Beyond Paradise: Technology and the Kingdom of God

Technology is shaping our culture and controlling our lives--for better or for worse. Often technologys benefits far outweigh its negative impacts and technological advances can seem boundless. But the scientific-technological worldview tends to override other value systems. Indeed this technological way of thinking has influenced many contemporary ideas beliefs values habits and ways of communicating. Furthermore in addition to technologys well-known environmental impacts social aesthetic and spiritual consequences are now emerging. How can we balance positive physical effects of technology with other ambiguous or negative impacts? Some of the decisions we face have no precedent from which to draw wisdom. For this reason the resources of Scripture and the Christian tradition must be brought to bear on technological questions: How is technology used and abused today? Does technological progress lead to human progress? How can Scripture help us both individually and collectively to manage technologys impact in proactive ways? Swearengen uncovers a comprehensive scriptural mandate for managing technology. On his way to a theology of technology he evaluates which advances are moving society in directions consistent with Gods purposes. Beyond Paradise: Technology and the Kingdom of God aims to provide practical means for assessing technologys influence and for steering technology and its effects toward biblical ends. In this prophetic primer for church leaders engineer Jack Swearengen draws on his personal and professional experience to alert Christians to the pervasive nature of technology in our world. He summarizes the views of both techno-optimists and doomsayers on the effects of technology paying particular attention to unintended consequences and the limits that render our cherished American way of life sustainable for only a few more years. After a barrage of facts and figures supporting that unsustainability he explores a biblically based theology of technology proposing a kind of Hippocratic responsibility for his fellow engineers and technologists. Swearengens broad experience in industry academia weapons design and policy-making has led him to the relatively new field of industrial ecology a more holistic and biblically compatible approach to engineering design. He conveys a sense of urgency in a book that abounds in detail and is both intellectually and spiritually challenging. Walter Hearn professor of Christianity and science at New College Berkeley is a former biochemistry professor. He is the author of Being a Christian in Science (IVP) and other works on the interaction of science and faith. Jack Swearengen provides us with a sacrifice of love and insight in this valuable work. It is a labor of love in that he boldly ventures into areas to tell us that our best Biblical principles apply to the evaluation of science and technology. A trained engineer boldly steps out of his comfort zone into philosophy and cultural analysis to tell us our technological and scientific idols are failing us. He does this with passion insight and depth traits often missing in todays get-it-down-now society. I highly recommend this book. The Reverend Dr. Robert Wauzzinski Professor of Philosophy and Religion Ball State University President of Interfacing and author of Discerning Prometheus Swearengen is a Jeremiah for our times calling on Christians to stop the idolatrous worship of science and technology. Secular values are driving innovation reshaping the world in ways neither environmentally nor spiritually sustainable. To counteract this he recognizes Christians must limit and shape technology using Biblical guidelines. Church leaders and others concerned about global warming exhaustion of fossil fuels human cloning surveillance violence and other technology-implicated problems will find this wise and learned book a tremendous resource. Edward Woo