Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
👇 Free Course for Parents: The First Smartphone Decision →
go.gadflyacademy.com/waitlist-not-yet-pv-yt
📙 FREE eBOOK on the wisdom of modern Orthodox elders:
social.protectingveil.com/freebook1
The Orthodox Christian Church doesn't have an official position on AI, social media, or the smartphone. But that doesn't mean Orthodoxy has nothing to say...
In this video, Dr. Herman Middleton draws on Orthodox theological anthropology, Marshall McLuhan's media theory, and theologian Jean-Claude Larchet's proposal for a "fast of all the senses" to argue that the smartphone poses a genuine spiritual crisis...especially for children...and that the Orthodox tradition already contains the framework we need to respond. He also explains why he created Gadfly Academy, what a pivotal conversation with an Orthodox priest clarified for him, and what he's building for Orthodox parents right now...
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 ... Does the Orthodox Church have a position on technology?
00:33 ... A Church that moves slowly
01:54 ... The original Gadfly Academy project
03:57 ... Technology is not neutral (McLuhan)
05:22 ... The new Gadfly Academy project
05:54 ... The conversation with Fr. Seraphim that changed my focus
06:57 ... What the smartphone does to Orthodox spiritual formation in children
08:55 ... "A fast of all the senses": Larchet's proposal
10:00 ... The First Smartphone Dilemma: What I'm building for parents
Substack Article: open.substack.com/pub/protectingveil/p/should-the-orthodox-fast-from-screens
🖇️ LET'S CONNECT!
Facebook: facebook.com/protectingveil
Twitter: twitter.com/protectingveil
Instagram: instagram.com/protectingveil
Website: protectingveil.com
#orthodoxy #easternorthodoxy #orthodoxchurch #easternorthodox #orthodoxchristian #orthodoxchristianity #smartphones #orthodoxparenting #screentimeforkids #notyet
👇 Free Course for Parents: The First Smartphone Decision →
go.gadflyacademy.com/waitlist-not-yet-pv-yt
📙 FREE eBOOK on the wisdom of modern Orthodox elders:
social.protectingveil.com/freebook1
The Orthodox Christian Church doesn't have an official position on AI, social media, or the smartphone. But that doesn't mean Orthodoxy has nothing to say...
In this video, Dr. Herman Middleton draws on Orthodox theological anthropology, Marshall McLuhan's media theory, and theologian Jean-Claude Larchet's proposal for a "fast of all the senses" to argue that the smartphone poses a genuine spiritual crisis...especially for children...and that the Orthodox tradition already contains the framework we need to respond. He also explains why he created Gadfly Academy, what a pivotal conversation with an Orthodox priest clarified for him, and what he's building for Orthodox parents right now...
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 ... Does the Orthodox Church have a position on technology?
00:33 ... A Church that moves slowly
01:54 ... The original Gadfly Academy project
03:57 ... Technology is not neutral (McLuhan)
05:22 ... The new Gadfly Academy project
05:54 ... The conversation with Fr. Seraphim that changed my focus
06:57 ... What the smartphone does to Orthodox spiritual formation in children
08:55 ... "A fast of all the senses": Larchet's proposal
10:00 ... The First Smartphone Dilemma: What I'm building for parents
Substack Article: open.substack.com/pub/protectingveil/p/should-the-orthodox-fast-from-screens
🖇️ LET'S CONNECT!
Facebook: facebook.com/protectingveil
Twitter: twitter.com/protectingveil
Instagram: instagram.com/protectingveil
Website: protectingveil.com
#orthodoxy #easternorthodoxy #orthodoxchurch #easternorthodox #orthodoxchristian #orthodoxchristianity #smartphones #orthodoxparenting #screentimeforkids #notyet
