I recently finished reading a book entitled, A Practical Guide to Culture – Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World. If you are interested in some of the cultural issues of our day such as: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Affluence and Consumerism, Addiction, Entertainment, Etc. them I highly recommend this resource to you.
Before the authors dove into the specific cultural issues, they lay out what culture actually is and how our current age impacts our culture. I especially liked the way the authors addressed the lies the culture tells us about these issues and how the wonder of God’s redemptive story should impact our response to the cultural issues.
I was especially struck by how technology impacts our understanding of culture. If you are a parent or grandparent or if you are ever in the presence of children and teens, you know that technology has a tremendous impact on them…and us. The authors lay out five lies that technology teaches us:
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Lie #1 – I am the center of my own universe.
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Lie #2 – I deserve to be happy all the time.
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Lie #3 – I must have choices.
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Lie #4 – I am my own authority.
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Lie #5 – Information is all I need, not teachers.
I will not touch on all of these but I did want to address a couple of the lies.
Lie #2 – I deserve to be happy all the time.
The author makes the point that access to games, gadgets and devices is almost universal. This technology promises to keep us entertained and claims we will be happy and fulfilled when we use it. The sad truth is that even with all of this technology at our fingertips, our kids struggle with apathy, anxiety, and depression more than ever. This technology promises us instant gratification and happiness, but they are failing to deliver on their promises — while at the same time isolating us more and more from each other.
Lie #3 – I must have choices.
I grew up at a time when we had three choices of television stations, cartoons only came on Saturday morning and I was the remote control. To our kids today that sounds like the stone ages! They have hundreds of channels to choose from as well as almost every streaming option imaginable. Netflix, Prime and now Disney + are the new normal. As the authors point out, it seems “infinite choice is required for happiness and fulfillment.”
Lie #5 – Information is all I need, not teachers.
Gray hair used to be a sign of wisdom (and I have plenty of it!) but the truth is that Google knows so much more than all of us put together. It is amazing how reliant we have all become on the internet for knowledge. We need to help our kids understand that the internet may know more facts than we do but, it does not always understand the meaning of those facts. And it certainly does not contain true wisdom about how to interpret those facts!
Being Alone Together
Interestingly, these lies are found in a chapter entitled – Being Alone Together. Far too many times we are “alone together.” I was at the doctor today and as I sat in the waiting room, I notice there were six of sitting there and five people were completely engaged with their phones…and I wondered why that one guy didn’t have a phone??? We could have talked to each other but instead we were “alone together.”
As followers of Christ, let’s not be alone together. Let’s rather engage with one another and spur each other to love and good works! (Heb 10:24). If you are interested in learning more about our culture and how to engage for the glory of God, I recommend picking up a copy of A Practical Guide to Culture.
You can use your technology to order it today and get it delivered tomorrow. What an amazing time to be alive!