Stewardship of Technology
“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” —Genesis 1:31
Many of us can’t imagine life without technology, but even those of us who value it see its dark side. We’re aware of the research on rising rates of loneliness, depression, and suicide. Cultural critics crystallize our concerns: “Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images.”
That critic wasn’t talking about the internet, though. Not even social media. The target of his wrath was television, written in 1985. Predicting the death of culture is an old sport.
God claims that all of creation is good. As the creative force behind all advances from the wheel to the iPhone, God’s imprint of goodness is on today’s technology. Of course, as a human race we often can and have failed to use creation well. But instead of lamenting technology’s ubiquity, what if we asked what God might be trying to reveal through it?
Perhaps God’s presence has been obvious in your tech life, allowing you to connect with distant loved ones, engage with communities of fellow Christians, or worship with Kenilworth Union while away from home. At other times, technology pulls us away from God. At its extreme, technology can shackle people to addiction and isolation.
After six days of creating, God took a Sabbath. Pause this week for a tech Sabbath – even if it’s just ten minutes – to reflect on how technology can be a source of freedom in your life and where it is serving as a source of bondage.
Prayer: God, maker of all, fill us with awe and wonder at your creation.