From the Garden to the City Quotes

“One of the most dangerous things you can believe in this world is that technology is neutral.”
― John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology

“Although God is restricting the use of a particular medium—carved images—he does so for a very important reason. It’s not that God thinks images themselves are inherently evil. It’s because he recognizes that tools of technology never function as neutral, inert instruments. Instead the tools we use always bring with them values that shape the culture that uses them. If God had allowed the Israelites to make images of him, it might have appeared that he was like every other god, or a god among gods. Instead, by forbidding images of himself, God reinforced his identity as wholly other. He is not an idol among idols or an image among images—he is the one true God. Therefore, God decreed that the people of Israel were to approach him exclusively through the names, metaphors, and ideas found in the permanent, authoritative words of Scripture. The medium was the message.”
― John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology

“And when we run into technology failures and problems—dropped calls, the Blue Screen of Death, smog, and so on—let’s not curse our tools like fools do. Instead, when the medicine no longer works, let us redirect our hope away from our tools and to the one who will restore all human things, human souls, human bodies, and human creations.”
― John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology

“This brings us to the reasons why access, speed, and interruption are important for Christians. A good portion of the Christian life requires the ability to concentrate and focus on ideas over long periods of time. Spiritual depth requires the ability to pray for more than a few minutes, to read and memorize Scripture (not search for it online), and to love God with our hearts and our minds. This means that we must be careful to cultivate and retain the skill of deeply reading and deeply contemplating the things of God, something the Internet and digital technologies do not value.”
― John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology