BACK
number of Christians thought that we should not use them. Today some still do not. Amish people still live in the horse and buggy age. They might have the last laugh if the oil supply dried up ! Where would our cars and planes be then ? However, talking of planes it was said by some Christians: “Of course we shall never fly” ! Then at a large meeting a well-known Christian turned up in England from Denmark. His name was Carren (pronounced ‘Car-Reign’). The word went round in rather shocked tones: “Mr. Carren’s here - came by plane”! The use of air transport was not considered such a bad thing after that. However, a relative of mine who worked in a plane factory would not go up in a plane, so it was said, because he knew all the things that might go wrong ! Biblically Man was given dominion, amongst other things, over the fowl of the heavens (Genesis 1:28). It does not therefore seem wrong that we should make vehicles that fly as well as waggons (Genesis 45:21 & 27) and other vehicles to transport us on the earth.

Today we have many sophisticated instruments: phones, radios, televisions, computers and other complex electronic machinery. What man has done is to harness the forces of nature for his own purposes. Man has been doing this sort of thing since the days of Cain (Genesis 4:17-22). That Satan can use these things to keep man occupied away from God is no doubt true. However, he does not create things, but he uses them. Satan did not create the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but he made use of it to lead Adam into sin (Genesis 3:1-7). Though we may speak of the things that were found in Cain’s world we cannot dismiss them as not usable for right purposes. Instruments of music were used in Old Testament days in the service of God for his praise (see, for example, Psalm 150). A skilled worker in brass was used to help in the construction of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:13/14) and iron was used for nails in the same construction (1 Chronicles 22:3).

To take one instrument (tool if you like) that we have today, the computer: this can be used to, say, write letters - nothing wrong in that ! In Biblical days pens, ink and paper were used (Psalm 45:1; Jeremiah 8:8; 2 John 12). Elsewhere Scripture speaks of a style for writing (Job 19:24; Isaiah 8:1; Jeremiah 17:1). A computer can be used for many other legitimate purposes such as accessing the World Wide Web in order

NEXT