Imagine strolling through Mainz, capital of the Electorate of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire. The year is 1455. On your walk, you come across a book. It is unlike any other book you have ever seen. It shows no trace of handwriting, just even, perfect, blocky letters. You recognize it as a Bible and examine the price tag: 30 florins. For a clerk, that’s three years’ wages! But it’s still much cheaper than a manuscript Bible. You peek past the display at the apparatus in the back of the store. Strange. As you walk off, you think to yourself: “At this pace, everyone will have one of those soon. What a crazy time to be alive.”
Technology isn’t new. Each generation has its own inventions and innovations, and each generation has to consider their implications. Are they good or bad? Or neutral, because the printing press itself isn’t responsible for what it is printing. What about today’s technology? Over the next several weeks, I’d like to think through topics related to our technology. My goal is to provide practical tips on how to think about and manage your home internet, your devices, and various media like social platforms, video games, and streaming video. These articles will encourage caution. But it is not all bad, so I will also examine some good uses, like how to improve your productivity and manage your time more efficiently.
Why bother? For one, the way we spend our time—which I’ve touched on before—is important. Second, we have responsibilities to ourselves and others about what we consume. For me, that means protecting my family (and myself!) from pornography and other inappropriate content. To do that, we must be familiar with how this content is accessed. Third, the way we interact with people has changed significantly in our lifetime because of new tech, and we need to evaluate our new social interactions biblically. Lastly, the rapid pace of innovation can be difficult to keep up with. Maybe I can make it easier for you to stay informed by pointing you in the right direction.
Let us honor our Lord with how we use our time, interact with others, and with what we consume, for his glory and our joy, because he knows best.
Here are the completed articles in this series: