Importance: 10%
Thesis
Technology is not value neutral. Every piece of technology works to realize a particular picture of human thriving and existence. Therefore, it is clearly not outside the realm of theology or applying Scriptural truth.
Note
Used as LCOS 📃Epistle Feb 2025
Related Notes
- Principles for Working with Tech Tools
- Stream of Consciousness on AI, Technostress, and Faith
- Ritual Technology
- Metaphor of the Stream vs the Garden
- Religion of Technology
A Christ Centered perspective on Technology
It is easy to think that difficulties and debates surrounding technology are a modern occurrence. After all, what other generation has had to navigate so many technological changes in almost every area of life? While this may be true, humans have always struggled with using technology in healthy ways. All the way back in Genesis 11 we read about the poor use of technology to build a tower, not for the health of people, or the care of the earth, but to “make a name for ourselves.” This underlying conflict is one that is alive and well today. Our technologies may be more advanced than brick and mortar but the human desire to build our own little empire has never changed.
Charting a Middle Course
What then is the proper role of Christians in using, developing, and interacting with technology?
In order to begin describing a Christian posture toward technology, I believe it is helpful to identify two common extremes humans have often fallen into surrounding technology. The danger of extremes is always around us as Martin Luther pointedly states: “Human nature is like a drunk peasant. Lift him into the saddle on one side, over he topples on the other side.” Therefore, if there is any hope to sketch out a balanced approach, we must first have an idea of possible extremes. With the multifaceted and far reaching implications of technology, there are doubtless many such extremes. Yet for the sake of our discussion today, we will focus on two: Luddite anger and Techno Evangelist hope.
As you read this, I highly doubt you have particularly formed opinions about cotton mills. Yet the group known as the Luddites in the 1800s had violent opinions on such matters. They forcefully destroyed cotton mills (among other new technologies) because they perceived them as a threat to their livelihoods. What was once their painstaking job of picking out seeds one by one from freshly harvested cotton became an easy crank of the mill. Yet despite their willingness to take things into their own hands, their efforts were very unsuccessful. If you need proof, go look in your closet and see how much of your clothing is made of cotton. Cotton that is accessible because it was processed by technological descendants of those early mills. Looking back it seems almost comical that anyone would be so angry about a piece of technology from which we have all deeply benefited. The same can be said about cars, kitchen appliances, climate control, and all of the other pieces of technology we take for granted. There were once times when all these things were not givens and at every juncture there was someone who agreed with the luddites. Today is no different, as we see and experience new and strange technology, or simply just see technologies change, the angry and destructive reaction of the luddites does not always sound as ridiculous as it should.
On the other end of things are people who have a very different outlook on technology. A particularly striking job title in the Amazon Alexa team is: “Techno Evangelist.” This job is exactly what it sounds like, a person who is here to “convert” you into a user of their technology. The pseudo religious language makes it clear how this perspective can quickly turn technology into the savior of the world. Technology (not Jesus) is put forward as the magic key to solve world problems and usher in an as yet unrealized utopia. It is not hard to see that deep adherence to this worldview quite literally makes a false god out of technology. David reminds us that this kind of false hope has always been among us: “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.“ - Psalm 33:16-18
However, technological “salvation” is not always so brazen. Humans quickly latch on to technology that will make our life better in some way. Yet the line between better and necessary-for-existence is harder to draw and is redrawn more often than we like to admit. For example, I doubt very few reading this are willing to remove indoor plumbing from your house or forgo any electrical lighting. Part of this is caused by personal choice, yet part is also pressed on to us because the physical structure of the world around us is often restructured to accommodate, and ultimately rely, on new technologies. For example, if all of us still had outhouses and wells in our backyards, it might be more reasonable to remove indoor plumbing.
Whether we like it or not, we are enmeshed with many and various technological systems. As Christians, our task is to chart a middle course between the extremes of luddite anger and the false hope of techno salvation. Technology often serves legitimate and useful functions throughout our lives, but it is also not a reliable hope for the future. Just like the simple brick and mortar used to build the tower of Babel, much of the technology’s impact comes back to the way we chose and allow it to be used within our lives.
