The Sinfulness of Technology and the internet

You may have decided to read this blog because you hate technology  and the internet and wanted to have some ammunition in your anti-technology/anti-internet war.
If this is you, first of all, why are you reading a blog on the internet?

Second, the main point of this entry is that technology and the internet are not sinful.  People are sinful (Romans 3:23).

Technology and the internet will reveal what is going on in a person’s heart.  This is very similar to Paul’s statement in 1st Timothy 6:10 about money.  “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Money is not the evil.  The love of, the worship of, the finding your hope and joy in, money is the problem.

In a 2009 article John Piper wrote about two possible responses to social media like facebook and twitter.

One says: These media tend to shorten attention spans, weaken discursive reasoning, lure people away from Scripture and prayer, disembody relationships, feed the fires of narcissism, cater to the craving for attention, fill the world with drivel, shrink the soul’s capacity for greatness, and make us second-handers who comment on life when we ought to be living it. So boycott them and write books (not blogs) about the problem.

The other response says: Yes, there is truth in all of that, but instead of boycotting, try to fill these media with as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness as you can.

To read the entire article click HERE

The pastors at Emmanuel Baptist Church understand the internet and social media are part of the culture we live in.
Instead of hoping it goes away or it is not a problem, we want to glorify God with our website and other online resources.  We would love to see the members of EBC fill their facebook, instagram and twitter accounts  with “as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness” as they can.

We would love to see our members GLORIFY GOD in all of life, including online activities.

In writing all of this, I know that many people reading this article are already connected with various online resources.
Here are two challenges for each of us…
1.  GLORIFY GOD with your status updates and online conversations.
2.  SHARE WITH OTHER CHRIST FOLLOWERS the importance of pointing people towards Christ in life and on the web.  You can even share stories verbally with those who are not online.