King Thamus

In Plato’s Phaedrus we find a fascinating and instructive story that prompts us to think about the ubiquitous technology in our lives today; are we shaping technology or is technology shaping us?

Listen as Socrates tells the story of King Thamus entertaining the god Theuth, the inventor of numbers, calculation, geometry, astronomy, and writing.

Thamus inquired into the use of each of them, and as Theuth went through them expressed approval or disapproval, according as he judged Theuth’s claims to be well or ill founded. It would take too long to go through all that Thamus is reported to have said for and against each of Theuth’s inventions. But when it came to writing, Theuth declared, “Here is an accomplishment. my lord the king, which will improve both the wisdom and the memory of the Egyptians. I have discoverd a sure receipt for memory and wisdom.” To this, Thamus replied, “Theuth, my paragon of inventors, the discoverer of an art is not the best judge of the good or harm which will accrue to those who practice it. So it is in this; you, who are the father of writing, have out of fondness for your off-spring attributed to it quite the opposite of its real function. Those who acquire it will cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful; they will rely on wrting to bring things to their remembrance by external signs instead of by their own internal resources. What you have discovered is a receipt for recollection, not for memory. And as for wisdom, your pupils will have the reputation for it without the reality: they will receive a quantity of information without proper instruction, and in consequence be thought very knowledgeable when they are for the most part quite ignorant. And because they are filled with the conceit of wisdom instead of real wisdom they will be a burden to society.

From this story come several observations that can instruct us 21st century technophiles.  We’ll explore each observation with later posts in detail.

Technology promises a better world for it’s users.                                                 Think about the last commercial you saw. It probably went something like this:

The Old Spice guy gives a great outline for what most commercials tell us:

Things ought to be a certain way (Your man should smell great.) There is a problem (Your man smells like feet.) There can be a solution ( Buy old spice body wash for him.) After this all of your problems will be solved (You can ride off into the sunset with a man that at least smells like this guy, even if isn’t remotely as handsome and muscular.)

Extreme example, but each commercial follows this same pattern- ought- is- can will. Try looking for it the next time you watch TV.

Culture moves at the speed of technology.                                                                 The images from the screen you’re staring at move at the speed of light.

Music moves at the speed of sound.

Culture moves at the speed of technology.

The creators of technology and producers of commercials want you to buy their technology with out pausing to think about the trade offs of that particular technology. Chris Cox, the VP of facebook, puts it this way, “facebook solved this problem of getting all your friends in one place, and created the problem of having all your friends in one place.”

Each technology- old spice body wash, automobiles, Facebook, the latest mobile device, will solve existing problems and create new ones.

Technology invites to outsource our lives.                                                            Google invites us to outsource our brains.

Texting outsources face to face conversation.

Auto correct outsources our spelling.

Audiobooks outsource our reading.

The flexbelt outsources disciplined exercise. 

Imagine you lived in an era before calculators. All of your calculations had to be written down, shown on a abacus and worked out in your head. You spent long hours each day adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying without the aid of any tools. When the calculator comes along, the hours are cut in half and the math becomes easier. At the same time, your brain’s capacity for math becomes smaller. You have outsourced your brain to the calculator.

Some of this outsourcing may be good, some of it bad, but none of it is neutral. Technology is never neutral.

Technology creates appearance without substance.                                            Armed with a calculator, even a math failure like myself could make large calculations previously unimaginable. But, I have not acquired the mathematical wisdom that would be needed to make these observations without a calculator. Anyone can look who the first King of England was on wikipedia. This is information. To understand the dynamics that bought about the founding of England and the history behind the country, this is wisdom.

Scripture speaks about wisdom as “paying attention.” Technology creates a disjointed world that invites us to do the opposite. Reflecting on our use of technology and asking deeper questions is a good step toward paying attention.

In what ways do you notice technology around you shaping you and changing the way you live?

What are some new problems (#1stworldproblems?) created by the technology in your life?

How does technology blur the line between information and wisdom in your own life?

