Digital Detox

A solitary structure, shadowd against a window, gazes out at a vast expanse of stars in the night sky. in the foreground, an old-fashioned record player sits on a wooden table, a single 78 rpm vinyl disc spinning slowly. on the wall, a single framed photograph depicts the prophet elijah in the wilderness. the only other light source is a single candle, casting a warm glow.

Unsubscribing from Noise, Subscribing to… What? A Review of ‘Sunday Service’

This sermon is a classic example of using a biblical narrative as a pretext for a therapeutic message. The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 is not exegeted but rather used as an extended illustration for a pre-determined talk on digital detox and self-esteem. The sermon's core problem is its Christless solution; it diagnoses the ache of modern inadequacy but prescribes a remedy of mindfulness and self-affirmation rather than the Gospel of grace. The result is theologically anemic, reducing God to a therapeutic agent for our emotional well-being and entirely omitting the concepts of sin, repentance, and justification in Christ.

Read MoreUnsubscribing from Noise, Subscribing to… What? A Review of ‘Sunday Service’