Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

By PurposelyReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education Parenting Kids & Family

Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland episodes

February 13, 2024 How to Assess and Overcome Tech Addiction
Sometimes our tech is just a little too far for fun. Instead of using it because we're ok, we find we need it to be ok. In today's conversation we'll learn from the work of Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Her book Dopamine Nation has been an encouragement and reminder, and in today's conversation we'll discuss how tech can become unhealthy, how we can fix it, and what we can do to create healthful tech habits in our own lives and homes.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/49uUL2o
38 min
February 06, 2024 How Do We Talk About Pornography? (START HERE, #5)
*NOTE: This episode might be one to listen with ear buds in, as this topic is sensitive for young kids.

Pornography is a conversation frought with emotional, societal, and spiritual baggage. It's something we'd like to pretend doesn't exist, and especially something that our children will never have to deal with. The problem is, they will—and making them deal with it alone isn't helpful. ENTER: Today's conversation! We're going to talk about what to know about pornography, how to address it purposely, and some resources to help make a plan that is hope-focused and lovingly direct.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3UvYY1M
30 min
January 30, 2024 When Should My Child Get a Smartphone? (START HERE, #4)
Every parent is likely to face the question: "Can I get a smartphone?" As a parent there is a double-sided fear: I don't want to say no out of reflex, because I'm old and don't understand, and I don't want to say yes out of guilt and give my child something dangerous or unhealthful. What can we do? Today we'll talk through the five cautions to understand with a smartphone, the age our children should get a smartphone, and how we can support healthy tech choices along the way.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3Ud43vw
26 min
January 23, 2024 Which Tech Should My Child Use? (START HERE, #3)
This week we continue our conversation on making tech safe at home by asking the age old question: Which tech should my child use? We know what type of tech it is thanks to the first episode in this series, we also know if it's healthy, and we've built hedges to keep it that way. Today we'll go one step further and learn to assess the tech our children ask for so they're both ready, and healthy, when new tech comes into your home.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/491aq9u
31 min
January 16, 2024 How to Build a Hedge (START HERE, #2)
One of the questions I address most often is "How can we make tech safe at home?". In last week's episode we addressed the two types of tech and how to know if tech is healthy. Today we look at building a hedge around our devices, networks, and families.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/420zDyD
35 min
January 09, 2024 How To Know if Your Tech is Healthy (START HERE #1)
The START HERE series is designed to get you the information you need to raise healthy kids in a tech world. Today we discuss the two types of tech our children will use, and how to know if that tech is healthy.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/48JChuS
33 min
January 02, 2024 Preview 2024: Workshops, Books, and the Gospel
I want to peel the curtain back a bit and dive a bit deeper into the three areas God has layed on my heart for the work of Gospel Tech this year. Whether you’ve been with us since day one, or found us this week, I’m excited to share what God is doing and how you can pray with us as we jump into 2024.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4aHy7VR
27 min
December 26, 2023 Thank You! (A 2023 Review)
This year has been so encouraging, thanks to listeners like you and the many other people and opportunities God has provided to help the work of Gospel Tech grow. Today's episode is a quick overview of where God has taken us, what I'm excited about from this past year, and a few specific reminders we can take into the new year as we thank God for what he's done, and what he's doing.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3GTjn8M
16 min
December 19, 2023 204. We Need Advent
Advent is a time of year we remember God fulfilling His promise of a Messiah. Today we discuss the three advents, and how Christmas is an amazing reminder not only of what God has done in Jesus, but what we are called to do every day in our physical and digital spaces. Our tech must be used in light of all three of The Bible's Advents.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/483jjiC
32 min
December 12, 2023 203. Nerd Dad Series: Part 5
We nerds are known for going all-in. We are passionate about our areas of expertise and interest, so how do we know how far is too far? In today's conversation we'll talk about what to do when we feel the weight of the world in our souls, how to assess if this is a good season for our activity of choice, and walk through specific steps we can take to begin excellent adventures right where we are.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4ahx3b6
28 min

About Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

From the publisher's feed

Gospel Tech is a resource for parents who are feeling outpaced and overwhelmed as they raise children in a tech world.

Our goal: Equip parents with the tools, resources, and confidence they…

need to raise kids who love God and use tech.

Gospel Tech’s mission is to equip families to love God and use tech. We want to empower parents to:

Talk about healthy tech
Communicate the Gospel
Connect the hope of the Gospel to their everyday tech lives

Introduction to Gospel Tech
Three years ago I (Nathan) started Gospel Tech as a ministry to help connect the Gospel to the daily tech lives of families in practical ways. As a middle school teacher I saw a need for intentional, Gospel-focused conversations about tech. Tech was creating more distraction than inspiration in the classroom, and I saw the need for more than just new habits—there was a desperate need for new hearts.

Gospel Tech bridges the gap between scary tech conversations and the hope of the Gospel. With engaging stories and practical applications I bring Gospel-centered tech solutions families can apply in everyday life.

Gospel Tech Resources Beyond The Podcast

The Parent Tech Workshops: A two-part series addressing:
- How should we handle Tech’s Big 3 (smartphones, gaming, pornography)?
- How do we make tech safe at home? (two types of tech, tech health, and building tech trust)

Youth Talks:
- The Tech Talk: Use the best tech on purpose, not for purpose.
- The Hope Talk: A conversation about our goals, purpose, and how making a mistake doesn’t make us a mistake.

The Family Tech Framework: A two-hour workshop where families leave with the words to say and the plan in place for healthy tech at home and in daily life.
- Part 1: Talk It Out: Parents learn key points of discussing healthful tech.
- Part 2: Walk It Out: Families work together to create a Family Tech Framework customized to their needs, goals, and season of life.

At the end of the day our children aren't problems to fix, they're people to love. We need to point them to the purpose and hope available in Christ, in the work he's already done to make them new and to call them on to good works, and then use tech from that hope. This is why I love to say that in Christ we use tech on purpose, not for purpose.

That's the goal of Gospel Tech. Thanks for letting me be on this journey of parenting with you.

-Nathan Sutherland