Guardrails for Technology

Technology is a part of our everyday life. We used it to wake up this morning and cool us as we slept. It got us here, assisted in our worship, and is now sending this service across the globe. We live within the cloud of technology. At the same time, many are beginning to ask, “What are the results of all of this – especially the communication technology and the beginnings of social media?”

Technology has not taken God by surprise. In fact, the Bible provides many examples of technology and the integration of that into the culture.

- Language was God’s creation

- Tubal-Cain made things out of bronze and iron

- Noah built an ark

- People built the Tower of Babel

- David incorporated the weapons of the Philistines

- King Solomon built a temple with great craftsmanship

- Jesus used the tools of a carpenter

- Paul used letters

God isn’t a hardliner when it comes to using technology to further his purposes. In other words, he isn’t entirely for or against technology. But this doesn’t mean God is okay with however we decide to use technology. He calls us to use technology for his glory and our good (1 Cor. 10:31) – not for the destruction of his creation or people.[1]

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

BUT, the problem has become, are we using technology to the glory of God or are we being used by technology?

Barna polled U.S. parents of children ages 4 to 17, and 78 percent of respondents said raising kids today is more complicated than it was for their parents. When asked what makes parenting harder, 65 percent cited technology.[2]

I believe that we can find some help from the Bible to help us with this issue.

Wait a Minute! A Closer Look at the Tower of Babel

In the list I mentioned of technologies we find in the Bible; the Tower of Babel stands out for some very unique reasons. Let’s dive into Genesis to see why.

Genesis 11:1–9 NIV

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

This story took place south of Baghdad in modern day Iraq. The people decided to build a ziggurat, a multistoried tower topped with a temple where humans supposedly could meet with the gods. Babel itself means “gate of god,” but here the one true God turns the plan of humans to achieve semidivine status into a disaster of “confusion” (Heb. balal, perhaps a pun).[3]

Their skills end up leading to failure because they are seeking their own glory and not the glory of God.

What Issues Did the Tower of Babel Present? Are they relevant today?

Problems with the Tower of Babel

1. They Had a Problem with a Misplaced Purpose

What purpose had God given to the people left from the Flood in Noah’s time? They were to be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.

Genesis 9:1 NIV

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

To remind them of the unique relationship that they had with their Heavenly Father, He established a covenant of life with the rainbow in the sky as evidence of it.

The builders of the tower chose their purpose to be to stay together in a city, make a name for themselves, and go into the heavens. God’s response is comedic:

They say, “Let’s go up”. God says, “Let us go down”.

They say, “Let’s unite into one”. God says, “Let’s confuse and scatter them”.

God is very concerned with purpose.

2. They Had a Pride Problem

Man is continually tempted to exalt self. The builders of the tower were definitely self-interested. They said, “Let’s us build a city and a tower for ourselves”. “Let’s make a name for ourselves.” It reminds me of the untimely death of Herod in the book of Acts.

Acts 12:21–23 NIV

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

The Lord is a jealous God and when we exalt ourselves instead of Him, there is a price to be paid. they were exercising their imagination and creativity, but apart from God. The Tower of Babel became an icon of their pride and rebellion, and their misuse of knowledge and creative powers to disobey God.[4]

Unity in itself is never admirable. The account of the Tower of Babel is an account of divine judgment for disobedience; the unity the people prided themselves in became their downfall, and what they feared the most, being scattered, came upon them (cf. Prov 10:24a).[5]

Proverbs 10:24 NIV

What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

3. They Had a Problem with Misplaced Fear

The people decided that they feared their very purpose. God said, “Go, multiply, and scatter”: they said, “Stay and concentrate”.

It is very possible to fear the purpose God has created for you. But, where God guides, He provides.

Something we all have to realize frequently in our lives is the origin of the fear that grips us. Then, we need to learn to “fear not” and trust God.

There are … two kinds of fear. There is that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, which is founded in love. There is also a slavish fear, which is a mere dread of evil, and is purely selfish. - Charles Finney[6]

Here are Some Guardrails to Keep Our Technology in Check

So, we see from the story of the Tower of Babel that there were issues with purpose, pride, and fear. These 3 points could be applied in virtually every area in our life but let’s apply them specifically to technology this morning.

1. Live a Purpose Driven Life

Dr. Rich Palazzolo made a point to mention that the scientists of history worked from a biblical perspective and found that science confirms the Bible. Oftentimes today, the world wants to separate the sacred and the secular, telling the Christians to stay out of the area of the secular. Instead, we should strive to understand all of life through the lens of the sacred. Dr. Paige Cunningham explains:

In this story, we can see a foreshadowing of today’s misplaced confidence in biotechnology. Just like many people of today, the Babylonians began to build the ziggurat because they wanted to control their own destiny, to go it alone without God.

Today, technological knowledge and powers are increasing exponentially. Many new technologies originate with good purposes but look what has been delivered to us instead: creating dissatisfaction just to sell a product; exerting eugenic control; orienting medicine toward “bodily excellence” rather than healing and comfort. More and more of life is being medicalized, whether it’s controlling children’s behavior in the classroom, reshaping personality traits, or enhancing our physical appearance just to look sexier.[7]

Never confuse progress with purpose. Here are questions you can ask as you seek wisdom: Why do I need or want this? Does this help fulfill God’s unique design for me? What can I learn from wise Christians who have thought deeply about the moral questions?[8]

With the piles of technology that we have around us, be sure that the devices and time used are developing the purpose and plan that God has for your life.

