7 Mistakes You’re Making with Technology and Christianity (and How to Fix Them)

Technology is a bit like fire. It can keep your house warm and cook your food, or it can burn the place down if you aren’t careful.

At Boundless Online Church, we love technology. It’s how we reach people in places where the Gospel might not otherwise go. We help people meet Jesus and grow in faith online. But even for a digital ministry, we have to admit that the digital world is a minefield for our spiritual lives.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." In 2026, guarding your heart looks a lot like managing your screen time, filtering your feed, and knowing when to hit the power button.

Are you accidentally letting your devices drift you away from God? Here are seven common mistakes Christians make with technology and, more importantly, how you can fix them.

1. Letting Your Phone Have the First Word

How many of us reach for our phones before we even get out of bed? We check the news, our emails, or social media notifications before we’ve even said "Good morning" to the Creator of the universe.

When we do this, we are letting the world set our agenda. We are filling our minds with the "noise" of society: stress, politics, and comparison: before we fill our hearts with the peace of God. This often leads to a day fueled by anxiety rather than the Holy Spirit.

The Fix: Give God the first five minutes. Try a "No Phone Zone" for the first half hour of your day. Instead of scrolling, try reading a daily devotional like The Boundless Daily. Let the Word that never changes be the first thing you hear.

Visual: A peaceful morning scene where a person is reading a Bible with a cup of coffee, and their smartphone is placed face-down on a nearby shelf.

2. Mistaking "Connection" for Community

It’s easy to feel like you’re part of a community because you follow a few Christian influencers or belong to a Facebook group. But "likes" and "shares" are not the same as the deep, accountability-based fellowship the Bible describes.

The Assemblies of God (AG) tradition emphasizes the importance of the local body and the power of the Holy Spirit moving through people. If your entire "church" experience is watching clips on TikTok without any interaction or accountability, you’re missing out on the growth that comes from being known by others.

The Fix: Use technology to facilitate real relationships, not replace them. Get plugged into an online group where people actually know your name and your prayer requests. You can find your tribe by checking out our Groups page to see how we build real community in a digital space.

3. Wandering into the "Theological Weeds"

The internet is a wild place. Anyone with a smartphone can claim to be a Bible teacher. One of the biggest mistakes believers make is consuming spiritual content from unverified sources without checking it against the Bible.

This often leads to "DIY Theology," where we pick and choose bits of truth that feel good but don’t align with sound doctrine. We believe in the authority of Scripture as our ultimate rule for faith and conduct. If an online "prophet" or influencer is saying something that doesn't align with the Word, it's a red flag.

The Fix: Practice digital discernment. Always keep your Bible open when you’re listening to a sermon online. If you want to dive deeper into how to navigate modern tech like AI while staying grounded in truth, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to AI and Faith.

4. Neglecting Your Digital "Front Door" (Tech Safety)

As parents and grandparents, we would never leave our front door wide open at night. Yet, many of us leave the "digital front door" to our homes wide open. We let our kids roam the internet without filters, or we ourselves wander into places online that we shouldn't be.

Protecting your family online is actually a form of stewardship. It’s about protecting the "temple" of our hearts and the hearts of our children.

The Fix: Be proactive, not reactive. Set up parental controls, use filtering software, and have open conversations about digital safety. We believe protecting your family online is actually a part of the "New Great Commission." You can learn more about why this matters in our guide on Digital Safety 101.

Visual: A family sitting together on a couch, a father and mother talking calmly with their teenage son about a laptop screen, showing a healthy, open dialogue about internet use.

5. Using Tech as an Escape Instead of a Tool

Do you ever find yourself scrolling for an hour just because you’re bored, stressed, or lonely? That’s using technology as a "numbing agent." Instead of taking our burdens to Jesus, we take them to Instagram.

When we use technology to escape from reality, we are essentially saying that the "digital world" offers more comfort than the Holy Spirit. This is a subtle form of idolatry.

The Fix: Ask yourself "Why?" before you pick up your phone. If you're stressed, try taking that stress to our Prayer Wall instead of scrolling. Let technology be a tool that points you toward God, not a distraction that hides you from Him.

6. Falling for the "Outrage Culture"

Christianity is supposed to be defined by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. However, the internet is often defined by outrage, arguing, and "canceling" people.

It’s easy to get sucked into a heated debate in the comments section and lose your Christian witness in the process. When we let technology dictate our emotions, we lose the "calm power" that comes from resting in Christ.

The Fix: Before you post, comment, or share, ask yourself: Does this reflect the character of Jesus? If it doesn’t, don’t post it. Use your platform to encourage, not to tear down. Remember, we are called to be salt and light, even in the comments section.

7. Asking "How" Instead of "Should"

We live in a culture that adopts every new piece of tech as soon as it hits the market. Most Christians ask, "How do I use this?" But the more important question is often, "Should I use this?"

Just because you can do something online doesn't mean it’s beneficial for your walk with God. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is delete an app or silence your notifications.

The Fix: Conduct a "Digital Audit." Go through your phone and look at your apps. Are they helping you grow? Are they making you more like Jesus? If an app is causing you to stumble or stealing your peace, it might be time to let it go.

Visual: A close-up of a person's hand pressing the "Delete" button on a distracting social media app on a smartphone, with a sense of relief and focus.

Finding the Balance

Technology isn't the enemy. It's a mission field. At Boundless Online Church, we believe that God wants to use these digital tools to reach the ends of the earth. But we have to be the masters of our tech, not the other way around.

By guarding our hearts and being intentional about how we use our devices, we can ensure that our digital lives honor God. We want to be a people who are "in the digital world" but not "of it."

If you’re looking for a way to reset your digital habits and reconnect with God, we invite you to join us for our Sunday Live Worship. It’s a great way to use your screen for something that truly matters.

Let's commit to being digital disciples who use every tool available to us to spread the hope of Jesus, while keeping our hearts firmly anchored in Him.

Boundless Online Church is a ministry of FA Memphis.

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