Theological Rationale for Church Technology
Technology uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in industry and commerce. Information technology takes scientific knowledge and applies it specifically to transmitting information from one person to another. In our world, this application takes the form of computers, the internet, streaming services, and more. In the Old and New Testaments world, information technology was lower Tech.
Defining Tech in Scripture
While Scripture is not a scientific book, Scripture describes technological advancements multiple times. Two types of advancements explored are physical tech and information tech. Physical tech refers to the advancements found as tools develop. Information tech refers to the way information transfers between two individuals.
Physical Tech
The growth of physical Tech takes place throughout the Bible. In the initial Genesis passages, God explains to Adam the consequences of his sin would require more challenging work. By the time the story reaches Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve's children, technology has advanced enough to allow Cain to work the field and Abel to shepherd animals. Hard to believe the shepherd's crook was ever considered high Tech.
Towards the end of I Samuel 13, a story about Jonathan and Saul fighting the Philistines details where technology stood at that moment in history:
19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears." 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan, his son, had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
The Philistines had intentionally withheld physical technology from the Israelites in the promised land. Their concerns revolved around the possibility the Israelites would take technological advancement and make instruments with which they could wage war. God controlled the reality of the situation, and in subsequent chapters, lesser technology defeats more fantastic technology. David comes forward with his simple stone tech and destroys the Giant's advanced technology. David takes the Giant's advanced technology and uses it to decapitate the Giant.
Physical technology makes appearance after appearance throughout the Bible. Owners of nets were not afraid to cast them out and pull in groups of fish. Did they still go with simple poles and try to catch one fish at a time? Owners of boats were excited when sails could catch the wind, and they no longer had to row across the Sea of Galilee. They were probably less excited when the wind died and had to break out the oars, a lesser technology.
Information Tech
The first example of Information Tech occurs in Genesis 1. God speaks, and the universe exists and obeys. However, we see the first example of information technology between humanity and Deity in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2, a story explains the first time two beings worked together to accomplish something extraordinary. God and Adam work together to name all the animals. "The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper fit for him (Genesis 2:20 ESV)."
Don't close your eyes. Reading this paragraph is necessary to imagine. God communicates to Adam the plan for the day. "I have created all these other living things. Today, I will let you into the creative process, and you get to name them." God tells Adam. The creative portion of God speaking things into existence sparks Adam's imagination, and now his words will carry some weight as he names each animal.
Information moves from the infinite to the finite. A human communicates with the Deity, and an understanding strikes between them. God causes an animal to parade in front of Adam. The animal is unfriendly. It walks on four legs. While it seems to walk loving toward Adam, in an instance, claws come out, and Adam decides the erratic nature of this animal deserves a name that will forever classify it as an enemy of humanity. "It's a cat," Adam says. Adam asks God, "Can you show me its opposite?" Adam runs this four-legged animal. It bowls him over and starts to lick all over Adam's face. The animal keeps pushing Adam until he pets it. The animal jumps up and runs and grabs a stick. Returning to Adam, the four-legged beast pushes the stick into Adam's hand. Adam throws it, and the animal bolts after it like an arrow. Adam thinks to himself," I could love this thing." New information spawns, and the dog's name is synonymous with man's best friend.
Oral tradition gives way to paper and pen. Paper and pen give way to the printing press. The printing press gives way to the internet. The internet gives way to apps. Information technology keeps moving forwards even as one disciple laments the need to use it. John Dyer points out John's lack of excitement about being forced to use pen and paper (Dyer, John. From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology. Grand Rapids, Mi: Kregel Publishing, 2010. pg. 30 - Discerning technology.). The Apostle John says in 2 John 1:12:
"Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete."
What do these usages of technology lead us to conclude?
Updates to technology have occurred throughout history. Crooks become swords, spears, lyres, and harps. Those transform into books, paper, pens, and rock guitars. Are these items good or bad? Do they lead people toward Christ or away from him? John Dyer posits an exciting thought: Tech is never neutral (Dyer, John. From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology. Grand Rapids, Mi: Kregel Publishing, 2010. pg. 15). I believe technology has three different ends: good, bad, and unexpected.
The improper use of technology comes in lots of forms. Technology in the hands of the Philistines kept the Israelites oppressed. Withholding technology, the Philistines were able to keep the Israelites from rising at them. They even began using technology negatively against the Israelites. The battles they fought included armor and weapons the Israelites would not have access to utilize the Tech against them. From our viewpoint and assessment, the Philistines were using technology to harm and not help. We must look at our technology and assess its harmful usage as a church. We have a biblical responsibility to add appropriate filters to block porn, steward every tech dollar, and implement a technology policy that will glorify God and build the kingdom.
The Scripture says only Jonathan and Saul had swords. Israel was technology deficient. No one in Israel could upgrade or gather resources to fight. Yet, we see them utilize their technology to do what they need. "Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel… But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle 91 Samuel 13:19-20 ESV)." When we view this through the perspective of God's plan, we view this Scripture and see the Israelites needed the right technology for the job. They needed updates and upgrades. Walter Wilson, in his book, The Internet Church, explained it this way for the Church:
"The dramatic and startling changes seen through the lens of technology indicate that God is doing something tremendous at this moment in history. These developments are changing society, economics, and politics at an increasingly rapid pace. It is important for the position of the Church and the delivery of God's message in the twenty-first century that we understand the direction and speed of these changes (Wilson, Walter P. The Internet Church: The Local Church Can’t Be Just Local Any More. Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000. pg 43)."
As a church, we should have the same response as the Israelites. We need to accept new technologies and embrace the opportunities as ways to reach more people for Christ. We need to have the right equipment, perform the necessary updates and update the policies as we move forward in building the kingdom. Performing these tasks will allow God's people to do God's work efficiently and effectively and keep guardrails that protect our hearts and minds.
Often the usage of technology follows the law of unintended consequences. What serves at first often devolves into unexpected things. The Philistines knew this could happen to them. They wanted to hoard the technology to keep the Israelites from destroying them. What started as a noble cause turned into the oppression of other people. The initial purpose tracked well, but the Israelites' oppression caused an unintended consequence that their technology did not support. As churches, we see these unintended consequences all the time. For example, we use projectors to put the Scriptures on the screens. This act allows everyone attending our service to read the Bible and not feel left out. However, when there is no incentive to bring your Bible to Church. We have watched this play out here at Cross Mountain. Others have seen it as well. John Dyer served as a youth pastor and saw this same phenomenon happen at his youth group. As he points out, "I never considered that the projector would completely transform the way my students encountered God's Word (Dyer, John. From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology. Grand Rapids, Mi: Kregel Publishing, 2010. pg. 23)."
All three of these responses to technology deserve our attention and our understanding. However, technology is not neutral and requires time as we think through solutions we want to implement, develop the implementation process, and implement it. Who we are and what we believe requires us to look deeper.
