Society

Impact of technology on Christians

“Everyday technology has social ramifications,” says Ian Packer, the new Director of Public Theology at Australian Evangelical Alliance, as he explains the importance of face-to-face relationships in communicating how the Gospel transforms the lives of those who are spreading it.

Many would agree that the Internet has brought a communication revolution to our lives where we have the power to communicate with people across the world in their homes. However, despite its broad reach, Packer had expressed some reservations, saying though it was wonderful to be ableo to communicate with people we might otherwise never meet, nothing beats interacting with people on a face-to-face basis.

Watching a documentary on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the human face, Packer said he was amazed at the range of expression conveyed by our faces and how important non-verbal cues were in everyday communication. Frequently, miscommunication occurred through email, he joked, where the sender may quickly type something in a humourous tone but it was interpreted by the receiver as an angry tone. Hence the ‘smiley face’ :-)

More importantly, there are vital life-activities that cannot be ‘transmitted’ over the Internet. “Jesus Christ said come and follow me and the term ‘follow’ is important. Not just to come but to follow. Demonstrating to the person you were evangelising what the new way of life discipleship entails is vital,” Packer said.

Using the example of the Apostle Paul, Packer said it was important to testify as to why you had decided to follow Jesus Christ and show concretely, visibly, how your life had changed because of it. You cannot communicate this through the Internet, Packer said. You cannot share a meal, watch how someone interacts with friends and family, see how they demonstrate concern for the downtrodden, and so on through an internet forum which often degenerates into point-scoring debates. How many people have been converted through these means? How many people have been turned off? Do we often really meet the ‘real person’ via the internet?

He mused that, yes, it was sometimes good you could evangelise people through the Internet or over the phone but you cannot simply share Bible verses and even discuss via webcam on Skype and assume that this communicates what Christianity is about.

No, he said, it is more than just a visual exercise beamed through your channel or screen. The ultimate example of mission is not when God spoke through a text or vision but rather when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. Wherever possible, this is our example and our energies should be devoted to imitating this model. Discipleship from start to finish is to follow Jesus Christ as part of his face-to-face community and, together and with the dynamic of the Holy Spirit, to imitate his life before a watching world. A focus on anything less may appear to have a short-term gain but will probably have a longer-term loss.

*This article has been revised.

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