As church technology volunteers and staff, we live in a fun world that is super gadget and software oriented where we play with social media, mess with sound levels, and find creative approaches to new announcement videos. But we also live in a world where Christian theology is our worldview. And while I believe that God is all knowing and all present, I personally have problems when we try to overspiritualize something that might not be true. Case in point, technology that is powerfully and fully impacting our life today.
This all came about from a conversation I had with Brady Shearer over Twitter that was in jest, but got me thinking about this topic:
@seventy8prod I obviously repented and deleted the blog post.
— Brady Shearer (@BradyShearer) June 20, 2014
Is All Things Technology Spiritual?
So when does theology and technology intersect and when are they two different subjects? Should we go the route of some and say that everything is spiritual and buying a 99 cent song on iTunes versus using Spotify can impact ours or others souls? Or maybe we lean towards the more pragmatic Christian and even if we use copyright images off of Google Image search for ministry, that does not mean any thing spiritually because the two subjecs are separate? I wish it was so black and white, but with something that invades our every day, even our every our of use personally and in ministry, we have to have a more greyed approach to it.
Here are some areas, in my opinion, where technology does and does not collide. Sound off in the comments your gut reactions to these:
Technology and Theology Do Collide
- Stewardship
The model within the tech industry is to have the latest and greatest of everything. I see this constantly seeping into the church tech world, but the reality is that an iPhone 4 is a great device and its free. Can you unlock your phone with your thumbprint? No. But do you not have 10 seconds to spare to swip? Yes. You are bound to financial stability, tithing, and giving to the poor and widowed to not be updating tech all the time and buy stuff you do not need. - Pornography
This topic foundationally is not a tech concern, but the delivery of it is 95% through tech and many successful solutions to ending porn addiction is through tech. We need to be responsibly for ourselves, our spouses, our families, and ultimately to God for what we look at. - Stealing
In the digital era, stealing has become a philosophical debate. Are we really stealing if I just copy ones and zeros and the original is still there? As a Christian, our hearts reveal so much more about this topic than many of us would like to talk about. Using images, videos, fonts, and software without permission or paying for it is wrong. Does not matter if the prices are ridiculous or unfair, we must do what is right under God.
Technology and Theology Do NOT Collide
- My Favorite Operating System
Would Jesus use an iPhone or Android phone? Should I use Gmail or Outlook? At this point, we are talking about software, not price points, and so theology does not come into play. Would God be more happy and bless you in heaven if you went Open Source? No. Will one better serve your organizational needs? Yes, but that is not a theological debate. - Letting Children Use Tech
This may get a little personal now. Parenting styles are not inherently wrong. Yes, neglect and avoiding your children is terrible, but allowing your child to watch babies laughing or pandas sneeze is not a subject a pastor has authority in nor a sin that Christ was crucified to allieve. You have an opinion and nothing more. - Creative Design
I address this now because it pertains to my discussion with Brady, but honestly it could be any number of over spiritualized things. Art in and of itself is a great expression of our talents and skills that God has given us, yes! We should do our best to create something that will represent the body of Christ as best as possible, yes. But bad graphic design, a wrong font used on a presentation, a sound level that messed up on Sunday morning, or a video camera that was out of focus is not a sin. The angry reaction you have towards a brother or sister in Christ because you are momentarily distracted is a sin and then we can have a theological talk. But a mess up that might have momentarily interupted worship, a cell phone that was unintentionally left on ringer and disrupts Bible study, or any number of other things are simply not spiritual.
What other areas do technology and theology collide?
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