The Challenge of Technology

This fall at the Toronto Baptist Conference I will be speaking on technology and spirituality. At first blush these topics might seem to be completely unrelated, but as technology continues to have a growing impact on our lives, it is inevitable that it would impact spirituality as well. The technological changes that I have seen in my own lifetime are amazing, and there is no sign of technological innovation slowing down anytime soon. As with so many things in life there are pros and cons to technology.

The ability to communicate with others worldwide is unparalleled. Access to all kinds of information has never been easier or faster. The opportunity to express oneself and speak to an international audience from anywhere in the world is full of possibilities that have yet to be fully tapped. And networking with those who share similar interests, concerns and ideas has led to the development of online communities where people can talk, share their findings, ask questions and solve problems. Of course, the obvious problem is that technology cannot 'control' what people talk about, the quality of the discussion or information they access, or the kinds of things that are put out there for public consumption. All of this depends on the quality of the producers and the good sense of the consumers of information.

All of that aside, the relationship between spirituality is something that needs to be explored. Simple prohibition or uncritical acceptance is naive and counterproductive. This is another one of those areas where we must grapple with something the Bible does not address directly, and so we must move carefully from text to application. Those who move too quickly will do more harm than good, but where larger cultural themes are discerned and critically reflected on in light of the biblical message progress can be made. In future posts I will continue to explore this area so if you are interested, stay tuned.

Rockwood and Beyond

I've just returned from "Rockwood Acres" where I enjoyed the hospitality of the Clemens family and where I had the privilege of sharing Daniel 6-12 with the adults in the morning teaching session. Last summer we looked at the first 5 chapters of Daniel and this time we were able to finish our study of the book. As I have said before, I think there is much to be said for preaching and teaching through larger sections of scripture. It is not nearly as tedious as slow verse by verse exposition, it gives people a sense of the bigger picture, and it is often in keeping with the literary genres of the Bible which invite more holistic readings and interpretations. As important as word by word, phrase by phrase, verse by verse exposition is it needs to be balanced with more comprehensive approaches. I know that I have personally enjoyed getting a feel for the book of Daniel as a whole even though I am sure there is no one on earth who can explain all of its details.

Next, I have decided to take those parts of the Bible that I understand least and study them more thoroughly. This will mean delving into the riches of the Old Testament and reading it as a Christian in the light of the coming of Jesus. Preaching and teaching the Old Testament in a way that is true to the original context and yet picks up its prophetic nature is not easy. Equally challenging is bridging the cultural divide that separates us from those living in the days when the scriptures were written. Fortunately behind the human authors is the Holy Spirit who originally carried them along and who has been given as a gift to the church by our risen Lord to help us interpret what was written and preserved for us. I believe that it is possible to know the mind of the Lord as we diligently study his word and then humbly ask the Spirit to show us how it applies to us in the 21st century. As with Daniel I am looking forward to the adventure and all the things I will learn along the way.

Seasonal Wisdom

July has been a busy month with not a lot of time to spend at the computer. That will all change fairly soon and it will be back into the routine with what promises to be a full academic year ahead. All of this has reminded me of the ebb and flow of life. We cannot continually produce quality whatever it is that we are doing without taking time to reflect and rest and recharge. Summertime in Canada is perfectly suited to such a restorative cycle and I hope that all the readers of my blog will take advantage of this wonderful time of year as their circumstances allow. For all of the theological questions that swirl around the "Sabbath" one thing that should not be overlooked is the work/rest cycle that God has established. In the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes:

For everything there is a season, a time of every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

From Text to Life

Many things have happened especially in the sports world since I posted last. The World Cup has come and gone with Spain emerging from the tournament victorious. The Chris Bosh era is over for the Toronto Raptors as is the reign of Lebron James in Cleveland. And today news that famed New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has died at 80. It's a good reminder that nothing stays the same forever and we should make the most of the time we have because we never know what tomorrow will bring. This time next year there will be a whole new set of stories and the ones that occupy the headlines today will slowly fade into the distance of human memory and consciousness until they are eventually forgotten. In the big scheme of things none of the events I have mentioned are tremendously significant although to the teams, players and fans involved they very important at this particular point in time. History has a way of sorting out what really matters from the apparent urgent importance of the present, and it is wise to await and ponder it's verdict.

In that regard I have been reading a book that I think addresses a topic of great importance not just today but going forward. I have referred to the book before. It is Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology, edited by Stanley N. Gundry and Gary T. Meadors, with contributions from Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Daniel M. Doriani, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, William J. Webb, and reflections from Mark L. Strauss, Al Wolters and Christopher J. H. Wright. The book wrestles with the application of the Bible to life today. As should be evident from the structure of the book there are a variety of opinions as how to do this legitimately or biblically and one problem that quickly becomes apparent is that everyone wants to claim biblical authority for their approach. But if there is a proper way to move from biblical text to application everyone cannot be right and more works is needed to hammer out a consensus.

This is an important issue because the Bible can be made to teach anything if we are not careful or if we only select texts that appear to validate our position. What is needed is a grasp of what has been called 'the whole counsel of God' that understands the fact that God has revealed himself in history and through various cultural forms that culminate in Jesus the Christ. But while everyone knows this and talks like this at some level there is still a lot of work to be done both at the academic and pastoral level. Personally, I am often shocked at how little those who sit in church Sunday after Sunday listening to sermons know about the Bible let alone those who rarely darken the door of a church. So in a world that can make major events out of minor ones we need to keep our wits about us and think about what it means to go from text to life.