God Versus Technology

Who is God in this technological world in which we live and what does God mean to humanity? This question has been raised in my mind after reading posts from several news blogs. A number of people talk about religion as ancient superstition that has no relevancy in these modern times. I suspect this is not new, and that at any time in history people have wondered about the relevance of God. But it seems more prevalent today an emphasis on self-sufficiency and and technology. While neither is bad in and of itself, and each of us must grow up and be self reliant to some degree, can it go to the extreme such that humanity has no need for God, or go to the other extreme and wait for God to totally take care of us?

Perhaps its a matter of keeping everything in perspective. I don’t think of God as a great gift giver who gives us all that we ask for, nor do I consider God irrelevant in our world and lives. There are things we are able to do to help ourselves, and I don’t think we were created to do nothing. However, there are times when we are unable to move forward either emotionally or physically, and during those times humanity needs God to shine a light into our helplessness. Sometimes God is silent, but even in the sickening silence is a message of hope in how God may act at any moment.

Technology provides us with many things, and it is easy to become reliant on technology and science to sustain us. But technology and science has its limits. Human life is more complex than just biological functions. There is a spiritual side to human life that cannot be proven in a test tube, and yet it is there. I can’t prove to anyone with complete certainty that God exists. God can’t be grown in a lab, and this inability to prove God may turn some people away.

So who is God in this technological world? For me the God of the Bible speaks through all the elements of this world, including technology, to proclaim God’s love and desire for relationship. People are longing for relationship and we turn to social networks looking for relationships to fill the void in our soul. God invites us into relationship. God is willing to speak to us to establish a relationship despite our wanting to go our own way. The very thing we crave, relationship, is the very thing God offers and is willing to share with us.

A Thousand Words

The phrase, “an image is worth a thousand words” is one that we should take seriously as we consider the use of presentation software in worship and Christian education. So often presentations make use of bullet points that relate to the sermon, lesson plan or words for hymns. I can see the need for words to sing by if you are like me and cannot remember the words. However for other items in worship, the use of technology such as presentation software, offers an opportunity to enrich the sermon through the use of images that relate to the sermon and strengthen the sermon’s impact. Imagine showing an image that captures the main point of the sermon and using it to visually capture people’s imagination.

In Christian education how can we catch people’s imagination through images? Can we make the gospel come alive with visual effects that gives visual learners something to stretch their imaginations to the presence and grace of God? We have the tools necessary to bring the gospel to life visually, all we have to do is look for images that express God’s grace. They are there, if we open our eyes to God’s activity in the world and seek ways of sharing God’s presence.

140 Characters

What can you say in 140 characters? It does not seem like a person could say much with such few characters, but many of the most important ideas in religion are in 140 characters or less. In the Bible there are phrases that carry great meaning and significance about the presence and grace of God such as “It is finished”, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth”, “For God so loved the world that he gave God’s only son”, “In the beginning was the Word”. Hymns also bring to us phrases of great meaning such as, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so” or “he’s got the whole world in his hands”. The gospel does not require lengthy documents, rather the meaning of the gospel can be expressed simply in words, or powerfully in our living the meaning of loving God and neighbor. What words of God’s grace can you express in 140 characters or less? What actions of God’s grace can you express with no words?

Hope

Where do you find hope? People look for hope in many places. Some look for hope in politicians and national policies. Others look for hope in military might or only trust in themselves for hope. There are people that may have lost hope, thinking that life has passed them by and it is now simply a matter of passing time. Where do you look for hope?

There is a desire for hope. Life is imperfect and people often have a need to renew hope. The Psalmist proclaims to all of us where hope is found:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God. (Psalm 43.5)

God alone is our hope. With all the challenges of this world; missiles, terrorism and mistrust we quickly begin to trust in human things to protect us. Yet the very things that seem to protect us can become that which may destroy us. If we could hope in God, how might the world change? Where do you find hope?

Tweet Missions

The summer is a time when groups from many churches are spending time at various mission opportunities around the world. One of the frustrations for those at home is often the lack of information from the groups hard at work. The availability of social networking sites provides a way of sharing with those at home what is happening.

One example is via YouTube. People in the field can post videos during the trip to show what is happening from day to day. It keeps people at home informed about the different things the mission group is doing. One such example out of many from Tube is below.

In addition to YouTube, sending pictures to Facebook or a section on the church’s website is another way to share information about the work people are doing.

Missioners can also keep in touch minute by minute by using Twitter. Adding a tag in a tweet such as #mission allows people at home to search for the particular tweets from the mission trip of their church. People who are interested can have a constant stream of information of what the mission team is doing and how the work is progressing. Tweeting can be done from a cell phone so if there is not Internet access, then using Twitter is an excellent way of telling the story of what God is doing through the hands of those from your church.

There are many communications tools at our disposal that shrink the world and allow us to communicate easily while also participating in God’s ministry in the world. These tools can open us up to the needs of the world around us, and also to the ways people are reaching out to people.

New Tools for Ministry

How fast do we adapt to new tools? There is a well viewed video on YouTube called Medieval Help Desk that depicts what might have happened when people transitioned from scrolls to books.

