First the scriptures perspective.
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.”
Acts 20:7-12 KJV
Now Paul has no defibrillator (invented in 1930), no CPR (Invented in 1960), and no epinephrine shots (invented in 1970), but still brought a man back to life. So, when we do the same thing to a person, pronounced dead but zapped, drugged, and compressed into breathing again, did we perform a miracle? The same end was achieved? The same motivation was observed?
This question pits the progress of mankind's capabilities in a Babel like struggle against an eternal God who acts through time and space. Many things are miracles, until they seemingly aren’t anymore. The bumper crops that Joseph oversaw during the 7 years of plenty, are numerically the same as any given year with Monsanto in charge of the crop yields. Did the biotech company perform a miracle? Or did they do something else that just looks like greener grass.
“And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said. And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.”
Exodus 7:10-14 KJV
This is the beating heart of the transhumanist. That they themselves can be God with just a bit more R&D and time. And was the beating heart of the sorcerers of Egypt until at least one of them realized that they were born first. They did, to a degree, what God did through Moses as a sign of his power and a threat to his opposition.
Part of reconciling that miracles happen in a world of time and space, and that because of this can be replicated with enough time a space, is reconciliation it self. A farmer does not need bumper crops to thank God for a harvest and does not need a famine to know he’s a sinner. But either would convince him if he had the wisdom to recognize it. And neither would could convince him otherwise if he had the same wisdom.
It was the failing wisdom of the sorcerers that had them trying to bandy parlor tricks against the real power of the Almighty and his chosen spokesperson, Moses. And that failure of wisdom is also present in the tech bros and industrialists alike. They will look at a tomato plant with 10 tomatoes and one with 20 identical tomatoes, but with some pesticide residue, and tell you that 20 is better than 10. Because 20 is more than 10. And a chef will tell you that the 5 he got from the smaller plant, courtesy of the organic farmer at the farmers market, tastes better. Because it doesn’t taste like pesticides residue. Because that is what food is for. Eating.
Believers in magic and technology alike, don’t ever care what things are for, they are only concerned with what things can do. And it’s why they’ll look at scale and ability as if they are purpose and not connect the dots when things stop tasting like they should. Yes. You made a bumper crop that can feed a billion third world humans. It’s bland but cheap and could solve world hunger. “Take that Christians! What did you do? Invite them to a potluck at your church? They’re not at your church, They’re in the third world. Are you even trying to feed the hungry?”
Well, we are, but we’re doing it, not only differently in terms of scale, but also differences in terms of purpose. If you solve hunger for a billion non Christian’s and their birthrate goes up. What’s the over under that those children make it to heaven apart from their non Christian parents? Merely feeding them only increases the amount of sinners in the world. Because technique apart from the context of worship of Christ, will always and only be sinful. But feeding people because of the love of Christ. Not as a prerequisite of the hungry but as a purpose of the chef, changes what is happening, when we use technique and technology to do things better than before. More is not miraculously better the same way cheap is not miraculously better. The same way luxury and decadence are not miraculously better.
“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” Proverbs 15:17 KJV
Miracles are not measurable in any other means that the purpose God had in them. And most of the time we do not have that purpose. And that’s on purpose. And technology and technique will always make the purpose of their miracles, more. Because unlike a God who does not want the most people to perish, 2 Pet 3:9, They want the most people to know that they are the source of more.
Anyone with wisdom would call that greed. Because it is greed. But when everything including the terms of your miraculous works, are up for negotiated meaning, who cares if you’re doing greed when you can call it ministry. Apparently, now, we can get an A.I. agent to do the work of a dozen pastors, while the pastor in question or is on the back nine at the golf course with the deacons. “It’s a technological miracle!”
Or, it’s thorns of greed, dressed up like the grapes of purpose, made possible by the application of theological pesticide.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Matthew 7:16-20 KJV