"Spamming for Jesus" (October 2003)

I’m trying to figure out where computers are mentioned in the Bible.  Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins probably know, although it is hard to keep up with them.

I remember years ago self-proclaimed prophets declaring that computers in various incarnations were the mark of the beast.  I didn’t put much stock in it back then, but now I am beginning to wonder.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like computers.  They make me more productive.  I have become dependent on the machines.  And it is the latter thought that worries me at times.

Think about it.  With modern computers, we have now reached the capability of recording everything that a person says and does throughout his life.  In the past, only God knew everything about us.  Perhaps God has a computer system of His own?  If so, heaven forbid that God’s Place uses Microsoft software.  I’d be tempted to jump out the Window if such were the case.

Heaven will have to wait, but I think I have caught a glimpse of the future world of computers here on earth, and it is not pretty.  Jesus said we are to be servants in this world, ministering to others.  He didn’t say anything about being enslaved by computers, but I think that’s where we are heading.  How many hours this very year will the citizens of planet earth spend fighting computer viruses and worms (I’m just glad they have not yet evolved into intelligent species), entering endless streams of data, and playing games which have no point other than personal entertainment?  Computers have wormed their way into all facets of our lives:  transportation, cooking, entertainment, work, healthcare, education, faith, and even morality are all directly impacted and shaped by the ever-present bits and bytes of computer chips.  Nothing is seemingly beyond the reach of computers, yet computers are one of the most unreliable devices ever invented by unreliable humankind.

Think you can do without computers?  Short of shutting off the electricity, turning off your cell phone, disconnecting the phone lines, throwing away your digital watch, and not cranking your car, it is just about impossible these days.

Ten years from now?  The computers probably know the future better than we do.  No more standing in checkout lines?  Probably.  The ability for any church of any size to easily and cheaply broadcast worship services?  Likely.  Millions of Internet TV channels?  Possibly.  More computer spam and viruses?  You haven’t seen anything yet.  More time to spend with friends and family?  Don’t count on it. 

In the final analysis, perhaps the biggest downside to computers is that they make people expendable and human interaction optional.

The upside?  The opportunity for new evangelism strategies.  Call it “Spamming for Jesus.”  With a few keystrokes, the Gospel message can worm its way to tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of computer users. 

Easy, simple, quick, painless.  Who knows?  Perhaps mass, faceless evangelism will be a redeeming quality in a future world in which humans are the servants of computers.

Or better yet, perhaps Christians today should start seriously addressing the ethical implications of a world dominated by computers in everyday life.