Is it Okay to Supplement Your Faith With Technology?

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Many times, we’re told that technology can be a hindrance to our faith. It’s true. It can be a concern for some people, and something worth watching in our day-to-day lives, but it can also be something to better connect us to a community of believers around us, and to God, if we use it wisely.

Technology is okay in faith, and while there are times and places for us to put away our smart phones and tablets, we can also use them to hold ourselves accountable in our faith. Daily technology keeps us in close contact with people we care about.

So, how can we translate that to prayer requests and building strong Christian communities? Technology keeps a conversation on faith ongoing everywhere—on Facebook, Twitter, and more. We have ample opportunities to be lights for the Lord without being “over the top.” How can we use these outlets as mission opportunities?

In “The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion,” Tim Challies writes that “Technology is a good, God-given gift. Created in God's image, we have a mandate and a desire to create technology. Technology is the creative activity of using tools to shape God's creation for practical purposes.”

Technology doesn’t have to be a necessary evil of our world. Instead, let’s find a way to integrate it into our lives in a way that supplements our faith and glorifies God.

Use it Well

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Before we discount technology because of its naturally distracting nature, we must learn to use it wisely. Technology can easily become an idol. We can use it to compare ourselves to others. We can use it to distract ourselves from our families or our faith, but we can also use it for our faith.

This might mean being as practical as setting time limits on yourself for your screen time or removing certain apps from your phone. When we do use technology for prayer requests or reading scriptures, it’s as holy as a moment as if we were using traditional means, such as a Bible, or pen and paper, so we should treat it as such. That means shutting down other apps (even though our tablets and computers allow multitasking these days) and using that time strictly for the Lord.

Use technology wisely and prayerfully. It’s a powerful tool to stay connected to community and to God. It may take some practice to find a way to use technology in a way that isn’t just as casual as checking baseball scores or scrolling Facebook, but remember that being a Christian is about being intentional. Make sure your use of technology is intentional.

The Bible App

Many of us have a Bible app buried somewhere on our phone. Maybe we use it on Sunday mornings instead of lugging our Bible into the church. What’s lost on us is the remarkable nature of our phones and tablets being able to hold the holiness of scripture. Let’s not forget that.

As many turn to reading Scripture on the screen (seven out of 10 of practicing Christian Millennials read Scripture on a screen, according to a study from Barna research), let’s continue to hold the Bible in holiness.

If you’re using your Bible app for a devotional, clear away your email and other distractions just as you would if you were using a regular Bible. If you’re using the Bible app as a daily reminder for yourself to jump-start your day, hold it in holiness. It’s more powerful than the processor of your tablet and stronger than the industrial-strength case you bought. The word of God is still living and holy even in the app, and technology has allowed us to be able to slip it into our pockets and into our purses.

Community

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Many Bible studies and community groups use private messaging apps to stay in constant contact with one another regarding prayer requests. Praying for each other is a great way to build community, and technology has given us a quick way to stay in touch with one another. In the event of emergency situations and exciting events, these messages can instantaneously go out to the members of the group. For those members of the group, it’s a chance to stop and take in the moment and pray for that specific request or rejoice over an answered prayer.

We don’t have to wait until Wednesday night or Sunday morning to meet to tell everyone the Good News or reach out for prayer. In an instant, we can have people praying for us with just a few taps. Technology can foster community if we use it well and wisely.