Culture Matters New Season, New Rhythms: Movies, Music, Books & Being Human in an AI Age
We’re back! In this season kickoff, we share a few updates—Elizabeth is stepping back from regular hosting to focus on her own excellent work (peek “Starting Place” podcast), Ty joins us from Virginia where he’s serving with The Hill Church, and Chelsea moves from behind-the-scenes into more on-mic hosting. Then we do what we love: trace the intersections of faith and culture through the summer’s movies, the books on our nightstands, the music in our earbuds, and a bigger conversation about AI, embodiment, and why deeply human art still matters.
In This Episode
02:45 – Elizabeth’s transition & how to support her
04:40 – Ty’s move to Roanoke: joining The Hill Church & early glimpses of God at work
09:00 – Why we review cultural “artifacts” (movies, books, music)
09:25 – Summer movies: Superman, Fantastic Four, Jurassic Park (rewatch)
12:00 – Unexpected gems: Pharrell’s Piece by Piece (Lego biopic); content notes on Sinners (vampire genre)
18:20 – Family-friendly pick: Sketch (Angel Studios)
19:30 – Throwback classic: Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and that famous monologue
23:45 – What old films teach us about hope, moral clarity, and the West
24:50 – Books we’re reading: Hebrews, God Speaks Science, singleness, sports, and Project Hail Mary
28:00 – Music corner: Forrest Frank’s Child of God and why it resonates with families (and Gen Z)
33:30 – The AI curveball: “artists” that aren’t human, Spotify discovery, and why provenance matters
40:15 – Practices for resisting hurry, recovering attention, and choosing humane tech use
43:30 – Season preview, listener invitations, and credits
Resources Mentioned
Podcasts & People
Films & TV
- Superman
- Fantastic Four
- Jurassic Park
- Piece by Piece (Pharrell Williams Lego biopic)
- Sinners — vampire-genre film (content cautions)
- Sketch (Angel Studios) — family-friendly note
- The Great Dictator (1940, dir./star Charlie Chaplin) — classic monologue reference
- The Diplomat — anticipation for Season 3
Books
- Hebrews (book of the Bible)
- God Speaks Science — John Van Sloten
- Single Ever After — Daniel Treweek
- Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir (audiobook recommended)
Music
Follow Us!
--
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co