Jump directly to the Content
Wired

How to Preach About Technology (Don't)

Why I cringe at sermons about smartphones.
How to Preach About Technology (Don't)

Here's a provocative piece from PARSE friend Chris Ridgeway, who is tired of shoddy cultural exegesis where technology is concerned. Chris will offer the "Do" side of preaching on tech issues in a soon-to-publish piece. -Paul

The formula begins with a simple family illustration:

We sat down to dinner last week where Cindy had made chicken. While we are trying to get everyone to the table and the milk poured; I'm asking Katy, my 13-year-old, about her day. But she doesn't answer. She's got her phone out and her eyes are glued to that thing and she's tapping away and she's oblivious to our dinner preparations or anything I'm saying. My 8-year old? Same story!

Then, a revelation:

Then my phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket to see a message from my associate pastor, and it struck me. There we were, all sitting around a table and good food that the Lord provided, and instead of seeing each other, we were each addicted to our tiny screens. ...
April
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Drawing Your Sermon
Drawing Your Sermon
How sketching diagrams, images, and “cluster corners” enlivened my sermon prep.
From the Magazine
What Kind of Man Is This?
What Kind of Man Is This?
We’ve got little information on Jesus’ appearance and personality. But that’s the way God designed it.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close