Theology Of Technology(2)

THEOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGY

Angelia Martin Technology in Worship: CW 601 June 6, 2008

2 Preface In my sophomore year of college I was bogged down with labor intensive classes that were required for my major yet seemingly unrelated to my course of study. The only class that was not required, and ended up being the most enjoyable, even satisfying a core curriculum fine art distribution requirement, was Beginners Drawing I. One of the first assignments was to sketch an element that defined a familiar environment and to develop a story of how “the element” relates to my life. I did not have a clue of what the assignment meant or what was required of me. I assumed an easy “A” when signing up for drawing, thinking, “How hard could drawing really be?” I was not completely ignorant, perhaps insensible to the fact that artists think about their masterpieces before they begin. My issue was that I did not know where to begin. That year, I also worked in the library in the Center of Educational Technology. I was one of the six student workers that were responsible for checking audiovisual and laptop equipment out to library patrons and guests; in addition to monitoring the technology rooms. Most days were slow, especially if there were not any events on campus that needed presentation equipment set up. Around noon one day, I was sitting at the front desk; most people were at lunch and there was nothing to do. I decided to start on my assignment for drawing; God knows I did not have a clue of what to sketch. After fifteen minutes searching the room for inspiration yet still trying looking busy (even though all the bosses were at lunch)—in front of me, was a ball of monochromatic tangled wires. Emerging from the jumble was an Ethernet cord laid in front of the Ethernet outlet, unplugged. If this did not represent my life, I am not sure what else could. It was not impossible for the cord to be plugged up, but if the cord was connected to the outlet, it would be pulled taut, weighed down by the beige color knot of wires.

3 The purpose of a wire is to connect. The purpose for me to be in school was to graduate and to receive a solid education. The tangled wires were my perspective towards my required classes that I did not want to take; this hindered me from working effectively towards the goal. Could I graduate with a negative taste in mouth from the classes I were required to take? Sure, but if I would untangle my perspective, embody the work, appreciate my assignments and discover the purpose for the “other” courses in my collegiate education, I would effortlessly complete the task that was at hand, that is to graduate. Introduction Technology is a murky subject for the church. Should we use technology, or not? If we use technology, how much is it going to cost? Does the Bible say anything about technology? Author Quentin Schultze highlights in his book Hi-tech Worship?, the top reasons why churches employ worship presentational technologies, suffices to say, biblical inspiration, or hearing from God did not make the list. Among the top were to “relating to the youth”, and “boosting congregational singing.”1 The question then becomes, do we need technologies in the church? Scholars, such as William Dyrness argue that the Reformation has provided a church that relies heavily on the “preached word” as a means to connect with God, and less on beauty of art unlike our Medieval and Renaissance brothers and sisters.2 We live in a society that is cradled by visual imagery, exciting the nerves that activate sense of sight constantly, which may be the reason many churches use presentational technologies.

1 Quentin Schultze, High Tech Worship? (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Co., 2004), 53. 2 William Dyrness, Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 13.

4 Technology so often promises the betterment of circumstances. Who will argue the fact that cell phones, make people more accessible? However, at some point, too much accessibility becomes a hindrance in functioning. There are times where I have gone out with friends that I have not seen in a long time. When going out, instead of being able to spend time with them— one or more of them are on the phone at any given time. Cell phones have created higher communication between the caller and the one being called, but has hindered communication to those who are not involved in that transaction. (My phone has rung four times since beginning this paper, I turned it off). Technology is a double edge sword3; we would be foolish to believe technologies are packaged in air tight cellophane wrappings with only positive qualities, satisfaction guaranteed. Technologies in itself are neutral, but because they are applied, use, purpose and motive come into play, and result in the development of negative qualities. The use of technology is not bad, but the church must stop and develop a theology concerning the use of technology. Similar to the Ethernet cord that was weighed down by the knot of other wires, the church functions similarly in regards to technology. In this paper, I will open discussion on the use of technology in creation, how this relates to the function of the church and seek untangle this issue by developing a basic theology of technology.

