Cell phones are hurting the church

Cell phones are hurting the church. There. I said it. Now before you start dropping critical comments please understand I'm not saying cell phones are inherently sinful. They are tools—and incredibly useful ones. I use mine everyday. But somewhere along the way, the tool became the master. Jesus said, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you' (Matthew 6:33). Most of our young people--if we were completely honest--seek their phones first. Not Jesus and the kingdom of God. We now have a generation of young people averaging hours every day staring at a screen, while many struggle to give God a few focused minutes. The concept of 'being still and knowing' (Psalm 46:10) is not only foreign to this generation--it is physically painful, as any prolonged break from their phone addiction brings anxiety and discomfort. Their attention spans are abysmal. Family time has been replaced with doom scrolling of TikTok and Instagram. They check Snapchat and send texts during Bible class. I've even watched young people play video games and/or text DURING worship. Some can spend three straight hours gaming or watching videos—but a 35-minute sermon feels unbearably long. And adults, before we shake our heads at them, many likely learned it by watching us. Think about it: We carry our phones to the dinner table. Anytime the phone 'dings' we check notifications--even during conversations. Too often we reach for our phones before we reach for our Bibles. Our children are watching us demonstrate what deserves our attention. Paul wrote, 'All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any' (1 Corinthians 6:12). That verse ought to make some of us uncomfortable. Can you put your phone down for two hours without feeling compelled to check it? Can your teenager? Who exactly is in control? Satan is doing an amazing job directing our attention away from God--and smartphones are at the center of his battle plan. If we are going to change things we must first recognize the problem. Then we must set into place active steps to remedy the problem. I challenge you--start taking media 'fasts' in your home. Designate times when phones are set aside. Don't allow your children to take phones into the church building. Set boundaries and then lead by example! Will it be painful at first? Likely. But will God be glorified with less phone time and more devotion time? Absolutely! Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Join me and the Focus Press crew in Waxahachie, TX this weekend! Go tococbrownstreet.org/engagefor info and to register