Technology: Helping or Hurting the Church?

Technology has come so far in such a short amount of time, that it is hard to make sense of how it affects other areas of our lives. Being a millennial, I have never been without the internet and technology has been such a huge part of my life. And growing up in a very strong Christian household, I have also been emersed in that culture as well. So managing how my spiritual life and technology fit together has always just been second nature. Since I was, and am, constantly involved with both God and technology, it is not hard for me to see how they fit together. But for other generations or people that aren’t tech heads like me, it might not be so easy.

When I was growing up, we went to a pretty traditional church with an older congregation. In that church, I heard a lot of conversations, between mostly older generations, complain about how technology is the devil in one way or another. Some weren’t that dramatic, but there was a lot of negativity when it came to technology. Some argued that technology is distracting us from focusing on our faith. Some argued that technological advances are going against and interfering with God’s creation. Parts of these arguments hold validity, but other parts are obviously coming from the fact that people don’t like change. Through talking with some of these people, there is one thing in common with these arguments. The root of their complaints come from the fact that change is hard to deal with.

But there comes a point where we need to embrace the fact that technology will not stop advancing. So we must learn how to incorporate that into our spiritual lives in the right way. There are so many incredible ways that technology has been a blessing to me and my walk. First of all, the Bible app is a game changer. Having the ability to dive into scripture at any point in the day is absolutely amazing. Technology has also given us the ability to spread the word of God like never before. I can witness to just about anyone in the world at the click of a button. Just think how many people have come to Christ through some sort of technology. Whether it is watching sermons online, listening to podcasts, or texting your mentor, technology has completely changed my spiritual life. It enables communication, fellowship, and community like we have never seen before.

But, as much as I believe that technology compliments my spiritual life, there are some aspects of technology that can be dangerous. It definitely can alienate those who aren’t so tech-savvy. For some old members of the church that don’t have a facebook or smartphone, technology can be scary and hurtful in that respect. Having a computer at the tips of our fingers also comes with enormous dangers of sinning. The pornography business thrives on the fact that anyone can look at anything at any time. This is a real problem in the church that must be talked about and fought against. Technology also proposes a danger of laziness. It can be so easy to just scroll facebook or surf the web instead of spending that time for something productive like praying or reading the Bible.

There is no doubt that there are pros and cons to technology when it comes to affecting our spiritual lives. There’s good and bad, which is why it is hard for some to see the other side. If we only look how it affects us, we cannot fully understand how technology can be used for good. It is something that must be discussed within the church and body of Christ. We have to learn how to manage the ways in which we use technology if we want to further the Kingdom of God in the right ways.