A Song in the Night

The superscription of Psalm 42 says, “For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.” If you ask, “Well, what exactly does that mean?” the answer is that we are not sure. But one thing is clear in this psalm: music is woven into the fabric of the psalmist’s perspective on faith in the living God. In fact throughout the psalms, music expresses faith and brings us into a deeper experience of the God we believe in.

Psalm 42 describes real struggles and triumphs of living by faith. It is a reaching out for God in the midst of the swirling, tumultuous seas of life. And music—God’s song (v. 8)—is right there among the wind and the waves.

What role does music play in this life of faith? Music reminds us that in our God we find:

The deepest mystery

“Deep calls to deep,” the psalmist declares, “in the roar of your waterfalls” (v. 7). The roar of the ocean or a majestic waterfall is one of the most awesome sounds in the natural world. It is both threatening and inviting—full of power, majesty and mystery.

God is full of mystery. He is “deep” and much of who he is and how he works is hidden from us. The psalmist expresses this in verse 9 when he says, “Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” We don’t understand many things about God and must live at times with unresolved tensions as we think about him and our lives.

Music is full of depth and mystery that reflects the mystery of the God. At times music does not resolve and allows chordal tension. Jazz is built on this concept.

This reminds us that resolution and understanding often elude us, that mystery and tension are inevitable and actually compel us to search for greater depth in our relationship with God. Like the deer that pants for refreshment at the water brooks, so our soul longs for the God who often seems hidden and mysteriously absent. This longing and pursuit is good and part of the life of faith, part of the message of music to our soul.

The greatest beauty

In Psalm 27:4 David expressed his desire to simply “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord,” and he often expressed this beauty through his songs. Of course the beauty of God is not a physical attractiveness. Instead it is something David calls “the beauty of his holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Our souls long for and are attracted to the moral purity and absolute righteousness of God.

There is something in music that reflects the beauty of the Creator. We cannot really analyze or identify it as much as we simply experience it. It is hard to describe because it is a personal revelation of wonder and inspiration. That is why we all have different tastes in music.

A key part of experiencing this beauty is the joy it produces in our hearts. This is the highest form of joy, when it flows from a revelation of the beauty of our God. No wonder the psalmist cried out, “When can I go and meet with God?” But even when he couldn’t go to God, he realized that God was coming to him in song: “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me…” (v. 8). He experienced the beauty of God once again through the music the Lord gave him.

Perfect harmony

God exists in perfect harmony as Father, Son and Spirit. He also deeply desires that we live in harmony with him and with others.

Music expresses this wonderfully as it moves away from and into harmony. It creates a sense of anticipation and fulfillment as beautiful harmonies resonate with our hearts. This stirs up our God-given, deep-seated desire to be “harmonizers,” to live in peace and be peacemakers.

Unlimited creativity

There is no limit to the creativity we can experience and express through music. But this is simply a reflection of the fact that the Creator is not limited and is the most artistic and creative being in the universe. His world is a reflection of his creative nature.

When we express ourselves creatively in music, we are reflecting the Creator and bringing glory to him. And this is the ultimate goal and most fulfilling aspect of music.

Music is a gift from God that draws us toward him in faith. Like the psalmist we often find our hope renewed through a “song in the night,” God’s love wrapped up in the music that resonates with our hearts.

The Cure for Death

A book I read recently is dedicated to a friend of the author who is “stricken with cancer,” but “has found in Jesus Christ a cure for death.” What a powerful way to convey the paradox and wonder of the cross!

If someone claimed and proved they had a cure for cancer, patients from all over the world would do whatever they could to get it. Cancer is a fearful, horrible disease and we want to rid ourselves of it at all costs.

The worst disease of all is the one that afflicts all of us - the sickness of sin and its ultimate expression, death. But Jesus claimed to overcome sin through his death on the cross and proved it through his resurrection from the dead (John 11:25-26). So why does the world not flock to this cure?

The apostle Paul reminds us that the cross is foolishness to the world, “but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). Viewed through sinful human eyes, the cross is merely a religious symbol, a relic of outdated wishful thinking. Jesus is either a nice but irrelevant religious figure or a pernicious myth whose unexplainable staying power is simply a nuisance.

