What Technology Promised Us

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism." - Ephesians 4:4-5

For years now, social media has been making us a promise. The promise is that technology will bring us closer together than ever before and help us build deeper, more lasting relationships. That promise has not been fulfilled. All you have to do is scroll for ten minutes to realize that instead of more unity, we have more divisiveness. To get attention quickly, people make statements online that often wouldn't be made in person. People go to their corners. People quickly "unfriend" others or are impatient to dialogue. Algorithms give us what we want to see, but they do not give us true community. We can have hundreds or thousands of social media "friends" but not feel known, seen, or loved by others.

An MIT professor named Sherry Turkle gave a TED Talk and later released a book called Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. What makes it interesting is that fifteen years before that book, Turkle had given a completely different TED Talk celebrating the possibilities of social media, the connections it could build, the relationships it could deepen. Then, after watching what actually happened over those fifteen years, she went back and revised her findings. Instead of greater connectedness, she found dissatisfaction and alienation.

You don't need a book to tell you how divisive things get online. It is so easy to throw verbal bombs at people you will never meet and never be held accountable to. Social media doesn't bring us together as promised. It often pushes us apart. Sadly, the church is not immune, either. The church needs to use technology because it can aid evangelism. Social media can supplement what is happening in person, but it should not, if at all possible, be a substitute for face-to-face community with others.

Ephesians reveals a different, and indeed a better, vision for unity. The beauty of a united church goes beyond mere surface-level connections. It is rooted in our shared beliefs. What holds churches together is theological in nature and grounded in what we collectively hold to be true.

Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, but this letter circulated among churches all through Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey. The miracle he describes is not only that sinful people are reconciled to a holy God through the blood of Jesus, though that alone is worth celebrating. Paul highlights that because of what Jesus did on the cross, He also brings together people who would never otherwise associate. Jews and Gentiles, side by side, brought into one family.

I saw a picture of that not long ago at a pastor's conference overseas. I was surrounded by pastors and leaders from Bible-believing churches that weren't necessarily Baptist. They began singing in their own language, one I didn't understand, but I picked up the tune. It was "Because He Lives." They sang in their language, and I sang in mine, and there was a camaraderie, something pulling us together. Our shared faith.

Technology can aid real connection, but it must begin with our common bond. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. This is the ground we stand on together. Our shared faith in Jesus Christ keeps us united when cultural, language, and physical barriers exist.

So the next time you feel that pull to spend all of your time online, remember that real connection is not built by technology. Community is built in the body of Christ through the truths we hold in God's Word. We find our community by worshipping together our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Get around the people God put in your church family, and let those shared beliefs bring you together. A screen will never do for you what the local body of Christ can do.

Reflection Question: How have you been expecting technology to give you the connection that only the body of Christ can give?

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have looked to technology for community instead of Your church family. I need to be with the local body of believers. Help me find my place in Your church. I want to grow closer to You and to other believers. Thank You for my local church and for the universal church worldwide, where we share one Lord, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Check out: The Seven Pillars of Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:4-6): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/gcssrmc/14-seven-pillars-for-christian-unity-eph-4-4-6