This is a post I’m putting up on our work blog, thinc, tomorrow.
Reflections on Technology – pt.2
Former TEDS professor Kevin Vanhoozer urged us to interpret the “cultural texts” that surround us because “[S]piritual formation is happening to us and to our children all the time. Culture trains us in what the philosophers call the transcendental, honing our sense of what is true, good, and beautiful.” (Everyday Theology, p. 31). I believe that all the technology that surrounds us is one of most pressing cultural texts for Christians to reckon with.
What does technology instruct us to affirm as the true, good, and beautiful? Commonly the answer is personal ease and comfort. Much of our technology has been engineered to make difficult things easy. Technology assists with both the primal tasks of finding food and shelter as well as trivial tasks such as changing the channel on my television but always with the aim to make me as comfortable as possible.
Another common use of technology is to provide us with choices so that we can cater to our unique combination of desires. There are over 60 different kinds of toothpastes at my neighborhood Target. The clear message in this is that my preferences and my comfort are important.
This emphasis on comfort, convenience, and choice makes it seem natural to choose ease rather than strength. We become accustom to avoiding difficulty rather than developing the strength and discipline necessary to conquer it. Transferred to our spiritual life this leads to promblems. Many find the discipline of waiting upon the Lord increasingly difficult when we aren’t accustomed to waiting for other types of information. Likewise Paul’s teaching in Romans 5 that we rejoice in suffering because it leads to perseverance, character, and hope is easily lost on us. We simply rejoice in avoiding suffering.
In church, we may explicitly teach that we must deny ourselves to follow Christ but it can be easy for our use of the many technologies designed for personal comfort to send the exact opposite message. That catering to self is a prime concern. Like the Babel builders we can easily, unwittingly, use technology to make a name for ourselves rather than bring glory to our savior.
So how do we avoid these errors while harnessing the power afforded us by technology to further God’s redemptive work? Let me offer the following suggestions.
First we need to take to heart Vanhoozer’s insight that we are being formed spiritually all the time. We need to consciously seek to align our use of technology with the teachings of our faith. The Amish famously evaluate technology in light of its impact upon community life. We need to learn to evaluate it terms of its impact upon our calling to be disciples. Among other things, I think this means we need to talk with other Christians about technology and its impact on us individually and communally.
Second, I believe we need to affirm the value of discipline and work as a good part of the life we were created to live. We may find and use tools that help us become more disciplined and better workers but we should resist the looking to machines to deliver us from labor.
Third, I think we need to strive for simplicity. Simplicity here doesn’t mean “dumbed-down” but rather direct and unfiltered. Praying without pretence is simple. Silence is simple. Spending time with people, especially the weak and needy is simple. Making meals from scratch is simple. Technology if used uncritically often creates distraction and clutter in our lives that may be pleasing but inhibits our growth in Christian character.
There is a lot more to say and I encourage you to share your experiences and reflection in the comment boxes below. In my next post I will look at the relationship between technology and knowledge.