Through eyes of faith, however, the cross rises above the wisdom of this world and Jesus towers over sin and death as the risen, conquering Lord. Amazingly, he offers to share the eternal benefits of this with all who will simply trust him. Stricken by the disease of sin, we can yet find, through faith in the Savior, the cure for death.

Trial

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

1 Peter 4:12-13

Many times we expect the Christian life to be entirely absent of trials, difficulty, and hardship.  Here Peter points out that we shouldn’t be surprised at trials and instead should EXPECT them.  Becoming a follower of Christ doesn’t imply exemption from the difficulties of life because HE is the ultimate example of suffering.  During his time on earth, he was ridiculed, hungry, homeless, and suffered a criminal’s death on a cross.

In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that “In the world you will have tribulation.”  He knew firsthand that our earthly life would involve suffering, as he became flesh in our fallen world.  As followers of Christ we experience hardship, and are given the glorious opportunity to “share in his suffering.”  This suffering is not some sort of spiritual toughness and character building but rather complete dependance on Jesus Christ.  He instructs us to ” take heart;  I have overcome the world.”  On the cross he overcame the fallen nature of our world and secured a final restoration where all things will be made new.  Therefore, we can rest in Jesus’ ultimate example of suffering as the ultimate answer for our trials.

This is why Peter encourages us to “rejoice” in our sufferings.  He knew that as we patiently endured trials in our walk, we could “be glad when his glory is revealed.” Rather than the suffering, earthly Christ, we worship Christ as the overcomer of the world.  He sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us and and it is only through him that we receive our strength to face our trials.

Good Shepherds

When John’s Gospel reveals Jesus as our Good Shepherd (John 10), it is drawing on rich imagery rooted in the Old Testament.  Ezekiel 34 speaks of the Good Shepherd who chastises Israel’s shepherds because they have failed to convey His heart and care for His people. He defines for them one clear role that they seemed to miss entirely: a shepherd should take care of the flock. This means strengthening the weak, healing the sick and binding up the injured. It also means bringing back the strays and searching for the lost. It means not being harsh but gentle, not judgmental but empathetic, loving and helpful.

According to the Apostle Peter these shepherds should serve willingly, eager to be examples of God’s grace and kindness to the flock (1 Peter 5:2-5). The motive for true shepherds is love for God and His people. And love for lost sheep that need to come into the fold.

While this certainly applies to pastors, all of us who claim to follow Jesus the Good Shepherd are called to care. The challenge is that the sin in us twists even our best intentions into a self-serving drive for personal recognition and gain. This is the internal battle that must be won if God’s care for people is to be conveyed.

Dying to sin and self is the only pathway to genuine love and service to others. Daily repentance paves the way for us to care more about others than ourselves. Otherwise we will dishonor the name of our Chief Shepherd, misrepresent His heart and miss the opportunity to guide lost sheep home to Him.

John 10:14-15 (NIV) I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Ezekiel 34:2-4 (NIV) Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
  
1 Peter 5:2-5 (NIV) Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Not about you…or me (part 2)

John the Baptist had it right when he said, “Jesus must become more
important while I become less important” (John 3:30). We are told that John
was sent by God and “came only as a witness to the light” (John 1:8). He
even told his followers to follow Jesus instead (John 1:35-37).

The sooner we realize that we are here only to honor and bear witness to
Jesus the better. This is better for the people around us because they need
to know Him first and foremost. We do not have anything life-giving to
offer anyone apart from the wellspring of His life in us.

Ultimately it is better for us as well. It keeps us from self-deception
about our importance. We are humbled and thankful as we consider His
greatness and the opportunity we have to know Him and make Him known. And
Jesus explained that if we spend our lives in this way for His sake, we will
find the fulfillment in Him we were looking for all along (Matthew 16:25).

It is more blessed to give than it is to receive. It is better to point to
the true light than to pretend we have light and life apart from Him.

Principles

Seth Godin points out a number of principles that enable people to be successful in what they do.

To be a successful Christian, look for principles.  They will breathe new life into the study of God’s Word.  These are unchanging truths that will keep us from being “carried about by every wind of doctrine,” as churches are looking for new and better ways to present faith.  Principles connect everything and shape the world we live in.

Ephesians 4:14