Review: You, Your Family, and the Internet

You, Your Family, and the Internet by David Clark, Day One Publications, 2012, 128 pages.

The Internet plays a huge role in our lives whether we like it or not. Given this fact, how should Christians use this technology wisely rather than having it use us? If you are looking for a set of rules to follow, this isn't the book for you. But if you want sound biblical guidelines to apply to your family, this is a great resource.

You, Your Family, and the Internet begins with a brief history of computers and the rise of the Internet. It is very interesting to see how quickly they have become permanent fixtures in our homes, on our phones, in our cars, etc. Only 20 years ago, I was thrilled to have a 4800 baud modem to access my work computer from home. Now we have unlimited access to the worldwide web on our phones with a few taps on a touch screen and also a distraction that may demand constant attention.

The author then discusses social media and its implications, privacy and security issues, the information glut, and evil aspects of the Internet - pornography and gambling. Mr. Clark is neither a fear-monger nor naive about the dangers but encourages his readers to be thoughtful and prayerful about what we do online. Each chapter ends with biblical principles to consider, practical suggestions, and scriptures that can be applied to the subject.

The last two chapters give five principles with which to protect our families from pitfalls and five principles on using the Internet for good. Given that the Internet has made us a global village, I appreciated Mr. Clark's suggestion to stay in contact with missionaries our churches support.  Families can set aside time each month to see what is happening in their part of the world and even talk with them via Skype. Just as Paul used the Roman road system to spread the gospel, there are countless ways for the good news to go out via this network. Thus we can be proactive rather than reactive for the sake of the Kingdom.

Many thanks to Cross Focused Reviews and Day One Publications for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.