Technology Replaces Faith
Written by Jan Milton, Pastor of Evangelism
Heb 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith Positives
There are two results of faith, substance and evidence. The first element, “substance”, is “essence” or “assurance.” Therefore, faith is the core of all hope. There is no hope without faith. The second is “evidence.” Faith is the confidence or justification of all expectation and well-being. Regardless of what is seen, heard, experienced, or hoped; faith is the only means of hope and confidence. All believers are to live by faith.
Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Faith assures the existence and reasonable expectation of hope. When there is no reason to hope, and the believer has no evidence backing a life position and expectation, faith declares, boldly, “hope-on,” because evidence is grounded in faith. We live by faith.
A believer needs no physical substance or essence to have hope. He needs no physical evidence to know the unknown. When we have no visible means to supply the things for which is hoped, faith becomes the substantiation and evidence bringing confidence to the soul of things unseen that will deliver, fulfill, or supply. All believers must at some point, surrender to finding hope and evidence about life through faith not through materialism, the works of man’s hands.
Technology Imitation
Sadly, technology has become the faith substitute, imitation, through which modern man has hope. Technology has through man’s inventive mind become the essence of hope. When hope is non-existent in the human experience, the works of man’s hands spawn hope through achievement and promise of eventual achievement.
Mankind through continued development of technology continues to accomplish marvels, as God predicted. The question then is asked, “Why do I doubt technology when I see its marvels?”. Mankind begins to hope through technology and man’s evidence for the things he hopes is the confidence that man can do all things through technology, given time. Technology is both the essence of hope, and the evidence for things hoped.
In times of need and hopelessness, technology becomes man’s ultimate stimulant; and he chants, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” Man sees faith as counter-productive to technology, stifling its development. He is certain that need and despair is good, because it spurs technology development. Faith is the enemy; technology is the friend. Do not have faith; have physical confidence (evidence) through technology.
Technology Replacement
Revelation 9:20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Accomplishments of technology and promised accomplishments of technology through exploits of discovery, invention, and development to higher forms are physical, tangible materialism spurring hope replacing any need for faith; not just in God; but in all things, apart from the works of man’s hands. In the Bible, this is idolatry; but it is greater than a man-made image, technology can hear, can see, can respond, can move, and can supply. It is the ultimate Idolatry.
Technology, works of man’s hands, does not just replace faith in God; it replaces faith. It is the idol requiring no faith. As technology becomes man’s faith, hope lives in the present and builds for the future what could be by the evidence of the works of man’s hands. Man is catapulted away from faith, walking confidently by site on the cobblestones of present achievements knowing by empirical evidence that more is to come, given time. Literally, there is no profit to live by faith, especially in an unseen Deity.
Job wrote that evil men ask questions about the value of faith in God.
Job 21:14–15
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Job writes that the wicked cannot find profit in faith in a God they cannot hear, see, physically experience, or touch. Technology can be touched, experienced, and lived. Man does not live by faith, but he lives by technology. It becomes his consuming passion for continued quality of life and existence. A role once held by faith.
Even more frightening; faith of any type is viewed as detrimental to the future of man. Don’t pray to God; there is no profit. Educate, achieve, and develop technology for to produce the essence of hope, and the evidence of what can’t be seen.
An article published in alternet.org, November 12, 2014, written by Valerie Tarico states that faith is a detriment to the development of mankind. Valerie writes,
“Religion makes a virtue out of faith. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus. So sing children in Sunday schools across America. The Lord works in mysterious ways, pastors tell believers who have been shaken by horrors like brain cancer or a tsunami. Faith is a virtue.
As science eats away at territory once held by religion, traditional religious beliefs require greater and greater mental defenses against threatening information. To stay strong, religion trains believers to practice self-deception, shut out contradictory evidence, and trust authorities rather than their own capacity to think. This approach seeps into other parts of life. Government, in particular, becomes a fight between competing ideologies rather than a quest to figure out practical, evidence-based solutions that promote wellbeing.” (https://www.alternet.org/2014/11/6-ways-religion-does-more-bad-good/”
The Church is not unscathed by this. It is mesmerized by technology, and the need for faith or to diligently seek God or to believe that He rewards diminishes. The church gradually replaces faith-living in one who does not speak, cannot be seen, cannot be heard, and cannot respond. It is so subtle and gradual that believers do not even know it is happening. And as we go further into this “black whole,” our faith becomes technology because it spawns hope in tangible, physical ways.
Technology and Society
Society does not seek God; but as they lose dependence on faith, they reach higher and higher levels of Godlessness. The early founders of America, wishing to make the intended foundation of the country clear, placed on the currency, “In God We Trust.” The founders wrote this statement on the most obvious replacement of faith, so it would never be forgotten, that wealth and materialism should not replace living by faith. This same declaration must be written on technology.
Technology supplants faith just as wealth and materialism, because it becomes the ultimate materialism. The fascination with and pursuit of technology, more and more, becomes the essence of hope for society. Relentlessly, society substitutes the works of man’s own hands for faith. Hoping that the next step of developed technology will be the ultimate discovery unlocking all truth with no requirement of faith ever again.
Paul gave this resounding affirmation of societies fascination and pursuit in Acts.
Acts 17:21
(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
Once again, because the Church is in-sync with the world, it faces a reckoning with God. As our faith is replaced with things that can be touched and touch us; we, the Church, are in danger of being declared unacceptable by God. He wants to spew us out of His mouth. Eventually, Ichabod, could be our fate, “no glory.”