Technology to Spread the Gospel
We come from a long history of Christians who have harnessed new technology to spread the Gospel. Martin Luther famously put the then brand new printing press to great use during the reformation. He shared booklets, sermons, and even the whole German Bible to more people than previously imaginable. Paul made extensive use of the technologically superior road and boat systems carefully developed throughout the Roman empire. Without such technology, it is doubtful Paul would have been able to travel to a fraction of the cities and provinces he reached during his missionary journeys.
Yet while Luther and Paul made good uses of these technologies, this does not mean that they are unequivocally good. For example, Roman Emperors invested heavily in building roads, not for the sake of the Gospel, but so that they could quickly move armies around to maintain full and brutal control within the empire. While others have used the printing press for great harm spreading things like Nazi propaganda in Hitler’s Germany. Powerful technologies often arise from the same sinful spirit of “make a name for ourselves” as the tower of Babel. Consequently, we are wise to carefully consider a technology’s intended purpose (stated or implicit) and how it affects and shapes us. While at the same time, we should be looking to leverage every tool available to spread the Gospel as widely as possible.
Thresholds of Technology
One helpful way to sort through this dichotomy is the idea of “thresholds.” Every technology has a threshold after which it begins to demand more maintenance and investment than the value it gives.1 A personal experience with identifying a threshold has been abandoning the dishwasher in our apartment. We realized that the effort it took to load and start and (when it didn’t clean it well or got moldy inside because the heating element was funky) load and rewash/re-rewash. Ended up taking just as much time and effort as hand washing our dishes.
Every piece of technology has a similar threshold at which it no longer serves as an aid but becomes a liability, and even an addiction. Therefore thresholds help us avoid unhelpful extremes. Every piece of technology has potential to help share the Gospel, but at the same time cannot be allowed to become an idol, or a resource drain. This navigation is ongoing and one that must be rooted in the core of our Christian identity. We seek salvation from Christ and Him alone.
One way to continue this navigation is to keep conversations going surrounding the use and effects of technology. These conversations need to be honest and broad. Many of us can stand on soap boxes against particular technologies for any number of reasons. Or we can do the same in favor of them. But the core guiding principle needs to remain focused on the sharing of the Gospel. No matter the technology, if it helps us share the good news of Jesus, we should be using it to its full extent. Yet if it begins to get in the way of our witness, we know we have pushed it too far.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again’” - John 4:13-14
Note
Below is an unfinished addition to this essay
Technology as a Narrative Tool
Therefore it is not outside the realm of theology or applying Scriptural truth.
There is no such thing as a completely “neutral” tool. Even a hammer is made with a particular kind of work in mind. Ask a handyman and a sculpture for their favorite hammer and you will
Technology is not value neutral. Every piece of technology works to realize a particular picture of human thriving and existence. In other words, no matter how primitive the tool (think of even a hammer) a piece of technology seeks to accomplish a particular kind of work. The goal being (theoretically) to make the life of the human using it better. A good example of this is the automobile. This piece of technology has vastly changed the ability of humans to personally inhabit a much larger area than would be possible on foot, or with other more ridged forms of transportation. All tech sells based off of a narrative
Even programming languages each have a unique narrative of what makes them special and what problems they seek to solve
The form factor not just the “function” of technology matters to what categories we use to understand the world around us
Jesus love breaking people’s comfortable categories
the problems the tech seeks to solve we can get clues to the larger driving narrative
Each narrative pictures ideal human existence by solving particular problems
Structural narrative how it actually goes about solving the problem (and other more background motivators)
Presenting narrative the way the tech is packaged and presented to users
Question is not what feature does it have but what picture of human thriving does it claim to promote and what picture does it promote
Real life comparison of tools
A crm focused on sales
Rock church management super open source ethos
Leantime focus on general productivity and Neruo divergence
Breeze focused on a more big church money focus same with planning center
The way our physical environment begins to restructure around particular technologies can be a telling clue to the power a particular piece of technology has within our lives.