SHAPING A WORLD THAT IS
SHAPING US
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Sermon from August 17, 2003
"Be careful then how you live, not as
unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time,
because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians
5:15-20
Perhaps more out of curiosity than the expectation of
seeing great cinema, I went to see Arnold ’
Schwarzenegger’s new film, Terminator III. I was
interested in seeing how convincing the fifty-six actor
could play the roll eighteen years after making the first
film in the series. Although he is not thirty-eight any
more, he has certainly kept in shape and can still play the
part well. The premise of the story is that a supercomputer
system known as Skynet has infected U.S. defence computer
systems. Not knowing the source of the problem, and with it
getting worse, the recommendation is made to put all
military computers under the control of Skynet so that it
can, in turn, kill the virus. This was Skynet’s hope,
having achieved some degree of independence of thought.
After Skynet gains control of all military computer
systems, it decides to wipe out its enemy, the human race,
by launching the nuclear weapons under its control, thereby
permitting robots to take over. Some people survive and
organised a resistance. In the film, two robots are sent
from the future, one to kill members of the resistance
before they can start their work and another to prevent
this from happening. Arnold plays the good robot intent on
saving these humans who have a mission to help preserve
humanity after the nuclear attack. On the surface, this may
seem like light summer movie-going fare. And, from a
certain point of view, this is correct. A lot of things get
blown up, the dialogue is not quite in the same league as
Shakespeare, and the acting is not likely to win any
Academy Awards, although it is entertaining. However, the
film does deal with an important theme- the relationship
between technology and survival of the human.
Some academics have written about the rise of technological
society with its inherent loss of humanising values and
relationships. For example, Jacques Ellul has suggested
that we are now living in the third “milieu” of
human history. The first was the “natural
milieu” in which primitive society interacted with
nature with the primary goal of survival. As a defence
against the rigours of nature, human societies were
organised into a “social milieu” that was
concerned with social organisation, distribution of
resources, group cohesion and wars. We have now advanced to
a “technological milieu” that has alienated us
from nature and itself shapes society and its constituent
interactions. We now live in an environment in which
technology has become a system that obeys its own laws and
has become autonomous. In a sense, humans have become cogs
in the machinery of the modern technological state. We have
lost a degree of autonomy and are limited in the choices we
can make in social planning. Forces driving the advancement
of a technological society are related to concepts of
efficiency, cost-effectiveness, maximising profits,
creating wealth, minimising the need for human labour, and
creating consumer goods with associated markets.
Originally, machines were created to reduce the human
effort required to complete tasks. In time, some replaced
humans completely in the production process. Workers were
replaced by technicians who keep the equipment functioning.
According to Langdon Winner, technology has become a regime
that exercises considerable control over society. It tends
towards gigantism, eliminating many small players. The
driving force of efficiency has produced its own form of
rule-guided chains of command. This move towards large
hierarchical structures tends to eliminate other forms of
human activity. Industrial techniques have displaced
craftsmanship. Agribusiness has forced many family farms to
be sold. The technocratic system often defines human needs
and creates the need through marketing, rather than vice
versa. Diseases can now be manufactured to respond to the
development of drugs that can “cure” them. The
ability of the political process to thwart these powerful
forces of globalisation is somewhat limited. To a certain
extent, “Skynet” has already taken over and is
waging war against humanity.
As Christians who must live in the modern world, we are all
effected by the rather impersonal nature of the
technocratic machine that is driving society. It is easy
give ourselves over to it and view the values of
efficiency, maximising of profit and minimising human
effort as self-evident. Those who do not fit in or have
become worn out are simply cast aside, being no longer
useful to achieving the goals of the system. This is
diametrically opposed to the values of the Kingdom of God.
In Christ, all have a part to play and all are of value in
the body of Christ. Jesus knows each of our names and
welcomes us into his fellowship. We live by values that are
both human and humanising. Like Fezziwhig in A Christmas
Carol, we sometimes need to value relationships over
productivity. Creating caring communities within the life
of the Church is more important than ever, given the
increasing impersonal nature of technocratic society.
Creativity and self-expression need to be nurtured. It must
start by welcoming and accepting each other in the love of
Christ.