Technology: Master or Servant?

By Pastor Bill Cox

Daniel 12:4 states that one of the signs of the end of time would be that knowledge would increase.

Obviously, this includes many areas. The last 150 years have seen many discoveries and technological advances including manned flight, space travel, automobiles and many medical breakthroughs.

The area that perhaps is moving the most rapidly, though, and affecting every area of our lives, is the realm of communication and computer technology. It has become a multi-billion dollar industry as technologies are developed more quickly than we are able to analyze or respond to them.

One commentator outlined this technological revolution:

“1965: Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, discovered that the performance of a computer’s memory chip doubled about every eighteen months. Known as Moore’s Law, his observation has proven to be remarkably accurate, as computing power increased over 18,000 times from 1971 to 2000.

“This explosion in computing power fueled the technological accomplishments that characterized the twentieth century. “The invention of the microchip in 1958 spawned a generation of silicon-based technological wonders that have recently become mainstream, including personal computers and the Internet.

“In 1990 only 15 percent of households in the United States owned a personal computer; by 1999 ownership had increased to close to 50 percent. In 1998, sales of personal computers in the United States totaled $36 million, and households with Internet access rose from 26.2 percent in 1998 to 41.5 percent in 2000.

“The widespread use of personal computers and the Internet has provided previously unfathomable conveniences to society.”

Since 2000 when that commentary was written, we’ve seen incredible increases in computer technology with the miniaturization of computer chips, which made possible the development of PDAs, smart phones and similar technologies.

In a relatively short twenty-some years, we’ve gone from a society in which cell phones were a novelty in an emerging technology to a wired generation totally plugged into various apps. Because of the rapid development and access to these technologies, the question arises as to whether we’ve had ample time to examine the negative as well as the positive effects of the technological revolution.

The positive results of the technology boom are evident, as we have rapid and easy access to information. Even as the airplane and the jet engine have geographically shrunk the world, so the Internet has put the world’s libraries and research at our fingertips.

But what of the many negative possibilities inherent in the information revolution?

Marshall McLuhan was an early critic of the rise of technology, in particular regarding the effects of television on society. McLuhan made the profound statement that “all media exists to fill our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values.”

We probably don’t know how true that observation is in our lives, as we’re constantly bombarded with subtle and not so subtle messages.

Obviously, the most garish and disturbing of this media saturation is the widespread dissemination of pornography in society. One survey stated that 12% of all Internet sites – or some 24 million websites – are pornographic.

Despite the efforts of behavioral “experts” to downplay the destructive effect of this widespread phenomenon, common sense would tell us that this has led to an increase in sex crimes and a general coarsening of society.

Anyone having a personal computer with unfiltered content is setting themselves and/or their children up for dangerous and seductive temptation. One of the dangers of the aforementioned miniaturization of computer chips giving increased Internet access on phones and other portable devices is the difficulty of filtering content on these devices. Unfortunately, even the best filters can be bypassed by computer savvy users, so it requires other strategies and a determined will to avoid temptation.

The Bible cautions us in Ephesians 4:27 to “give no place to the devil.” In the realm of technology, this requires being proactive and deliberately avoiding situations that place us in harm’s way.

Much debate has been made about the dangers of social networking, citing the possibility of cyber-relationships eventually leading to actual adultery and other unsavory relationships. This is certainly a danger, but I believe a greater area of concern might be the folly of placing one’s personal life in the public arena for all to see.

A public service video making the rounds depicts a girl named Sarah who, as she walks through her school, is met with snickers and leers from the male students and others because of some explicit photos she posted of herself online.

One website cautions:

“Since the advent of the personal computer and the Internet, we have been enjoying the perks of The Information Age. However, with the prevalence of blogs, RSS feeds, YouTube, and online social networks, many would argue we live in the TMI era, the Too-Much-Information Age."

Services like MySpace and Facebook enable users to post an overwhelming array of personal information on websites, creating a public record of things like one's spring break photos, the video of a friend's birthday, etc. This information then becomes potentially available to anyone, including employers.

Posting unsavory information about oneself online is similar to getting a tattoo. It might seem like a good idea at the time, but how will it look in ten years?

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:23: “a prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.” Prudence unfortunately is not a strong point for many young people, but it would be advantageous to consider the consequences before posting foolish self-disclosures online.

There are many other issues with the onslaught of technology in our society. For example, the dehumanizing effect of living in a cyber-world as opposed to having real face-to-face human relationships.

The Internet is a miserable comforter when one is in the midst of life’s struggles and difficulties. How much more rewarding it is to develop genuine Christ-centered friendships and enjoy fellowship as part of a local church!

One also wonders what effect all this technological distraction and background noise has on our ability to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit trying to bring counsel and direction in life.

We would do well to heed the advice of the writer of Psalm 46:10. Amidst war and earthquakes and turmoil, the psalmist counsels: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Like it or not, the technological revolution is upon us. We can’t put it back in the box.

If anything, it will only grow more omnipresent at a dizzying pace. As believers we need to find ways to use it to advance the gospel, but we must also view it and use it with God given wisdom and prudence, lest it should take us places we don’t want to go.