Adam's editorial this week has given us all a question worth pondering. And it also leads to more questions.
Is the computer revolution, now newly fueled by the Internet explosion, bringing people together or driving them apart? Put this question into the context of Christian fellowship and witnessing. Does information, the main commodity of the Internet, save lost souls? Or does God save souls using people and information together?
Is the computer one of the many tools for work and play and witnessing available to the Christian, or is it a distraction Satan uses to drive another wedge between genders and generations, widening the gaps separating the already splintered segments of society?
Perhaps you answered Yes to all of the above questions. I would agree, depending on the question of who is in control. If you alone are controlling the amount of time spent with the computer, then in reality the computer is in charge. You will spend more and more time with it, especially if you become addicted to Web surfing, until it threatens to distract you from your work, your family, and your relationship with God.
If God is in charge of your life, you have surrendered control of every phase of life (including computers and the Internet) over to the Holy Spirit. Then you'll be able to give your work, your family, and your witness the proper balance of your attention.
Then, the computer will be for you what it was meant to be: a
tool.
Jim Miles
2/13/97