The Internet is almost universally transforming modern society. The world has become a global village, in that virtually any information is at one’s fingertips, and the distance between two people half a world apart is only the time it takes for a few keystrokes. What are the advantages and disadvantages to this type of electronic freedom? What are ways to use the Internet, both as individual believers and as a corporate body, to our advantage?
As the Internet becomes increasingly useful and user-friendly, and for many people necessary, it does pose some spiritually detrimental aspects that must be considered soberly. The ease of use that the Internet provides makes it an easy opportunity for sinful activities. The ability to have so many resources at one’s fingertips eliminates the “middle road” of action that is often the deterrent to sinful activity. For instance, in the past indulging in pornography usually meant a trip to a nearby liquor store to buy a particular magazine or video. In many cases, the action itself was inconvenient enough to discourage a person from following through, or the time involved in the action afforded one the self-reflection to realize the sinfulness of their actions. In contrast, now if one wants to indulge in pornography, it takes a mere matter of seconds, from the comfort of the computer screen, with a plethora of content online that is not only readily available but free as well. This same ease of use also makes it easy to spend an unhealthy amount of time online. Even with
