Your Attention, Please
August 8, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Screens dominate our daily lives, don’t they?
Not that long ago, most families owned only one television. Now it’s very common to own two or more televisions. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Most adults carry a smartphone—with full access to constant communication, social media, and every streaming service. And many of us spend at least part of our working hours in front of a computer monitor. Even individual gas pumps can come equipped with screen entertainment!
This is not the beginning of an anti-technology rant. I enjoy movies and tv, I have and use a smartphone, and I’m writing this letter on a computer monitor. Instead of ranting against technology, my hope is that this letter will be a small nudge for all of us to think wisely and for God’s glory about the media technology in our lives.
Careful thinking about media’s place in a culture, in families, and in individual wives is actually an academic discipline called media ecology. We normally use ecology to describe relationships in the natural world. If, for example, a certain species of animal is introduced into a new area, that new presence can change the existing relationships between animals from the bottom of the food chain to the top. Ecologists study these relationships in part to avoid unintended ecological disasters. Media ecology applies a similar approach to the digital world. The introduction of new media technology makes plenty of new things possible but it also makes other things (sometimes very important things) either impossible or much harder.
Smart phones are a great example. I am very thankful for the all-in-one phone, GPS, audio player, TV, camera, video camera, calculator, compass, etc. that I can carry in my pocket. At the same time, even the most disciplined among us would have to admit that our phones can become an easy distraction from truly important parts of our lives. In the same way, the predominance of screens in our daily lives makes it difficult to find quiet, solitude, and focus.
In other words, media demands our attention and the technological developments of the past 20 years have only increased the volume of that demand. But just think about all that the Bible says about media and our attention. Here’s a small selection:
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Psalm 101:3: “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
Just as a poor diet takes its toll slowly over many years, a poor media diet does the same to our thinking and even to our spiritual lives. I remember, for example, the story of a college professor (someone specifically trained for focused thought!) who realized that the shallowness of the internet made it much harder for him to read long and complicated books.
So what can we do? Obviously you have Christian liberty to make decisions where the Bible is silent. But let me make some suggestions:
Consider a digital detox. This means consciously stepping away from digital media and technology for a time for the sake of your attention. Perhaps it’s an hour a day, a day a week, or even a week out of the year—whatever works for you to take a rest from the cacophony of media!
Consider using a paper Bible. Some of you knew this was coming. It is my semi-regular refrain. I strongly recommend using a good, old-fashioned hard copy of the Bible for daily reading, family devotions, Bible study, and church. You never have to charge it and you’ll greatly reduce any temptation to distraction that a digital version affords. Of course, if it's a choice between a digital version and less Bible reading, keep on with the digital version!
Consider learning more about media ecology. T. David Gordon is a PCA minister and retired college professor who has written a lot about this topic. A good place to start is with this interview of him by Al Mohler.
So you don’t need to throw away your phone. You don’t need to sell your TV. You might even disagree with some of my advice (which is totally fine!). But our own individual spiritual health—not to mention the health of the church—will be improved if we give more attention to media and the way it changes us.
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew