The Ignorant War On Technology

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Bob

As a tech-enthusiast, I’ll admit I’ve become a bit troubled over the last few years regarding the ever-increasing attacks on technology. I’ve listened to technology be blamed for turning our brains to mush, and for destroying our ability to be adequately educated. I’ve seen it be blamed for murders and massacres! I’ve even heard technology be blamed for rape!

Granted, people always complain about how changes in society are destroying us, so why does this one matter so much? Why is it worth writing about now? It’s the a rising belief that there is a new, monumental threat to Christendom that grants the attention of this article. From apologist Josh McDowell to those blatantly against the faith, people have been blaming this new “threat” as the primary decline in Christianity in the West. It’s not militant atheism, or post-modernism, or Islam.

It’s the Internet.

That’s right, the Internet is now the embodiment of evil itself that will destroy our faith from the inside out. Here are the what Josh McDowell had to say about the Internet from the link provided above:

“The Internet has given atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the people who like to destroy everything that you and I believe, the almost equal access to your kids as your youth pastor and you have… whether you like it or not”

NOT THE CHILDREN!

Now, in all seriousness, I have a lot of respect for Josh McDowell. Bethany and I have always been huge fans of apologetics – the study of defending the Gospel through factual and logical discussions – which is what McDowell is primarily known for. Bethany loves the writings of C.S. Lewis, the great apologist of the early 20th century. We both enjoy the works of Ravi Zacharius, one of the best apologists of our time. I could sit and listen to John Lennox for hours if given the chance. These are brilliant men!

The problem I have with this latest argument is there seems to be so much attention being focused on the symptoms, while NO ONE seems to be addressing the problem! There seems to be little “brilliance” behind what McDowell is proposing. There is so little logic here that it borders right on the edge of – dare I say – “ignorance!”

Understanding The Argument

One of the biggest problems I have with this initial argument is the fact that skepticism exists everywhere you turn – whether on the Internet or not. It’s our ability to criticize and question everything – and I do mean EVERYTHING – that has led to our culture’s increase of skepticism. However, I will admit it was the Internet that allowed the sudden increase in sharing ideas that has truly led to skepticism’s recent massive surge. But in the end, what are these ideas? Mere information.

Whether this information is right or wrong is not what’s on trial here. What we need to determine is if the information as a whole is a threat. After all, that is what the Internet provides: Information.

So, is that our fear – that we or our children will experience so much information that faith will be lost? Is our faith so shallow that the fear of experiencing the slightest breeze of doubt will completely uproot our belief as that doubt lightly blows past our eyes or ears? How can we be so afraid of information? It’s mere words!

Understanding the TRUTH of Technology

Are there harmful things out there on the Internet? Absolutely. Some of these “mere words” cast lies of doubt and fear into people’s minds. There are plenty of grotesque images and videos out there that do nothing but pollute the mind. Yet, how is this any different from what is found on cable television, the theaters, or – to a lesser extent – the local library? In all of these venues you’ll find ideas and images that don’t always correlate to Scripture. They all contain information, images, and videos of things that are likely not suitable – or even harmful – for your children.

So what is it about these various forms of technology – Internet, computers, television, books, etc – that truly make them so harmful? I mean, if there is something truly “evil” or “unchristian” in them, we should be able to remove it and allow the rest of it to remain, right? Is it the metal? The wiring? The machine produced circuits and chips? Do Dell or Apple have Satan worshipers in their plants cursing every product being made? Of course not! (Well, Apple might, but I think that’s my own bias slipping in there.) The truth is it’s just stuff! It doesn’t have the ability to be or choose good or evil – it’s stuff!

No, the real problem isn’t the material the technology is made out of, but the content residing within the medium. Yet content creators rarely receive the blame here. That would mean offending someone! That would mean potentially attacking someones “freedom of speech” that should more rightfully be defined as “exploitation!” God forbid we be placed in the uncomfortable position of addressing the problem as residing in a human being – attacking the inanimate technology is much easier!

How can we blame a bundle of wires and circuits for the actions of human beings? Is it so hard for us as humans to take responsibility for our actions that everything wrong with the world must be blamed on STUFF that have no ability to choose their own fate? Do we blame the car for killing people when it’s being driven by a drunk driver? Do we blame highways for the sins that take place in cities? Do we blame Interstate 15 for the gambling and prostitution that occurs in Las Vegas? Of course not! Yet, that is all the Internet is – an expressway to information. It doesn’t decide what is posted on the Web.

