“That is a tool, not a toy”. I have said this countless times to my children over the years. The impetus for emphasizing the difference began when I found one of my tools had been left out in the yard for a number of days. By the end of that timeframe, the tool was rusted, broken, and no longer able to be used as it was intended. Since that occasion, I’ve used this distinction regularly with my kids. I think it’s a distinction we as adults could observe.

John Culkin is credited with saying, “We shape our tools, then our tools shape us.” Just think about the iPhone for a minute. Consider how it has changed the way we communicate, travel, get information, and more. A simple tool that can be used to deepen relationships, help us when we are lost, and find details we need for a paper. But as with any tool has also been weilded to block “friends”, track other’s location, and spread misinformation. That’s the thing about tools we can never really forecast the good or bad it may make possible or produce.

“When we choose our tools, we choose our culture.”

Joe Holland

Tools shape us. They change how we work, play, relate, and even worship. There are many tools that have been used for great good in the church. However, those tools also have unintended consequences we may not recognize. This is the point of Joe Holland’s article “On Choosing Digital Tools And Why Churches Should Cancel Their Livestream“. While I don’t agree with everything Holland says in the article or necessarily where he lands, his underlying argument is something that resonates with me.

READ THE ARTICLE

I would love to hear from my readers on your thoughts on this article. Agree? Disagree? Do you think Holland is on to something or just a cranky non-digital person? Leave a comment below. Begin a discussion. Ask some good questions. Engage. And as always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash