It is no secret that I love gadgets and technology. We bought our first computer, a Radio Shack Tandy that had a monstrous (for the day) 40 megabyte hard drive which the salesman assured me was all the memory I would ever need. I was immediately mesmerized. Then around 1994 I bought what was called an electronic organizer, a Sharp Wizard, which had a whopping 512 kilobytes of memory. I went through several upgrades of those until around 1996 or 1997 when the Palm Pilot broke ground and really initiated the handheld computing revolution. I loved my Palm and it helped me to stay organized and was a great tool. I still think it’s superior in many ways to today’s stuff. Then came a steady progression of gadgets and the cell phone revolution and then the mp3 players culminating with the iPod. At one point my everyday gear included four gadgets—an mp3 player, a cell phone, a laptop, and a handheld device.

All of these devices (and many more) have now coalesced into just one gadget—the culmination of years of advancement, the Tower of Babel of our generation—the smart phone. Or, in my case, the iPhone. This item is the pinnacle of technology. Surely there will not be anything to render obsolete this modern wonder. This piece of hardware is an absolute marvel of design, engineering, technology, form and function. In one device which fits comfortably in my pocket I have replaced several items—music player, GPS, book reader, personal information organizer, camera, video camera, computer, calculator, compass, level, and the list goes on. Oh, yeah, it also can make phone calls (although, ironically, I think the phone part of the iPhone is its worst feature.) The ultimate Swiss Army knife (is there a knife app than anyone knows of?), the iPhone is awesome and I can honestly tell you that it has the capability of being an extremely helpful tool.

So I just want to be honest that what I am about to say comes from a guy whose admiration for all things techy goes back a long way and will probably not end. I am not an anti-technology, let’s all become Amish kind of person.

HOWEVER (you knew that was coming), I have come to the point that I am deeply, deeply concerned at the ramifications and effects which seem to be emerging from our online, gadget driven lives. These concerns come from my observation, experience and my study as I am reading a lot in preparation for a future sermon series addressing some issues and challenges unique to our day and time. I have been convicted to the point that I need to share some of my thoughts regarding the ways such technology is helpful but also harmful for us as God’s people, kids, men, women, husbands, and wives. Over the next couple of posts I will talk more about some of these.

In Genesis 11 we find a very proud and presumptuous generation who decided that they, through their prowess in bricks and building, could become real big shots and eliminate their need for God. So they set about building this tower to reach to the heavens. I love 11:5 when it says “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the men were building.”

God came down. What they thought to be their crowning achievement in the quest for self glorification was as nothing to God. They thought it would reach God, but it was so insignificant that He had to “come down” to see it.

This is a reminder to we who live in the most technologically advanced culture in the history of the world. We’re not such big shots either. They took the good abilities and gifts God gave them and put them to use for an ungodly purpose. The Tower of Babel was built so they might become more like God. Yet it was the very thing that scattered them and separated them from God and each other. I believe that if God’s people don’t do some hard, honest evaluation of our techno-driven lives, the very thing which can bring us closer to each other and to God might be the very thing that minimizes and harms those very relationships. Not to mention eliminating our ability to think, process, create, mature, reflect, focus, and be truly productive. 

I am typing this post on a computer while listening to Pandora on my phone. I am reading a lot of material on this subject from downloaded books on my Kindle. So, again, I am not being the cranky person who hates all this stuff because he doesn’t understand it or know how to make it work (sometimes I wish I didn’t). But I am convicted that I need to sound an alarm (or a beep, or whichever ringtone you want) lest we keep building our towers brick by brick and never stop to consider what we are doing and who we are becoming in the process.