Episode 22: Patrick Miller
Episode 22: Patrick Miller
Author of Truth Over Tribe on the Dangers of Tribalism and What You Can Do About It
Listen to the latest episode here: Episode 22: Patrick Miller — Author of Truth Over Tribe on the Dangers of Tribalism and What You Can Do About It.
A note about my “absence” as it were. I took well over a month before posting a new episode of the Mission and Margin podcast, primarily due to a hiatus from all things social media and internet. I’ve been trying to change my media diet in a significant way. I truly thought I was immediately feel better. In some ways, that was true.
What I didn’t expect were the feelings of “withdrawal” including anger, anxiety, and agitation.
I was helped by Eliza Huie’s words about screen addiction:
In order to avoid falling into addictive patterns with the use of screens, Christians must consider the subject seriously. As those called to live in the world but not be of the world (John 17:15-16), screen addiction is something we must not accept. But is the answer to go screen-free? To do so, we would have to go out of this world dominated by screens. Instead, we must take a serious look at how we use screens and steward these devices for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
Stewarding screens means to put God above screen activity. If screen usage is inhibiting your time with the Lord in prayer or the Word, it is time to get serious about making changes.
If the use of devices negatively impacts your responsibilities, or if those you are called to love are secondary to your screen interests, change is in order. Stewarding screen usage means viewing technology as something to use appropriately in a way that is profitable in the economy of the Kingdom. Stewarding screens will mean using technology in a way that is helpful and builds up (1 Cor. 10:23).
Resources around screen addiction:
If you want to know more about my thoughts around social media and getting off of it for awhile, you can check out my article here.
One of the best parts of my diet change was subscribing to print publications. I really encourage you to consider doing this in replacement of social media. Here is what I said about it:
Five Print Magazines: My Major Media Diet Changes
I didn’t feel like stopping at just eliminating social media was the answer for me, since I could still find unhealthy modes of media consumption, especially on apps like News on my iPhone, or even tools like Google that try and throw me things it thinks I will enjoy. So I’m doing the following: slimmed down media consumption and focusing primarily on physically reading these materials on a weekly basis, versus being enslaved to the breaking news. Some of these are brand new to me, others I’ve already been a longtime subscriber to like The Economist but have not been fully engaged with due to the time sucking consequences of social media or nonsense news.
Here is what is hitting my mailbox the next 12 months:
The Economist
Christianity Today
The Atlantic
The Wall Street Journal
The New Yorker
I am also subscribing to a number of newsletters on platforms like Substack that I’m excited to share in the future and a few local papers for immediate news and information about my state and town.
Truth Over Tribe
The issue of tribalism in all its forms is a huge reason for my extended hiatus from the world of the internet. I’m back, sort of, and to kick things off I had the pleasure of speaking to my friend Patrick Miller about his new book Truth Over Tribe. This episode I hope is a little inside look into how I’m attempting to navigate the increasingly divided world in which we live.
Ian Harber had a great post with some of the best highlights, and I hope this episode is also a great way to get a taste of the book.
Episode Recap:
Why did you decide to write a book about tribalism? (2:39)
Is there hope for those of us who are frustrated with tribalism? (7:56)
How do you encourage people who are worried about compromising their faith? (14:47)
How can people faithfully and carefully interact with social media? (22:16)
Can you tell us about the research around putting people into groups? (30:19)
How can Christians think about diversity? (37:09)
What advice do you have for business owners navigating social issues? (45:12)
Can you share some examples of Christians bringing their full selves to the business world without making others uncomfortable? (54:02)
How has your church made generosity a priority? (59:55)
How do we avoid creating the wrong type of tribe? (1:05:33)
Where can people go to learn more from you? (1:12:35)
Get Connected:
Links and Resources Mentioned: