Godly Discernment for Using Technology
The following article is the material of week 2 of the Emmaus Institute Class “Discipleship in a Digital Age” taught by Pastor Jerod Beck.
It’s no secret that technology surrounds us and influences our lives every day. And the ways we use it have the power to bring about great good or significant harm. Therefore, as followers of Christ living in this digital age, it is crucial for us to turn to God’s Word to learn how to approach technology with wisdom and intentionality.
Romans 12:1-2 says,
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)
When we look at this passage of Scripture, one of the beautiful things we see is that when we are fully surrendered to God, He works to transform us to think and live according to His perfect will. As a result of His work in us, we are then able to “test and approve what God’s will is.” In an age of rapidly advancing technology, what a gift this is! By God’s grace, we are not left on our own to figure out how to live faithfully in a digital age. Instead, He graciously gives us the ability to “test” what we see around us to discern His will.
To that end, I want to provide you with seven “tests” that will hopefully prove helpful as you navigate the technology-saturated world in which we live. As you strive to “not conform to the pattern of this world” in how you use technology, I encourage you to use these tests as you’re met with decisions around technology, specifically when it comes to deciding whether or not you should adopt or accept a piece of technology into your life.
Test 1: Can I give thanks to God for it?
Tony Reinke explains this idea well in his book God, Technology, and the Christian Life when he says,
“Wisdom begins with fear and is expressed in gratitude. Can I—in good conscience—thank God for an innovation? The ethics of what is permissible or forbidden is rooted in gratitude. ‘For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer’ (1 Timothy 4:4-5). This holds true for barbecue and marriage and smart phones and medical advances. If we can honestly thank God for it, we can adopt it. God-centered gratitude gives us faith to see that only Christ can fill the holes in our souls. Christ is the secret to thriving in the age of AI, autonomous robots, and anti-aging advances. Joy in Christ teaches us to be thankful for the innovations we need and content without the ones we don’t” (291-292).
So that’s the first test: can I genuinely give God thanks for the technology? Please don’t miss the caveat in that quote! The key phrase is “in good conscience.” It’s easy to just arbitrarily say the words, “thank you” out loud for something. But we have to assess if we can genuinely thank God and praise Him for something before we adopt it. As a simple example, I can absolutely thank God for medical technology that saves lives! Therefore, I’m very willing to embrace that type of technology. So that’s the first test you can apply when faced with a question of tech adoption: can I genuinely give thanks to God for it?
Test 2: Is it sinful?
In other words, is what is before my eyes an offense or an abomination to God? If so, we should reject it without any further questions. By God’s grace, we have His Word, and we need to know it in order to know what is and isn’t sin. Remember the passage from Romans 12. We’re called to be living sacrifices that are “holy and acceptable to God.” To be very clear, God alone gets to define those terms! And we can turn to His Word to find His definitions. Here’s an example of a this idea combined with our first test: consider online dating. As a concept, I believe people can give thanks to God for it. One of my best friends met the woman who is now his wife using an online dating app. I believe this is a good thing! But there are also online dating sites and apps out there that are specifically designed for homosexual relationships. Because God’s Word is clear that homosexuality is a sin and an abomination before Him, we should reject these apps and websites. So that’s test 2: is it sinful?
Test 3: Does it cause a hindrance to following God’s clear commands?
The Bible’s language is very serious toward things that cause us to sin or hinder us from following God’s commands. One example of this is found in Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” This is very violent language! It’s clear here that the Bible calls us to take a radical approach toward things that lead us to sin. So in assessing a piece of technology or how you might use it, if you can clearly see that it’s going to hinder you from being faithful to Lord, you should reject it wholly, or at least reject whatever use case would hinder you.
Test 4: Does the piece of technology lead you to set your mind on the things above or on the earth below?
