Saving Our Children from the Machine

Technology is not the Machine but can and is being used by it to enslave our children.

 
The machine appeared
In the distance, singing to itself
Of money. 
Its song was the web
They were caught in, men and women
Together. The villages were as flies
To be sucked empty.

God secreted
A tear. Enough, enough,
He commanded, but the machine
Looked at him and went on singing.
 ~ R.S. Thomas, “Other”

Men and women caught in the Machine’s web are “sucked empty,” unable to create life. Remember that “The Machine is a metaphor for the interplay that separates and pits the masculine against the feminine. The competitive masculine fuels our capitalist… system. The devouring feminine seen in governmental programs attempts to allay fears by overcompensating. This unholy alliance… threatens to collapse our country and each of us individually.”

We see the “sucked empt(iness)” of mankind by the Machine in fewer marriages and falling birthrates. Many pundits have attempted to find reasons and solutions to prop up humanity’s struggle for existence. However, I think most are coming at this problem in a wrong way.

Here’s the Thing: Children are not the means to an end.

While children serve the “good” purposes of the continuation of mankind as well as the continuation of our churches and our families, that is not God’s design for our children. Why? Because that is to use children for our good. That’s not the Way of Christ. Instead, children are God’s unique image bearers to be loved and known by us, not molded and manipulated to serve our purposes. Children are not sent into the world to entertain us, to cure our loneliness, to take care of us in our old age, or for any other reason we think of. Rather, they come into the world to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.

Let’s think about this. Our nations, churches, and families depend on the continuation of our progeny. But to coerce or bribe people to have more children is not the Way. Force is never the Way of Christ and never leads to the ultimate “good.”

Imagine that you are a child, and it dawns on you that your parents had you because your father needed a blood donor. Would that make you happy? Probably not. In the same way, should children be happy that they are born to perpetuate the species? I contend that most of us would not be. To be used for someone else’s purposes makes us feel unloved. Note that I am not saying saving your father’s life or perpetuating the human species are bad things. Of course, they are not. But a parent’s aim is off if that’s all they focus on. Our aim must always be toward the Summum Bonum.

Modern life typified by the Machine singing of money is not the design that God ordained. In the beginning, the first man and woman worked harmoniously in the Garden and walked with God in the cool of the evening. Jesus as the Son of Mankind and the Son of Adam restored us to the true essence of Garden living. In Eden, housework, homemaking, and child-rearing were not intended as the woman's responsibilities. The man did not solely provide for the woman. Instead, they worked alongside each other in harmony. Child-rearing would have been integrated naturally as time passed. The Man (male and female) were told to be fruitful and multiply. I’ve heard “fruitful” and “multiply” used interchangeably, but I think we miss something important if we consider them the same. “Fruitful” calls to mind the fruit of the Spirit. This is maturity. Maturity must come first before having children.

This is the summum bonum of Man�"developing maturity. Maturity = the development of the fruit of the Spirit. This is God’s will for each of us, including the children we have.

Gathering In

Throughout His time on Earth, Jesus prepared fish for His disciples, fed the multitudes, welcomed children, and washed the feet of others. Work has no label in the Kingdom. Work was and is to be shared.

Engaging in community with His followers exemplified the Way of Christ�"a model we should strive to emulate. To effectively dismantle the Machine�"born of human pride and the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, and honor�"we must be in cooperative work with one another and with God. The Machine long ago transformed into an idol of mammon, demanding our homage and dependence. It entices us with the melody of greed and drains our resources. The Machine weakens, rendering us vulnerable and reliant.

In contrast, Christ equips, inviting us to become His brothers and His partners in reconciling the world to Him. Doing so will fully liberate the power of the Logos.

Christ is our manna opposing the mammon of the Machine.

The Machine empties; Christ empowers.

Our home in the Garden is the reality of this life if we accept God’s promises. God created three things for Man (both the male and female):

A person.

A place.

A purpose.

We find these three things in our homes�"people to love, a place to rest, a purpose for life. The home’s reality of life reflects God’s provision in the Garden. The ultimate reality is the oneness between Man and God and between the male and female, the one flesh, the one Man. This is our maturity, our bearing of fruit that we share with the world.

The purpose of the union of the feminine and masculine is to birth the Logos. This is our divine calling: to plant the seeds that allow the Logos to emerge and transform our world. God works through His people, and the growth of His Kingdom is the result of this collaboration. Moreover, the planting of the Logos can also happen through our children, which underscores the significance of Christian marriages.

Because we choose to partner with God, because we choose to believe He is establishing His Kingdom, because we choose to believe children can taste and see that the Lord is good, we share the Logos by bringing children into the world. Not to serve, not to be sacrificed, not to be enslaved. No, not for those reasons. Instead, we bring our children into the world to be loved by both God and by us. To live freely in His Kingdom.

It’s the life-sucking Machine and our lack of belief that keeps the birthrate falling. We believe God has abandoned us or is too weak to stop the Machine’s destruction.

As we witness the decline along with dwindling church attendance, it may seem as though the Machine is prevailing. Encouraging marriage and the nurturing of children is not just beneficial; it is profoundly important, given that God Himself declared His world “very good” after the creation of the first Man. Human life completes the very good. Why is this so? Because our children are a reflection of God. But our aim, our reason, to bring children into the world must align with God’s purpose, not our own.

Where have we gone wrong? Many ways.

We talked last week of trust and trustworthiness being eroded. This is seen in our employment, in the government, in our food supply, and in our medical industry. No wonder we are afraid to bring children into the world. Another area we have yet to talk about is our schools. Recognizing the Logos in our children and fostering their growth in Christ is best achieved by parents rather than through our educational system.

Here’s the Kicker: Schools have often been co-opted by the Machine and promote blind obedience and dependency instead of maturity and fruit bearing.

