The Focused Faith: Detox Your Digital Life, Reclaim Hijacked Attention, Build Habits for Focus & Joy

This smart debut guide from Bovee, a professor of information systems at California Baptist University, challenges Christians to swap the “superficial satisfaction” of a tech-obsessed life for a more fulfilling relationship with God and themselves. Unpacking the factors that fracture attention, he explains how the attention economy is dominated by platforms that utilize algorithms and addictive scroll features to maximize time spent on their sites, conditioning users to seek instant gratification and leaving them perpetually distracted and unfulfilled. To disconnect, the author writes, one should identify goals “that align with your passions and allow you to further the kingdom of God” and get into the habit of pursuing them via a deeply focused “flow state” (examples include writing, serving others, and worshiping). By practicing “monotasking,” one can cultivate a more sustained ability to focus and direct that renewed attention to practices like prayer. Drawing from research on the psychology of attention, his experience working in the tech world, and interviews with industry insiders, the author builds a lucid, evidence-based case for how technology is impacting faith, and cogently explains why willpower alone isn’t enough to cure the distracted mind. It’s a valuable resource. (Self-published)