This week we mourn the passing of a great leader for the Kingdom in Reverend Billy Graham. In February 1998, Rev. Graham was invited to speak on technology and faith at the annual TED Conference as one of the final session speakers. After many engaging sessions on the development of the then-current breakthrough changing the course of mankind, the Internet, Billy Graham taught his audience about one of history’s greatest technological minds: King David. He presented a talk that is as relevant today as it was two decades ago.
Eternal vision
Referring to the Internet age, he stated: “This is not the first time that we’ve had a technological revolution. We’ve had others.... In one generation, the nation of the people of Israel had a tremendous and dramatic change that made them a great power in the Near East. A man by the name of David came to the throne, and King David became one of the great leaders of his generation. He was a man of tremendous leadership.” Graham continued to state that a couple hundred years prior to David, the Hittites discovered the smelting of iron. Yet, it was David who introduced the iron age to Israel. Instead of sticks and stones, Israel began to possess weapons and industrial tools. In one generation, Israel was completely transformed from a settling people to a regional power. Graham notes that in David’s writings, David recognized that even though he was a man of great influence, regardless of all he could accomplish there where three problems that technological advances could never solve: (1) the problem of human evil; (2) the problem of human suffering; and (3) the problem of death.
Credit: TED Talk, Billy Graham, February 1998, TED1998
Graham explains, the problem is within us. “The problem is not technology. The problem is the person using it.” How can we change man who is separated from his Creator, he asks? Humanity has found the power to make great technological strides, yet still finds some way to have the evil in our hearts to corrupt it. While science and technology can aid in easing some types of human suffering, there are problems it cannot get rid of. Many of us face betrayal, personal pain, poverty, and psychological pressures that are inescapable. In the same way, we have one unavoidable thing common to us all: death. Graham concludes that even though we can push the limits of imagination and creativity, we can’t solve these three simple problems. The only solution is to look beyond technology and to Christ.
The only solution is to look beyond technology and to Christ.
Graham proclaimed that scientific knowledge pales in comparison to the knowledge of God. Only God can solve these problems because the solution is not on this side of eternity. The solution is found only through placing one’s faith in Christ. The part of us that moves beyond the understanding of science and technology is God’s working within us to make our technological advances serve humanity, aiming them toward the only solution to earthly evils.
So, why is Graham’s speech on technology that was delivered two decades ago just as relevant today as it was then? It is because he understood, like David, that technology is our tool, not our end goal. Technology finds its purpose when it is used to aim people toward reconciliation with God. Rev. Graham recognized that the answer to reaching a generation is not found in the progress of technology, but the changing of hearts. When our productions are used to serve God’s people, creating a way for them to commune with him, only then are we using the tools God provides for their designed purpose. This is how we use church tech to serve the way Christ intended. If we are not using the technology God charges us with to lead others to his Son, our efforts are falling short.
Technology finds its purpose when it is used to aim people toward reconciliation with God.
Assuming Billy Graham is correct, may I propose that while it is common to get ourselves down, often feeling under-appreciated and overworked, it has less to do with the job than it has to do with us? What if the tech department was seen as a ministry so spiritually motivated and Christ-focused that our church leadership could not help but to confidently know that every production decision we make is done so only because we long for the peace and reconciliation of those hurting in the congregation that only comes through a relationship with God? Would our church see us differently? Can they say that about us now?
The power of interconnectivity
Think what could be accomplished in just this one generation if we use our church technology in the same way Billy Graham and David viewed it. The interconnectivity of technology today possesses the power to change more lives in less time than ever before. We may not be able to end human evil, human suffering, or death with our audio mixes and lighting designs, but we can highlight the good news found within the song lyrics and sermon message. When we do so, we bring the peace that surpasses all understanding to one more lost soul. I propose that maybe worrying about what console we need, or how perfect each camera shot is, misses the mark. If we can take something from Rev. Graham, maybe it is that everything we do must transform the hearts of the congregation. Maybe our attention should be as much (if not more) on the people standing in the pews as the vocalists, guitarists, and drummers on stage. What if we focused as much on using our position as a vehicle for connecting the hearts of the broken, lost, hurt, and struggling in our congregation with the one true healer found in Christ as we did with perfecting our craft? As tech leaders today, we have been given the power to impact more people both emotionally and spiritually than at any other time in history. I encourage us all to heed Billy Graham’s call exactly because we have been granted, by God’s calling, a key role in changing hearts for Christ’s eternal Kingdom.
Dedicated to the late Reverend Billy Graham. Well done good and faithful servant. May we all find encouragement through him. I encourage you to take 30 minutes to watch Billy Graham’s TED Talk for yourself: https://www.ted.com/talks/billy_graham_on_technology_faith_and_suffering.
