Something electrical will replace them, no doubt, and modernity will continue to evolve. We are already looking at ways to manage software at central locations and to deliver training and support electronically. Meanwhile, a few lamps will flicker in roadside shrines, quiet witnesses to some unexplained intention. Jesus told his followers that future generations would come to faith without needing to see him in the flesh. We certainly hope that is possible.
Some believers look to the lamps.
To them, faith is a small flame in a large and brutish world. Faith is a contrast to modernity, perhaps even its enemy. Like a roadside shrine, the flame of faith is maintained by the mindful few, while the many dart restlessly and consume gasoline as fast as curving roads allow them. Humankind might be squandering gifts in an inane search for control or comfort, but these are God's beloved. Humankind might be noisy, hurtful and cruel, to itself and to God's creation, but God still loves.