Jesus lived in a different time to our own. The state of technology was basic, especially outside of the major Roman settlements which were major centers for art, music, technology, and culture.
As a result, what Jesus did had little to do with modern technology, let alone assist us in navigating the complex world that we have created. But even though he lived during a very different time, that does not mean that he would be indifferent to the impact of technology on our lives. In fact, he would likely have had an enlightened view of it, seeing it as something that could be used for both good and evil.
Technologists like to point out that practically every human invention has a good and a bad side. Take fire. It helped people stay warm and cook their food, but it could also burn them and spread to destroy their villages. Cracking the code of the atom is a double-edged sword too: on the one hand, humanity now has the technology for practically limitless energy, but on the other, it is also capable of creating weapons that could destroy the planet and all human life with it.
Jesus was aware of some of the benefits of technology during his day. The scriptures would eventually be written down on papyrus with ink, a relatively expensive technology at the time, necessary for spreading his word far and wide.
It’s important for Christians to adapt to the times. The last twenty years have been particularly dramatic in the world of technology, and now practically everybody has a device that gives them access to just about any form of information, almost immediately. So what can Christians do to continue to live in a way that is consistent with their values, even if the Bible doesn’t offer specific advice on what to do?
Use Technology For Good
There’s a sense among many people that technology is doing more harm than good to families and their walk with God. But technology doesn’t just need to be something that takes people away from their faith. In fact, it can be quite the opposite.
For starters, there are dozens of websites, TV channels and apps dedicated to advancing the Christian message. These services help to promote the word of God in the family and introduce new people to the Christian faith. But technology is also a tool for helping to evangelize.
For instance, in the early days of the internet, a rival to YouTube, called GodTube, set up and dedicated itself to promoting the Christian message. Now the site has thousands of videos of all things Bible-related. It’s not just there for worship and entertainment: it’s also an excellent place to get advice about some of the tough issues that we face throughout our lives.
New HDTV services are becoming available all the time, giving families access to a range of shows that carry Christian messages. Family entertainment can still be educational, informative, and spiritually sound.
Disengage From Technology
Although Jesus would not see technology as something terrible, he might object to the amount of time that people spend using them. Families need to be careful in this regard. Jesus wanted families to be strong units that focused on each other and worship of God. But with the rise of smartphones, it’s hard to get our attention focused elsewhere.
Smartphones are sometimes likened to false idols. But this might not be the best analogy. A better Biblical comparison might be Jesus’ recollection of one of Isaiah’s key messages. Paraphrasing, Jesus said that people should love the Lord of Israel with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. But if they are using technology all day for purposes of than loving God, then they are not using their entire existence to focus on him.
Technology is having an effect not only on our family’s relationship with God but also with our neighbors too. Many of the devices and apps that we use are self-focused. In other words, we are far more interested in what other people think about us than we are serving them and worshiping God.
If Jesus were ministering on Earth today, he would likely preach on the benefits of disengaging from technology from time to time. He would counsel us on the benefits of putting down the phone and reading the Bible, forgetting about what somebody might have said about us on Facebook.
Be Present In The Face Of Technology
According to Andrew Sullivan of Faith Angle, many people make a mistake when they use technology. They believe that it is an addition to their lives. But he says that it’s more like a substitution: smartphones replace whatever they would be doing with technology-related activities.
Sullivan himself says that he had problems in the past with his use of technology. It was not unusual, he says, for him to spend upwards of eight or nine hours a day surfing the internet. During that time, he was not doing any of God’s work, or even focusing on his family. It was an addiction and one that distanced him from his faith.
Sullivan says that the time he spent using technology took him away from crucial ministerial work. He was using technology instead of actually getting on with his life in a way that was consistent with his walk with God. When you’re always on your phone, you’re not concentrating on the people around you or the word of God. You could miss something essential, he says.
Technology is relatively new to the human experience: especially modern technologies which rely on drip-feeding us micro-rewards to get us hooked. But the Bible provides a framework for thinking about them. Jesus used technology himself, although a basic form, to get the message out. And as Christians, we need to use the tools we have available to do the same.
Ultimately, there’s nothing good or bad about technology. It’s simply the way it’s used by sinful people. If technology is getting in the way of churches and families strengthening their faith, then that’s a sign that things have gone wrong.
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Tiffany
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