Brasher, Brenda E. Give me that online religion . Jossey-Bass, 2001. 203p index ISBN 0-7879-4579-X, $24.95 . Reviewed in 2001oct CHOICE. Brasher (Mount Union College, OH, and author of Godly Women: Fundamentalism and Female Power, CH, May'98) takes readers on an intellectually stimulating tour of online religion with attention to traditional religions, new religious movements, and pop-culture religiosity. Not limiting her scope to the explicitly religious, she includes reflections on the religious dimensions of cyberculture illustrated by celebrity sites, virtual utopians and anarchists, and cyborg theories. Noting the religious impact of previous revolutions in information technology (i.e., the printing press and Protestantism) Brasher considers how traditional understandings of sacred time and space, pilgrimage and conversion, religious anthropology, and ethics are transformed by computer-mediated religious experience. Though she warns against the potential dangers of cyber-enhanced apocalyptic movements and notes other problems and obstacles posed by the virtualization of religion, Brasher is generally positive in her assessments. She celebrates the diversity, vitality, and creativity of online religion and, in light of the increasing commercialization of the Internet, voices a plea for the preservation of virtual sacred space for free religious expression. This well-written and attractively designed book is highly recommended for all readers. -- J. Gresham, Fontbonne College
Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.
Veith, Gene Edward. Christians in a .com world: getting connected without being consumed . by Gene Edward Veith and Christopher L. Stamper. Crossway Books, 2000. 190p bibl index ISBN 1-581-34218-7 pbk, $12.99 . Reviewed in 2001nov CHOICE. Veith (Concordia University, Wisconsin, cultural editor for World magazine, and author of several books on Christianity and culture) joins technology journalist Stamper in this religious analysis of cyberspace. Brief but informative historical chapters describing the convergence of computers, networks, and hypertext in the World Wide Web introduce this Christian response to positive and negative aspects of the Internet. Positive benefits include the democratization of information in cyberspace, which provides new channels for presenting religious points of view often marginalized by traditional media. Facing the problem of online pornography, the authors argue against filtering. Recalling the free speech arguments of Milton's Areopagitica, they claim that the answer to cyberporn is not censorship but Christian culture and character. A final chapter considers past Christian uses of information technologies and suggests that as a religion of the word, Christianity might find the text-based information medium of the Internet to be a better communications tool than the visual entertainment medium of television. In addition to those interested in online religion, this book may interest librarians and cyber-ethicists for its unique religious contribution to the Internet filtering debate. Highly recommended for all academic levels and general readers. -- J. Gresham, Fontbonne College
Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.
Schultze, Quentin J. Habits of the high-tech heart: living virtuously in the information age. Baker Academic , 2002. 256p bibl index ISBN 0-8010-2322-X, $24.99 . Reviewed in 2003feb CHOICE. Schultze (communications, Calvin College) has written extensively on the intersections between religion and media, covering both old media (Televangelism and American Culture, CH, Dec'91) and new media (Internet for Christians, 1995). In contrast to the typical issues-oriented approach to cyber-ethics, Schultze offers a richly researched and elaborated virtue ethic for the information age. It is not information technology itself but rather an uncritical faith in "informationism" that Schultze critiques. He describes informationism as an exaggerated but shallow belief that technical expertise, digital tools, and data can solve all problems, neglecting deeper questions of meaning and morality. Building on insights borrowed from de Tocqueville and Václav (Vaclav) Havel, Schultze emphasizes that an information-driven technological culture requires the counterbalance of traditional virtues fostered by religious communities. He presents such virtues as wisdom, humility, moderation, truthfulness, and caring as the cures to techno-lust. He points out the limitations of so-called virtual communities and argues the need for real, geographic communities of virtue. Schultze sometimes overstates his case, failing to acknowledge adequately the values of information technology and to fully consider how his virtue ethics might transform techno-culture. Nonetheless, given the rampant "informationism" in higher education, this book is highly recommended for all levels, especially faculty, students, and information technology professionals. -- J. Gresham, Fontbonne University Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.
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