Technology & Faith - Part 1
- Timothy Kernc
- Mar 28
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 1
WARNING: This article might cause you to think about what life would be like without your smart phone. Click button below.
I recently read an article by Eli Tan (“Can God speak to us through AI”) about how some pastors and rabbis have been experimenting with Open AI for sermon-writing and other pastoral tasks. Pastor Jay Cooper, from Austin, Texas, even prompted Open AI’s ChatGPT to generate an entire service based on the thematic prompt: “How can we recognize truth in a world where AI blurs the truth.” Talk about “meta.” And no, I don’t mean Facebook. I mean the other definition of meta (as follows).
meta – adjective
showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself
as a member of its category; cleverly self-referential
-Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary
Tan’s article got me thinking about whether technology enhances our faith or hinders it.
In our modern age, where smart phones have become ubiquitous and it’s hard to imagine a world without Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or YouTube... has our prayer-life and the way we worship been made better or worse because of technology?
Access to the Bible
Certainly, access to the text of the Bible in numerous versions and languages, both printed and via Apps developed for smart phones, would seem like a positive development. The potential for people across all the world to read both Old and New Testaments in a wide variety of languages is at an all-time high; at least in countries where people have easy access to smart-phones. Thanks to smart phones people can pull up their Bible any where at any time. Only Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1440 was a more significant leap forward in giving the masses access to the translated Word of God.
According to ChatGPT, approximately 100 million Bibles are printed globally each year. In the United States, approximately 20 million Bibles are sold annually, accounting for about 25% of newly printed Bibles worldwide.
For people who can’t read or who live in impoverished countries, Revelation Media is developing an animated version of the Bible in chronological order. According to Revelation’s web-site, “It will be the world’s first visual presentation of God’s Divine Narrative.” Wow! Pretty soon you won’t even have to know how to read to experience God’s Word.
Having internet access and a device to watch it on is preferred but Revelation Media has even come up with a solution to reach the most remote places on earth, where people don’t have internet access or phones! (https://get.revelationmedia.org/ibiblepress/faq)
Seems like what Revelation is developing could end up becoming the most worthwhile technological advancement, in terms of helping people get access to the Word, since Gutenberg’s printing press.
A New Technology Age
We have been living through the dawn of a new Technological Age since the home computer and Mac became as common in people's homes as the refrigerator or microwave. Now that cellular networks, smart-phones, and Wi-Fi have converged to bring about constant access to everything the internet has to offer, both good and bad, and manual dial-up connectivity through modems is a thing of the past, I feel like we are moving into the afternoon of this era— the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (aka: A.I.). But no one is quite sure what it will bring.
Mr. Tan sets the context better than I can:
For centuries, new technologies have changed the ways people worship, from the radio
in the 1920s to television sets in the 1950s and the internet in the 1990s. Some proponents
of AI in religious spaces have gone back even further, comparing AI’s potential— and fears
of it— to the invention of the printing press in the 15th century.
The New York Times News Service – March 8th, 2025
As with all new rivers that begin to flow through society, the water is muddy and we're not sure what's under the surface. How will A.I. change our lives? Will it improve things and make us better people? Or will we grow so reliant upon it that we are no longer able to think for ourselves or perform basic tasks. I think we need only look at the smart phone, which first went to market in 2003 but did not become as prevalent as the wrist-watch until 2006, to see the sociological precedent we can expect. When I use the generic term "smartphone," I'm referring to devices that combine the functionality of a cell phone with the features of a computer. This includes all makes, models and operating systems, of which Android (Samsung & Google) and the Apple I-phone are most pervasive.
Smart Phones & Human Behavior
These remarkable devices, with one hundred thousand times the processing power of the guidance computers used on the Apollo space capsules, have transformed the behavior of human beings across the globe. Today, everything on the internet is at our fingertips 24 hours a day. Never in history have we been able to get an answer to a question regarding historical fact so instantaneously. (Never mind how inane that question might be.)
The old way of getting an answer to a question— which was looking it up in a trusted reference book— has been discarded and forgotten. When was the last time you saw a high schooler look something up in a dictionary or encyclopedia? How we communicate & connect with others, how we make dinner reservations, how we navigate to places we've not been to... all of these methods have been revolutionized by the smart phone in the last 20 years. Have you ever seen a nineteen year-old use a road atlas or physical map to try to find their way to a destination? Of course not. Why would they? Their smart phone’s map app will get them where they need to go. At least, until the battery dies.
Emoji's and MEMEs
Sure, we know what they are today.
But imagine going back in time to 2004 and trying to explain an emoji or meme to your younger self.
Are we getting Smarter or Dumber?
I worry, some times, that new technology makes mankind dumber. We certainly don't need to have as much information memorized as we used to. Wikipedia and a wide variety of online resources give us answers in seconds that used to take minutes. Most people don't even know the phone number they dial to reach a friend or contact because it's in their phone under that contact's name. They just push a button and "bingo"... the person is called. (I know people who don't have their own phone number memorized.)
