Welcome back to a new week of episodes on the Aspastor John podcast.

Last Friday, in episode 577, we talked about the dangers inherent with digital communications

technology.

I think we all sense this is a topic that's important, and yet we really don't know

and understand what all the dangers are of that technology at this stage.

This technology, of course, is wrapped up into all of our lives.

We're using it right now.

I'm on the phone again with Dr. Bruce Heidmarsh, a historian, and the James M. Houston Professor

of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver.

Bruce, most of us simply cannot disconnect and become digital monks, so we need to master

the art of technology fasting.

What are some practical helps for doing this?

Well, I think that's really good, and I want to talk a little bit about fasting, because

I think that's the right kind of way to begin to think and reframe this.

I think the first thing we need to do in our churches and in our discipleship context

is to do what you've just done, is to name the task and to acknowledge it, because it

can become invisible.

It's just the environment you live in.

We need to acknowledge that we're going to need to experiment with disciplines, with

practices that help us live in this world and see what helps.

And maybe we will need, I'd like to make a call for some people to be actually to be

digital monks and some people to be digital hermits, to preserve and report back what it's

...