We could also ask, does the technology lead me to temporal thinking or eternal thinking? This idea comes from Colossians 3:1-2: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” What God is calling us to here is to have our minds fixed on Christ, on eternity, on our true home. So much modern technology is designed to pull our minds down, to make us only think about the here and now. Social media is a chief example here of course. Social media distracts us with today, and it’s exceptional at creating this distraction. Think for a second, if you use social media, when was the last time you scrolled for a while and found your mind drawn heavenward? My guess is that it’s been a while, or maybe never happened. This concept applies to other media and technology as well. When we approach any of it, we need to assess where our mind will be drawn. If it’s only drawn to the world, we may want to pass.
Test 5: Does it tempt you to take the place of God?
One beautiful thing about technology that Tony Reinke also talks about in God, Technology, and the Christian Life is that it can serve to “push back” the curse of sin. When mankind sinned, the ground was cursed. In other words, work would be hard. But technology makes work easier in many ways and can therefore be a great blessing. However, the temptation with technology in some cases is that we can start to act as if we do not need God. We can begin to pretend that we are not utterly dependent creatures. Colossians 1:15-17 tells us, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Don’t miss that last phrase! It is exclusively through Jesus that all things, you and me included, are held together. We are completely dependent on Him. Therefore, we need to be careful with technology and how we use it. If you find yourself feeling independent and God-like using a particular piece of technology, you may want to scrap it. Far be it from us that a tool like ChatGPT would take God’s place as our provider of wisdom and help!
Test 6: Do you know enough about it?
This test is a matter of prudence and wisdom primarily. Here’s an illustration (conveniently written by ChatGPT to illustrate this point): Imagine you’re walking through a forest and come across two bridges leading to the other side of a deep canyon. The first bridge is ornate, brightly painted, and looks brand-new from a distance. But as you get closer, you notice it’s made of fragile wood, with several planks missing and frayed ropes holding it up. The second bridge is plain and weathered, but sturdy. It’s made of solid steel cables and reinforced beams, able to withstand any weight or storm. Without taking a closer look, the first bridge might seem like the obvious choice, but closer inspection reveals the hidden risks. Moral: Only when you understand all the details of what you’re about to step into can you make a choice that’s truly informed and safe.
All kidding aside, we can often adopt technology or types of media or any number of other things without really getting the details first. My recommendation to you is to get the story behind the story of a new piece of tech prior to adopting it yourself. And this idea leads to our final test.
Test 7: Does it cause a net harm or a net help?
Sometimes, technology is described as being just like any other tool. But I don’t think it’s quite that simple. Tools are inanimate, and inactive without an input. Consider something like a hammer. So long as a hammer is set down somewhere, it will do nothing. However, it can be used for all kinds of purposes, for harm or help. Viewing technology just like this though, especially most modern technology, is incomplete. Many types of technology may not be objectively good or bad, but they are very rarely inactive. Almost all modern tech has a bias, a purpose, something it’s trying to get from the user or something it’s trying to get the user to do. This is where we have to put our discernment hats on. When we took at a piece of technology, I believe we need to investigate the bias or bent of that technology. Regardless of what the advertising says, we need to ask, “what is this tech trying to do?” Let me give you an example of this. Straight from Meta’s website—this is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—they say their mission is to, “Build the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible.” That’s a nice thing to say. However, a closer look reveals that their business model is actually based on selling ads to you and me. Their business model is our attention. They’re not incentivized to connect humans at all. They’re incentivized to keep your attention on their sites and apps so they can sell the most ads. So now that we have the story behind the story, we can now really ask, does Meta cause a net harm or net help to us? Well, you have to discern that for yourself ultimately. But that’s your final discernment test. After you get to the core of a technology, you need to ask, does it cause a net harm or a net help to its user?
Those are my seven tests for assessing technology. Practically speaking, I will mention that I don’t think you’ll need all seven for every decision. You may only need one or two depending on the situation. But my hope is that you can use these tests to raise your intentionality and mindfulness when it comes to the technology around us. God has called us to be completely committed in our following Him. He desires that we not be conformed to this day and age, but be transformed. Would He give us the grace to do so and to discern His will.