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Change can be difficult for us, and sometimes we refuse to adapt to what is happening around us. Yet God is constantly giving us new tools to use to communicate to the world. The question becomes will we pick them up and put them to work in ministry?

How will we use Twitter to share and market the gospel? Twitter offers a lot of ways to aid ministry. People can solicit ideas from around the world to broaden our approach to ministry. Scripture can be shared with people that can be inspiring and thought provoking. We can keep in touch with people and groups to support them as they work in God’s ministry. Church events can be marketed to those inside and outside the local church.

How will we use FaceBook to reach out to people? Have you started a Bible study on Facebook or do groups in the church have pages that people can go to during the week? Does the church have a welcoming presence on Facebook that is attractive and speaks to the gospel message?

Or even the traditional church web page, what does it say about your church? An internet site, be it Facebook or through traditional Internet sites, is becoming the front door to the church. So what is on your front door and does it invite people to enter? How does it speak to the message of the gospel?

There are so many possibilities today, and the list will continue to increase. But we have to choose when and how to use these new tools that are at the disposal of the church. What are you willing to try?

Twittering Away

How do you spend time online?  It is easy to get so caught up in what happens online, and the speed at which it happens, that it can become overwhelming.  Emails come in, new Tweets arrive that you just have to read, Facebook friends post information and pictures, are we just twittering away time?  Time wasters is not a new issue, there has always been things we can do to waste time, it just seems easier in front of a computer screen.

However, time online does not have to be a complete waste of time.  We can live a life of discipleship online as well as in the physical world?  It would seem not only possible, but essential.  The digital world can be used to express to the world a word of grace.  Our time online does not have to just be about a diversion or announcing where our next destination is, but it can be something about the presence of God in our lives and world.  Then we have gone from Twittering away life to finding ways to expressing a life of faith.

Journey

Each of our lives is a journey lived in real time mixed with miraculous moments and times of difficulty; times of faithfulness and unfaithfulness.  The difficult times and the blessings come together to tell a story about God’s relationship with us and our struggle to understand ourselves and God better.  Each of our stories are intersected with the journeys of other people, and at each intersection there is a moment where there is an opportunity to share something of ourselves.

We intersect people and God in lots of places and not all of our intersections are in the physical world.  Today we intersect people’s lives virtually as well as physically.  On web pages, IM, Twitter and Facebook we intersect with friends, family and those we barely know.  We intersect with people as we go through our day at work, school and home.  Our lives are constantly being crisscrossed with a variety of people.

What do we receive at the intersection?  Probably most of the time we pass at the intersection with little acknowledgment of the moment.  It is simply another day in our life as it is theirs.  Sometimes we receive grief and hardship, other times a timely miracle that touches our lives with hope and joy.  It really depends on whether we recognize God at the intersection with the person and are able to share something of ourselves.

So what do we share at the intersection? Truth be told it is not always the best of ourselves, yet Christians are called either digitally or in the physical world to share a moment of hope, even if it is in the midst of a frustrating moment, to be able to see beyond the present to the next horizon and there find hope we can share.  It is not always easy, and being a disciple is not always easy.  Yet in these moments of intersection, when God and people come close together, we can find insight and transformation that may change the direction of our journey.

Don’t Forget the Non-Techie People

It is easy to forget that not everyone has access to the Internet, computers, or even email.  The poor exist, and there are those who simply have refused to establish an email address or online access either by personal choice, economic reasons or geographic location.  The church cannot get so caught up with communicating technologically that it forgets about those who are not a part of that world.

That means the church cannot just have newsletters online, or just post special announcements on their web pages or send announcements only by email.  The church is in ministry to all God’s children, including those without access to technology.  Snail mail correspondence, personal contacts and a presence in the local and global community are as essential for the church as it is to be online.  To be in ministry is to balance a presence wherever people are located, for the invitation to the Reign of God is for all people wherever they are.

Technology Justice Issue – Access

There are justice issues related to the use of technology that the church can address.  One of the issues is people who don’t have access to technology due to economic reasons.  The poor simply don’t have access to technology.  In the world today this limits access to information as well as job possibilities.

This problem can be an opportunity for the church to reach out to the poor.  Here is a justice ministry where the church can provide training and access to the Internet as a ministry with those who may need training to get a better job.  The church can open a computer lab for the community and offer training courses in how to use technology.  Or the church can partner with a local college or training facility to provide scholarships for people who cannot afford such training to go to those facilities and receive training that can improve their career choices.

There are other possibilities I am sure, but whatever the church offers, it is important not to lose the community aspect of it.  It is easy to push money at people to offer training, it is another to be in community with them.  The church is called to reach out, and in doing so not only provide an opportunity for people to receive help, but to also invite them into the community of faith.  If the church provides scholarships for training, then perhaps the church holds meetings to help people find jobs, offers a celebration at the end of course and certianly an invitation to study and worship.  This is not just about training, it is about the community of faith reaching out to support people.  Part of that support is related to vocation, but an essential part is related to inviting people into a meaningful relationship with God and a supportive community of faith.