5 Digital Dangers
The digital world is all around us and brings with it particular temptations. Here are some wise words from John Piper's Solid Joys blog as we seek to navigate our way through it. You can find the original post here: Five digital dangers
Five Digital Dangers
- Devotional
by John
Piper
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:14)
Christians do not just coast through life like jellyfish
floating in the current of contemporary culture. We live by the power of the
Spirit and find our course by the word of God. We swim. Like dolphins, not jellyfish.
Part of that course setting and power is expressed in thoughtful engagement
with the digital realities of our day. Dangers included. Here are five.
1) The hook of constant curiosity
Digital devices offer a never-ending possibility for
discovery. Even the basic operating systems can consume hours of curious
punching and experimenting. Then there are the endless apps consuming weeks of
your time as they lure you into their intricacies.
All this is very deceptive, giving the illusion of power and
effectiveness, but leaving you with a feeling of emptiness and nervousness at
the end of the day.
Resolution: I will strictly limit my experimental time on
the device and devote myself more to truth than to technique.
2) The empty world of virtual (un)reality
How sad to see brilliant, creative people pouring hours and
days of their lives into creating cities and armies and adventures that have no
connection with reality. We have one life to live. All our powers are given to
us by the real God for the real world leading to a real heaven and real hell.
Resolution: I will spend my constructive, creative energy
not in the unreality of “virtual reality” but in the reality of the real world.
3) “Personal” relations with a machine
Like no other invention, a computer comes closest to being
like a person. You can play games with it. It will talk to you. It will always
be there for you. The great danger here is that we really become comfortable
with this manageable electronic “person,” and gradually drift away from the
unpredictable, frustrating, sometimes painful dealings with real human persons.
Resolution: I will not replace the risk of personal
relationships with impersonal electronic safety.
4) The risk of tryst
“Tryst \’trist\ noun: An agreement (as between lovers) to
meet.” Sexual affairs begin in private time together, extended conversation,
and the sharing of soul, which can now be done in absolute seclusion through
digital devices. You can think that “it’s just nothing” — until she (or he)
shows up in town.
Resolution: I will not cultivate a one-on-one relationship
with a person of the opposite sex other than my spouse. If I am single, I will
not cultivate such a relationship with another person’s spouse.
5) Porn
More insidious than X-rated videos, we can now not only
watch but join the perversity in the privacy of our own den. Interactive porn
will allow you to “do it” or make them “do it” virtually.
I have never seen it. Nor do I ever intend to. It kills the
spirit. It drives God away. It depersonalises women. It quenches prayer. It
blanks out the Bible. It cheapens the soul. It destroys spiritual power. It
defiles everything.
Resolution: I will never open any app or website for sexual
stimulation, nor purchase or download anything pornographic.
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