“Church Unplugged”

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

     What place, if any, does technology serve to aid in preaching God's Word?  Recently, our preacher has been using short videos in his sermons to make his point.  This is the first time I've ever seen this after over three decades of attending the church of Christ, which is why I am curious and a bit skeptical.  Thank you in advance for your wisdom on this matter!

Sincerely,
Wireless

Dear Wireless,

Technology isn’t wrong, but it must be used responsibly.  Webster’s defines ‘technology’ as ‘machinery and equipment developed from scientific knowledge’.  At one point, all the aids we take for granted today were new technology (i.e. song books, chalkboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors, digital projectors, microphones, etc.), and with every technological change, people have always had a sense of discomfort because we are all creatures of habit.  However, the discomfort isn’t created because of scriptural issues; it is there because of our personal comforts and routines.  As one person said, “We like what we like.”  Jesus used a boat as a preaching aid (Mk 4:1), and Jesus even used His miraculous abilities as teaching tools (Matt 21:19-21).  What tools we have at our disposal, we have the right to use for teaching.  There isn’t anything wrong with them.

However, that doesn’t give a preacher a blanket check to go crazy!  The Bible says that just because you can do something doesn’t mean it is wise to do so (1 Cor 10:23).  A teacher is held accountable for what he teaches, and he is held to a very strict standard (Jas 3:1).  Your preacher is accountable for whatever is on these videos that he is showing.  It is pretty difficult to find videos that are doctrinally sound (before we started making them on YouTube, we did a lot of looking!), and if he isn’t careful with the material, it can spread to false teaching quite easily.  The issue isn't technology; it is the proper wisdom in applying it.

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