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Get Ready for Sci-Fi Reality
A Response to Al Erisman's 'The Face-to-Face Gospel and the Death of Distance'
To facilitate a truly global conversation, we ask Christian leaders from around the world to respond to the Global Conversation's lead articles. These points of view do not necessarily represent Christianity Today magazine or the Lausanne Movement. They are designed to stimulate discussion from all points of the compass and from different segments of the Christian community. Please add your perspective by posting a comment so that we can learn and grow together in the unity of the Spirit.
Al Erisman is absolutely right to note the dramatic effects of emerging technologies and to use Information Technology (IT) as his example. It is the most developed and familiar of the new technologies; and since it is all about communications, it is plainly the most relevant to people with a message. An emerging key skill is knowing when to call, when to e-mail, when to IM, video-conference, tweet, blog—or when you need to slog through security and fly and meet someone face to face. One of the ironies of web-based communications is that some of us have ended up traveling more as a result. Our projects and (in some cases) friendships become transnational. For a difficult conversation, or a truly creative one, you just need to be there.
Of course, at one level, there is nothing new: Paul wrote letters to the churches, and he visited. What is fascinating is to see how similar the old technology is to the new. Phones pulled from the wall, and typewriters endowed with new powers—19th century technologies on steroids, whose final impact we can hardly start to grasp.
Yet the opportunities of e-mail and the Web, while they are enormous, merely scratch the surface of what is underway as we press further into a century which will see not just an explosion of new technologies but, as it were, a series of such explosions, each bigger than the last. Since Christians of most stripes have so far been distinguished only by their lack of interest in these questions, reflection on technological change is timely. Perhaps Cape Town 2010 will lead to a fresh recognition that the Christian's commitment to the stewardship of God's world is not merely over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, but over humankind and every level of human culture. Which in the 21st century means, especially, the frontier of science and technology.
So what else is out there? IT is fundamental and is driving every technology. But there is little in the sci-fi literature that is not also, in one form or other, already in the lab. Synthetic biology may enable us to create novel complex organisms. Nanotechnology—engineering on the tiniest scale—is already seen as the most revolutionary technology of all, producing amazingly light and strong new materials. Tiny nanoscale machines could replicate themselves and be used to make pretty much anything else. Some visionaries see artificial intelligence—following the principle of Moore's Law—compounding until machines are smarter than we are. (Ray Kurzweil is the leading advocate of this vision, and he is respected even by those who think he is too optimistic.) Robotics will lead to the confusion of humans and machines. Smart human look-alikes are already available for many domestic duties. Will they destroy low-paid work and strip our economies of labor and income for those at the bottom of the tree? Or make life easier for all of us?
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Jenifer Manzo
I really appreciated this conversation. I think so often the Christian community gets left behind in major changes happening in the world. We were behind on Abortion and I think we are behind on technology but hopefully not quite as much! I do have one concern though - it has to do with the video. Sometimes creating robots in the image of man (including emotions) can come across as playing god. Maybe that's just my old-school bringing up but it makes me nervous. There is such a fine line between creating things that will help people while at the same time creating something that would be used for destruction. That being said though I really appreciate seeing Christians out there who are working to stay in the fore-front of this rapidly developing area. Hopefully more and more Christians will be willing to do the same in other areas as well.
Shannon
I was struck by what Wha-Chul Son's statement about a paradigm shift. We facing the ramifications of the advances in technology. The advances will not stop regardless of our positive or negative feelings about them. Our thinking should now address what we are going to do. We should also consider how our biblical worldview will influence our use and distribution of technology.
Michael Pavek
This was a great article that is leading me to explore how we use technology at our church. We're discussing doing a video podcast of our sermons and are looking for ways to actively engage people online to spread the Good News of Jesus' Salvation.
Marilyn Adamson, United States
I especially liked the question, "Does real preaching require real presence?" I personally am very grateful for Paul's preaching in Romans, though Paul is not with us. Written form was God's means of getting the gospel to millions, without preachers being face-to-face with millions. Same with Billy Graham on TV. Now we have the opportunity to give the gospel to those searching while in their homes, offices or college campuses. It no longer is only at our choosing....people who do not yet have a relationship with God are searching, taking the initiative on Google, asking questions like "does God exist?" I'm so glad we can provide an answer to the millions whom God is wanting to draw to himself, like at EveryStudent.com. I am grateful there is no distance between our message and those wanting to find it.
Alan Young, Australia
An excellent article. I am struggling with the issue of the use of modern technology in the church. It has now reached the stage where we don't need to take our Bibles to church because the scripture readings are all on the screen. Our young people read from their Ipods and mobile phones. Are we losing the importance of knowing how to use our Bibles? Does it really matter?? Carrying ones Bible used to be a sign of our loyalty to the Lord.
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