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Home > About Us > Collaborating Institutions > SCS > Luce Seminars > 2002Old Wine in New Wineskins: Responding to God and the Spiritual Internet
James F. Caccamo,
To be published in Machination and Soul: Past and Present
Intersections of Technology and the Human Spirit,
edited by Keith Dorwick.
Volume in development.
Christianity has always had an on-again, off-again relationship with technology. By and large, something was deemed "on" or "off" based on simple evaluation of the effectiveness of that particular technology as a tool for winning souls and ensuring faithfulness. The printing press was lauded by many Protestants because it provided the necessary precondition to personal interpretation of scripture: a personal copy of the Bible. Navigational and transportation technologies were valued because they made possible the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. But for centuries, churches barred the use of modern musical instruments in worship, believing that they would introduce a sensuality that would be spiritually devastating. We see these same concerns today in the debate over the spiritual value of the internet, where people try to evaluate whether the net will save more souls through spreading the Gospel than it loses to social fragmentation and the temptations of pornography. Unfortunately, this kind of simple utilitarian calculation of a technology's effectiveness as conversion tool neglects the complexity of the role of technology in human life and spirituality.
This essay seeks to enrich the debate about the spiritual dynamics of technology by examining internet-based Christian worship and spiritual activities. The essay starts from the premise that to live a spiritual life is to engage in a process of call and response: the divine calls out to us in the world; we respond as we are, when we can, how we can. In this context, the world is seen as a location for encounter with the divine and a seat of inspired action in the world.
From this starting point, the essay sets out to explore ways we can think about the relationship between the Divine, technology, and the spiritual life by probing three primary ideas. First, technology can be a location for encounter with the divine. Second, using technology is an important way for us to learn the cultural symbols of God, the numinous, and the spiritual life. As we encounter these symbols, we change the way we think about God, growing in our own spiritual practice and self-expression. Third, technology provides a particular set of spiritual practices which shape our lives—both on- and off-line. On-line practices may differ from traditional spiritual practices, but they are formative none the less.
Throughout the essay, computer-based worship and prayer is compared to a variety of "traditional" spiritual practices. Along the way, the essay will address a variety of concerns such as, "how can the computer support the spiritual life if it is not physical?," "can you have real religion in isolation?," and, "what will happen to traditional churches and congregations in this new spiritual economy?"
The essay is meant both to be a scholarly investigation of key aspects of the relationship between computing technology and spirituality as well as engage popular concerns about the new dynamics of the spiritual life brought about by advances in technology. The author hopes that the essay provides space for evaluating our provisional answers to the question of computers and spiritual life and an opportunity to consider new possibilities.
Partial Bibliography
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