According to Psalm 115, Technology Changes You
A Central Concept For Thinking About Technology
Over the last month, I have had the privilege to speak on the basics of Christianity and technology both in small events and conversations. With each opportunity, I give a better presentation — my sincere apologies to my church’s high school group, who heard me first.
One core principle, perhaps the most essential, is this: technology changes you. Once you grasp it you realize you cannot say, “it’s only how you use technology that matters,” since even though you might be using the tech for good it could be changing you toward evil.
Image credit: Tyler Lastovich and JSBco on Upsplash.
The tech-changes-you principle is illustrated with a shovel by both John Dyer (From the Garden to the City) and Jason Thacker (Following Jesus in a Digital Age). Dyer says the example of a shovel is helpful because people often think using it is neutral initially, but not after some reflection. With enough use, a shovel will give you calluses on your hands, will tear your muscle fibers so that more may grow, and will change your perspective of the world — the next snowfall or pile of dirt won’t be as intimidating.
Social media changes you in the same way, but calluses develop on your heart, your relationships tear and regrow (perhaps growing weaker rather than stronger), and sunsets and mountains never look the same thanks to the thought of framing them for Instagram likes.
In Chris Martin’s latest book, The Wolf in Their Pockets, he connects this same principle back to Neil Postman, who popularized the concept of media ecology. Alastair Roberts, likewise, in his YouTube series on technology makes reference to Postman as well as, “the father of media ecology,” Marshall McLuhan.
Media ecology is the study of media, technology, and communication and how they affect humans and human environments. Hank Green, the popular YouTuber, recently used the example of mongooses, an invasive species in Hawaii, who were introduced by European settlers in order to deal with a rat problem that they themselves caused. But those mongooses caused unforeseen problems and remain on the island, unwanted, to this day. Every aspect of an ecosystem can be affected by the introduction of just one new animal, shovel, or AI app. Again, technology changes us.
But those with good noble character (yes, I love finding my last name in Scripture) must ask the same question the Berean Jews did (see Acts 17:11), is this principle in Scripture?
In Psalm 115 we have a prayer, littered with poetic parallelism, singing the humility of humanity, the weakness of idols, and our powerful God as the greatest object of hope.
In verse two, the song shows an awareness of one of the main critiques of Israel — their God could not be seen for God is spirit (John 4:24). You can imagine the other nations pointing to their birds of bronze or goats of gold and mocking the worshippers of the unseeable YHWH. And so the psalmist sings in response:
Our God is in heaven;
He does as He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear;
they have noses, but cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel;
they have feet, but cannot walk;
they cannot even clear their throats.
Those who make them become like them,
as do all who trust in them.
The rebuke is clear: why worship something with lesser abilities than even a human? (By the way, the same argument could be made against ChatGPT which can only be said to be “intelligent” through its power of copying the works of humanity. AI will always be in the image of man and never in the image of God).
The last line in the above quote connects directly to the tech-changes-you principle. The idols of old are the man-made creations of today with rearranged elements: silicon and lithium instead of silver and gold. Both those who “make them” and “all who trust in them” are given the warning: you will be changed by them.
At this point, I could conclude with the simple observation that the Bible does speak about the tech-changes-you principle in Psalm 115. This is true. But one of the things I’ve learned about applying Scripture is it can often be richer to revisit the text again with an application in mind to find any additional insights.
Psalm 115 is portraying those worshippers and makers of idols as becoming just like their idols, which in their case was becoming lifeless; having physical characteristics similar to a person (e.g. eyes) without the accompanying powers (e.g. seeing).
Consider our cell phones. With cameras they see, with microphones they hear, and with AI assistance they speak — so in some ways the psalmist’s critique seems to miss the mark unless we say iPhones do not truly see or truly hear or truly speak. That line of reasoning is fair. But just as we consider what a bronze idol could do, consider also the inherent characteristics of a smartphone:
The more they can accomplish in a day, the more valuable.
They are near-instantaneous in action, changing from entertainer to photographer to taskmaster to communication assistant in seconds.
As they grow old and deteriorate in function, we treat them as replaceable.
Now think about people and reread these points. We could list even more points than these but I hope you notice how they are either outright deplorable (1 and 3) or unrealistic to expect of humans (2). We embrace restlessness because we are shaped by tech’s productivity more than godliness. We are burnt out because we try to multitask as phones do, leaving our scattered brains more distracted than disciplined. And how do we treat the disabled or the elderly in our nation, as replaceable?
Technology is teaching society. It is shaping me. It is changing you. But this doesn’t mean we have no responsibility for ourselves. And it doesn’t mean we have no protection. Psalm 115 continues:
All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
he will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.May the Lord cause you to flourish,
both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
but the earth he has given to mankind.
It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
those who go down to the place of silence;
it is we who extol the Lord,
both now and forevermore.Praise the Lord.
Amen.