How Christianity Challenges the Attention Economy
This special blog is only available to subscribers. And keep and eye out for my upcoming book, Mere Christianity for the Digital Age: Can Faith Survive the Internet? (available this fall from Trilogy Publishing)
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10
We live in a world that cannot sit still. Every second, thousands of notifications, posts, alerts, and videos clamor for our attention. The internet is no longer just a tool—it’s an environment. A digital ecosystem engineered not for truth, but for reaction. And in that environment, the gospel often feels like a foreign language.
Why? Because the gospel calls us to things the algorithm resists: patience, depth, reflection, repentance. It calls us to slow down, look up, and lay down our lives—not scroll, swipe, and promote ourselves.
This blog explores the tension between Christianity and the digital attention economy. It’s a call to resist the shallow formation of the screen and recover the slow, soul-forming rhythm of grace.
The Internet Trains Us to React, Not Reflect
Algorithms reward what grabs attention—usually anger, outrage, sarcasm, or speed. Nuance gets flattened. Thoughtfulness gets buried. Silence feels like irrelevance. And the person who pauses to consider before speaking gets left behind in the race for visibility.
But Christianity was never meant to be fast food for the mind. The Bible is not written in tweet-length thoughts. It unfolds slowly. It builds over time. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience—isn’t cultivated in a dopamine-driven economy. You can’t microwave virtue.
So we face a choice: will we let our spiritual lives be shaped by the pace and posture of the algorithm, or by the presence of God?
Why the Gospel Feels Weak in a Viral World
The gospel doesn’t trend. It doesn’t pander. It doesn’t sell itself with flashy headlines. It tells you that you are a sinner, that you must repent, and that salvation is not found in self-expression but in self-denial. That message doesn’t play well in the TikTok age. Not because it’s weak—but because we’ve trained ourselves to prefer candy over sustenance.
Jesus wasn’t trying to go viral. When the crowds got too big, He often withdrew. When they wanted spectacle, He offered parables. When they demanded signs, He called for faith. That’s not algorithmic behavior—it’s kingdom behavior.
Depth vs. Distraction: A Formational Crisis
The biggest danger of digital life isn’t just what it shows us—it’s what it does to us. We’re being formed, moment by moment, by what we give our attention to. As Tish Harrison Warren wrote, “We become what we pay attention to.”
And right now, many Christians are more discipled by their feed than by their faith. We spend more time with reels than with Romans, more time on scrolls than in Scripture, more time reacting to influencers than reflecting on the words of Christ. That doesn’t just affect what we believe—it affects how we believe. It shapes our tone, our habits, our values.
When we live in reaction mode, we stop being salt and light. We start being noise.
Resisting the Pull: Christian Habits for Digital Faithfulness
So what can we do? How do we live out our faith in a world that rewards speed and punishes silence?
Here are five practices for resisting the algorithm and recovering depth:
- Start Your Day in Silence, Not on a Screen.
Before checking notifications, spend five minutes in stillness. Read a Psalm. Pray slowly. Remember who you are and Whose you are. - Fast from Digital Noise Regularly.
Set aside one day a week (or one hour a day) with no screens. Let your brain detox. Let your soul breathe. - Curate, Don’t Just Consume.
Be intentional about who and what you follow. Choose voices that feed your spirit, not just your opinions. - Engage Others with Grace, Not Volume.
Don’t measure truth by likes. Speak truth with love, even if no one shares it. Faithfulness is not a metric—it’s a calling. - Let Scripture Have the Final Word.
When culture and Christ clash, choose Christ. When the internet tells you who you are, remember the gospel already has.
A Better Way to Be Seen
The algorithm promises visibility. Christ offers intimacy. The algorithm promises validation. Christ offers redemption. The algorithm teaches you to fight for attention. Christ calls you to surrender your name to His.
What if we stopped trying to make Jesus go viral and started letting Him go deep?
What if we turned off the noise long enough to hear the still, small voice again?
What if we trained our hearts not for applause, but for obedience?
In an age of instant everything, Christianity reminds us: some things take time. Some things require silence. Some truths are too holy to be rushed.
Final Thought
You were not created to be an influencer. You were created to be an image bearer. Your goal is not to trend—but to be transformed.
So be still. Be quiet. Be faithful.
Let the world chase the algorithm.
Let the Church walk with Christ.
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