Book: Raising Giants – Chapter 7: The Algorithm and the Altar – Countering Secular Catechism
- Dr. Layne McDonald
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." : Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
We are living in the most sophisticated era of human formation in history. For centuries, the primary "formers" of a child’s soul were the home, the church, and the village. Today, a new contender has entered the sanctuary of the home, one that doesn’t knock, doesn’t sleep, and possesses a deeper understanding of your child’s neurological impulses than most parents do.
It is the Algorithm.
When we talk about "Raising Giants," we aren't just talking about keeping kids away from "bad" content. We are talking about the profound, silent, and systemic way the digital world catechizes our children. Historically, a catechism was a series of questions and answers used to instruct believers in the essential truths of the faith. It was a rhythmic, repetitive way of teaching the soul what to believe and, more importantly, what to love.
Today, the "For You" page on TikTok, the YouTube recommendation engine, and the Instagram feed have become a secular catechism. They are not merely tools; they are liturgies. They are shaping the "giants" of the next generation, but the question is: what kind of giants are they becoming?
The Invisible Catechist: How Algorithms Teach Love
To understand how to counter the secular catechism, we first have to understand what it’s actually doing. Most parents view social media or gaming as "entertainment": a way for kids to blow off steam or pass the time. But as James K.A. Smith argues in Desiring the Kingdom, humans are not primarily "thinking things." We are "desiring agents." We are what we love.
The algorithm understands this perfectly. It isn’t designed to teach your child facts; it is designed to train their affections. By tracking every second of engagement: every pause, every re-watch, every "like": the algorithm learns what makes your child’s heart beat faster. It then feeds them more of that.
This creates a feedback loop that functions exactly like a religious ritual. In traditional Christian liturgy, we repeat certain prayers and songs to align our hearts with God’s Kingdom. In the digital liturgy, the "scroll" is the ritual, the "notification" is the call to worship, and the "like" is the amen.
The problem is that the "good life" presented by the algorithm is a direct rival to the Kingdom of God. The secular catechism asks: Who am I? And the algorithm answers: You are the self you project, validated by the attention of strangers. The secular catechism asks: What is my purpose? The algorithm answers: To be entertained, to be envied, and to consume.
As parents, if we only focus on the information (teaching them Bible verses) without addressing the formation (the digital habits shaping their desires), we will find that our children can quote the Word while their hearts are far from it. They are being out-catechized by a machine that knows how to manipulate their dopamine receptors.
The Liturgy of the Feed
Every time a child swipes up on a screen, they are participating in a spiritual exercise. They are being trained in a specific set of virtues: or more accurately, a specific set of vices.
Instant Gratification: The algorithm rewards speed. It teaches that desire should be met immediately. This is the opposite of the biblical fruit of patience and long-suffering.
Comparison and Envy: By constantly showing a curated "best" of everyone else’s life, the digital catechism trains children to find their worth in being "better" or "more aesthetic" than their peers.
Fragmentation of Attention: We are called to "be still and know" (Psalm 46:10). The algorithm is the enemy of stillness. It trains the brain to jump from one stimulus to the next every eight seconds, making the deep, contemplative work of prayer and Scripture reading feel "boring."
Self-Centricity: The "For You" page is exactly that: for you. It reinforces the idea that the universe exists to serve your preferences. This is the antithesis of the Gospel, which calls us to take up our cross and serve others.
If we want to raise giants who are unshakable in their faith, we must move beyond "internet filters" and start talking about counter-formation. We must build an Altar that is more powerful than the Algorithm.
The Power of the Altar: Reclaiming the Home
In the Old Testament, whenever God did something significant, his people built an altar. The altar was a physical marker in time and space that said, "God is here, and we belong to Him." In the New Testament, the "altar" shifted from a stone structure to the heart of the believer and the community of the home.
Discipleship in the home: the Altar: is not about a thirty-minute family devotion once a week. It is about creating a "rhythm of life" that out-shines and out-lasts the digital pulse of the world.
The Altar represents Thick Practices. These are embodied, repetitive, and communal habits that shape the heart. While the Algorithm is "thin": it exists only on a screen and disappears the moment the battery dies: the Altar is "thick." It involves the smell of the Bible, the sound of a father’s voice in prayer, the physical presence of family around a table, and the quiet rhythm of the Sabbath.
If your child spends four hours a day being catechized by an algorithm and only ten minutes a week being discipled at an altar, the math of formation is not in your favor. We must increase the "liturgical density" of our homes.
