TECHNOLOGY for GOOD or for EVIL?
By Dr. C.J. Williams, Professor, Old Testament Studies, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
When you open the Bible you read about shepherding, farming, swords, and plowshares in the everyday life of the people. The Gospel uses shepherding and farming as examples in its stories and parables. Shepherding and farming are still the way of life for many people around the world, which reminds us that God’s Word endures through all time and is relevant in all places.
God gave people the job of having dominion over the earth. This means that we must build, explore, create, and discover. In a word, it demands technology. Like most things, technology can be used for good or for evil. We must always think carefully about how we use it. Ever since the Tower of Babel was built, technology has been a source and expression of human pride. On the other hand, Solomon’s Temple and Hezekiah’s Tunnel depended on the best technology of the day. The same World Wide Web (WWW) that has opened up new ways for the Gospel to go out into the world, has also brought pornography into millions of homes or onto millions of phones. Technology can be a dangerous force or a true blessing; the key (as with all things) is to bring it under the lordship and leadership of Jesus Christ.
In only twenty years or so, our everyday experience of technology has grown by leaps. Computers, smart phones, social media, and email are normal parts of our daily routine. Life is faster because of these things, but speed has its downside. For instance, we use many technologies in everyday life to save time, but we rarely ask ourselves – save time for what? Is it so that we can better use our time in some way for God’s glory (Ephesians 5:15), or just waste it more foolishly? Still, I believe that many of our time-saving technologies have only made us busier, and our spiritual lives suffer because of it.
Technology can be a dangerous force or a true blessing; the key (as with all things) is to bring it under the lordship and leadership of Jesus Christ.
Social media has become a distraction from real life, even an obsession. It is rare to go anywhere and not see someone quickly talking with their thumbs, or “Facebooking” with any free moment. Staying in touch is easier than ever, which is a blessing, but has social media made us more social, or less social? Has social media made our relationships any deeper or more meaningful? Spending hours on social media is a sign that it has turned into a great distraction. This reminds me of what Henry David Thoreau said in the nineteenth century when post offices became common: “For my part, I could easily do without the post office. I think that there are very few important communications made through it. I never received more than one or two letters in my life that were worth the postage.” It makes me wonder how many of the seven trillion text messages sent in the last year alone were “worth the postage”. Proverbs has something to say about a “multitude of words”, and it’s not good (Proverbs 10:19).
One of the biggest daily challenges a Christian faces in the modern world is to think clearly about his or her use of any technology. Does it help you achieve good ends in your heavenly calling and service to Christ, or is it just a way to be distracted and fall into temptation? Would Jesus look on and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?
The word “technology” makes us think of things that are complex and complicated, but the Bible reminds us of a simpler time. It reminds us that living faith depends on something that is timeless and simple – the grace of the living God. And our fathers in the faith – shepherds, farmers and fishermen – remind us that a faithful life does not need to be a complicated one. Along with them, we still rejoice in the promise, and look forward to the day when Jesus returns on the clouds of heaven. Until then, it is good to embrace the Gospel message in all of its glorious simplicity, and live our lives accordingly.