The new way replaces the old way and soon, we can't remember how to perform the "old way." How many of us could hitch up a horse & buggy to get around town? When was the last time you used a travel agent to book reservations for a vacation? Are people better spellers today with the advent of auto-correct and spell check? How many teenagers could figure out how to use a rotary phone?
As a counterpoint, and to be fair to the younger generation, how many people over, say 60, have relied on a teenager (or younger) to help them setup their new smart phone? Although it might not be something we care to admit, the older the dog, the more challenging it is to teach us new tricks.
Just as we haven’t gone back to using the horse & buggy to get around since the advent of automobiles, those old encyclopedias, almanacs and history books are likely going to be gathering dust from now on. How many of us— at least, those of us over a certain age— still have a typewriter or radio sitting on a shelf some where?
Good Old Days?
Talking or writing about the technological advancements I’ve seen in my lifetime makes me feel like one of those old codgers yelling at kids to “get off my lawn.” But I’ve seen a few, as anyone over the age of thirty has. My children don’t appreciate it, but I find it enjoyable to wax nostalgic with the well-worn cliché: “Back when I was your age…”
I remember when we only had 3 channels on our television and had to occasionally fiddle with the antenna (aka: “rabbit ears”) to try to get the station to come in clearer. I remember listening to Harry Carey broadcast out-of-market Cubs games over an AM radio station. I remember actually having to pick up the phone to call a friend and make plans for a Saturday night rather than typing a text message with my thumbs. I remember learning to type on these ancient devices known as typewriters. In my high school typewriting class, we had to master an old-style Olympic typewriter, which required a forceful keystroke to print each letter onto a piece of paper, before you’d be allowed to use the IBM selectric, which I can tell you felt like a major advancement.
My children will never know the joy of pulling that last freshly-typed sheet of paper for a composition class essay from a typewriter feeling like you just made your deadline for tomorrow morning’s edition of the local paper. (I know, I know… no one reads the newspaper anymore.)
They do, however, know the frustration of running out of toner or ink in the printer right when they need it most. But it's okay... they have YouTube to show them how to replace the toner. (Am I dating myself? Maybe essays written for highschool classes are turned in via email or internet these days.)
What did we do before Smart Phones?
Travelling through an airport recently, I found it humorous to see how many people were looking down at their smart phones and I started to imagine what they might be doing that was so engrossing. Were they keeping up with family via text messages? Were they reading the latest news about world events or playing Candy Crush? Maybe they were reading the latest novel by Rebecca Yarros? Or they could have been passing the time joining a national security chat with Pete Hegseth to get up-to-speed on the next U.S. airstrike in Yemen.
But I think there’s been a casualty of the mobile device revolution: the ability (some might call it a learned skill) to relate— to communicate, interact, smile good-naturedly and engage with other people. Or just to look up from your phone long enough to acknowledge the person standing in front of you.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is what Heaven looks like today:
The smart phone has changed us. I mean, let’s be honest. Parenting today looks different from what it was, say, twenty years ago.
And children playing? Well… we’ve all witnessed what that looks like today.
Talking to someone in-person or over-the-phone has become so rare, I worry about the long-term affects on the younger generation’s ability to navigate socially awkward situations.
Do you Own your Smart Phone or Does your Smart Phone Own You?
The traditional marital vow "Til death do us part" now seems to apply to our relationship with our smart phone.
Yep, the smart-phone has changed the way we live and behave. If you don’t think so… ask yourself, “when was the last time I went to the bathroom without my cell-phone?” If you said today or yesterday… congratulations, you’re a better person than I am! Or, at least, less addicted to your phone. (Insert snarky emjoi here.) But I like to tell my wife that I come out of the bathroom these days a little smarter than when I went in.
Information Overflow
I often feel like I simply can’t keep up with the overwhelming amount of information coming at me via internet news sites, social media, text messages, and, of course, the dreaded email. Email has become, for me, the five-letter word I despise most, surpassing the word "moist."
Has email really made our lives better? Has the communication and sharing of information via electronic-mail (as opposed to the letters, postcards, flyers, bills, etc. that we used to receive via the postal service) improved our lives? Has it really given us back that most treasured of all commodities: time? Or do we spend more time reading email than we ever spent reading "snail mail"? Mmm... how could I get an answer to that question?
Let’s ask ChatGPT:
Two to three hours per day is actually less than I thought it would be. If you include Saturdays & Sundays, that's only 21 hours per week reading & responding to emails, which is less than I spend. (I always like to be above average.) When my kids were younger and used to ask what I did in my job, I often glibly replied: "I read email."
I remember when spam used to refer to a canned meat product you bought at the grocery store. Now it’s… well, you know. Companies that want to sell you something have no better, cheaper way to reach you than to send you an email that, invariably, ends up in your Spam folder. And why not…? I’m sure that 1 in 500,000 people they email actually ends up buying the product they’re trying to sell.
Here's an Informal survey question:
Do you spend More or Less time reading email than you did 10 years ago? How 'bout 20 years ago?
