In the 1970s, my favorite show was “The Six Million Dollar Man.” The premise was simple; technology will make us better, stronger, faster.

There is some truth to that statement, but the opposing question is, at what cost? Technology always has a cost. The price is often far more than dollars and cents. Science is incredibly efficient at inventing new things but also flagrantly ignorant on how it will be used.

Technology does not come with an ethical compass attached. Technology can promote the best and the worst of the human species. Nuclear power is just one example of technology’s bipolar nature.

In the Bible, Genesis chapter 11 has always perplexed me. God is disturbed with man’s attempt to reach the heavens by constructing the Tower of Babel. In verse 6, the Lord is speaking when He says, “Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this  they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”

Possibly a clearer translation is, and this one is mine, “whatever man imagines, this is what he can accomplish.”

According to Futurist, the next few decades should be monumental in medical and scientific discoveries. With knowledge racing exponentially, lifespans, genetic and engineering pursuits, and even the fuel that powers our automobiles and home will be much different and greatly improved.

This thought begs the question, what will this world be like? Will there be sufficient drinking water, a forest to take a hike or clean air to breathe? Can technology truly remedy all these potential problems? Will there be people populating the planet born in laboratories, and the vast array of the world’s creatures creatures found only in zoos?

All of this begs the question, will persons, actualized and born in labs, have a spirit? Will they have a soul? Is there a possibility that in the coming generations, humans might become more of a machine than mortal? Yes, people have said, “the Lord will prevent such a catastrophe,” but when will he intervene?

Here is my point. The world will need the Church. Spiritual guidance and Christian values will be necessary to navigate this new world order. When rapid change is occurring at light speed, the traditional values of the Church will undergird the torturous lives of the many who have lost their footing. Salvation will never be achieved by the goodness or the beatitudes of man. In the fullness of time, God’s providence will be revealed and the faithful will be rewarded.

Dr. Andrew Brasher

Cornerstone Baptist Church