The book describes the Digital world is akin to Babylon, where Daniel and friends were as exiles.  Digital Babylon has emerged in a society that is ‘insidiously faith repellent.’  In the midst of Digital Babylon, how could ‘resilient disciples’ could be raised?  However, to grow ‘resilient faith’ disciples is a tough job.  Nevertheless, there is hope: “The roots of faithfulness often sink deeper in anxious, unsettled times.  Faith can grow even – and sometimes especially-in the darkest of places.”

The ‘lighted rectangles’ have become counselors, entertainers, instructors, even sex educators. Instead of having awkward conversation with pastor or parent or teacher; they ask phone. “Yes, there’s the rub: instant access to information is not wisdom.” Three trends that is shaping young minds:  Access, alienation from institutions and traditions that give structure and meaning in life and authority is viewed with suspicion. Digital Babylon is ‘marked by phenomenal access, profound alienation, and a crisis of authority.’ Ancient Babylon was the pagan-but-spiritual, hyperstimulated, multi-cultural environment.

“In digital Babylon, where information (and anything we need) is instantly available at the godlike swipe of a finger, Almighty God has been squeezed to margins.  Those of us who long to keep him at the center of our lives constantly fight the centrifugal force of a world spinning us away from him.” Bible is considered one of many voices that interpret human experience.  “In Jerusalem, God’s people prize appropriate behavior, following rules, and moral purity.  The culture of digital Babylon, however, resists the hegemony of a single ‘right’ way of life.”  Babylon is considered as representation of human society that glories in pride, power, prestige, and pleasure.  Author rightly reminds us: “Babylon is both a place and an archetype of collective human pursuits set in opposition to God.” Babylon imposes language, economics and cultural imagination upon conquered people as does the Digital world.

The truth is: “Millennials would rather give up their sense of smell than their smartphones.” This is iSelf era crippled by FOMO (the fear of missing out).  Digital revolution is tinkering with what it means to be human. “Cultivating faith for exiles means, by contrast, that we – young and old alike – trust that Jesus is Lord even in chaotic, pixelated, no-rules digital Babylon.”  Previous era semblance of success of mass-producing disciples will not work in this era.  “In digital Babylon, faithful, resilient disciples are handcrafted one life at a time.”

Five practices to make resilient disciples:

Practice 1: To form a resilient identity; experience intimacy with Jesus

Frist, resilient disciples express a feeling of intimacy with God.  Second, resilient disciples experience conversational intimacy with Jesus. “Human beings blend their identities from a menu of ingredients, like a me-shaped Frappuccino of wants, needs, desires, and self-perceptions.”  In Digital Babylon screens give access to identity forming tools, communities, adventures as wells as algorithms that orchestrate pixels, that know more about you than yourself know.  Wrong ideas like: you look into yourself to know yourself; believe what you want to become you will; pursue your desire; and your choice decides your identity.  But we have to teach: “we are created with essential worth and dignity as children crafted in his image and that following his Son, Jesus, restores his image in us, which was broken as a result of human rebellion.” Social media induces us to make ‘personal brands’ with guidelines in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sadly, Lord Jesus is presented to be accommodated in their own affiliations and affinities… tagged to your selfies. There is too little demand on disciples – no radical, life-altering mission which youngsters crave for. We have molded Christianity into comfort and entertainment. Resilience in the face of pressure to conform like Daniel and friends; who waited on God, listened to his voice and became conduit of his power.

Resilient disciples who love Lord Jesus and have true North as Lord Jesus Christ.  They seek ultimate answers to tough questions of human life: identity, how to live, intimacy and relationships; meaning and purpose; legacy and significance.  Habits of devotion is also essential.  Resilient young disciples are hungry for Jesus. “They ‘feel’ close to him.” Resilient disciples get involved in church but they know sermons are not enough for spiritual growth. Developing greater intentionality, greater thoughtfulness and developing regular Godward rhythms are necessities for resilient disciple. 

Practice 2: In a complex and anxious age, develop the muscles of cultural discernment.

“Instantaneous access to information does not equal wisdom.”  Rather it creates: ‘Escalating anxiety’.  Information available are not anchored to moral and theological norms instead to ‘ungoverned by unethical or philosophical norms.’ Youngsters have anxiety about looking your best and eating right. Seeing others’ lives on social media creates insecurity.  “So many alternatives at our fingertips can be exhausting rather than freeing.  We experience paralysis by analysis, over choice, and complexity.”  In digital Babylon relationship are complicated as social media does not make people more social and road to adulthood is less predictable. Now college students choose to study for ‘multi-careering’.

