How Should We Live?
That is the ultimate question raised by English author Paul Kingsnorth in his provocative new book, Against the Machine.
He posits that if the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century represented the replacement of human muscle by machinery, it can be said that the digital revolution represents the replacement of the human brain by the developing digital overmind that connects, tracks, and trains — by way of AI-boosted technology — markets, trends, commerce, and people. His premise is that our insatiable desire for more drives the Machine, which inevitably exploits scarce resources and people as it swallows up our previously grounded, communal, and spiritual selves and cultures across the world.
He hails The Matrix as perhaps the most insightful and prophetic movie of this century as we look at ourselves and our future. “The only question,” Kingsnorth asks, “is, ‘How should we live?’”
If we are to resist this omnibus (and ominous) takeover, he asserts that we need to begin by “clearing out our own inner junkyard.”
How should we live? For United Methodist Christians, we have a developed culture based on God’s unconditional love imputed into every human being. Further, we grow in that grace as a culture-of-Christ community grounded in Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. We disciple ourselves and others in this culture before all others.
If Christ is the Lord of all creation, then Christ is Lord of the Machine as well. But we must make that distinction and priority daily. Lent gives us that structured opportunity to practice intentional means of grace. These traditionally include:
Scripture reading (I recommend from a paper Bible)
Contemplative prayer at least 15 minutes/day
In-person worship and fellowship with the church
Ongoing study and discussion with others
Service to others with others
Additionally, and against the Machine:
Set a limit on how much screen time you will have daily during Lent.
Take a “buying hiatus” from things you don’t need and give that same money to a cause that does.
Check your newsfeed only once per day and use the saved time with a beloved hobby or person.
Turn off the TV in the background and listen to music that inspires.
Write down in a journal the differences you notice.
Then let me know what you discovered. We can even share them with one another. In so doing, we build and strengthen a culture of common cause whose center is Christ.
Blessings in your Lent.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
