Friday is for Friends: Jeremy Berg

Technology is not the problem. Blaming something other than our own choices is a cop out.

Jim,

I don't see technology under attack in this post, the problem is the use of technology to make our society run faster and faster. The act of unplugging from technology is a means to reject the non-stop, beat the clock pace that is disparaging millions of souls. This is a great reminder that we must be aware of our rhythms and aware that we are talking time to stop to stand in awe of Jesus - especially in a recession where we sense pressure to work harder and harder and harder.

Peter

I like John's comment #5. I have not tried it in church, and thankfully we do not have screens and projectors. But my wife and I read together quite a bit. If we are reading fiction she does most of the reading. So I take off my glasses and put on a sleeping blindfold. That allows me to listen and imagine the scenes that I am hearing. It is a wonderful experience with Lord of the Rings, Stephen Lawhead, Barbara Kingsolver or Anne Lamott.

Peace,
Randy

Hi there,
A agree, I see today's technology putting mental pressure on people and making them live in solitude. I must admit I am one of them. I spent hours on internet and on another hand try to teach our children no to spend too much time in front of the TV and we don't buy them playstation (as yet).
However we often turn off the TV in to encourage conversation which brings us closer.
Also, whenever we can we go camping. Camping trips help a lot as we are away from technology and connecting with the nature.

This is going to sound hypercritical to the original post, which is truly not my intent... but here goes:

I'm disturbed by the following line, which I think is emblematic of the post as a whole: "Our souls long for silence, inner peace, temporary disconnection from the technological in order to momentarily reconnect to the spiritual."[Emphasis mine.] In other words, the "hyper-connected" technological world Jeremy describes is the norm, from which we occasionally need a retreat.

This hyper-connected world didn't exist 20 years ago, not really even 10. It's not something that just happens to us; we generally pay for the privilege. Perhaps our souls are not merely longing for a temporary respite; perhaps we need to get off the merry-go-round. You don't have to have a Twitter account. Billions of people around the world do without this hyper-connectivity. Why can't we?

I'm also trying hard not to read too much into this line: "I suspect that if we did take an internal Holiday of the soul, [...] we just might encounter the God who is unseen[...]." Does Jeremy only suspect this? Doesn't he know? I wonder how many who decry the influence of technology on our daily lives actually do anything about it, even in their own personal lives, even temporarily. (No judgment here; perhaps Jeremy does indeed experience periodic respites that are soul-enriching, and merely makes his statement sound hypothetical to draw his readers into the message.)

Don't get me wrong; I'm not a Luddite, and Jesus wasn't an Essene. He participated in the culture of his day. But I have a growing conviction that the church's pursuit of relevance is a large reason for its increasing irrelevance: we're not offering an alternative, but rather glomming onto whatever bandwagon exists. When is it time to call a sick culture sick? How can we treat a disease if we take its causes as being normal?

Thanks for the comments.

Keith (#10) - My comments were more hypothetical than personal in this post - writing on behalf of a world addicted to technology. I personally have pretty good at guarding myself and creating sanctuary from constant connectivity. For instance, I ditched my blackberry after 2 weeks: too connected to constant emails, I don't Twitter (i just feed my blog posts to it via Twitterfeed), and until just 2 months ago I was the only person I knew (under 30 years old) who did not have internet at home. I intentionally kept it out of the house so I wouldn't open my laptop, check email, bring work home, ignore my wife, etc.

My friends thought I was crazy - not being able to check my email at home, but having to drive to the nearest coffee shop to check it.

I just gave in and got internet because my wife's new job required it. Now I am really observing how my own lifestyle is changing. For starters:

1. I used to read book after book at home. Since getting the net, I find myself surfing blogs and reading shorter articles. I never get around to finishing a book. Anyone else notice this trend?

2. On the positive side, I'm free to interact and read blogs like Jesus Creed. This is a joyful but time-consuming hobby I need to monitor and put boundaries around.

3. I still need to be intentional to put the laptop down when my wife is home and not let it eat all my free time.

But, with everything in life, we need (like Steve #11) said, BALANCE and moderation. I don't blame technology. I love it. Let's just be good stewards of technology and our time, and do all to honor Christ.

(And I'm a bit ashamed to admit I'm typing this from my memorial day vacation spot in Cross Lake, northern Minnesota, which happens to have wireless. I'm going to BBQ and play bocce ball now. Peace.)

I'm a pastor and read this site as part of my Sunday preparation time. So I don't think the wired world is the culprit but our discipline of time (or lack of discipline) does it. My source of inner refreshment is reading the Word with no aim to preach or teach it, swimming in the ocean, sitting on the beach not reading but watching the water, long walks when I pray clearly.