From Stone Tabletsto Tablet Computers:Using Technology to

Know and Serve Jesus

James C. Denison, PhDCEO, Denison Forum

May 16, 2018First Baptist Church,Marble Falls, Texas

“Technology”: “Anything that was invented after you were born.”

“The human activity of using tools to transform God’s creation for practical purposes” (John Dyer).

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

III. How technology is changing us

IV. How technology is changing our culture

V. Using technology biblically

I. Technology and the future

1. 3D metal printing2. Artificial embryos3. Smart cities4. Cloud-based AI services5. Neural AI networks6. Earbuds that translate instantly7. Zero-carbon natural gas8. Perfected online privacy9. Genetic fortune telling10. Quantum computing

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

18,000,000,000,000,000,000

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change” (Mary Shelley).

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

III. How technology is changing us

How technology is changing us:

• Information overload• Decline of writing skills• Shorter attention spans• Changing relational skills• Multi-tasking• Digital addiction

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

III. How technology is changing us

IV. How technology is changing our culture

How technology is changing our culture:

• Loss of personal information• Fake news• Less solitude• Narrowed worldview• More information but less wisdom• Pornography• Family threats• Self-idolatry

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

III. How technology is changing us

IV. How technology is changing our culture

V. Using technology biblically

Using technology biblically

1. Use technology within a biblical worldview

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength . . . love your neighbor as yourself”

(Mark 12:30–31).

Using technology biblically

1. Use technology within a biblical worldview

2. Use technology to serve your family

Use technology to serve your family

• Severely limit screen time for children• Model behavior for your family.• Turn off technology one hour a day,

one day a week, one week a year.• Use screens for a purpose.• Car time is conversation time.• Spouses have each other’s

passwords; parents have complete access to children’s devices.

Using technology biblically

1. Use technology within a biblical worldview

2. Use technology to serve your family

3. Use technology to serve the Kingdom

I. Technology and the future

II. Why we fear technology

III. How technology is changing us

IV. How technology is changing our culture

V. Using technology biblically

“You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit” (C. S. Lewis).