3 In the mythological story of Thamus’—he opposed the technology of writing, because he assumed that it would be a burden and cause people to lose memory. Postman describes technology as a burden and a blessing and not just one or the other. Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, (New York: Vintage Books, 1992), 5.

5

Defining Technology In order to develop a sound theology related to technology it is first necessary to develop an understanding of technology. Technology is derived from the Greek word τεχνολογία (teknnologiā)4, which is means “systematic treatment of an art or craft.”5 Systematic implies something that is orderly, that is not chaotic, but rather a way something is calculated. A system undergoes a particular protocol as a means of function. The word “treatment” refers to application. An art or a craft is a skill or ability. Applying a systematic order to an art would serve to enhance the ability or capability of completing or doing the art and/or skill. Understanding Technology By Means Of Creation The Bible begins with a systematize order for creation. The means of God creating the heavens and the earth and everything else, was by use of “the word,” indicated by “and/then God said”.6 The Word is like computer that is packed with the newest software, infinite gigabytes of RAM and the fastest processing system. God enters commands into the WordMac HeavenlyWindows program which results in existence. The Word generates a result based on the given command. “‘Let there be light (command),’ and there was light (result)” (Gen. 1:3). God could have activated creation by any means—it could have just existed. In the art of creation, the power in God’s Word brought order to void or nonexistence. “God saw it [what was being

4 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., s.v. “Technology” 5 Susan Ella George, Religion and Technology in the 21st Century: Faith in the E-World, (Hershey, Pa: Information Science Publishing, 2006), 3. 6 Genesis 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:11, 1: 14, 1:20, 1:24, 1:26 and 1:29

6 created] was good” (1:4, 10,12,18,21, 25) and very good in 1:31. Use of the Word resulted in positive outcomes every time. God employed other methods for creation. When creating man, God (Himself) formed man from dust and breathed life into man (2:6). God created man manually7, without the use of technology (The Word). God separated the creation of man from everything else, by the method. He “formed” and “breathed.” Afterward God came to a realization about what he created, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (2:18). Human wisdom would reason that, God could have employed The Word, yielding the most desired outcome the first time. However there is an intimacy that is shaped between man and God, when he set asides The Word (technologically), and creates man Himself (by hand). Understanding the story of creation, there are several interwoven concepts that become known in regards to God’s use of technology: regulation, recognition, rest/regroup, rectify (reconnect).8 These concepts must be employed when it comes to human use of technology, unlike God and God’s use of technology, we and our technology are imperfect.

7 The author purposefully utilized an anthropomorphic trait to describe an action of God, it is her belief that it will aid in the development of her argument. 8 Concepts all begin with the letter “R”—serving as a pneumonic device.

7

Regulation By regulation, I mean to set an order to things. One of my favorite movies is Drumline, starring Nick Cannon who plays Devon Miles. Devon is a freshman at a prestigious HBCU9, Atlanta A&T where he plays the snare drum in the infamous Atlanta A&T marching band. There is a scene where the Drumline leader (Sean) tells the arrogant Devon to perform his [Sean’s] drum solo during the halftime show, hoping to see the rookie college drummer would fall flat on his face. During the halftime show, Devon freezes up and line leader Sean steps forward to play the solo. Devon’s pride gets the best of him and he then steps in front of Sean, and begins to play the solo also. To make matters worse, when the solo ended, Devon was still drum rolling trying to prove himself. When being admonished by Dr. Lee the band director, he told Devon “If the halftime buzzer didn’t go off, you would still be out there tapping your drum!” Paul address a similar situation with the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 14, regarding operating appropriately in worship. Paul makes three distinct declarations “All of these [things] must be done for the strengthening the church”(14:26), “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” (14:33) “Let everything be done decently and in order” (14:40). Strengthening The Church- 1 Corinthians 14:26 When technology is employed in a church, it must first answer yes to the following question, will this strengthen the church? The band at Atlanta A&T was always reminded by their mantra, “One Band, One Sound” in how they should operate. Devon and Sean both operated out of order (or the regulation that was set) which resulted in a reprimand from Dr. Lee 9 Historically Black College or University

