A common misunderstanding about Christians is that they are opposed to progress. But in reality, it’s just that they have a different view of what progress looks like.

It’s a common critique that Christianity is way outdated and hopelessly irrelevant in contemporary culture.

But in defense, Christianity is really all about going forward. It’s about optimizing and maximizing every opportunity and living life at its fullest.

In John 10:10, Jesus, our Leader, summarized it this way:

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Does that sound like someone who is trying to hold people back or keep them down? No, it sounds like someone who has the absolute best in mind for anyone who might be interested.

The problem, as Jesus explained just before that, is that there is another operative out there who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus is the Supreme Giver, but the devil is an unrivaled taker.

And what’s really confusing is, that while the thief steals, kills, and destroys, he convinces people that it is progress. The world’s best at the game of deception, the devil flips the script, making himself out as the giver and Jesus as the taker.

Jesus and Tech

For the record, Jesus never opposed the process of modernization. He used tools. He cooperated with government. He accessed transportation. He used media to the extent that it was available.

But Jesus was also very clear in his message that there is more to life than human accomplishment. There are things that money cannot buy. There is a problem of the human soul that no human being could fix – not even Elon Musk.

Redemption, after all, is not a tech issue. It’s a spiritual issue.

The world’s best at the game of deception, the devil flips the script, making himself out as the giver and Jesus as the taker.

Jesus was clear that the ultimate fix we all crave, even if we don’t know how to explain it, is attainable only through him. He said unambiguously, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

In other words, we are hopelessly lost without him.

Jesus isn’t anti-progress and to be a follower of his doesn’t mean you’ve settled for less than the best. It doesn’t mean you are dead set against human advancement. Hardly.

To the contrary, to be a follower of Jesus means that you want to go as far as you can possibly go. It also means you’re trusting him and him alone to take you there.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.