Back in the Day
I’m old enough to remember a time before email. In fact, I can still remember the thrill of beginning to use email in 1994. How cool it seemed to be able to send a message to dozens of people at the same time, quickly sharing pertinent information (announcements, budgets, price changes, staff meeting agendas, etc.) without waiting for an inter-office memorandum to circulate. Yes, kids, back in the 80’s and early 90’s, organizations used to employ people to type up memorandums and have them sent via inter-office mail (often, across the country) to the parties that needed to know. The process could take days. So in that respect, email has been a significant time saver across all industries & institutions.
Science & Technology – Good or Evil?
I think we’d all agree that science and technology have largely benefited mankind. It’s hard to imagine life without electricity, automobiles, airplanes, the refrigerator, radio, television, microwaves, computers, the internet, and smart-phones. (Or the printing press, whose legacy and purpose lives on.) And let's not forget the lasting impacts the washer and dryer have had. Would you rather be hand-scrubbing your underwear and hanging it on a clothesline or using Maytag’s latest innovation?
Technology is neither inherently “good” nor “evil.” Technology is a tool. It's how we use the tool that matters. Every tool or technology can be used for good, life-sustaining purposes, or for bad... as a distraction, a time-waster, or worse, a weapon. Mankind has certainly invented more brutally efficient ways of killing one another. Some times the tool simply distracts us from doing good, which is enough for evil to get a foothold. It’s up to every individual to decide how they’re going to use the various technologies we have today.
It’s not lost on me that I’m writing this blog on a computer and will be posting it to our web-site. But it beats typing it up on a typewriter or, worse, hand-writing it, and sending it via the U.S. postal service to a mailing list. Although, truth be told, I still like receiving a good newsletter or informational document in the mail. (Hillsdale College’s Imprimis is one such example.) And, of course, I've used OpenAI's ChatGPT throughout this article.
People & Relationships
From the beginning, human beings were created for community and connection.
“It is not good for man to be alone…” Genesis 2:18
Technology that enhances interactions and connections, such as a Zoom call with someone in another country, an online sign-up form for a church function, or a text message that cries out for help, would seem to be positive and beneficial. But so many technologies manifest like forbidden fruit, tempting us and causing us to sin in passive ways.
A pastor I really liked once suggested in a sermon that the invention of the garage-door opener was one of the most socially divisive and anti-relationship devices ever invented. Why? Because it allowed people to drive their car into their garage and enter their house without having to say “hello” or speak to their neighbors. I’d argue that television probably accomplishes that on a much more massive scale.
T.V., the internet, and now, social media, while they’ve become an indelible part of our culture, are contradictory technologies… supposedly invented to bring people together and create a sense of community & connection… but they actually bring about a lifestyle spent on the couch or in front of a screen. Good manners, socialization, exchanging pleasantries, the ability to converse without typing... all seem like human behaviors destined to go the way of the typewriter, or the rotary-phone. Maybe we're doomed to become a race of couch potatoes.
From afternoon to evening
If we are moving from dawn into the afternoon of our current Technology Age, what will the evening bring? People sitting around wearing Virtual Reality headsets— living their lives in the meta-verse?
Not wanting or needing to interact with other people...
Or will technology enhance our relationships and make us all better people, seeking after His kingdom and His righteousness, not worrying about what we will wear or eat or drink? Or watch on T.V. or do in the next VR experience...
Who knows. Only time will tell. But I doubt we'll have to wait too long.
The Speed of Change
When technological advancements come, they come fast, seemingly overnight. Consider the lighthouse, which served a necessary function for ships at sea for hundreds of years. Today, they’re no longer needed due to the many diverse nautical technologies— GPS, radar, sonar, LORAN-C, electronic chart & display information systems— that are available to ship captains and navigators. Lighthouses remain today only as beautiful monuments and archeological wonders from a bygone era. (But their light still offers value, albeit more symbolic than practical.)
In Part 2 of this blog, I’ll be delving into the evolution, wonders, uses and idiosyncrasies of Social Media. (What might Jesus' Facebook page look like?) Then in Part 3, I'll look at the ephemeral, vague technology that is all the rage right now: “A.I.” In that post, I'll be attempting to figure out which is better… artificial intelligence or the real thing. Until then, try not to be one of those people who forgets to look up from their phone while walking.
I wanted to end this post by making a pun involving the word meta, but I thought it would be too pun-ishingly self-aware. (Insert groan emoji here.) Be sure to bookmark this web-page and check back regularly for more entertaining and educational comments from the cheap seats. (Insert wink emoji.) Your reward for making it to the end of this post is the funny but slightly gross comedian excerpt below. If you worry that you're addicted to your smart phone, I recommend taking the 3-month Digital Sabbath challenge at the end of the Psychology Today article linked below.
The Squat and Run (don’t watch this if you find toilet humor vulgar or offensive)
“I Can Quit Using My Smartphone Anytime."
Wow! Thanks for thinking through this topic and writing about it! I'm looking forward to the other parts.
Technology and social media is a very important topic, and one that I'm learning how to navigate on my own having had my own phone for just about a year (by choice).
I'm curious to see what you write about AI. Maybe you could think through (on paper 😉) how it relates to creatives and the arts?