That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
-Genesis 11:9

Uhura would be proud.

On Star Trek, Lieutenant Uhura managed communications. The show got around the issue of so many different languages through a fancy technology called a “universal translator”.

Science fiction, right? Not anymore.

Last week, Apple released the IPod 3 pro. These earbuds have the ability to translate other languages in real time. There are about 5 languages currently available, but many more to come.

Now, after all these years, it feels like we’re headed back to the Tower of Babel.

Remember the story? Everyone speaks the same language, and together build a tower so high that God gets nervous. As a result, people are split up into groups, given different languages, and scattered over the Earth.

Until now. Now, through the power of technology we can come together as one people and accomplish things that will rival the work of the Heavens!

Or maybe not.

For that to happen, we’d need a universal translator that could translate between Christians and non-Christians. Or Evangelical Christians and Protestant Christians. Or blacks and whites. Or Republicans and Democrats.

Being able to ask where the bathroom is in 90 different languages is cool, but until we bridge these larger communication gaps in our world, we’re not going to be building much of anything.

I know it seems like God is punishing the people in the story of Babel, but there’s another interpretation I like better.

The problem wasn’t that humanity spoke with one voice. The problem was they used that unity to build a monument to themselves instead of expanding outward into God’s diverse world.

So God creates cultures. Different languages, different places, different ways people might approach the world. It is supposed to be a good thing.

But humans, being humans, twisted even that gift. We’ve bitten the Apple (pun intended) and chosen fear over curiosity

Instead of learning from our diversity, we have shrunk from it. Many hold their hands over their ears, refusing to truly listen to different voices.

We are a long way from the evolved Galactic Federation Uhura served in.

However…there are glimpses of the seemingly impossible. Uhura is one.

Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, was one of the first black female actors whose character was in a place of authority. Uhura and Kirk even shared the first interracial kiss on television. And Nichols went on to work for Nasa, recruiting women and minorities into the program.

Uhura crossed so many boundaries, she became fluent in humanity. What made her a great communicator wasn’t her tech. It was her ability to listen.

I know that can seem impossible in our current world, where everyone seems to be shouting at the same time. Even harder when those you’re trying to listen to are spewing vitriol. It’s even harder when the voices are filled with vitriol. No earbuds can filter that out.

When I was a kid, I never thought we’d have something like Trek’s universal translator, but now that we do, I realize what we really need are people, like Lieutenant Uhura, who have found a way to connect across impossible gulfs.

Christ was the ultimate model of this—crossing barriers, listening to silenced voices, speaking love in every tongue. Look around, and you’ll find lots of people who, in this regard, are “Starfleet material”.

The rest of us still have a way to (boldly) go. If we could all just pay a little more attention to the way we communicate…

that would be a

towering achievement.

Have a great week,

Mitch