Among the many distinctive traits of 21st-century global culture is our confidence in technology.
To every problem there must be a solution which technology can supply, if only the science is advanced enough and there is money enough to apply it. And in many areas of our human experience that has been proved to be true, so that we can all be profoundly thankful for the benefits of scientific research in making us healthier, more comfortable and (perhaps) happier than our forebears.
Sucked in
Not surprisingly, the Christian community has been sucked into this way of thinking, because in every generation we are far more squeezed into the world’s mould and addicted to the spirit of the age than most of us Christians recognise, let alone care to admit. So, whatever problems we face in our discipleship, individual or corporate, we are programmed to look for the newest technique to solve them. There are plenty on offer, in a multitude of websites, conferences, events, books. Many offer a ‘one size fits all’ solution, frequently in terms of a particular technique, to provide the answer to our longings for more fruit, more love, more reality, more fulfilment. Moreover, insofar as they are biblical, many have a useful contribution to make.
