Leading By the Spirit In the Age of Algorithm

What does it mean to “live by the Spirit” in the 21st Century? Is it significantly different from “living by the Spirit” in the 1st Century? In the Bible, the command to “live by the Spirit” is—as the capitalization of the word “Spirit” already hints at—living by God’s Holy Spirit. Which raises another interesting and important question: what other “spirit” could we otherwise “live by”?

The alternative is to live by another “spirit”, but which “spirit”? We are dealing here with a question of spiritual formation. We must look for something beyond ourselves that forms us spiritually but is not equal to the human spirit. This spirit, we might call the “spirit of the age”.

In Scripture, the “spirit of the age” might also be called the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12) or the “spirit of the world” (1 Cor 2:12). There are elements of this “spirit” that remain unchanged throughout the centuries—most notably its opposition to the Triune God and his ways. Yet, the manifestations of this spirit shift and change according to a surrounding culture.

What might be some of the manifestations of the “spirit” of our age that stand in opposition to the Spirit of God Christians are called to live by? Below is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Rather, it introduces some or the more easily identifiable (prevalent) characteristics of the “spirit” of our “age”.

Our “spirit of the age” is technological—even technocratic.

Although this trait is more prevalent in the high-income world, the two-thirds world is hardly unaffected. All are impacted by the rapid advances and ubiquitous nature of technology. Although technology has been around for millennia, ours is perhaps the first age where technology is involved in every aspect of our lives.

With the rise of social media, generative AI and increasingly autonomous devices in general, we have started trending towards a world where our choices are increasingly being determined by someone—or something—else. We now live in the age of the algorithm.

It is no secret that vast amounts of data are collected every day by our devices, and that data is monetized in one way or another. If we like (or even watch) a video, listen to a podcast, or read a news story on a particular topic, it does not take long for similar videos, podcasts, or news stories to fill our feed or advertising banners.

It does not take long for our choices to not feel like our choices anymore. If we are not careful, we can get caught in a world we never expected to find ourselves it thanks to the strong current of the algorithm. This is one reason I suggest that the Spirit of the age is technocratic. Another is the simple fact that many in our world truly believe that technology is going to solve all the world's problems as we progressively give ourselves over to it. It is in this sense that the “spirit of the age” stands against the teachings of Scripture.

Yet the “spirit of the age” is not merely technological.

Our “spirit of the age” is both individualistic and collectivist.

You might ask how it is that the “spirit of the age” can be both individualistic and collectivist. It is individualistic in the sense that so much about life is centred around the individual. Personal freedom, fulfillment, rights, and happiness are held up as some of the highest ideals in Western society. It is a world centred on the self.

The spirit of this age is also collectivist by two means: the vast web of interconnection made possible through technology, and the subsequent totalitarian attitudes dividing the world into “us” and “them”. This is aided by the same algorithms noted above.

The self-centered life is, as many other have written about, contrary to the God-centered life. Collectivism is not inherently opposed to the ways of God, but when it becomes the source of bullying, division, and arrogance, it is not aligned with Scriptural teachings on the nature of church and society.

How do we “live by the Spirit” in such an age?

To live by God’s Spirit in the age of technocracy, algorithms, hyper-individualism, and collectivist (non-biblical) ideals calls neither for abstention nor immersion. It calls for wise engagement with technology and culture from a biblical perspective. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 2:

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:12–16)

That last line is crucial: as those led by the Spirit, “we have the mind of Christ”. This perspective influences what we chose to look at and listen to, how we view ourselves and others. I look forward to exploring some of these themes in the coming months here on the Network.

Shalom