Optimism and Opportunity: Faithful Perspectives on Technological Advancement

Can Christians have an optimistic view on technology?

Quick Links

Rachel opens up a great new podcast series about the critical law from the 1990s that made the internet as we know it possible. She tells the story of how online platforms and social media were such a help to her and our family as we dealt with her spinal cord tumor, recovery, and adaptation to life with mobility devices.

Don’t miss Rachel talking about her disability policy work on the Free the Economy podcast.

For a dash of Taylor, here’s a recent video he narrates on how we can get cheaper, more abundant energy.

Faith and Tech: Our Recent Speaking Event

In November, Rachel and I had the privilege of speaking at a Faith and Law event on Capitol Hill. The organization where I work, the Abundance Institute, sponsored the session we titled, “Optimism and Opportunity: Faithful Perspectives on Technological Advancement.” Faith and Law is a non-profit that serves staffers and members of Congress, facilitating mentorship programs and regular events that connect professionally relevant topics to the Christian faith. It’s a great organization.

As those who know me are probably aware, the intersection of faith and tech topics is a real passion of mine. For example, almost 10 years ago I helped organize and participate in a panel at SXSW in Austin, TX on “The Singularity and the Question of God.” (We got a great turnout of around 200 people with a fun discussion). I’ve done a number of other things since then. My interest in faith perspectives on technology actually started earlier than that SXSW event while I was working at the Mercatus Center. There I was learning for the first time the ins and outs of technology policy and getting exposed to a whole range of thinkers who were usually either tech boosters or critics. I was and am excited by the range of people who have both positive takes and critiques of how technological progress impacts the individual and society.

However, I noticed a large gap in the discourse.

In particular, I was struck by the lack of positive viewpoints on technology from the Protestant Christian perspective. There were a number of critiques and generally what I would call tech-skeptical Christian takes where the default position to technological progress seemed to be based on a posture of “let’s slow things down” or “this is bad.” Later we can get into the nuances of that debate, but at the very least I thought there should be at least some positive Christian perspective on technology. A Christian worldview has so much to add to these discussions, both for those in and outside the Christian community. I see benefits from tech all over the place and wonder why people, especially Christians, aren’t more excited.

As Rachel and I say, Christians live in a cosmically-purposed universe where no matter what happens, God loves us and is in control. Talk about encouraging! Furthermore He has equipped us to create and build on the earth He designed and made. So let’s get to creating tech, I say!

Anyway, our talk linked above provides, I hope, a hint of that positive perspective on tech, informed by Christian belief. Rachel always provides a good check to my enthusiasm, ensuring I keep my feet on the ground. If you don’t have time for our full discussion, Susan Gates, the Executive Director of Faith and Law, has a great summary of the event. (Thank you, Susan!). But if you want to dive deeper into our thoughts on this topic, check out our podcast. Finally, if you’re curious for a good resource, I think the best Christian tech-optimistic book out there is by Tony Reinke, “God, Technology, and the Christian Life.”