Rewiring Virtue: The Christian Life in an Age of Gadgets

Team Members/Contributors

James F. Caccamo Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia Contact Me

About this sabbatical grant for researchers

Even in their infancy, digital communication and information technologies (CITs) have shown themselves to be some of the most powerful inventions in history. Cell phones, the internet, and ubiquitous media have transformed culture, profoundly reshaping the way we understand relationships, identity, spirituality, and even the meaning of “real.” But given the current obsession with technology in contemporary America, it can be hard to maintain a balanced and thoughtful approach to the use of CITs, especially from a Christian perspective. Unfortunately, little serious and in-depth work has been done by church leaders or theologians on these issues.

This project is aimed at producing a book-length, constructive account of the ethics of CITs from a Christian perspective. Proceeding under the assumption that the Christian life neither requires renunciation of technology nor allows abandoning one’s self to the technological imperative, Rewiring Virtue: The Christian Life in an Age of Gadgets will explore the connections between digital technologies and the distinctive markers of Christian character referred to as virtues: faith, hope, love (caritas), prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. In doing so, Rewiring Virtue will both challenge and empower readers to wrestle with the implications of considering their technology use as a part of practice of discipleship to which they are already committed.