One’s theology of technology is really a subsection of one’s theology of the sovereignty of God—is the Creator surprised when the creatures he told to have dominion over the earth begin to recreate earthly elements to accomplish what he commanded them to do? Unless we subscribe to open theism, we have to admit that when ‘the Master’s hand created every grain of sand’ his omniscience also knew that silica sand would end up in tablets on the front pulpit to equipment in the back sound booth. Technology is one fulfillment of Genesis 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
A theology of technology also touches on the doctrine of God’s goodness. God is good, and everything he created is good. And any non-sinful creative act using the elements that God created and pronounces as good is likewise good. If Jesus said that a good tree produces good fruit, then certainly a good creation can be used to produce good extensions of that creation. Some would argue that those tools can be used for sinful purposes; true. But just because a tree can be used to make a cross doesn’t mean the tree itself is sinful. If it were, then God would be guilty of creating sinful tools. Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
Finally, a theology of technology would have to include the doctrine of redemption. I say this tongue in cheek, but nearly every Christian believes in limited atonement—they limit the atonement of Jesus Christ to human souls. When asked, “What will be redeemed at the end of the world?” most Christians would reply, “The saved Christians.” However, if we ask the apostle Paul the same question, I think he would reply, “The saved Creation.” In Romans 8:19–24, Paul writes: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved…”
A doctrine of redemption that does not include inanimate materials is more limited than a Calvinist’s limited atonement. Hebrews 8–9 teaches, “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain’… Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these… For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things…” Plainly stated, “neutral materials” used in redemptive history are shadowy glimpses of greater materials in heaven.
So where does that leave us in developing a theology of technology for media ministry? These three points show us that we have a sovereign, good, and redemptive God. Because God is sovereign we trust that he ordained the invention of various technologies, because he is good we trust that he gave humanity good components to start the process with, and because he is redemptive we trust that the creation itself will be set free from the sinful uses some of humanity used it for.
Whether one develops a theology of salvation, eschatology, or another topic, it is essential that they always start that theology with God. To do otherwise will result in arguments about supralapsarianism versus infralapsarianism, or pretribulational-premillennialism versus amillennialism. Likewise, the most important foundation of media ministry is not lights on versus lights off, loud vocals versus rumbling bass, or paper manuscripts versus flashy PowerPoints. The most critical foundation of media ministry is a God-centered theology of technology.
When we get a final glimpse of glory in Revelation 21–22, we don’t read that God sent down an earthly garden, but we read that God sent down a heavenly city. For a city to become a garden, there has to be erosion, neglect, and decay. For a garden to become a city, there has to be creation, care, and innovation. A biblical theology of technology is an understanding that media ministry—and any other form of ministry—is simply the Holy Spirit working and sanctifying in us the attributes that God first is in himself. How fitting then is it that the first commandment to man and the final revelation of God are both statements of creative innovation. Revelation 21–22 proves that God doesn’t command humanity in the creation mandate of Genesis 1:26 to do something that he isn’t willing to do himself. And what greater motivation for ministry can there be than this: us doing for others what God first has done for us.
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