Publications

People of the Screen: How Evangelicals Created the Digital Bible and How It Shapes Their Reading of Scripture

People of the Screen traces the history of Bible software development, showing the unique and powerful role evangelical entrepreneurs and coders have played in shaping its functionality and how their choices in turn shape the reading habits of millions of people around the world. Examining advancements in Bible software from the first desktop applications to pioneering Bible websites, and later to mobile apps and virtual experiences, this book argues that evangelical creators have a distinct orientation toward societal change and technology called “Hopeful Entrepreneurial Pragmatism” that uniquely positions them to lead the digital Bible market, imbuing their creations with evangelical ways of understanding the nature and purpose of Scripture.

A fascinating, inside view from a scholar and programmer of the promise and perils of digital technology for Bible readers, and of the people behind the effort. Exciting stuff! And a valuable addition to understanding the Bible for readers today.

Kristin M. Swenson, author of A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible

Digital Bibles aren’t just the wave of the future. They’re the past and the present. And their growing use has tremendous implications for Christian publishing, worship, training, and devotional experience. With a rare combination of beautiful prose and a programmer’s expertise, John Dyer explores the fascinating history (longer than you think) of digital Bibles, where they fit in the Christian publishing economy, and their future influence on the Christian church. This is a must-read book for every serious student of ‘the Bible’ in all its various forms.

Samuel L. Perry, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies, University of Oklahoma

People of the Screen is a marvelous work of scholarship. John Dyer charts new and much-needed territory in our understanding of evangelicalism, technology, business, and the social life of scriptures.

James S. Bielo, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Miami University

Dyer’s clear and engaging narrative style, combined with his self-reflexive critical thinking on what drives evangelicals towards missional technological innovation, makes this a highly readable and timely book. Dyer’s work demonstrates the importance of identifying and unpacking the ideological and theological platforms that motivate religious technological endeavors, as well as how these roots frame public and communal perceptions of the Bible in a digital society. This is a must read for scholars of media, religion and culture and those seeking to understand evangelical discourse and influence in contemporary culture.

Heidi A Campbell, Professor of Communication & Presidential Impact Fellow, Texas A&M University

From the Garden to the City: The Place of Technology in the Story of God

Newly updated in 2022, the book offers an introduction to the theology, history, and meaning of technology with practical guidance on how to live faithfully in the digital age. Available from

John is the unusual person who is as expert in information technology as he is familiar with the Bible, and he is even more unusual in being able to move to and fro with ease and come up with striking and helpful insights. His voice, though gentle, speaks with authority.

Albert Borgmann, author of Real American Ethics (2006)

It’s odd that most of us spend our days immersed in and preoccupied with technology, yet also take its most important features entirely for granted. This book is full of jewels of observation that will help you see technology, the Bible, and your own life afresh. It’s frequently funny, surprisingly moving, and consistently smart–a great guide for those who want to begin thinking about how technology shapes us and how we can live faithfully with it.

– Andy Crouch, author, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative

“There are not many books on the theology of technology, and this is the best one. It shows how the Bible has a lot more to say about technology than you would think, and this study offers great advice on how to manage this spiritual force.”

Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick, Wired

“With grace, curiosity, and precision, Dyer provides an accessible model for critical and faithful engagement with technologies that are radically changing us and the world.”

Kate Ott, Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Drew Theological School

“Reading From The Garden to the City was a game-changing moment for me. It was the most important work in my early stages of theological and cultural analysis of technology that paved the way to me launching FaithTech. I literally keep a box of them in my trunk and hand them out to most people I meet. I recommend it to nearly everyone. From The Garden to the City successfully blends simplicity with depth, theology with cultural commentary, and historical reflection with future thinking.”

James Kelly, Founder, Faithtech

“John Dyer steers between poles to which we easily gravitate: uncritically demonizing or devouring technology. His sound biblical and theological reflection and thoroughgoing understanding of the history and philosophy of technology and media make him a reliable guide to readers who want to follow Jesus faithfully in the digital age. For years, I have used From the Garden to the City in the local church and university classroom. I’m thrilled that it has been revised and look forward to many more years of learning and teaching from it.”

Keith W. Plummer, Dean of the School of Divinity and Professor of Theology at Cairn University

We all have a great deal of experience with technology, but few of us have sought to think about technology in a distinctly Christian way. This is one reason I commend John Dyer’s From the Garden to the City. As comfortable with theology as he is with technology, Dyer is a steady guide to the digital world we find ourselves in.

Tim Challies, author The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion

Dyer does a magnificent job—the best that I have seen—of explaining to the Christian community how and why technology cannot be morally neutral. He crafts his arguments carefully, using examples from his field of information and computer technology. But the principles he extracts are quite general and include fresh insights into the role of technology in culture and matters of the spirit.

Jack Clayton Swearengen, nuclear weapon scientist, Emeritus Professor of Engineering, and author of Beyond Paradise: Technology and the Kingdom of God

There are few guides through the sometimes uneasy relationship between technology and Christianity that I would more highly commend than John Dyer. In this book, he walks us through difficult concepts in ways that are eminently accessible. Never hysterical but appropriately critical, From the Garden to the City provides an important and timely framework for churches and leaders to think through how they can use technology without technology using them.

Matthew Lee Anderson, writer and author of Earthen Vessels

Slow down for a minute, be still and ponder what John Dyer is addressing in this helpful book. Technology is undeniably reshaping how we communicate, relate to and ultimately love one another. If you’ve ever texted, tweeted or sent an email to someone who was sitting right next to you at the time, you’re affected. It’s time for you to read From The Garden to the City.

Bob Lepine, Co-Host, FamilyLife Today