Christians and Technology I: Technology in Preaching & Teaching

Simply because of the year of our birth, we are surrounded by technology. Phones, computers, multimedia players, networks, software, website – they surround us with lights and sounds and shiny buttons and voices and features and connections and … and … and … The list really could go on almost endlessly. With the advent of so much that is “new,” there comes a need to thoughtfully evaluate those things in the light of God’s Word and in application of His wisdom. As I have time, I’ll be posting articles on certain aspects of technology as they compare to God’s Word. The first few will come rapidly because I recently led a set of workshops on some of these topics for youth pastors’ retreat.

The first topic here will be “Technology in Preaching and Teaching.” It will by no means be exhaustive, but it does highlight a number of current technologies that aid the pastor or layman who studies and presents the Scripture to God’s people.

Technology in Preparation My favorite study software is BibleWorks 7 (www.bibleworks.com). The starting price for this software package is $350 (although universities and seminaries can often procure copies at an academic discount). It’s focus is exegetical work – your own study of the text. The package includes almost 40 English versions, 19 Greek versions and early writings, 15 Hebrew and Aramaic versions, over 30 standard language reference works. BibleWorks 7 features powerful word study tools, diagramming modules, full parsing information, an integrated text editor, Greek & Hebrew flashcard program, and four hours of tutorial videos. In my own work, I’ve barely scratched the surface of these capabilities, but I am constantly impressed by the speed and ease with which I can search Scripture, compile and sort word study data, and view verses in context in a variety of translations with a wealth of reference works against which I can check my own study.

Another excellent Bible study package is the Logos Bible Study Library (www.logos.com). This software comes in several different packages. The lowest package is the “Christian Home” version for $150. This package includes 11 English versions, a few Greek & Hebrew references, a number of basic commentaries and reference works, several books on current topics, and a MIDI hymn collection. The “Original Languages” library is available for $415 and includes the Greek and Hebrew morphologies that make word studies flexible, powerful and accurate. It also contains a wealth of original language lexicons and grammars. The apex of Logos software is the “Scholar’s Library: Gold.” This collection ($1380) has all the powerful exegetical tools of the Original Languages edition and adds to that collection a vast library of books: commentaries, theologies, dictionaries, pastoral helps, sermon preparation books, a 90-volume theological journal, and many more. The cost is significantly higher than other softwares, but the materials included in electronic form would cost nearly $12,000 if purchased in print copies! Logos’ strength is in its library format. It runs in the Libronix Digital Library System and can turn thousands of pounds and hundreds of feet worth of books into a library the size of the computer you load it on. The Libronix system is a standard software package that is compatible with electronic copies of thousands of books besides the Logos libraries.

For those who don’t have hundreds of dollars to invest immediately in a Bible study software package, I recommend saving your money and making the purchase of a good Bible study program a financial priority. But while you are saving, e-Sword (www.e-sword.net) is a good temporary option. Its biggest benefit is its price: free! The software can be downloaded from the website, along with 145 free plugins (67 Bibles, 16 commentaries, 14 dictionaries and encyclopedias, 8 graphics collections, and 40 other books).

There are also a number of online resources available at no cost. Some recommended sites include

Technology in Presentation Once the essential work of Bible study and sermon/lesson preparation has been done, technology is still available to aid you as you compile your material to present it to your congregations or classes. In my estimation, professional hand-outs are nearly essential. Hours of study, sweat and prayer is hardly served appropriately by “secretary leftover” paper, an odd assortment of fonts and sizes and a random smattering of cartoonish clip-art. Excellent print materials to accompany your presentation are not far away. Here are a few suggestions for putting together quality hand-outs without wasting valuable time. Uniformity is the key to a well-designed hand-out. Pick one or two fonts (one for text, one for heading or titles) and stick with them consistently. Make all your formatting standard; learn your word processor’s “Styles and Formatting” feature – by defining and saving styles of text and formatting, you can save time every week as you prepare. On an aside, well-defined styles can also make sermon preparation and delivery easier: choosing a particular font style color for explanation, another for illustration, and another for exhortation will aid you as you prepare your notes in your study and deliver your message in the pulpit. As a general rule, avoid clip-art littered handouts or dull, lifeless “system default” fonts; strive for a balance between random-messy and boring-plain.

Another technological advancement that can help proclaim truth is PowerPoint (or KeyNote or other slide show software) presentations. For several years now, Fundamentalists have often shied away from using slides to accompany worship (singing or preaching), claiming that it looked too much like a compromised contemporary church. I suspect that such a claim is based more on personal opinion and worldview than on Scripture. I wouldn’t claim the other extreme (asserting that all churches must use slideshow presentations or else they’ll be stuffy and irrelevant), but I would suggest that there are times when multimedia technology is appropriate, perhaps even highly beneficial, in worship service. One example of such an occasion is the presentation of instrumental music in a church. The sound of the music itself is not what gives spiritual impact to psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; the spiritual impact comes from text that presents truth from God’s Word. Displaying the text of the hymn being played by a wordless instrument will give listeners the opportunity to respond to truth by genuinely worshiping God in truth (John 4.24); whereas playing a song without making the text available often replaces spiritual worship with good musical entertainment. Another avenue where slideshows are effective and beneficial is in teaching ministries. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Why are we content merely to push the message through the ear-gate; can we not utilize the eye-gate? Things seen in images strongly aid retention of truth. Whether it is the main points of a youth pastor’s sermon outline displayed to teens or images of Biblical locations or artifacts put on screen by a Sunday School teacher, visual aids will help your audience to learn and retain the message better.

I offer this caveat in closing: technology can be a benefit and a blessing as we seek to prepare and present the truth of Scripture, but we must never grow dependent on it. For centuries, God’s shepherds have accurately handled the Word of truth (II Tim. 2.15) without BibleWorks 7 or Logos Scholar’s Library: Gold. God’s Word has accomplished His desire and succeeded in His purpose (Isa. 55.11) without an accompanying PowerPoint show. Paul decried “persuasive words of wisdom,” “superiority of speech,” and “the wisdom of men” as false foundations of saving faith, and so must we decry persuasive slide shows of wisdom, superiority of technology, and the gadgets of men as modern false foundations for faith (I Cor. 2.1-5)! Presentation technique is never a substitute for diligent preparation and study of Scripture, and word search statistics and commentaries are never a substitute for a prayerful seeking of God’s mind in the text at hand. When appropriate and helpful, use technology in such a way that nothing distracts the hearers from the true power of preaching: God’s Word.