How Does the Bible Relate to Technology?

This article is part of a larger investigation into Christian innovation and design and is being written to provide further examples of technology in the Bible. Specifically, we’ll aim to help those asking “How does the Bible relate to technology?”

For starters, we ought to acknowledge that the Bible is, itself, an instance of technology. Writing is one of the oldest technologies and the Bible represents a collection of thousands of different writings that first appeared on parchment, stone, papyri, in scrolls and in codices, many of which have been translated, transliterated, and transcribed multiple times using various (other) technologies.

Likewise, the Bible is technology in the sense that it is a printed book made on a modern printing press. With the advent of the Guttenburg printing press, human information systems radically changed. The printing press has proven to be one of the most exponentially transformational technologies in human history, eclipsed only by the advent of the internet (which, occidentally, also houses the Bible in a variety of forms).

Today, the Bible generates a wide-range of technological application from scripture-memorization apps to online reading plans, from deep dives into scholarly concerns associated with textual criticism to websites that provide pithy lists of “best Bible verses for _____.”

So, when we ask about the Bible’s relationship to technology, or even the relationship between technology and Christianity itself, we have to understand that part of the answer we’re searching for is already embedded in the subject. 

I think, however, that whenever someone asks “How does the Bible relate to technology”, what they’re actually wondering is “are there any Bible verses about technology being bad”?

No, there aren’t.

Technology is the creation of new means for practical ends, as such it has no inherent morality. And while it’s wise to acknowledge that repeated engagement with any particular technology will shape the user in a variety of ways by virtue of that technology’s mechanisms (the dopamine hit we get from receiving social media “likes”, for example), the truth is that the ultimate goodness or badness of a technology comes from the way we choose to use that technology rather than the technology itself.

It’s worth noting that the Bible records history in which technology is embedded. And while there are no Bible verses about robots, and it makes little sense to ask “What does the Bible say about computers?” or “What does God say about artificial intelligence?” (since such things didn’t exist when the Bible was being written), there are still examples of technology in the Bible. Some of these technologies include bridges and roads, letters and writing implements, musical instruments and agricultural tools, stonecutting tools and metallic purification systems, all of which changed the world as it was then known. So, if you’re ever asked, “What does the Bible say about engineering?” you can easily provide plenty of examples, such as the story of Jerusalem’s rebuilding in Nehemiah and Ezra, or the construction of Solomon’s Temple in 1 Kings.

There are, however, some technologies in the Bible that seem more modern than others. Recently I was asked, “What does the Bible say about machines?” and, surprisingly, there is one verse in 2 Chronicles 26 that mentions war machines (v.16), which were likely ballistas or trebuchets. 

One important voice in this broader conversation is Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan, whose “4 Laws of Media” broaden our understanding of technological application. McLuhan opines:

Every new technology ENHANCES something (meaning, it amplifies an effect); cell phones enhance accessibility and response times; the Internet enhances decentralization and self-publishing, etc.

Every new technology RETURNS to an older form (meaning, it reclaims some value from the past); cell phones return us to a tribal culture, as well as reclaim camera use as a common artistic and familial medium; the Internet returns us to a writing and correspondence culture, and also reclaims local activism, etc.

Every new technology OBSOLESCES an existing innovation (meaning, the former things are no longer necessary, wanted, or valued; cell phones render phone booths obsolete, and perhaps privacy, too; the Internet obsolesces national borders, distance, and personal boundaries, etc.

Every new technology REVERSES (meaning, it becomes a perversion of itself when pushed too far); cell phones reverse into full length letters that *must be read; the Internet reverses into an obsession with information and a nervous anxiety to be liked and known, etc.

With McLuhan’s Laws firmly fixed in our minds, then, we must ensure we are mindful of our technological uses. Here I find it helpful to remember Peter’s admonition in his second letter:

“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If we keep Peter’s words in mind each time we engage our technologies, we’re less likely to fall into dangerous waters or, worse, drown in vice.