Resilient disciples take part in robust learning communities. “Even ‘good church kids’ have a hard time avoiding the complex wonders and wickedness of the wide world.”  Social Media is continuous behavior modification, everyone under surveillance, receive calculated stimulus… “Digital Babylon invites you to live in the hyperpresent.”  Many think they are not wasting time by scrolling – ‘Bottomless scroll’. Author rightly points out: “Screens make it possible to cram every idle second with distraction.” World says that are contradictory to biblical values. “Digital Babylon is constantly telling us, at a very deep, almost unconscious level, what to believe, how to think, what to feel and how to live.” Resilient disciples expect their Sundays to invade their weekdays and they are not anti-tech, but are anti-foolishness.  Sadly, “Most teens today think porn is positive or neutral.  Few think it’s a bad thing.”  Wisdom literature (Proverbs, Lamentations, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes) provide insights to overcome temptations of ambitions, sex, anxiety and drama. “We need to teach critical thinking, how to evaluate and understand propaganda, fake and real, truth and post-truth, worldview and theology, and so much more.”

“It is a sin to bore a young person at church.” Easy boredom in an age of short attention spans. The Whole gospel has four elements:  Creation-fall-redemption-restoration; strangely many emphasize only two elements:  fall and redemption. “We need to encourage young people to read more, watch more, learn more.”

Practice 3: When isolation and mistrust are the norms, forge meaningful, intergenerational relationships.

Pain, disconnection, emotional distance, skepticism, withdrawal are some of strong emotions.  “Its leaders have often acted more like entrepreneurs and showmen than prophets and shepherds.” Church represents ‘the best example of what God can do with human community.’ “Another problem of isolation is that screens allow us to avoid the hard work of being human.” Sadly, nihilism has become worldview of many young. “It’s a cold calculus that life can be weighed in the balance of the ‘reasons’ to live or to take one’s life.”  In the context of rise of individualism – everything is my-sized. Selfie: Capture the perfect image of me, myself and I. “In fact, many people are extending their individualism to spirituality.” We no longer sing ‘horizontally’ to one another. “To discipline effectively in digital Babylon, we have to confront the myth of lone-wolf, do-it-yourself, sole-proprietorship discipleship.”

Church that develops strategies for shared experiences produce resilient disciples.  “Shared experiences of all types in which generations can connect – short-term mission and work-service trips, mentoring, back-to-school shopping, museum visit, and more…” Meaningful relationships is spending time with people we want to become like. Many young people think church does not have capacity to handle their doubt.

“The Tech-wise family…screens should wake up after we do and go to bed before we do.”  There is a need for ‘Reciprocal mentoring’ – elders mentoring youngsters and youngsters mentoring seniors.

Practice 4:  To ground and motivate an ambitious generation, train for vocational discipleship

How we think about and plan for what we do with our lives, discover our callings, find meaning, climb the ladder, achieve our ambitions, and become successful. 26 percent of teenagers think they will definitely or probably become famous when they are 25 years.

Three things work is designed for: create beauty (creative careers), to cultivate abundance (entrepreneurial), and to generate order (STEM).  Church needs to help youngster to discover their vocational calling, purpose of life, how their gifts and passions are part of God’s calling, how to apply Bible to their field, how to live out faith in work place.

Older people have: Experience, Gravitas, Wisdom. Wisdom is ‘pattern recognition’. “In mentoring wisdom -pattern recognition-is passed on and provoked through meaningful intergenerational relationships.” Mentors should ask: 1) How can I help this hero become who they are meant to be? 2) What do I have to give?  Mentors have insights, ideas, tools and meaningful objects. Three paths of wisdom through mentoring: 1) Reflection: Past; 2) Selection: Present options and actions; 3) Projection:  Future vision and dreams.

Practice 5:  Curb entitlement and self-centered tendencies by engaging in countercultural mission.

Mission: “God is powerful, active, and intentional, and he wants his followers to play a part in redeeming people and restoring the world to himself.” Resilient disciples have ‘a resolute orientation toward walking against the grain of culture.’

‘Avoiding entitlement is difficult when we tend to make little idols out of our kids.” However, “We’ve got to work to develop the muscles of sacrifice and service.” Sadly, there is ‘Narcissism epidemic’.  Teenagers complain that the church is ‘overprotective’.  “Courage is among the most important virtues we can cultivate in digital Babylon.”

Conversational landscape is: ‘more diversity religiously, more empowered atheism, more insulating tribalism, more social media, more pontificating, less listening. Church did not prepare the young for conversations in the world. “To express God’s love through Jesus’s work on the cross to a hurting and waiting world, regardless of political affiliation, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.”

“Entitlement, narcissism, self-centeredness, consumerism all act as Hungry, Hungry Hippos, gobbling up our time, attention and compassion.”  Unprepared youngsters face; “The pressures of digital Babylon are brutally dehumanizing and often antithetical to faith.”

With lots of research information, biblical insights, beautiful language have written a great book.  This is a critical book to study for all those who wish to minister to the New Generation.  The authors have pointed out, raising leaders is very important as there is a gap in the flow of upcoming leaders.  Pastors, youth workers and those who are concerned about ‘Digital World’ should read this book.

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