When the Bicycle Threatened the Church In 1896, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church condemned bicycling on Sunday for enticing parishioners away from church and violating the Fourth Commandment:

The Sabbath, the Lord’s Day of rest for the body, and of worship for the soul, is especially threatened by many unscriptural innovations…Sunday bicycle pleasure riding…

Hard to imagine in our modern world isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time I heard someone describe the bicycle as such an amazing innovation that it puts the Sabbath in jeopardy

But to me, this passage isn’t just an interesting bit of history. It speaks volumes about how the Church reacts to innovation at times. Instead of embracing it and looking for ways to leverage it, we feel threatened. Can you think of examples where today’s Church is reacting in a similar way?

For me (Ariel), we should not be threatened by innovation – computers, internet, powerpoint presentation in churches, electric instruments for worship, bibles readers or electronic bibles, church in malls, etc. These inventions are designed to make our lives better and more efficient (maybe?). I understand that abnormal use (or abuse) can have a negative impact. But I know that we can make use of these to advance God’s kingdom in our current hi-tech days.