How has Technology and Artificial Intelligence Changed Christianity?

How has Technology and Artificial Intelligence Changed Christianity?

Connor Johnson

At the center of nearly all progress is innovation. At the center of nearly all innovation is technology. For years the improvement of our technologies has been the driving force for human society changing and advancing. Another very important cornerstone of human society is religion. One of the most popular and most widespread religions in our modern human society is Christianity and its various forms.

Humans has benefited greatly from the innovations in technology we have seen over the years, and almost all products of society have been evolved by technology in some way, shape, or form, and it is no different for Christianity. Having existed for thousands of years, Christianity has been able to survive and grow in large part thanks to technology.

One of the most notable and most important series of changes in Christianity came about thanks to the invention of the printing press in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. This is one of the most notable inventions in all of human history, and spurred on incredible amounts of change for Christianity, with some change being good and some of it being bad.

Gutenberg’s printing press was the first attempt at one in Europe, and it is often cited as the number one most society defining inventions in history. It was also a great example of innovation and technology at the time of its creation. The Gutenberg Press involved replacing the wood of previous attempts at printing presses with metal and using printing blocks of each letter, which was the first European attempt at moveable type. In addition to this, Gutenberg even developed his very own type of ink that would affix to metal instead of wood.

The first book that Gutenberg ever printed, which was also the first book ever printed in Europe, was the “Forty-Two-Line” Bible, which he completed in 1455. The mass printing of the bible was a very large deal as at this time the only way to “mass print” bibles was to do it by hand, which was both expensive and not very timely. Thus, owning books was a sign of extreme wealth, and the poorer masses did not have the means to own books or have the ability to read.

The printing press changed all of that. With bibles being much easier to mass print, and with it being much cheaper, the poorer masses were finally able to have their own copies of the bibles. In addition to this, the monk Martin Luther translated the bible into German and other vulgar languages, making it that much more accessible to the masses. With everyone now having access to the bible, there was a much higher interest in Christianity, along with a deeper connection between individuals and the religion.

The previously mentioned monk Martin Luther had another role to play with the printing press. He had his personal set of issues with the Catholic Church, mainly concerning the selling of indulgences. In response to the Church’s abuse of selling indulgences to help build the new St. Peter’s Basilica, Martin Luther composed his 95 Theses, which was a critique of the practices of the Church and its indulgences. He used the printing press to create pamphlets of his 95 Thesis and was able to spread his message not only throughout Germany, but all of Europe within only a few months.

This led to a large shake up within the Catholic Church to say the least. The practices of pope had been directly challenged, and with the support of the masses that Martin Luther managed to accumulate with the distribution of his pamphlets, Luther organized the Lutheran Church. The accessibility of the bible and the spread of Luther’s ideas allowed the common man to think for themselves and allowed for the spread of ideas. All of this, including the formation of the Lutheran Church, led to a great impact on European society, and in turn Christianity as a whole. Had Luther not had access to the printing press, it is very likely that his movement would not have been nearly as effective as it was, or if would have happened at all.

In a much more modern sense, technology has helped to spread Christianity world wide to places it hasn’t been to in the past, and to make it much more prevalent in areas it is already seen in. If technology of the 21^st century has done anything for Christianity, it has made it wildly more accessible. Those in less privileged areas now have numerous ways of participating in Christianity that they may not have been able to do before. With numerous ways transportations these days it is incredibly easy to make it to the weekly service, regardless of which day of the week it is on. In some larger cities there are even shuttles provided that can pick up attendees and take them to their places of worship.

In an almost modern retelling of the printing press, with eBooks, apps, and the internet it is possible to have access to the bible anywhere, even without carrying around a physical bible. This undoubtedly makes it much easier to read from the scripture and to study the bible, making it much easier to participate in studying Christianity. Another interesting aspect to keep in mind is that electronically, the bible is available in every single language, and most versions of it as well.

One of the main goals of modern-day churches is to attract as many members as possible to attend their services. With the internet at their disposal, there are many ways to achieve this goal, online ads being the main way. Often seen on social media, churches can upload videos or pictures of their services to try and attract attendees. Social media platforms such as Instagram allow for specific audience targeted ads, meaning someone who often views religious content on Instagram may be more likely to receive ads from these churches who choose to advertise on Instagram. This is what the larger televangelist-type churches will often try to do.

In addition to using social media to reach a larger audience, churches also use social media platforms to form a community. Facebook and Instagram are both popular means for doing this, and many larger churches will have strong social media followings where they can post about their upcoming events, pictures and news from services, and pictures of youth groups doing their activities. Doing things like this makes it so that the members of the church are much more likely to participate in the available activities and helps build a community that members of the church are likely to enjoy, which will keep them coming back to the services.

Churches are even beginning to utilize artificial intelligence more and more. For years churches have been collecting information on their members, but now with the use of technology and computer systems they are able to use that information to create unique experiences for their members online and even in person in services.

One of the most interesting uses of modern technology is the livestreaming of church services. Members of the church are able to view live streams of a church service from the comfort of their own home, while still getting everything that they want from the service.

As technology continues to advance, it is certain that churches and Christianity as a whole will continue to advance as well. With powerful technology always being so accessible the constant sharing of ideas is always possible, it is very likely that Christianity will continue to see shifts in its their beliefs and its denominations.

Works Cited

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