It wasn’t long ago…about six or seven years or so…that I was almost a Luddite.  I hated the fact that so many people were using cell phones.  It seemed to me that the idea of making communication immediate and labor-free cheapened communication.  Instead of calling their spouses during their lunch break or before they leave work in order to touch base, couples began calling each other from stupid places like the grocery store or the video rental place (this was before Netflix).  At a moment’s notice, a guy can call his wife and ask "do you want me to pick up Moonstruck or Mermaids, honey? I forget."

I also noticed that people were no longer content with their desktops.  Many of my friends opted for laptops (something I thought were only for graduate students and computer industry professionals) or pdas.  I resisted, I really did.  I was one of the last people I knew to get a CD player (in fact, I had only had an 8 track player and a record player until my teens, and I am only 29).  I was bound and determined not to get sucked into shiney allure of new technology.  It happened quickly.  I think I started with a cell phone, and then I decided that it made sense to turn in my Day Planner for a simple PDA.  I got a hand-me down from a friend.  Then I started selling books online and realized that I could check prices better if I had a better PDA with a cellular modem attached for easy price-checking.  When I was considering going to seminary, I decided that I wanted to take notes in class, so I got a keyboard for my PDA (which was an HP Jornada).  This quickly proved to be inadequate.  Since I had a Pentium II 400Mhz computer, and it was 2002, I decided to get a laptop to replace my desktop.  The keyboard wasn’t powerful enough, so about a year or so ago, I replaced that with my Dell 5160 and also bought my wife a little Gateway 200 so she wouldn’t have to use mine.

Now I find myself desiring a more sleek and powerful laptop, as well as a more beefy cell phone with will effortlessly synch with Outlook 2003.  I also want to start podcasting, and find that TiVo would be swell…etc.  Currently, I feel pretty strong, self-assured that I won’t cave anytime soon on any of these (except maybe the cell phone). 

It is times like these that I remember that my heros are people like St. Francis, Rich Mullins, and Mother Theresa.  How can I follow Jesus in the margins while I am part of the techno-elite? Many of you whose blogs I read and who read my blog are probably all in the same boat.  We have the same desire to reach out and love like Jesus…the same desire to live faithfully.  But most of us, as evidenced by our blogging, are techno-elites.  We have loads of technology and go to churches that are perhaps tech-savvy.  Does this ever bother any of you, or am I alone in my self-doubt?

About Mark Van Steenwyk

Mark Van Steenwyk is a member of Missio Dei. He is a speaker, writer, educator, and grassroots organizer. With the support of the Central Plains Mennonite Conference, he travels to radical and intentional communities around the country to help network and offer support.