Metal can’t choose if it’s turned into an atom bomb. Bricks can’t choose if it becomes a weapon to break glass or the cornerstone to an orphanage. Wires and circuits can’t choose whether or not they display the Bible or pornography. People chose that. People choose what content is made available, and people choose (sometimes accidentally) what they view. They type the site URL or the search criteria, and they press Enter. They interact with digital browsers and search engines made by other people. The technology doesn’t decide any of this – people decide it. People decide to do good or evil – NOT STUFF!

Understanding the TRUTH of Information

Now, it is true that some things, although not evil, are still harmful. That live electrical wire may not be evil, but it’s still harmful for me to touch it! Many of the websites certainly shouldn’t be “touched,” right?

I’m not always so sure.

Are there parts of the world the Gospel shouldn’t be? Are there parts of the digital world that shouldn’t know, see, or hear about the love of Christ? If that “part” of the world forces you to engage in sinful activities, then maybe the answer is yes. We need to reach the PEOPLE, but not engage in the sinful behavior. As the people are changed by Christ, the environment will naturally dissolve away. Yet, we should never annex off the PEOPLE within those environments in the name of “perceived purity!” (See the Good Samaritan.) The same should go for the Internet. Remember that there are people behind these sites. Yet you shouldn’t have participate in the sinful actions in order to reach the people themselves.

Many times, however, we often disagree (correctly or not) with the statements being made on a site, declare the site “harmful” despite any real sinful material, and annex it. The reaction goes back to the fear of skepticism. Is that appropriate behavior? Does disagreement automatically define “mere information” as harmful? Do we do this with other parts of our lives, too – annex people out of our lives who we disagree with? Is that the behavior Jesus took?

Understanding the FAITH

The truth is my faith was not founded on “information.” My faith was founded on a belief and relationship with my God. It was not reading the words of the Bible that saved me, but the BELIEF in those words that brought me to life!

Unlike some others, I see the Internet differently. I don’t see a violent sea of skepticism for me to drown in, but landscape of tools and knowledge to be discovered and used! I see amateurs, like myself, having access to Hebrew and Greek interlinear Bibles! I see the opportunity to learn about those who oppose my faith, understand their mindset, and challenge their ideas.

I see the wealth of knowledge of men who are 20 times smarter than I am on many of these topics appear right at my finger tips. I can watch them debate Dawkins and others who are hostile towards Christianity. I can hear the sincerity in their voices as they answer the tough questions posed by scholars and average people alike. I can learn from them on how to interact with love and kindness towards people who oppose my beliefs.

I can see the images of those hurting around the world, and realize a picture truly is worth more than a thousand words. I can pierce that encapsulating, comfortable Western bubble that we all struggle with and learn what is happening in the world around me. I can be healthily challenged about what it means to help the poor and the hurting.

What wonderful resources to have!

Taking A Stand

You see, it’s the kind of behavior of annexing anything challenging or different that causes Christians to become ignorant and shallow in their walk with Christ. Why are we afraid of information? Are we afraid that they might actually challenge what we believe? Are we afraid we might have an answer to an honest question of doubt someone might have? Are we afraid of actually going deep in our relationship with Christ to find some of these answers?

The Internet is a tool that has been put in the hands of everyone. Thus, everyone can be a creator of information. Is that scary? For some, sure. Not only can this increase skepticism among Christians, but it gives atheists the ability to voice their objections to the faith. Yet, if we want Christianity to be respected in the world around us, we MUST be willing to allow opposing perspectives to exist in the Marketplace of Ideas. We have to be open to hearing and challenging those ideas, no matter how ridiculous they may sound. Then we’ll be ready for it when it “creeps up on us” into mainstream discussions. One hundred years ago, the belief of “Truth does not exist” would have been viciously laughed out of philosophical conversations. Now, this belief is dominating the moral and ethical debates around us, and many Christians don’t know how to address it in a way that doesn’t insult the opposition, causing them to shut down and ignore anything we say. We must be prepared for ANY idea that may challenge our beliefs – that is, after all, the idea behind apologetics.

We must prepare our kids as well. They don’t have to know Systematic Theology before they’re 12, but they should understand why we believe what we believe. They should feel comfortable asking us the hard questions they see online and hear from their friends at school. Josh McDowell was right about one thing in his article: We can’t hide them from this stuff. Even if we block it off at home, they’ll find it on their phones, their friends phones, at school, or anywhere else that happens to be connected. We, as Christian adults, must prepare our kids for these situations so as to ensure our kids aren’t side-swiped by these arguments when the arguments come.

