Long ago at creation, the Almighty God in all His wisdom ordained that the treasure of micro–electronics would remain hidden in the world until the time was right for it to be discovered. Man’s history features many such scientific discoveries. Early in the Old Testament days man discovered that by blowing across a reed or by plucking the long strings of a harp he could make music and play sweet-sounding melodies before the Lord. Man early discovered too how to transcribe his spoken words onto paper and later, how to reproduce them for distribution by means of the printing press. More recently man has learned to send his voice and pictures of himself through the airwaves to radio and television receivers.
Our main concern in this article is with the discovery of micro-electronics and what it means for Christians as we approach the end of the twentieth century.
Threatening Obstacles and the Sovereign God
Some Christians may talk as though “science” could ruin or thwart God Almighty’s plans. They seem to think man’s discoveries might surprise Him as much as they do us and act as though God didn’t know that man would one day design computers that are capable of tasks that startle even our widest imaginations. Even Reformed Christians, who are supposed to grasp the doctrines of God’s sovereignty and providential rule over the earth sometimes wish that technology would slow down; fearing that when man invented the computer and started experimenting with artificial intelligence, he had gone too far.
What does Scripture teach us about these things? Does God’s word tell us anything useful with a view to computer technology and related developments by which we may become men of understanding, able to discern right from wrong, and able to use such new knowledge unto His glory? Indeed it does!
In Psalm 2, the nations are described as “imagining vain things.” What are these “vain things”? Verses 2 and 3 further characterize them: “The Kings of the earth . . . and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.’” In our modern world not only nations, but also multinational corporations have achieved enormous power. The telecommunications giants believe they can manipulate governments by million dollar bribes and the big oil sheiks believe they hold the destiny of the Western World in their hands by the twist of a valve. The competition today is to see who can build the fastest and most powerful super–computer and launch more telecommunications satellites into outer space. Some computer experts tell us that their industry will soon be I 00 times larger than the largest industries today (such as the oil or automotive producers). When the heathen man gets his hands on these inventions, he begins to think he is all powerful. Men in government may dream of controlling the actions of citizens by tracing the flow of all money through a vast network of computers. Some feel that the total control of mankind by the anti–Christ through a network of computers is a certainty taught by Scripture. That Satan does use wicked men to exploit computer technology is a fact, because Satan uses everything he has in reach for his purposes. But Satan cannot dethrone God. God is still sovereign. He ultimately decides the usefulness and overrules the use of all things in His creation. Fared with the arrogance of enemies, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh!” (Ps. 2:4). He directs all things including the invention and use of computers and the efforts of conspirators to misuse them to achieve His purposes. As Christians we must be alert to ways these new inventions may be used to serve our Lord’s Gospel and Kingdom and use them accordingly. What are some of these ways?
Electronic Bibles
Several years ago a lot of publicity was generated when the Zondervan Corporation used computers to compile a concordance for the NIV Bible in weeks instead of the lifetime compiling a concordance formerly might require. The publishing of the NIV with the Thompson chain reference system was also achieved very rapidly with the aid of computer.
Today, the complete NIV Bible is available for anyone to use with an IBM-PC or similar computer. Many doctors, lawyers, and business people, as well as pastors, are using such tools to study the scripture. The KJV text of the Bible has been available for several years for many types of computers. There are, in fact, a number of small software publishing houses springing up specifically for the purpose of providing the scriptures in computer readable form for the consumer personal computer market. The Word Processor is the KJV Bible for Apple, IDM, CP/M, Commodore, Radio Shack, and other computers. Other software packages featuring the complete text of the Bible are also available, selling under such names as Scripture Scanner, CompuBible, Bible Search, and Verse by Verse. By the time you read this article a new product is supposed to be out from a company called Computer Bibles International that features three English versions of the Bible, as well as the original Greek and Hebrew text. This gives the user the ability to find the usage of any words in Scripture instantly, with their etymology displayed side by side on the screen, or printed out on the computer printer. The cost of these items? A lot less than you might think.