The objective of parents should be quite the opposite of blind obedience. Recall our discussion from last week about the proper submission of women. The foundation of that submission lies in the trustworthiness of men. In a similar vein, children's readiness to submit stems from the trustworthiness of their parents.1 As good parents, we cannot expose them to danger and give them a scorpion or a snake when they ask for food. On the other hand, we should not create an unhealthy dependence on us. Instead, our aim should be to foster self-sufficiency and wisdom. Wisdom is more than information and fact gathering. Our schools often fail to produce wise children.

Reaching Out

Growing vegetables, raising chickens, milking cows, making home repairs, or sewing buttons back onto shirts�"anything that fosters self-sufficiency�"is important. Teaching the essential skill of independent thinking, however, is crucial. This essential skill fosters self-sufficiency and liberates those who learn it from the constraints of the Machine. To force blind obedience from our children does not serve God but the Machine. Parents must stop teaching this, if they are. They should protest schools that are doing so.

The ability to think critically, reason effectively, and articulate thoughts clearly is the most vital skill we can impart to our children to save them from the technological aspects of the Machine that threatens to enslave them. For example, apps are purposely made to be addictive, to serve the Machine. Our children must be wise enough to resist them.

Here’s the Thing: Jesus said to be wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.

Our children must learn wisdom to retain their freedom. Unless the dangers of technological advances are recognized and understood, we’re all in peril of being sucked dry as the Machine sings of money.

This may sound as if I am anti-technology. I am not. Here are a few of my reasons. First, technology will improve lives if we can manage to remain free. Technology has already made great strides in medicine, for example. Second, technological advancements cannot be stopped. Humans are too curious to simply say “Enough.” To be curious is not a bad thing. God designed us to seek His treasure and made that easier by giving us curiosity. The trick is to use technology instead of being used by technology. And this is going to prove difficult in the next few years unless we awaken to the dangers. Third, technology can be used to improve relationships. Having an effective means to communicate has already united many. Unfortunately, the wrong way of using technology has created great divides among various groups.

How do we use technology correctly? By love. Love transcends the traditional maternal or feminine type of affection that embraces flaws and calls them virtues. What do I mean? Maternal love can often be blind. The gentleness of the dove is not enough. On the other hand, tough paternal love is not enough. Love must be balanced with both the maternal and paternal.

The true essence of agape love is an integrated union of both paternal and maternal instincts. This form of love encourages our children to strive for high standards while also offering them a safe haven. It embodies both the act of sending them forth into the world and gathering them close. It teaches them to be trusting and trustworthy, humble and pure. Maintaining innocence while confronting evil is the greatest talent needed in reconciling the world. It is the greatest talent needed in taming technology to be used for manna instead of mammon.

When the creative spirit harmonizes with order, when justice is served with a compassionate touch, and when strength is tempered by wisdom, the feminine and masculine elements unite. In this Way, the Kingdom flourishes. This transformation occurs within the community, driven by individuals who are self-sufficient and responsible and work to heal and reconcile the world to Christ.

How do we reconcile the world? The greed of those who control the internet must be stopped. Evil must be destroyed. The scammers and spammers have to be confronted. Rules and regulations must be discussed and correctly implemented. At the same time, understanding and gentleness is necessary when dealing with people who have been caught in the web of the Machine.

We are riding the wave of AI at breakneck speed and shooting the curl may become our demise. Or our children’s. Let’s them be strong enough to survive and more�"enjoy the thrill of their victory.

Winding Up

Homemaking is synonymous with family-making, necessitating the harmonious collaboration of both parents and children. It involves breaking down barriers and requires a supportive community. This is what it will take to meet the challenges facing us.

Let us teach our children to be trusting and trustworthy and to integrate the feminine with the masculine. From this will emerge a strong faith in God. Fully embodying trustworthiness is an expression of love, while complete submission reflects humility. It is upon these two pillars that all of reality is constructed. God the Father exemplifies trustworthiness, and God the Son exemplifies trust. In this dynamic, the Father trusts the Son, who, in turn, becomes deserving of the Father's trust. This is agape love.

There are two Greek words that show the Way this trustworthy/trusting dynamic grows.

The first is πομπή or pompe which is the ceremony of sending forth. God sent His Son with all that He needed to fulfill His purpose. The Father does the same for each child. We partner with God to equip them to face the world while maintaining their purity, their allegiance to God. We must work within the power of the Logos to do so.

The second word is νόστος or nostos. This is the welcoming home, the “well done, good and faithful servant.” This is the Father girding His tunic to run to meet His child. The sending off properly ensures our welcome home. God’s beginning prepares and helps our children to reach the end and to fulfill His purpose.

We become part of the pompe and nostos by the integration of the feminine and masculine. The task of the feminine is two-fold:

Maintain life.

Focus the masculine on tyranny.

What’s the masculine’s job?

Bring order into the chaos of life.

Free those imprisoned by tyranny.

The rigid rule of the Machine’s tyranny must be loosened for mercy’s sake. Tyranny creates dependence, exploits dependence, and ultimately, despises dependence. Christ works through us to free all from dependence on the Machine. How?

Life makes things be.

Light makes things seen.

Logos makes things meet.

Love makes things mean.

These five L words of Christ bring freedom. When we live our lives for Christ, shine His light into the dark places, follow the Logos where the masculine and feminine meet, and bring His great love fully into the world, the Machine will be defeated.

The Logos is the Story God spoke into existence. And when we accept the seed of the Story, it grows within and emerges. If we handle the Word rightly, correctly, perceptively, how large can the Lord’s family grow? The word of scripture tells us. “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).”

“Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).”

Infinitely. Boundlessly. Neverendingly.

May we be as faithful as Abraham and Sarah for the seed to grow.

Amen.