So, is the Christian faith being shattered by the Internet? Well, that depends on how you define “the Christian faith.” If you view “the Christian faith” as an old man with a beard floating on clouds checking off how many times you’ve been good or bad, then Yes it is being shattered. If you define “the Christian faith” as the blind acceptance of a religious teaching without any understanding or reasoning, then Yes it is also being shattered. And praise God for that!

However, if you view “the Christian faith” as a deep, intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father and His son; if you view it as reaching out to those in need, and sharing with them the love of Christ and the hope of the Gospels; if you view Christianity not as a vending machine, but as a way to view, understand, and help the world around you… the Internet is not at ALL shattering the Christian faith, but strengthening it!

We could go on being ignorant and accepting the idea that technology is ruining our culture as we annex off those who embrace it. We can continue to blame it for all our problems while never recognizing the real issues.

Or we could stop the War On Technology. We could accept that it IS changing our culture. We could stop blaming technology for our problems, and actually accept responsibility for our actions. We could prepare our children to use it well. We could recognize technology as a valuable tool, and use it to strengthen our walk with Christ.

In order to do that, however, we would have to stop being ignorant.

Cultural Differences – Part 2 Technology

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Bob

One of the measures of the status or “development” of a country is the state of their technology – what they have access to and how they use it. As a tech guy myself, this is something that really intrigued me about coming to China. What intrigues me isn’t necessarily what they don’t have, as much as it’s how they use what they do have. Sure, there are some technological limitations, but the reasons for these limitations and how they handle the limitations might surprise you.

Cell Phones

What some people don’t realize is that cell phones have become an integral part of living on this planet, no matter what country you live in. Even Haiti – the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere – has a high reliance on cell phones. I would argue that cell phone usage is more important in other countries than they are in the USA.

Cell phones in China is no different. No matter how rich or poor you are, everyone seems to have a cell phone. You want a smart phone? No problem! They have them here – Samsung Galaxy 3 and the iPhone 5 are easily obtained here… but expect to pay the same as you would in the States for them! With the income differences, that can be a huge chunk of change! Or you can choose one of the hundreds of knockoffs running the Android OS for about $160.

Cell phone usage, however, is a little different here. For example, in China it’s much cheaper to send a text than to call someone. Some people even have cell plans that have very little voice time at all. You text everyone. Once your monthly allotment of texts run out, you can still receive texts from others (you’re only changed to send texts), but you won’t be able to send texts until you head to the store and add more money to the account.

What amazed me most about cell phone usage was how they are used for nearly EVERYTHING in China. Sure, we use our smartphones for quite a bit in the States, but do you take customer orders with it while working at a restaurant? They do in China. What about communicating with your boss, fellow teachers, and students? In China, you don’t rely on email for these tasks, it’s cell phones. There is no piece of technology that’s more crucial to the Chinese than the cellphone.

Computers, Printers, and Prices

The computer is pretty important to life in the West. When it comes to business, it’s also important in China. But for personal use you won’t find one for every person in the house. You’ll probably see one that people will use to watch videos, but that’s about it. Sure people have email here, but I don’t find it being used that often outside of work.

It’s not that they don’t have computers here – many people have computers. Most of them are still running Windows XP on REALLY old hardware, but they have them. (You remember Windows XP – that operating system that released in 2001 that has so many security holes by modern standards, won’t run most modern programs, won’t support above 4 GB of RAM, can’t use Internet Explorer 9 or above, … yeah THAT one!) It’s just that computers are so expensive here! Although the incomes here are dramatically less than in the States, after the exchange rate the cost of a computer is nearly identical! So the percentage of income it would take to buy a computer here is SIGNIFICANTLY higher! However, as incomes rapidly change here, and currency exchange rates change over the long term, I see this situation changing as well.

As far as the students, there really aren’t any “computer labs” on campus for students to use. Many of them hit up the Internet Cafes or a few select teacher offices to use computers. Typing up papers? I doesn’t happen. All homework is hand-written and turned in as such. Teachers realize limited access students have to computers, and don’t even think twice about the hand-written assignments. I’ve never seen a college student here type up an assignment.

With that being said, Bethany, as a teacher, will still type and print assignments, study guides, and other things for her classes. When she goes to print it off at school or even at home, we realize the main cost in China isn’t the ink/toner like it is in the States – it’s the paper! The $3 ream of paper apparently costs much more than the ink that’s printed on it. “Sure you can use the printer. Just make sure you bring your own paper from your office.”

Electricity

In many ways the same “cost per income” analysis is true for electricity. Our school takes care of our utility needs, but the average Chinese resident deals with a significantly higher “cost per income” to pay their electric bill – and most people don’t use electric heating/cooling units!