The Pastor’s Helper
Of course, churches that are using computers are using them mainly in the traditional tasks of word-processing and accounting, but some churches are exploring new areas as well. For instance, church libraries can be organized very efficiently with the computers quick sorting ability. The computer then becomes the pastor’s helper in finding needed material fo r sermon illustrations, quotable quotes, or exegetical notes.
Instant Prayer Letters from Overseas
Our organization, the Christian Computer Users Association, is working toward the goal of having an international computer network to speed vital information to the people it concerns. Such a computer network would be accessible via home computers such as those available for under $300 today.
Imagine for a moment, a missionary in North Africa typing his prayer letter into a portable computer on Saturday afternoon. He then compacts the letter to less than 50 percent of its original length. Then, using either the phone or a short-wave radio, he transmits the letter in about 12 seconds to a waiting computer in North America. The North American computer calls up 10 churches (during the night when rates are low) and sends the message to each church. The waiting computers in each church re-expand the letter to its original length, and print out copies to be distributed on Sunday morning. The whole process takes about 15 minutes, and costs around two or three dollars per session. Such an overnight instant prayer letter service, if shared by many missionaries and home churches would only cost between $500 and $5,000 per congregation to set up, depending on how sophisticated the local church wanted its equipment to be. This idea can be implemented using technology readily available from your local computer store. Nothing out of the ordinary (technologically speaking) is required. The reason why such a system is not now being used by our churches is:
1. People are not aware the technology exists. 2. North American Christians are not really that concerned with bringing the gospel to every nation. 3. They think of using computer technology mainly “for business.” 4. All of the above.Using Today’s “Roman Roads”
During the time of the “pax Romans” the Roman roads were built for the dominion of the Roman Empire, but they became useful for the apostles in the expanding dominion of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!
The apostle Paul used all these facilities to advance the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the heathen (Gentiles).
In II Timothy 4:13, we see that Paul relied on a personal courier service for the delivery of some of his most important messages. “When you come . . . bring my scrolls and especially the parchments.” How much easier it would be today to transmit the complete document that Paul wanted from one computer to another in less than 3 minutes over the phone lines. This writer is convinced that if Paul were alive today, he would be using a personal computer for word processing of documents and telecommunications to quickly dispatch the vital messages to the churches. If Paul did not use the computer himself, he would have fr iends such as Tertius supporting his ministry through their technical abilities (Romans 15:22). Our problem today, however, is not a lack of Roman roads or Tertius-type connections, but a lack of people with a vision like Paul’s. What we need today are people who will have the vision to develop a technological “blitz” against the entrenched, wicked, humanist hordes that are presently destroying the earth and raping the bride of Christ. We need a technological “blitz” with biblical (Reformed) theology directing and motivating it.
As the strangle-hold of humanism tightens around Western society, those who have traditionally held to “human will or human choice” theology are beginning to question the wisdom of their presuppositions. A neutral position will not do if one is in the midst of a battle. In deed, the “neutral man” is the one with arrows in his back. The Christian must either serve the sovereign God or serve the “sovereign man.” But where can the common man get answers to his basic (really theological) questions?
Several groups are talking about putting the complete writings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Reformed writers on computerized database. They do have an ulterior motive, perhaps, since this is the greatest body of literature with no copyright restrictions, but the fact is that they have actually had high level talks about it. This is an amazing thing: Reformed Christians could have started such a database years ago, but few that this writer has met are even thinking about it. Why? Why can’t Reformed Christians wake up and see that this could be a glorious hour? What could a computerized database of biblical theology do for the Church and society? In the hands ofGod, it could help to transform this nation’s Christian colleges and seminaries which presently are often nothing more than institutions of baptized humanism. Judgment begins with the house of God. Unless we are willing to work and pray to reform the church in our day, how can we expect to transform society?
A database of solid Biblical answers to life’s most difficult questions is a thing greatly to be desired, but it is not the total solution. Yet we ought to ask ourselves this question: What if our Reformed fathers had neglected the use of the printing press?
Douglas Vos of Grand Rapids is founder of this association, which is dedicated to helping Christians use computer technology to serve Christ’s Kingdom.