I have a love-hate relationship with technology at church. There are some amazing things out there, but they can be abused quite easily. Perhaps this love-hate relationship stems from the fact that I work with the youth and I see how often they turn to technology for myriad purposes—both the good and the not-so-reverent.
But the youth definitely aren’t the only ones using technology in church. Have you ever looked down the pew and seen an adult playing a game on their phone? What about texting during church. I’ve seen that one a lot too. I have to admit it bothers me quite a bit. But it’s all about how you’re using the technology that matters.
But the amazing part about technology is that with a touch of a screen, you can have so many church-based materials at hand. The iPod and other devices make scriptures, manuals, conference talks, and the hymns (among other things) available whenever and wherever. No wi-fi needed. I’ve seen teachers pull out one of these devices and look up scriptures and reference materials to support the point they’re trying to convey—and they didn’t have to tote several books to church to do it! Very cool.
One of the coolest parts about this technology is that many of these applications are free or of minimal cost. Checking out the church web site recently, I found an announcement that the church has created an official version of the Gospel Library that’s available for free at iTunes and on other platforms (find the complete list here). With this application, you can search the reference materials, download what you want (with some exceptions), and do things like highlighting, bookmarking, and putting your own personal notes on the scriptures or passages that stand out to you.
So while I love this technology and all it can do, I have a personal request: please resist playing pinball during Sacrament meeting.