The Theology of Formation
Within the Assemblies of God tradition, we emphasize the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that sanctification is a process where the Spirit of God re-orders our loves. But we must remember that the Holy Spirit often works through the "means of grace": the ordinary habits of the Christian life.
When we pray with our children, we aren't just "talking to God." We are training their voices to recognize their Creator. When we fast from technology, we aren't just "taking a break." We are teaching our bodies that we do not live by "bread (or data) alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
The Algorithm is a teacher of appetite. The Altar is a teacher of devotion.
Out-Catechizing the Culture: Practical Strategies
How do we actually do this? How do we out-catechize a multi-billion-dollar tech industry that wants our children’s souls? We do it through the "liturgies of the household."
1. Morning Liturgy: The First Word
The algorithm wants to be the first thing your child interacts with. The "check" of the phone is a ritual of anxiety. It asks, "Who loves me today? What did I miss? What do I need to worry about?"
The Counter-Liturgy: Establish a rule: Scripture before Screens. Before any device is touched, the family gathers for three minutes. A single verse is read. A short prayer is spoken. We declare that God has the first word of the day. This re-centers the heart before the digital storm begins.
2. Table Liturgy: The Presence of Others
The algorithm isolates. Even when kids are "socializing" online, they are often physically alone or distracted.
The Counter-Liturgy: The dinner table is the most domestic altar we have. No phones at the table: not for parents, not for kids. This is the place where we practice presence. We ask questions that require more than a "yes" or "no." We share "highs and lows." We practice the art of listening, which is a form of love that the digital world is rapidly losing.
3. Evening Liturgy: The Final Word
The blue light of the screen is known to disrupt sleep, but the "spiritual blue light" of the feed disrupts the soul. It leaves the mind racing with comparison and noise.
The Counter-Liturgy: The "Examen" or a bedtime blessing. As your children go to sleep, replace the screen with a blessing. Lay hands on them: a physical, embodied act of the Altar. Ask: "Where did you see God today? Where did you struggle?" End the day with the assurance of God’s grace. Let His word be the final word they hear.
4. The Digital Sabbath
The ultimate act of resistance against the secular catechism is the Sabbath. The algorithm demands 24/7 engagement. It never stops. By stopping, we declare that we are not machines and we are not slaves to the economy of attention.
The Counter-Liturgy: Pick one day: or even a four-hour block: where every device in the house goes into a "Sabbath Box." Use that time for things that are "thick": hiking, reading physical books, playing board games, or visiting a neighbor. This teaches children that the "real world" is the one God made, not the one man built.
Facing the Giant of Distraction
We must be honest: the reason the algorithm is so successful is that it offers us a path of least resistance. It is easier to give a child a tablet than to engage in a difficult conversation. It is easier to scroll ourselves than to lead a family in prayer.
But we are raising Giants.
Giants are not produced by the path of least resistance. They are produced by the friction of discipline and the fire of the Altar. If we want our children to have the "Mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), we must stop allowing the "Mind of the Machine" to be their primary teacher.
The algorithm can predict what your child wants to buy or watch, but it can never know the depths of their soul. It can never offer them the "peace that passes understanding." It can never tell them they are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Only the Altar can do that.
The Stakes of Formation
As we look toward the future, the digital landscape will only become more immersive. With the rise of AI and virtual environments, the "secular catechism" will become even more personalized and persuasive. If we do not establish the Altar now, our children will be swept away by a tide of digital liturgies that they don't even realize they are participating in.
But there is hope. The grace of God is more "viral" than any trend. The presence of the Holy Spirit is more engaging than any feed. When a child experiences the authentic, warm, and loving presence of God in their home, the cold glow of the screen begins to lose its luster.
We are not just "managing screen time." We are guarding the heart. We are out-catechizing the world by showing our children a more beautiful story: a story where they are not "users" or "consumers," but sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Let the Altar be built. Let the incense of prayer rise. And let the giants of the next generation be formed not by the logic of the machine, but by the love of the Father.
Layne McDonald, Ph.D. is an author, educator, and researcher dedicated to helping believers navigate modern culture through a biblical lens. With a background in theology and leadership, he provides practical tools for spiritual growth, family discipleship, and cultural discernment. His mission is to empower the Church to raise a generation that knows the voice of God and walks in His truth.
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The algorithm knows what your child wants today, but do you know what they will worship tomorrow?
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