2. Understand Your Position in Christ and Live in Humility

It is vital that you and your children understand the priorities and privileges that we have in Christ. However, like the builders of the Tower of Babel, mankind has a way of making ourselves the center of the universe. Social media has become fuel for this fire. Dr. Kathy Koch in her book, Screen and Teens, shares 5 lies from technology.

Lie #1: I am the center of my own universe.

Social media can cause children to believe this lie. If they're old enough to post, they'll watch to see how many "likes" they get.

Young people might answer the phone only if they're in the mood. They can buy just one song rather than needing to buy an entire album, and they can watch only what they want on their own handheld device. Technology caters to their individual wishes and demands, and they get used to things being all about them.

We must teach that God is the center of the universe, and we must provide evidence from Scripture and our observations of how the world works. We must teach and reinforce that all people have value. We must call self-centeredness sin and teach children, through our example, how to be other-centered.

Lie #2: I deserve to be happy all the time.

Technology has taught children there are many reasons they should be happy. For instance, everything should be easy, and they should always be able to get a higher score on a game. Don't get me wrong. I don't want children to be unhappy; they just need to understand that happiness isn't guaranteed.

We must prioritize joy over happiness, contentment over entitlement, and effort over laziness. We must allow some consequences to be in effect rather than rescuing them from all hardships. We can model and teach the difference between wanting something and needing something. We can model our dependence on God, and cultivate thankfulness.

Lie #3: I must have choices.

Because of the drop-down menus on our devices and the availability of all the websites, television channels, movies, apps, and other things, our children think choice is their right.

It's fine to provide choices when we can, but let's model and explain better standards than personal happiness, especially when making important decisions. Children will benefit from being taught about decision making, cause-effect thinking, and how to handle it well when they make unwise choices.

Lie #4: I am my own authority.

As with the other lies, there are several causes for this one. For example, there's no clear standard of right and wrong in our culture. Many authority figures from government, schools, and the church have failed us, and children see that. Television shows and movies often have no authority figures in them, or the authority figures are shown as out-of-touch and clueless. This is especially true for traditional family-authority figures like dads.

We must help children see that God's boundaries are because of His love for us, and His authority is designed to protect us. We must help children learn to hear and respond to God's voice. We must be wise and godly authorities. This can include apologizing when we make mistakes and teaching truth rather than sharing advice and opinions.

Lie #5: Information is all I need, so I don't need teachers.

Not only do children think they don't need us because they're their own authority, but they also may dismiss us because they think information is all they need, and they can get that on their own.

Teaching children standards to use when choosing what information to keep is vital. We must teach them how to synthesize all the information so that what they learn from a textbook, DVD, or conversation all works together. We need to teach how ideas influence other ideas, how to form conclusions, how to ask compelling questions, and even how and why our children might want to share what they know with others. Children need us to help them!

They also need us because we can help them understand important differences between information, knowledge, and wisdom. We must help them understand why to prioritize wisdom.[9]

3. Learn to Fear God and God Alone

The people had no one else to fear. God told them that even the animals would keep their distance from them, but they were afraid that they would be scattered. It reminds me of a recent lesson on Israel’s first king. The nation of Israel demanded a king so they could be like the rest of the nations. In our lesson video it showed a family being influenced to look like others, want what others had, and dress and act like the others around them. It certainly takes courage to be God’s people, living with His principles, and maintaining Kingdom-mindedness.

Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

It is Submission to the Spirit that Enables

Our greatest tool to navigate through these times is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is fascinating to consider the reversal of the story of the Tower of Babel in the books of Acts.

Jesus told the disciples to wait on the Person of the Holy Spirit. They were united in the upper room in prayer. This time their unity was in purpose to wait on the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1–6 NIV

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

God’s purpose. True humility in godliness. Inspired courage through the power of the Holy Spirit. These have always been the way of the Christian and will continue to be the way of the Christian in the age of modern technology.

Suggested Resources

Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place. www.Andy-crouch.com

Dr. Kathy Koch. Screens and Teens. See also her website, www.celebratekids.com

[1]Wisnewski, Jesse. “26 Bible Verses About Technology/ Tithe.ly”. https://get.tithe.ly/blog/technology-in-the-bible. Accessed April 26, 2021. [2] Quick, Christina. “Plugged-in Families Feeling Frazzled”. Influence. https://influencemagazine.com/Practice/Plugged-In-Families-Feeling-Frazzled. Accessed April 28, 2021. [3] Fee, G. D., & Hubbard, R. L., Jr. (Eds.). (2011). The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible(pp. 87–89). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [4] Cunningham, Paige Comstock PhD. “The Tower of Babel and Technology”. Everyday Bioethics website. https://everydaybioethics.org/podcast/tower-babel-and-technology. Accessed April 28, 2021. [5]Ross, A., & Oswalt, J. N. (2008). Cornerstone biblical commentary: Genesis, Exodus (Vol. 1, p. 90). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. [6]Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Modern church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [7]Cunningham. [8]Cunningham. [9] Koch, Kathy Ph.D. “Combating Technology’s Lies”. http://publications.heav.org/publication/?i=482804&article_id=3038678&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5. Accessed May 1, 2021.

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