This becomes a big deal when it comes to student dorms. Here, the University has keeps strict control on power usage. They have to keep their costs down, so they turn the lights on in the entire building at X time in the morning, and turn them off at Y time in the day. The same happen at night – they come on at X time, and they get shut off at Y time at night. This is true for the whole building. Wasting electricity is a big deal here.

Our Technology

Coming to China, one of my biggest fears was limited technological access. To be honest, there is still a lot of access to technology. What the area might lack in computers, they make up for in cell phone usage. We have Internet access, electricity, and cell phones. The school even supplied us with a computer for Bethany to use. Granted, it is an older computer by our standards, and we did bring our laptops to China with us, but it’s the gesture that counts. So many of those fears were unfounded.

Sure, in this small town, our electricity may go out once or twice a month, and our Internet access may be slower than those in the States, but we have it. That’s all we really care about. Things may be different, but they work.

For long-distance communication, we primarily use Skype and the Magic Jack we picked up in the States before we left, as well as a few other technologies. Those two specifically have been huge blessing for staying connected to our families and friends. We even use Skype to attend church with our community of Faith in Kentucky! Magic Jack is nice because it gives us a Kentucky telephone number that is local for our friends and family to call!

While there are some strong technological differences between our cultures, I’m impressed with the ways the supposed-limitations are handled here. It’s neat to me to see the new ways that common technology is used, and how the culture handles the associated costs of technology.

As China continues to improve it’s infrastructure, the technology will continue to change and grow as well. It may take some time, but they are improving here at a very rapid pace. It is that rapid pace that will propel China through those “development” ranks. Is it too fast? Are they moving too aggressively? Are the people even able to keep up with the changes? That depends on who you ask. Whatever the answer, it doesn’t change the truth of the situation: China is developing quickly!

Technology, Creativity, and Worship

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Bob

One of my favorite parts of January is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This international show of all things tech showcases most of all the latest and greatest things that are being developed. Some of these may be mere novelty product that’ll never find their way onto the store shelves. Many of them will go though multiple revisions before officially launched, and may not look much like they do at the CES. Yet, all of these products showcase the human creativity that God has placed in each of us.
After all, creativity essential to worship, and technology has been part of that process all the way through the ages. Whether it’s organizing words on a page to be repeated later on, crafting metal into precise horns, harps, and other musical instruments, constructing places of worship, creating stained-glass windows to share the Bible with those who could not read or understand Latin, using modern sound equipment…. It’s all worship, all heavy in creativity, and all requires technology.

But it goes much further than this. Take it back to the very beginning. What were the first two jobs given to Adam? To tend to the garden (Genesis 2:15) and to name the animals (Genesis 2:19-20). Before the fall of man, God commanded Adam to create; to build upon the very creation that God had given him.

Later on in the Old Testament, we see technology and engineering at work with building of alters. God commands Noah to build a massive ship. Then the creation of the Tabernacle, and of course the Temple is later constructed. Technology used in the creative forms of worship to God.

Lastly, we see John’s depiction of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:9-27). A city with a wall, gates, roads of gold, foundations. All of these things came into existance (from a human standpoint) through technology. Why not have a garden come down from heaven like in the beginning? Why a city? God obviously embraces technology in the worship process as He places it in His everlasting dwelling on Earth.

Sure, technology can be used for negative and even evil actions, but so can any object. The wood that God created can be used to build a hospital or to beat a man. The actions are what is evil, not the stuff. Objects don’t have the capability to be good or evil. Does a knife get to choose whether it serves hungry children in an orphanage meal after meal, or if it is used to stab someone? No, it simply exists for the purpose of the person holding it. Does a brick get to choose if it is used to shelter the homeless or used as a weapon? No, it simply exists.

Technology itself should never be blamed for the negative actions of humanity. Just because objects are placed together to create an object intended for malicious usage doesn’t mean the technology behind the abuse is inherently bad as well.

As I look at all the neat – if not nearly useless – stuff that has been created and showcased at the CES, I can’t help but wonder which of these will end up in an act of worship. Probably not the fork and spoon that records your eating habits to tell you to slow down. Maybe the neat tactile touch-screen. Could the 52″ flexible TV screen be used as part of worship? Is it NEEDED? No, but nearly all technology isn’t NEEDED. Buildings and chairs aren’t needed. Neither are roads or 200 feet thick walls that are 1,400 miles high. But I’m certainly not going to argue with how God creatively uses technology.