Questions
How Can Christians Exercise Discernment in Using and Adopting Technology?
Summary: Discernment begins with the recognition that every technology carries a theology—an implicit account of human flourishing—and requires testing those assumptions against Scripture and the character of Christ, with community accountability and a goal of redeeming rather than rejecting technology.
Discernment begins with the recognition that every technology carries a theology. Each device, platform, or system embodies assumptions about what is valuable, what it means to be human, and how the world should be ordered. Christians must learn to see through the promises of convenience and efficiency to the underlying vision of life that each technology promotes. That vision must then be tested against Scripture and the character of Christ.
Such discernment requires humility. We are often too quick to adopt new tools because they seem useful or impressive. Yet wisdom calls for patience—the willingness to ask whether a given technology draws us toward or away from love of God and neighbor. Before adopting a tool, we might ask: Will this deepen my attention, or divide it? Will it enhance community, or replace it? Will it make me more human, or more mechanical? These questions slow us down long enough to remember what matters most.
Community is essential to discernment. Individual judgment is limited, and the power of cultural momentum is strong. We need others—pastors, friends, fellow believers—to help us see what we cannot see ourselves. The body of Christ provides perspective and accountability, ensuring that our choices about technology align with our shared confession of faith. Discernment is not a solitary activity but a communal practice of seeking wisdom together.
Ultimately, discernment aims not at rejection but at redemption. The goal is not to abandon technology but to inhabit it faithfully—to use it as a means of serving God’s purposes rather than substituting it for them. When technology helps us love more deeply, steward creation more wisely, and proclaim Christ more clearly, it becomes a servant of grace. But when it tempts us to trust in our own power, it must be resisted. Discernment teaches us to know the difference.
Key Takeaways: Discernment as Communal Practice
- Every Technology Has a Theology: Each device or platform embodies assumptions about human flourishing that must be tested against Scripture and Christ.
- The Discernment Questions: Will this deepen my attention or divide it? Enhance community or replace it? Make me more human or more mechanical?
- Community Over Solitary Judgment: Cultural momentum overwhelms individual discernment; pastors, friends, and fellow believers are essential.
- The “So What”: The goal is redemption, not rejection—technology as servant of grace when it serves love of God and neighbor, resisted when it demands trust in human power.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves as President of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program, and as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Christianity.com, and Sojourners; he has been quoted in The Telegraph; and he is a regular guest on Stand in the Gap Today with the American Pastors Network. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press, Fall 2026). Learn more at jamesgspencer.com.