christ."

-Krista Boan, cofounder of START: Stand Together And Rethink Technology

"Digital media has shaped our spiritual lives and churches in profound ways, yet we have few guides to navigate this new terrain. I have longed for a book like Restless Devices to be written. Felicia Wu Song compellingly examines the addictive qualities of digital media—its ubiquity and totalizing power. But her depth of expertise and profound Christian imagination allow her to go further than mere critique. She offers us practical hope in the 'counter-liturgies' of the Christian faith. I highly recommend this powerful work of spiritual formation to all who seek to live humanely and faithfully in our digital age."

-Tish Harrison Warren, Anglican priest and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night

"Good sociology spurs relevant theological inquiry. Sound theology has powerful sociological implications. Restless Devices has both good sociology and sound theology, making it a prophetic book for our times. I am grateful for Dr. Song's work, which shares how we can move from permanent connectivity with our devices to abiding with Jesus in an attuned, embodied, and collective manner."

-Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies and author of At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors

"Thanks to Dr. Felicia Song, we now have a spiritual guide through the undiscovered country of life in today's digital colonies. While recognizing the benefits of digital technology, Dr. Song argues that we need more than apps, retreats, and yoga to wrestle with its pervasiveness. We need a vision of our circumstances that helps us imagine what kind of life we hope to live and how we can get there. She finds this vision in liturgical and spiritual formation practices that are grounded in Christian tradition. Dr. Song's diagnosis and prescription is a welcome and much-needed antidote for the technological disenchantment of our times."

-Tim Tseng, Pacific area director for InterVarsity's Graduate and Faculty Ministries