Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

By PurposelyReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education Parenting Kids & Family

Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland episodes

February 28, 2023 162. Habit-Building Tech: Gamification with Yu-kai Chou (CEO of The Octalysis Group)
Habits are a powerful thing. They power our little decisions effortlessly, and those little choices have major consequences. But what habits is our tech helping us build?

Today we talk with Yu-kai Chou, one of the world's foremost leaders in gamification, and discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls of behavioral design, and what it means to be a Christian in a world where some tech is designed to distract.
36 min
February 21, 2023 161. Christian Video Games (with Brent Dusing, CEO of Tru Play Games)
Video games are amazing, or at least they should be. While many video games are fun, few actually line up with the truths of the Bible. If we took Philippians 4:8 as our video games standard, very few would pass the test.

Brent Dusing wants to change that. He’s a Christian, father, and CEO of the gaming studio TruPlay Games. His goal is to create games that are fun to play and point back to truths about God.

Brent is the first to say that you don’t have to play video games, but if you do you should make sure it's something that is good for your heart and mind. TruPlay is here to help make that happen.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3EoeJPr
30 min
February 14, 2023160. START HERE: Smartphones
Today we're getting to the bottom of smartphones, and we're doing it quickly.

My hope for this episode, and for this podcast in general, is to give more than just "good" answers when it comes to tech. My goal is to point you as a parent toward hope.

So, does your child need a smartphone? No.

But if you stop there, you might get the right answer and miss the real point: an opportunity to parent and love your child where they are!

So listen to today's conversation, we'll talk through five reason smartphones are a net-loss for children under 16, and we'll also talk through what it looks like to prepare your child for a tech world.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3HJMFqG

Resources Mentioned:
That Haidt & Twenge document on social media:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-HOfseF2wF9YIpXwUUtP65-olnkPyWcgF5BiAtBEy0/edit
40 min
February 07, 2023 159. START HERE: Pornography
Porn is scary.

We’ve seen the stats: —Kids see it by age 11 on average. —It’s the most-viewed content on the internet. —It impacts long-term relational and mental health

Yet we need to help our children know more than what to avoid, we need to point them to the life and hope available in Christ.

Today we'll discuss God's clear standard, how it is delivered with incredible grace and hope, and how we can see God's victory even in areas of repeated, even intentional, personal failure.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3HJMFqG
32 min
February 04, 2023 What The Tech Series #4: Let’s Talk about The Best and Worst of Video Games
Welcome back to What the Tech?!, a miniseries with Micah and Nathan! In today’s episode we talk about the three best things about video games, as well as three cautions to be aware of when it comes to gaming. You’ll notice Micah and Nathan differ a bit on these, Nathan brings his old-man energy to bear in this conversation.

About your hosts: Micah is an avid gamer fresh into the adult world of work and independent living. Nathan is a recovering gamer with a family and a passion for seeing people love God and use tech.

This series is focused on empowering parents to talk about healthy gaming with their children.
50 min
February 04, 2023 What The Tech Series #3: Let’s Talk Games as Service
Welcome back to What the Tech?!, a miniseries with Micah and Nathan! In today’s episode we talk about games as service. You used to buy a game and get a game. Now it is common that you buy a game and get the opportunity to pay a lot more money for additions, subscriptions, and even purchases within that game. Today’s conversation will give you everything you need to know to think through games as service.

About your hosts: Micah is an avid gamer fresh into the adult world of work and independent living. Nathan is a recovering gamer with a family and a passion for seeing people love God and use tech.

This series is focused on empowering parents to talk about healthy gaming with their children.
38 min
February 04, 2023 What The Tech Series #2: Let’s Talk about e-Sports
Welcome back to What the Tech?!, a miniseries with Micah and Nathan! In today’s episode we talk all things e-sports: What is it, why does it exist, and is it just a flash in the pan or will these games be around for awhile? This conversation is especially focused on helping parents wrap their brains around why the word “sport” is attached even loosely with the idea of video games.

About your hosts:
Micah is an avid gamer fresh into the adult world of work and independent living. Nathan is a recovering gamer with a family and a passion for seeing people love God and use tech.

This series is focused on empowering parents to talk about healthy gaming with their children.
47 min
February 04, 2023 What The Tech Series #1: Let’s Talk Gamer Rage
Welcome to the first episode of the What the Tech?! miniseries with Micah and Nathan! This series is focused on empowering parents to talk about healthy gaming with their children. Today’s episode is dedicated to the topic of Gamer Rage. Today we’ll talk a bit about what it is, how to know when it’s a problem, and what you can do about it.

About your hosts:
Micah is an avid gamer fresh into the adult world of work and independent living. Nathan is a recovering gamer with a family and a passion for seeing people love God and use tech.
39 min
January 31, 2023158. START HERE: Video Games
Does your child love video games?

Talking about video games can be tricky. Video games bring up hurts and hopes from marriages, parenting, and personal pasts, many of which have gone unaddressed.

There’s a lot to say, but today we're focusing on:
Video games are awesome (that's not an accident)
If you choose to play them, play the good ones (I give you six questions to ask!)
Be in all the spaces your children are in
At the end of the day, video games are one more opportunity to parent our children well. We get enter their world, ask real questions, and be a part of their journey to finding their highest joy in God through Christ. You don't have to play video games, but if you do, let's make sure you do it well.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3kX7h6L
29 min
January 24, 2023157. START HERE: Building Tech Trust
Is your child trustworthy with tech?

I’m not asking “Is your kid a ‘good’ kid?”, because saying your child isn’t ready for the weight of tech isn’t about being good or bad, it’s about being physically, emotionally, and spiritually prepared.
My 3 year old is immature in all three areas, but she’s an amazing kid. For a 3 year old.

Similarly, I’ve taught some incredible middle school students—who did their work and were great friends—that I would never trust with a lighter. I’m 100% sure some of them would start a fire if I left them alone for more than five minutes.

It’s the same idea with tech. Your child is wonderful. This tech is fun and amazing. But are the two a good fit, in this season, based on what you’ve seen and know so far?
Answering that is simple, but not easy:
Check for trustworthiness in the little things (Luke 16:10)
Build trust in little steps

In today’s conversation we’ll talk about how to assess, and build, tech trust with your child.

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/3DcOr1W
32 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