One of the factors that contributed to the initial growth and spread of the Church of God movement was the leveraging of technology.
Today the idea of technology pervades our lives, as we are inundated with new innovations (often centered around the digital world of computers) promising greater simplicity and work effectiveness. Many seek after the latest gadgets or systems coming our way in droves. Some, however, are seeing the dangers in our fixation on technology and are yearning for a return to much simpler ways of how we relate to each other and the work we do.
It would be a mistake to impose our current understanding of technology on previous periods of history, including the late 19th century. Nevertheless, if we view this broadly in the scope of transformation, it is evident that humans have always sought and incorporated new inventions to better their lives, despite the disruptions these changes have had on social order and culture at times.
Without getting too deep here into the meaning and history of technology, it is fair to suggest that movements are enabled by the use of the technologies available to them. Christianity itself emerged within God’s plan at the perfect time (cf. Gal 4:4), when the circumstances where ripe for the spread of the Gospel. This included the advantages brought about by the Roman Empire, which featured advanced transportation infrastructure, a common language, and even the sometimes-brutal Pax Romana. In certain ways these were all technologies of their age. Likewise, for example, the Protestant Reformation could not have exerted its influence without Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press.
When D. S. Warner launched our movement, a key vehicle to disseminate the reformation message was The Gospel Trumpet, not only the publication, but the company he established to produce it, along with books and other resources. In the 19th century, there was an increased availability of small printing presses available for purchase that made it feasible for many organizations to use them to promulgate their ideas. As an innovator, Warner picked up on this trend and seized the opportunity to spread the Evening Light message.
From a present-day vantage point, we should marvel at the magnitude of the efforts behind the Gospel Trumpet Company. Content was prolific, but printing was not nearly as simple as it is today because of the tedious typesetting and many other manual processes required. For them to publish such a dense periodical with great frequency is astounding.
Beyond the printed messenger, the Church of God has employed other distinctive technologies over its history. For example, the Floating Bethel, a converted barge was launched by evangelist George T. Clayton in 1894 as a means to spread the Gospel up and down the Mississippi River. Although a short-lived venture, it exemplifies the creativity of that era.
A half century later, radio was harnessed in a powerful way with the launch of the Christian Brotherhood Hour. While many Christian ministries were already utilizing this medium, we did it in a manner and quality that stood out from other programs flooding the airwaves, to the point where in some areas it was common to stake our identity as “The church of the Christian Brotherhood Hour.”
The above are examples of how our movement took advantage of technologies available to it at the time, and adapted them to our distinctive outreach efforts. Of course, we could also point out our adoption of other technologies over the years, less distinctive to us, and more indicative of the growth of Christianity in North America overall. For instance, the spreading railroad system across the United States and Canada enabled the spread of ideas, and in our case, allowed for regional and national events to flourish before highways dominated our land travel.
We could also highlight the use of electric sound amplification that burgeoned in the 1930s, which began to allow congregations and even our campmeetings and other gatherings to easily accommodate large crowds. This technology also enabled the possibility for larger churches, and further encouraged the onslaught of more performance and entertainment-oriented worship services. This is a reminder that technologies sometimes come with mixed outcomes, and an indicator of McLuhan’s axiom that “the medium is the message.”
The point here is not to glorify technology, believing that it will solve all our ills. Nor should we assume that technologies are merely neutral tools available to us. It is apparent that they also have the potential to be dangerous (i.e. consider the growing angst of General Artificial Intelligence, or the use of lethal military equipment), so must be redeemed along with all things resulting from the Fall. More than ever, we need to be thoughtful about our adoption of technologies, and guided by a theology that sees them within the context of God’s created order. Of course, this endeavor is all beyond the scope of this article.
Nor should we jump on the bandwagon of the latest technological advancements and try to force our message into them. It is very tempting to go after the latest shiny objects like social media, AI, augmented reality, etc., thinking these will automatically bring us success. Instead, we must be grounded on the mission to which God has called us, and only then be open to selecting technologies that are consistent with and supportive of that.
Nevertheless, the real issue here is innovation, of which the use of technology is a result. Innovation is an indicator of the vitality of a movement. For the church, this is closely linked with the work of the Holy Spirit, who inspires and equips the saints to fulfill the mission of Christ beyond the limitations of human imagination. The tongues experience on the Day of Pentecost paints a vivid picture of what happened when the Spirit enabled saints to break down language barriers in order to spread the Gospel to people who otherwise might not be able to hear it.
Where is innovation apparent in the Church of God today? Of course, we can find examples of localized innovation, but as a movement we seem to have lost our creative edge when proclaiming our message and distinctives. Is it that we have become so preoccupied with our own institutional growth and survival that we no longer exhibit a passionate, focused effort to drive our outward mission?
Consideration of the role of technology in our movement’s past, present and future may provide us one insightful lens into better understanding our development, health and effectiveness.
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Published Originally at ChoGBlog.substack.com. Reprinted by permission.
