I love computers. Our family has two, and I sit in front of another at my office. I write, keep the family budget, sort and search lists, and occasionally play chess--all with computers. Last year, I discovered the internet and spent more than a few nights probing computers around the world while my family slept.
So, when I spotted a book called Silicon Snake Oil by Clifford Stoll, my curiosity was peeked.
Stoll is an astronomer and computer whiz. He came to fame by breaking a ring of hackers that had broken into the US military computers in order to steal information and sell it to East European governments. The story is told in his first book, The Cuckoo's Egg.
Stoll is no computer novice frustrated by his lack of ability to cope with new technology--so why does he use the term "snake oil"?
Stoll's thesis, as the title suggests, is that while the new information technology can do some amazing things, many of us have become mesmerized by clever "bells and whistles" and highly skilled promoters. He draws on his own experience both as a scientist and as a computer user to give example after example of the inability of this "Silicon" medicine to live up to its promises. The most obvious is an information highway filled with vast amounts of junk mail and very little information. Just try writing a research paper on something other than computers, and you will soon resort back to your library.
There is another aspect of the silicon world that is even more disturbing. Computers, claims Stoll, displace human relationships, substitute for creativity and are educational duds. Far from being the solution to our social problems, computers can distract us from the real issue--a society without a soul.
Stoll does not claim to be a Christian, but he does say something we need to hear. We, too, can easily become caught up in the silicon sales pitch and waste time and money trying to keep up with the latest gizmo. A dose of skepticism is long overdue in this area.
Even more importantly, Stoll's book serves to remind us that, as much as technology changes rapidly, the deepest needs of the human heart have not changed. I may be a techno dummy, but if I am willing to pause for a cup of coffee with my neighbour, I am giving a touch which no machine will ever replace. If I can share with a friend what Jesus has done in my life, I am passing on a treasure. If I can learn to do this regularly and teach others to do the same, the world will be turned upside down.
Computers are fun, but they don't change lives. The internet connects you to the world, but it can only transmit faceless words. The most important jobs can only be done by people through whom the Holy Spirit has permission to work.
James Toews is senior pastor of Neighbourhood Church in Nanaimo, B.C. and a member of the Canadian MB Conference Board of Communications.