Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Performance for the Freedom of God's Presence

Sayers paints a compelling historical narrative and matches this journey to those of the Israelites as they depart Egypt…all to give insight into why the secular narratives of today are collapsing and why the technology platforms are failing to deliver what God only can do through humble leaders ready to pass down their spiritual heritage to the next generation. Highly recommend this read…

If you enjoy the insights of Mark Sayers, you will love this book. It is well researched, informative, and speaks to one of the biggest challenges in the West: What he describes as Platform Culture, which is essentially the radically individualized self grindizement of individuals as societal gods. Instead, Sayers call us to step out of platform culture and return to the benefits of becoming pillars in society.

Sayers explores a change in culture that I had not really thought much about. We are in an era where one can have influence by having a digital platform. I do that myself as I have a blog where I review books and then post links to those reviews on various social media sites. Having previously owned a Christian bookstore, I used to recommend books in person, over the sales counter. Now I desire the same influence through a digital platform.Media platforms have become the way individuals can be important, such as being an “influencer.” It is now possible for almost anyone to be important when it used to be only those who were pillars in society. Sayers reminds us, “Our worth is in Jesus. We don't need to platform ourselves to prove ourselves.” (166)This is a thought provoking book. We do live in a digital age. How do we be pillars within that context without falling into the platform trap? Sayers' writing is a bit academic and may be best appreciated by ministry professionals or those in Christian education arenas dealing with cultural changes.I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

This is a must read for our generation. While most know that our relationship with social media can be unhealthy, we continue to engage. Mark Sayers brings a fresh perspective on the generational ramifications of consumption especially for Christians. It’s inspiring, insightful and challenging in the best ways.

Lot of sauce, very little steak. Sayers is intelligent and has an important voice, yet this book/concept got pulled out of the oven prematurely. Wedged between compelling insights is loosely connected historical fodder, cobbled together in a way that feels like adherence to a pressing word count demand. Rather than persuasion around the idea of an individualized age and Christianity’s response, Sayers spends over half the book just describing actual pillars and platforms: he spotlights the symbol rather than using the symbol for substantive discourse. Just a forgettable treatment of a compelling topic. Feels like the common Christian publishing tradition of letting its chosen priests say whatever they want from a platform and then applauding wildly hoping the din and roar will distract from the emperor’s nakedness. The problem is that Sayers is a great voice. But when subpar work is “platformed” with such marketing sincerity, one is left wondering if the fix is in? What’s the hurry? And why is that rush chosen over quality development? A thirty minute talk on the topic would have done.