Promises of Progress

The progress of the technological world allows us to escape the real. Our computer screens and avatars simulate the life we want but not necessarily the life we have. The true us becomes hidden in exchange for our brighter online projection. But what does it mean to believe the promises of the world?
Timothy D. Willard and R. Jason Locy
Veneer, Living Deeply in a Surface Society

I’m not bemoaning the “progress” of technology. I’m not longing for the days when I could ink a devotional thought on a papyrus and commission a courier to carry it to you. I am stung by the closing question. What does it mean to believe the promises of the world? Our “progress” offers “promises”. These promises have created an evolution in thinking. Here’s my take. In recent times, we fought a battle over identity. It was the contrast between “who we are” and “what we do”. That’s a battle that continues to rage. But, technology has introduced another insidious battle. It is the battle between “who we are” and “what we have”. I’m not referring to material possessions. I am referring to information. “What we have” is an ever-expanding excess of access. It has never before been so easy to create, extend and receive messages about “who we are” with so little thought and care. Gone is the realization that identity is precious. The fingerprints of God quickly become smudged. That’s not progress. Instead, as stewards of the times, we must seize the opportunities that progress offers and hold fast to our true identity. I could never wish to be anything other than a child of God.