Getting Real with Redemptive Tech: Cut the Noise, Start the Impact

More than Addictive Endless Scrolling.

We’re drowning in apps, notifications, and endless scrolls. It’s like we’ve all been handed a hammer, and now everything looks like a thumb. But wait a minute. Let’s step back and ask: what are we really doing here?

Technology should be solving actual problems, not just creating fancier ways to order your next latte.

Let’s take it up a notch: what if technology could elevate the human experience, make it more, well, redemptive?

Inspired by N.T. Wright’s view on the Kingdom of God, let’s cut through the noise and discuss how to create redemptive technology that actually has an impact.

Stop Sprinkling Pixie Dust. Focus on What Matters

First things first, here’s a visual. Imagine the Kingdom of God as the ultimate app. It’s not about shiny features and viral loops. It’s about planting seeds in good soil, not throwing them on the sidewalk and expecting a harvest. Stop sprinkling pixie dust on your products and expecting miracles. Technology needs to be more like good soil, the kind that actually grows things that matter.

Kingdom Metrics: When the KPIs Get Real

Enough with the vanity metrics. If the Kingdom of God ran on KPIs, they’d probably be love, justice, and sustainability. Can you imagine Jesus obsessing over monthly active users? Me neither. What about “monthly active transformations”. Seriously, if your tech can measure that, you’re onto something.

Measuring Impact. Not dollars

Who decided that the only valuable metrics are the ones with dollar signs? We defined ‘disruptive innovation’ as tech that takes over the world. This disruptive tech often creates more chaos than clarity. Really, How is that truly disruptive and transformative?

What if we measured by true disruptive by something as radically simple as human flourishing?

The Kingdom KPIs

Forget the corporate jargon for a minute. Here are the metrics we should be looking at:

• Human Empowerment Ratio: How is your technology making people better at being human?
• Global Justice Impact: If your tech had a conscience, would it be fighting for justice or padding its own stats?
• Sustainable Value Added: Does your technology think about tomorrow, or is it a ‘live fast, die young’ kind of deal?

The Wrong Fork in the Road: Web 2.0 Detour

We took a wrong turn somewhere. Social networks promised to connect us but ended up dividing us. We’re more like hamsters on a wheel—running fast but going nowhere. Time to break the cycle.

The Right Track: Redemptive Tech

It’s not rocket science. Or maybe it is, but the math should be aimed at enriching lives, not just increasing screen time. Call it the “unhook model” if you will—tech designed to free you, not enslave you. It starts with creating something people actually need and ends with people becoming better versions of themselves. Not a bad goal, if you ask me.

Life’s a 5-Act Play, Not a 15-Second Clip

N.T. Wright talks about life as a five-act play—Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, and the Church. Here’s where it gets interesting: each act invites you to participate, not just spectate. So, where does tech fit in this grand narrative?

“We’re all actors in God’s drama,” he says, “and it’s a drama, not a monologue.”

• Creation: Does it add beauty and meaning to the world, or just more noise?
• Fall: How does your tech deal with the reality of human brokenness?
• Israel: Are your users just data, or are they a community?
• Jesus: Is your app something that aligns with values of grace, love, and justice?
• Church: Can it foster true community, going beyond mere networking?

Are We Having Fun Yet?

We’re drowning in apps, notifications, and endless scrolls. It’s like we’ve all been handed a hammer, and now everything looks like a thumb. But wait a minute. Let’s step back and ask: what are we really doing here?

Real Questions, Real Talk

Let’s get concrete. Ask yourself:

• Is it Loving?: Not “does it feel good?” but does it encourage genuine, sacrificial love for others?
• Is it Just?: Not “is it legal?” but does it contribute to a more equitable world?
• Is it Sustainable?: Not just eco-friendly—but will it stand the test of time?

The Real Deal: No Rainbows and Unicorns

Building redemptive technology is about offering actual solutions to genuine problems. Spoiler alert: real-world problems are messy, complex, and they don’t give a hoot about your seed funding.

Building for a World We Want to Live In

1. Community-Centric Models: Forget user-centric. We’re talking about technology that uplifts communities, neighborhoods, entire ecosystems. Does your tech do that?
2. Transparency Isn’t Optional: Your users deserve to know what you’re doing with their data, and what you’re doing with their attention. Anything less is shady business.
3. Participatory Design: You can’t build for the people if you’re not building with the people. Invite your users into the design process. Let them tell you what they need, not just what they think they want.

So What’s Next? Be the Plot Twist the World Needs

If you want to make a difference, be the plot twist that Wright’s five-act play never saw coming. Create technology that’s not about escaping the world but healing it. Stop chasing unicorns and start planting seeds in good soil.

Because let’s face it, the Kingdom of God doesn’t need more fairy tales or quick fixes. It needs real people, making real choices, to create real impact. And who knows? The next big breakthrough in technology might just be more Kingdom than code.

Digging Deeper Wells Into Redemptive Tech

I wish I came up with this idea of redemptive tech, but I love the people who did. Check out the FaithTech Redemptive Tech Playbook. I lead the local Charlotte community.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

–Jesus (Luke 4:18-19)