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“It’s a narrow view of both God and humans to imagine that God can be pleased and glorified with a trumpet but not a desk, computer, or baseball bat. Will there be new inventions? Refinements of old inventions? Why not?” - Randy Alcorn

Discussion

Mon, 08/28/23

I am not convinced that the answer to the question in the title is knowable to us now, but I loved how the article pointed out the importance of man's creative abilities. I believe that being creative is part of the image of God within man. In the church I have watched people use their creative abilities to glorify God in a variety of ways. Music comes to mind as I think of Fanny Crosby and so many others and even of saints I know personally who have written music for God. I also think of book shelves and storage cabinets that have been built in some of the unnoticed corners of church buildings by faithful servants who gave their time and ideas. These are part of man's creation used to glorify God. Of course many churches have gifted people who have used their technological gifts to set up or improve sound systems or video presentations. All of these things require creativity and all of these things can be ways to worship God.

Tue, 08/29/23

I haven’t read Alcorn’s book, but I have the impression from his blog posts that much of it would be in the “not knowable to us now” category… but some of it with a pretty high probability.

Agree about the creativity. I’m convinced this is a major feature of being made in His image.

The thing with technology, though, is that it is problem solving work and I have never been able to imagine how the problem-solving dynamic could exist in a world that is no longer cursed, where there is no disease, presumably no fatigue, and no shortage of time.

We develop tech for new solutions to problems or more efficient solutions to already-solved problems (and, yes, along the way, create lots of new problems also!). But if you have so few problems and no resource scarcity, why would you need tech? It would have to have a whole different motivation. Maybe in the eternal state (whether ‘heaven’ or ‘new earth’) there is no difference anymore between art and engineering/technology. There is no real problem solving, per se, but it’s all about beauty and imagination and creation.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.