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Thankful for Technology
- 07/17/10
- 5
I have returned safely from my week away (more about that on Monday) but first I have one more short guest blog for you. This was sent to me by Tim Turner, the Principal Designer and founder of Subsplash and one of the creators of The Church App. Tim and I have been working together on some interesting and forthcoming projects. As I begin to reflect on my week away from all digital technologies, I appreciated Tim’s words of gratitude for them.
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We're a spoiled bunch. As 21st century techno-geeks, we have gadgets that give us everything at our fingertips. We break into fits of rage when we have to wait 2 seconds for page-loads, the Twitter Fail Whale, and the occasional commercial on Pandora. We throw a fit when we don't have perfect 3G coverage on our iPhone 4. It's so easy to get upset about these things. And it's even easier to rationalize it. I know this because I do it.
Not only do we suffer from "Chronological-Snobbery," as C. S. Lewis calls it (thinking that because we're the latest, we're also the greatest), but I would also pose that we suffer from Technological-Snobbery (thinking that we deserve the perfected latest and greatest).
We should really take a minute to chill out and remember God's grace and blessing. We are at an amazing point in history and we should celebrate that with humility. We get to experience some extraordinary advances, especially as Christians. To read the Bible, we don't need to walk mile upon dusty mile to read a handwritten scroll. We can flip open our phone and access 40 different translations, with cross-references, notes, commentary, devotions, and more. We can access decades of sermons from many incredible Bible teachers and churches both in audio and video forms, all on-demand anywhere in the world. Having all these resources available to us at the tap of a finger is a great and wonderful blessing that we should not take for granted. It's important that we not put ourselves in the middle of the iUniverse--even though our phones are called iPhone. It's not about us. It's about God and His work that he's doing through Jesus and His church. People are meeting Jesus and we're experiencing His Truth in amazing ways. If that takes an extra 2 seconds, I'll try to be ok with that.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (5)
I am so grateful for technology - especially social media technology. I have stumbled across this amazing online community of bloggers this year and have seen God do incredible / real-time supportive things through this community. It is almost like having “church” online. I’ve seen people go through deaths in the family and the entire community rally to support them. I’ve seen people put their vow renewal online and allow people all over the world participate with them in it. I’ve seen friendships deepen and develop. I’ve seen ministries supported because of online community. I’ve seen people who were sick getting things they needed because of the support of online community coming out.
It is amazing really - how God is taking this little thing called social media technology and redeeming it for His purposes to be His church.
I too am grateful!
I hadn’t heard the phrase “chronological snobbery’ before, but it is true! I think of how the great heroes of the Bible sought God, reasoned with Him and trusted in His redemptive plan. How they wrote and communicated amazing truth and lived lives of faith - never seeing the outcome of their belief.
Some contemporary authors seem to think we have captured all that truth and can apply it in different ways in our time and culture. They may even suggest that these heroes of the Bible did not have the advantages we have today, therefore this makes them somehow less-informed, less-knowledgeable, less technologically advanced, therefore less-relevant.
I am amazed at the depth of God’s Word - which continually challenges me in its relevance to my life - regardless of what format it appears in. The only ‘technology’ I think is relevant is whether or not it was ‘transmitted’ by the Holy Spirit. There is a living aspect to God’s Word that we do not find in any other contemporary writing or medium. Perhaps this is a reason why we need to be careful about what/how we use aids/technology in our pursuit of God.
Looking forward to hearing about your technology ‘fast’ Tim. Welcome Back!
Mr. Turner said:”Not only do we suffer from “Chronological-Snobbery,” as C. S. Lewis calls it (thinking that because we’re the latest, we’re also the greatest), but I would also pose that we suffer from Technological-Snobbery (thinking that we deserve the perfected latest and greatest).”
I’m sure that it was not Mr. Turner’s intention; but did anyone else smell the strong odor of Darwinian thinking in the human attitude that Lewis was warning us about? Could it be that because of our technological progress, we somehow think that we are better or faster or smarter on a human level than our ancestors? Darwinists think that with gobs of time and more than a dash of so-called chance, everything will naturally improve. However, even science tells us that all organized systems move toward disarray and chaos without an outside influence from the Creator.
Glad you’re back Mr. Challies!
Dan H.
Praise God for giving us access to His word. There are men who have died to give us this privilege.
thank you for that reminder. another reason we are prone to forget is that for many of us, we are so used to having such technology, that we don’t realize what a privilege it is and how much we truly have. this is no excuse, of course. we should be even more thankful for being in the position we are in. and what a sweet reminder that these things are not the end-all. ultimately, having Christ, being known by the almighty God, that is the most amazing thing that I will forever be thankful for.