8 and dismissal of Devon from the band. In the same way, what would be the point to try to implement something that will not build up the body of Christ? This is not to say, if people disagree then throw the idea away. Similar to the Corinthians, there were instances when disagreements occurred; Paul established a method of operation for when such dissention arises (1 Corin. 14:27-40). Methods of mediation ought to be in place before the discussing possible implementation of anything (technology, addition to the building, new carpeting, new leadership…etc) into a congregation or church. God Is Orderly, It Must Be Done Orderly- 1 Corinthians 14:33 & 40 The last two things operate together, (1) God is a God of order and peace (2) everything must be done decently and in order. Demonstrated in the creation narratives, God is orderly, and his creation must emulate the orderly nature of God. In this, whatever technology that is implemented, must be orderly. This means developing plan of costs (installation, labor, and upkeep) and benefits; involving the congregation in the discussion process and perhaps in the final decision; and ensuring that standard is always for the sake of strengthening the church. Recognition Recognition is the eye to regulation. God recognized (saw) that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). God was able to recognize a need for Adam, because He had a relationship with Adam. He understood that the human he created, needed human relationship also. Recognition takes notice of something that is operating best, but is most importantly for being aware when things are not operating under regulation. With any technology that is in place, it is important for there to be a staff that is capable of developing a relationship with the technology10, that is being familiar with the ends and outs, knowing when the technology is 10

9 operating best or when the technology is not operating, and being aware of how the technology related to the people around and its environment. When the use of technology malfunctions, or becomes hindrance to worship or to the function of the church, then a course of action must be taken. Rest/Regroup, Rectify (Reconnect) Once God recognized that man should not be alone, he rectified the situation by creating a helpmate for Adam (Gen. 1:21-22). Rectifying a situation for humans entail an extra step prior to rectification, which is rest. After six days of creating, God rested, and blessed the seventh day, making it holy (Gen. 2:2-3). Rest can mean a break from the use of technology, a time to reassess use, or development of a plan to reconnect or rectify the problem. However, Rest does not always have to be utilized when there is a problem, remember God rested after recognizing that everything he made was very good (Gen. 1:31). Conclusion A basic understanding of technology from the creation narratives allow for a basic outline in dealing with technology in the church; regulate, recognize, rest/regroup, rectify (reconnect). The process that keeps everything in check is regulation. When a strong regulation is in place, everything operates within the regulation confines. The operation of recognizing develops when there is relationship or an awareness of the technology. The process of rectification is important

Author Bill Gibson discusses qualifications, responsibilities, and relational and other considerations of a person dealing with such technologies such as audio operation. These include and limited to understanding the ministry, being prayerful, attentive, open to criticism and open to a continuous learning process. Bill Gibson, The Ultimate Church Sound Operator’s Handbook, (New York: Hal Leonard Books, 2007), 1-44, 61-78.

10 especially when it comes to church functioning11. What if God noticed that it was not good for man to be alone, but then did not do anything about it? Tying In The Preface The church is the Ethernet wire, Christ is the Ethernet outlet. The purpose of the wire is to be connected and stay connected to the outlet. The church will have enough tangles on its own, and technology should not increase the size of the knot but rather bring order, lengthening the wire to keep a strong connection with Christ.

11 Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Pastoral Care, Teaching

11

Bibliography Dyrness, William. Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. George, Susan Ella. Religion and Technology in the 21st Century: Faith in the E-World. Hershey, Pa: Information Science Publishing, 2006. Gibson, Bill. The Ultimate Church Sound Operator’s Handbook. New York: Hal Leonard Books, 2007. Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. Schultze, Quentin. High Tech Worship?. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Co., 2004.