The Gospel and Technological Redemption
Church, Technology, and the Temptation of Babel — Blog Series, Part 3
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
— John 1:14
If Babel is the story of humanity building its way up to the heavens, then the gospel is the story of God coming down.
That’s what makes Christianity so radically different. In a world obsessed with progress, platforms, and power, Jesus shows us a different way—a downward way.
In this part of our series, we’re asking: What does the gospel have to say about our technological moment? Can technology be redeemed? Or are we doomed to replay the same pattern of pride and confusion we see in Genesis 11?
Let’s begin with this simple truth:
Jesus is not anti-technology. But He is anti-Babel.
The Incarnation and the Human Body
Let’s pause and reflect on what’s possibly the most disruptive moment in the history of the cosmos: the incarnation.
God didn’t send a new app. He didn’t beam down a divine download. He entered the world through blood, fluid, and breath. Jesus was not virtual. He was embodied.
This matters.
Because in an age of digital disembodiment—of Zoom fatigue, curated Instagram identities, and endless notifications—the gospel calls us back to presence.
Jesus didn’t multitask His way through ministry. He slowed down. He walked. He touched people. He wept. He noticed.
Our screens pull us in a thousand directions. The gospel anchors us in one: Love the Lord your God…and love your neighbor.
Technology as an Instrument, Not a Savior
Let’s be clear: technology is not the enemy.
The printing press helped launch the Reformation. Radio brought the gospel into homes. Social media has opened doors for digital missionaries.
But the line between tool and idol is thin.
In his book You Are Not a Gadget, Jaron Lanier (one of the early architects of virtual reality) writes about how “technological designs are not neutral; they engineer human behavior.” That’s a sobering thought.
And in many churches, we’ve failed to recognize this. We adopt the tools of the world without examining the values they carry.
So we begin using tech to gain followers, curate identity, and chase virality. We prioritize relevance over reverence. Reach over depth. Noise over silence.
But the gospel doesn’t ride the algorithm. It travels on the back of sacrificial love.
And when we try to use technology to become something we’re not—or to manufacture our own transcendence—we’re back at Babel.
Redemption Means Reorientation
Here’s the good news: God doesn’t scrap the world. He redeems it.
In Romans 8, Paul says that all creation is groaning for redemption—including, we might say, the systems and structures we’ve built.
And so, the question becomes: How can we participate in that redemption?
Here are a few ways churches can begin reorienting technology under the lordship of Jesus:
1. Practice Digital Simplicity
Tech has a tendency to multiply complexity. More content. More platforms. More strategy. But the way of Jesus is often the way of less.
Ask: what digital rhythms are forming your people? Can we teach Sabbath from screens? Can we encourage analog presence in a digital world?
The goal isn’t to be anti-tech. It’s to be pro-formation.
2. Reclaim Embodied Presence
There is no replacement for face-to-face discipleship. Your livestream is a tool, not a church. The gathering matters. The Table matters. Baptism matters.
Let tech supplement—not supplant—embodied faith.
3. Center the Margins
The gospel always moves toward the outsider. And technology, when redeemed, can do the same.
Use your platforms to elevate marginalized voices. Build bridges across cultural divides. Translate resources into underserved languages. Leverage the tools of the age to push back against the curse of Babel.
4. Tell a Better Story
Tech platforms run on fear, outrage, and dopamine. But the church runs on a different fuel: hope.
We are not just resisting the chaos. We are proclaiming a King and a Kingdom.
Let your church’s digital presence be marked by beauty, truth, and grace. Not just hot takes and Sunday announcements.
A Gospel of Descent, Not Ascent
Here’s the heart of it all:
Babel is about ascending to God.
Jesus is about God descending to us.
Babel is about making your name great.
Jesus emptied Himself and made Himself nothing.
Babel ended in scattering.
Jesus gathered the nations at Pentecost.
And now? The Spirit is still building—not towers of pride, but a temple of living stones.
You. Me. Us. The church.
Let’s not use the tools of Babel to build the body of Christ. Let’s redeem those tools for Kingdom purposes.
Take a few moments this week and ask:
What’s the loudest voice shaping me? The Word or the world?
Where has tech helped my walk with Jesus? Where has it hindered it?
Am I using these tools to make Jesus famous—or just to make myself seen?
Because the invitation of Jesus is not “Come, build your own empire.” It’s “Come, die to yourself... and live.”
In Part 4: Building for Eternity in a Technological Age, we’ll bring this series to a close by examining how to lead churches that build toward the eternal—using tech in ways that last beyond trends, apps, and platforms.
Grace & Peace
