Cultural Update: Jesus Bots; UCSD Education Crisis; The New Singlehood Dilemma; Guns in Church

This week: 

“Jesus Bots” & AI Spirituality: Sean and Scott discuss a New York Times piece on religious chatbots, raising concerns about me-centered faith, shallow “AI Jesus” advice, and how tech may distort spiritual formation.

UC San Diego’s Education Crisis: A Wall Street Journal editorial reveals that 1 in 12 UCSD freshmen can’t perform middle-school math, prompting a conversation about grade inflation, DEI pressures, COVID learning loss, and the need for academic accountability.

AI & the Decline of Critical Thinking: An Atlantic article sparks discussion on how people increasingly outsource decision-making to AI, rewiring their brains, avoiding discomfort, and creating new forms of dependency.

The New Singlehood Dilemma: The hosts unpack cultural mixed messages—society simultaneously pushes people to find a partner and to celebrate being single—leading to confusion, shame, and loneliness.

Listener Question – Tattoos & Piercings: Sean and Scott explain that Old Testament prohibitions were tied to pagan rituals, meaning tattoos today are largely a wisdom issue rather than a moral one.

Listener Question – Guns in Church Security: They discuss self-defense biblically and practically, concluding that armed security can be appropriate when trained and focused on protecting the congregation.

Listener Question – Devotionals for Teens: Recommendations include reading Scripture together or using teen-friendly devotionals, with Sean mentioning his book A Rebel’s Manifesto as a helpful cultural guide.

==========

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.

Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically.

To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.