Applying Good Theology to Your Technology

Proverbs 23:1-3, 19-21, 26 (NIV 84) 1When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, 2and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. 3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. 19Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: 20Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, 21for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags… 26My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways.

Ephesians 5:8-11, 15-17 (NIV 84) 8For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 15So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Endless appetite + endless access = recipe for gluttony

Gluttony leads to idolatry

Anything that doesn’t have a boundary is an idol.

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV) 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul.

Screen Time Hazards:

• The hazard of distraction.

• The hazard of temptation.

• The hazard of neglect.

Screen Time Health:

1. Be aware of what you’re gazing at.

(Matthew) 6:22-23 (NIV) 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.23But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

• Eliminate mindless screen time.

• Take a weekly screen “sabbath

2. Change your self talk.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) …but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Matthew 5:39-41 (NIV) …If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

3. Commit to 3 “redeeming disciplines”.

• Repentance.

• Confession.

James 5:16 (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

• Accountability.

4. Learn to be ravished with Jesus.

Psalm 84:10 (NIV) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Talk it Over

What goal could you pursue and accomplish if you reapplied some of those 35 hours a week you may spend on your phone?

Has social media ever led you to a place you “didn’t intend to go? If you have found yourself in a place you didn’t intend to go, or with consequences you didn’t intend to have because of social media, how did you remedy it?

What are some other examples of things you do that are not bad but are also not necessarily helpful?

If you have kids, how do you handle social media with your kids?

Do you want your children to remember you more for reading your Bible or looking at your phone? How are you working toward that end?

We discussed the idea of having a “Theology of Technology”—what you believe about your device & how you are going to use it. Do you have a theology of technology specifically for social media?

Parents: What kind of boundaries do your kids have in place for screen time? What are the rules or expectations for screen time? If your family doesn’t have any set rules, meet as a family, and together come up with some rules and boundaries for tech time!