
- Neil Postman, the great media thinker and author, says: “Technological change is ecological, not additive or subtractive.” Our “ecology” forms us… So what are we (and our kids) being formed into by our technological/ecological environment? The Kingdom of God is also ecological—how are the patterns and habits and spiritual practices we introduce to adults and children both challenging and superseding the forming impact of the smartphone? Depth of relationship—with others and with Jesus—will always overshadow the influence of new technologies. The oldest technology is still the most powerful: the guiding, influencing, immersive presence of the Spirit within us.
- Our role is to reject passivity at every corner. We are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” When we live in the spirit of Jesus, we are active participants in our cultural ecology, but moving with a Kingdom of God mindset—as sojourners, not natives… Knowledge is power, so our goal is to know the truth, then act out of it. We use the tools of the culture, but we’re always conscious of their power to use us instead. We submit to God alone, not the propped-up gods of our cultural norms.
- Multi-tasking is a myth—it’s not possible for the brain to “multi-task,” in the way we commonly think of that term. Instead, we “rapid task-switch.” The result is something researchers call “dual-task interference”—our brain bottlenecks, and the efficiency and quality of our brain’s performance deteriorates. Over-connectedness to technology continuously and persistently scatters our attention—we pay partial attention, continuously. This is why our time with God needs to be away from the physical presence of our smartphone, and the same applies to most ministry settings (unless we intend to use the smartphone as a tool to discover and deepen our relationships).
- Over-connectedness to technology changes the way we relate. It’s a powerful intrusion into, and filter for, our relationships. We have become a culture that has far more “surface” connections than at any time in history, but have simultaneously become the most disconnected and isolated culture in history. Young people are thirsty for connectedness—in my experience, that’s only possible when they’re in settings that disconnect them from their smartphone.
- All technologies are powerful tools, so our challenge is to treat them like the chainsaws they are.Would we give children a chainsaw to use, then tell them to just figure out how to use it without harming themselves? Once we recognize the power of the tool, and what it can do, our response to how we prepare young people (and ourselves) for using that tool should equate with what we know.
- Technology is changing our ecological environment in sweeping ways. Researchers are discovering that our new technologies help us with efficiency, speed, creativity, and connectivity. But they are also making us shallow people. Dr. David Meyer (of the University of Michigan’s Cognition and Perception Program) says this: “We’re facing a crisis of attention that is only going to get worse.” He compares our lack of understanding the impact of technology to our lack of understanding the impact of smoking years ago.

Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith—he created the new curriculum Following Jesus. He’s editor of the Jesus-Centered Bible and author of 40 books, including The Suicide Solution,The Jesus-Centered Life and Jesus-Centered Daily. He hosts the podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus.