Christian Spirituality for the Technological Age

At this week’s chapel, Dr Lai reflected on how we might develop a Christian perspective for the use of technology in our lives. Chaos, begins Dr Lai, emerges in different ways in our lives, such as a basin full of unwashed dishes, the crashing of our hard disk drives or flood in one’s country. In Dr Lai’s case, it is his mother’s debilitating illness, which has also sent her to the hospital several times. It was during her recent stay in the hospital that Dr Lai saw how the modern healthcare system could be an excellent illustration of how Modern Man triumphs over his environmental chaos, i.e., by bombarding the monstrous sickness with a sophisticated diagnostics system and a cocktail of drugs. This efficient healthcare system, however, is sometimes achieved at a cost, namely, the simplification of the idea of a human being, which, in turn, may lead to a dehumanisation of the patient.

It is for this reason that Dr Lai sees it pertinent to develop a Christian perspective on the use of technological products and systems in our lives. He began by considering the biblical instructions on this subject. Firstly, while technological development can be contrary to biblical spirituality (as in the case of the Tower of Babel), it can also be put to use for the service of God (such as the musical instruments used by the Psalmists). Secondly, just as God created the birds, animals and other complex systems in Creation (e.g., the weather systems!) out of chaotic disorder, so also can human beings, as images of God, participate in this creative ordering process.

Having considered the Scriptural views of technology, Dr Lai moved on to argue that technology is an ‘ideologically loaded thing’, whose creation is bound up with a specific ideology. Thus, the hammer is bound up with the idea of hammering nails, while IT systems must adopt an efficient and, therefore, a simplified view of human beings. While such technologies can be immensely helpful for humankind, they can also be misused potentially, to the detrimental of human lives. For this reason, it is important to remember the distinctions that Augustine makes for the ‘things’ we pursue in life. For Augustine, all that we desire may be divided into “the things to be used” (uti) and the “things to be enjoyed” (frui), which is also the love of the Triune God. In the case of technology, it is always an uti and a means by which human beings can be aided to enjoy our frui, which is the love of God and our neighbour.

Having said this, Dr Lai recognised that both the creators and users of technological products are limited in their understanding of the potential benefits and costs of such products. Consequently, a technological product will often achieve both more than and less than what its designers intend. Such are the dangers for the modern healthcare system. Intended to make healthcare more affordable, its bent towards productivity can potentially render efficiency the all-important goal and reduce the patient to simply a problem to be solved. For this reason, it is important for both creators and users to adopt a humble stance towards technological usage, and be prepared to rectify any unexpected applications or developments arising from technological usage. To be sure, these reflections are preliminary and much more work must be done on this subject. Nonetheless, Dr Lai hoped the principles suggested may at least become a starting point for others to reflect further on the role of technology in our lives.

Applied Theology
The Christian Mind (AT361, 1.5cr);(Group Tutorial)
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