The Digital Public Square: Christian Ethics in a Technological Society

by Jason Thacker (Editor)

Overview

We now inhabit a digital world. Social media has changed and challenged some of our most basic understandings of truth, faith, and even the idea of a public square. In The Digital Public Square, editor Jason Thacker has chosen top Christian voices to help the church navigate the issues of censorship, conspiracy theories, sexual ethics, hate speech, religious freedom, and tribalism. In this unique work, David French, Patricia Shaw, and many others cast a distinctly Christian vision of a digital public theology to promote the common good throughout society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781087759821
Publisher:	B&H Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/01/2023
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jason Thacker (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as chair of research in technology ethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He also serves as an adjunct instructor of worldview and apologetics at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part 1 Foundations

1 Simply a Tool? 3

Toward a Christian Philosophy of Technology and Vision for Navigating the Digital Public Square

2 Once More, with Tweeting? 27

Bracketing a Public Square from the Perils of Notoriety

3 The Wild West of Tech Policy 43

A Convergence of Optimism and Pessimism in the United States

4 The Global Digital Marketplace 73

Engaging International Technology Policy from a Christian Perspective

5 Can the Government Save Us from Ourselves? 113

The Legal Complexities of Free Speech and Content Moderation

Part 2 Issues

6 Free to Believe? 133

The Case for Religious Freedom and Free Expression in the Digital Age

7 Defining the Limits of Hate Speech and Violence 159

Dignity, Truth, and Speech in the Digital Public Square

8 Content Moderation and Suppressing Speech 181

Are There Limits on Talking about Sexuality and Gender Online?

9 Should We Ban Pornography Online? 211

Navigating the Complexities of Objectionable Content in a Digital Age

10 Dangers in the Digital Public Square 237

Navigating Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation in a Post-Truth Age

11 Centralizing Power and the Heavy Hand of the Regime 263

The International Challenges of Technology and Human Rights

Part 3 The Church

12 Following @Jesus 297

Christian Discipleship in the Twenty-First Century

13 The World Is Watching 321

Proclaiming Truth and Maintaining Our Witness in the Digital Age

Afterword 341

Contributors 345

Author Index 349

Subject Index 357