Creekside Church, Sunday, Dec 29, 2024
The Devil In My Pocket
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
American Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt has written about the affect smart phones, and more specifically social media, are having on us.
o Tracking anxiety, depression and self-harm – from 1990-2011 pretty much stable
o 2012 – hockey stick up – 100-150% - at least doubling
o This happened all over the developed world
o The best explanation for this sudden rapid rise was the mass adoption of the smart phone.
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So what should we do?
Jesus teaches:
Mark 9 - 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell (ghenna), where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.
What’s this passage about?
Jesus is being hyperbolic
If there are things causing you to stumble, get rid of them.
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Should we fear technology?
Technology has always been met with fear:
- Socrates – writing would ruin people’s memory
- Warnings about the printing press – 16th century – overload of information
- Radio – no one will read or write anymore
- Television – hellivision!
- Telephone – lazy and anti-social – some even feared that telephones could be used to communicate with the dead!
Not fear.
But wisdom.
Cain – sin in crouching at your door.
"But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:7
Phone is crouching in your pocket. But you can rule over it.
Phone is crouching at your children’s door, how will you help them rule over it?
Who’s in control?
Wisdom so that we rule over this technology.
We are not afraid. We are wise.
The solution is not rejection, but ruling.
----------
Wise Rulers over our phones.
We’ve accepted some weird norms. Why do we carry them around with us everywhere? Sleep beside them?
You have to regain control of your attention.
Are you always processing information, texts, emails, notifications.
How many companies are you allowing to interrupt you?
4 Main Recommendations (The Anxious Generation)
1. No smartphone before high-school – can have a flip phone – can’t have your own, keep it in your room etc. – don’t give your child the internet in their pocket, that anyone can reach them and they can reach anything
2. No social media until 16 – there is no way to make social media safe until 16.
3. Phone free schools – how can you learn with your phone at school? Take the greatest distraction devices ever created and bring them into the classroom?
4. More independence, responsibility, adventure in the real world.
Let them grow up on earth before we send them to mars.
Social coordination with other parents. Don't make them the only kid with these rules. Try to create community with other parents so this is the new normal.
Awe Walk
Walk in beautiful environment – not even listening to music
Walk a bit slower
And just notice stuff
Plan together with your spouse.
----------
Your phone is crouching in your pocket…it’s desire is to have you…but you can rule over it.
Will you?
Does it even need to crouch at your door? Or is your door wide open?
CS LEWIS - The Screwtape Letters
Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it.
The world would love to have all your attention.
But we are meant to be a holy people. Different. People of salt and light.
Inviting people to enter life.
How we engage with technology, social media, phones will separate us.
----------
Look at your phone.
What apps need to go?
o Tracking anxiety, depression and self-harm – from 1990-2011 pretty much stable
o 2012 – hockey stick up – 100-150% - at least doubling
o This happened all over the developed world
o The best explanation for this sudden rapid rise was the mass adoption of the smart phone.
----------
So what should we do?
Jesus teaches:
Mark 9 - 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell (ghenna), where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.
What’s this passage about?
Jesus is being hyperbolic
If there are things causing you to stumble, get rid of them.
----------
Should we fear technology?
Technology has always been met with fear:
- Socrates – writing would ruin people’s memory
- Warnings about the printing press – 16th century – overload of information
- Radio – no one will read or write anymore
- Television – hellivision!
- Telephone – lazy and anti-social – some even feared that telephones could be used to communicate with the dead!
Not fear.
But wisdom.
Cain – sin in crouching at your door.
"But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:7
Phone is crouching in your pocket. But you can rule over it.
Phone is crouching at your children’s door, how will you help them rule over it?
Who’s in control?
Wisdom so that we rule over this technology.
We are not afraid. We are wise.
The solution is not rejection, but ruling.
----------
Wise Rulers over our phones.
We’ve accepted some weird norms. Why do we carry them around with us everywhere? Sleep beside them?
You have to regain control of your attention.
Are you always processing information, texts, emails, notifications.
How many companies are you allowing to interrupt you?
4 Main Recommendations (The Anxious Generation)
1. No smartphone before high-school – can have a flip phone – can’t have your own, keep it in your room etc. – don’t give your child the internet in their pocket, that anyone can reach them and they can reach anything
2. No social media until 16 – there is no way to make social media safe until 16.
3. Phone free schools – how can you learn with your phone at school? Take the greatest distraction devices ever created and bring them into the classroom?
4. More independence, responsibility, adventure in the real world.
Let them grow up on earth before we send them to mars.
Social coordination with other parents. Don't make them the only kid with these rules. Try to create community with other parents so this is the new normal.
Awe Walk
Walk in beautiful environment – not even listening to music
Walk a bit slower
And just notice stuff
Plan together with your spouse.
----------
Your phone is crouching in your pocket…it’s desire is to have you…but you can rule over it.
Will you?
Does it even need to crouch at your door? Or is your door wide open?
CS LEWIS - The Screwtape Letters
Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it.
The world would love to have all your attention.
But we are meant to be a holy people. Different. People of salt and light.
Inviting people to enter life.
How we engage with technology, social media, phones will separate us.
----------
Look at your phone.
What apps need to go?