We (most of us digital immigrants) live in a digital world of exponential change that often confounds us and makes us feel inadequate. The Covid quarantine of 2020-21 irrevocably transformed the religious cultural landscape from a sanctuary from this digital world to an intricately connected part of it. Here’s how technology has changed the world since 2000 according to a World Economic Forum post (weforum.org).
- While less than 7%of the world was online in 2000, today over half the global population has access to the internet.
- At the start of the 2000s, there were 740 million cell phone subscriptions worldwide. Two decades later, that number has surpassed 8 billion, meaning there are now more cellphones in the world than people.
- Apple sold its first iPod in 2001, and six years later it introduced the iPhone, which ushered in a new era of personal technology. See 16 Ways Smartphones Have Changed Your Life (aarp.org).
- In 2004, fewer than 1 millionpeople were on Myspace; Facebook had not even launched. By 2018, Facebook had more 2.26 billion users… [That’s one in every four people on the earth].
Like it or not, these sweeping changes are part of our experience of worshiping God and following Christ.
In this group conversation, we will share our experiences of this digital world and collaboratively create ways of recognizing God’s grace in life radically changed by technology. This experience of grace may involve embracing new forms of technology as well as strategies to mitigate it’s irresistible hold on us. We’ll examine scriptural texts and stories of how our forebears in the faith adapted to new technologies as well as acquaint ourselves with present and future technological trends.
- Session 1 – Sept. 11 – Balancing (Treasures new and old – Matthew 13:52)
- Session 2 – Sept. 18 – Coping (Red Sea Crossing – Exodus 15:19)
- Session 3 – Sept. 25 – Discerning (Wisdom and Innocence – Matthew 10:16)
- Session 4 – Oct. 2 – Clearing (Be still and know – Psalm 46:10)
- Session 5 – Oct. 9 – Accepting (Cain and Abel – Genesis 4:1-5)
- Session 6 – Oct. 16 – Reimagining (Jerusalem Conference – Acts 15:28-29)
Finding Grace in a Digital World, designed and facilitated by Rev. Dr. Bo Gordy-Stith. Wednesdays from 7-8 pm on Zoom from Sept. 11 to Oct. 16.
Books and Resources on this Subject
Books
- The Earthseed Series by Octavia E. Butler
- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
- Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences by Edward Tenner
- AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan
- 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything by Mauro F. Guillén
- Arc of a Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman
Articles
- Getting Older in a Tech-Infused World | by Laura Blankenship | Tech and Me, Loving It or Hating It | Aug, 2024 | Medium
- 3 vital skills for the age of disruption | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
- How VUCA Is Reshaping The Business Environment, And What It Means For Innovation (forbes.com)
- How technology has transformed how we connect — and reject — in the digital age | (ted.com)
- Digital natives vs. digital immigrants | Sree Sreenivasan | TEDxNewYork
Movies