[Thom Rainer shared his thoughts on use of “devices”=
; in church. Interesting thoughts. Talk amongst yourselves.]
I noticed several people in the church using their smartphones or tabl=
ets, presumably as a digital Bible or a digital notetaker. For those I coul=
d see from my vantage point, I also noticed that many of those with digital=
devices would click on the notifications they received. They were obviousl=
y distracted, and they obviously distracted me. As a point of confession, I=
looked over the shoulder of a church member last fall as he was looking at=
the college football rankings for the week. I am ashamed to say I looked l=
onger than I should.
Recently, I went to a=
movie theater in my hometown. I noticed the previews stressed that everyon=
e must turn off their phones and other digital devices. I guess theaters ha=
ve higher standards than churches in that regard.
Have I become a legalistic and grumpy old man? Maybe. But hear me ou=
t. I have good reasons to ask church leaders to encourage their members to =
turn off their electronic devices. Here are seven of the reasons.
1. Smartphones and tablets often distract the per=
son looking at them. I see it every week. Rarely do I see church m=
embers looking at their smartphones without some kind of notification poppi=
ng up. Of course, they can’t wait to read the notification.
2. Smartphones and tablets of=
ten distract others. I wish I were not one of those=
prone to distraction, but I am. When that light on someone’s phone c=
atches my eye, I immediately turn to it.
=
3. Smartphones have addictive content that is contribu=
ting to a mental health crisis among young people. =
Research shows how social media on smartphones is rewiring the minds of ou=
r children and youth. Look at the dramatic increase in anxiety, depression,=
self-harm, and suicide among Gen Z once they begin using a smartphone with=
social media access and other harmful sites. Frankly, I don’t want t=
o give my tacit approval to the habitual use of smartphones by reading my o=
wn smartphone in church.
=
4. Most churche=
s have many options for reading the Bible or taking notes in a worship serv=
ice without needing a smartphone or tablet. Pew Bibles, =
biblical text on a screen or in a sermon outline in the bulletin. You don&#=
8217;t have to have a digital device even if you didn’t bring a print=
Bible.
5. Writing i=
ncreases retention more than using a keyboard. I w=
as surprised again at the number of studies that proved this statement. Whe=
n you take handwritten notes, you are more engaged in the sermon and retain=
the content more effectively. By the way, your pastor will be encouraged w=
hen several church members become notetakers.
6. Smartphones create a sense of isolation. =
Again, there are several good pieces of research on this=
topic. Gathering for worship services is meant to be a communal experience=
because we are involved in shared community activities like reading our Bi=
bles, taking notes, listening to the sermon, or singing and praising God to=
gether. The smartphone sends us into isolation rather than community.&nb=
sp;
7. Church members communi=
cate the wrong priorities when they use their smartphones in worship servic=
es. Even if we stay focused on the biblical text an=
d the sermon, we could implicitly communicate to other church members that =
we are more focused on the phone than the God we worship.=
I know we can’t mandate that members turn off phones d=
uring worship services. I also know that many churches have permitted or ev=
en encouraged it so long that reversing it will be difficult. Still, I hope=
you hear my concerns. I think they are real and pervasive.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!&q=
uot;