Centre for Christian Living podcast

Artificial intelligence or AI is one of the most important concepts that people are discussing today. It’s something that, as Christians, we need to think carefully about. Akos Balogh spoke about AI at our March event earlier this year. In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Stephen Driscoll about his new book on AI—“Made in Our Image: God, artificial intelligence and you”—particularly looking at how the gospel helps us to engage with AI and think about it positively and critically. Stephen’s book is an excellent resource for thinking about AI. We hope this conversation gives you a taster of the subject and helps you to begin to think about this important concept.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-122/

The sexualisation of society is not new. But the untethering of sex from all relational foundations has posed new problems. No longer is sex between a man and a woman, or even between a boyfriend and girlfriend, and nor is it even with another person you’ve met through an app; sex in our culture can now be with whomever you want, in whatever way you want—even with non-human devices. Obviously these practices are ruled out for those of us who are Christians. But we’re still immersed in that same cultural space. Our ideas of sex and sexuality can be easily and subtly shaped and changed by the world around us. So how do we engage these topics in this new cultural landscape? How do we cling to what God in his word says is good for sex and sexuality? How do we respond to those who say that it is time to let go of our beliefs in the name of progress? At our 2024 May event, Philip Kern, Head of New Testament at Moore College, brought us back to what the Bible says about relationships, about our bodies and about sexuality. In this episode, we bring you the audio from that event, minus the Q&A segment, which you can find on our website: ccl.moore.edu.au. We hope you find Philip’s talk helpful. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-121/

Michael Jensen discusses his book 'Subjects and Citizens', exploring the intersection of theology and politics through the gospel. They delve into Christian perspectives on affluence, income inequality, and the role of human governments, emphasizing the importance of engaging in politics from the lens of Jesus' lordship for a politics of mercy and justice.

Andrew and Kath Bruce share personal, theological, and medical insights on living with chronic health issues. They discuss the challenges of managing ongoing illnesses, self-advocacy, impact on ministry work, and the importance of pastoral care for congregants with health concerns.

In the latest episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr has a chat with Paul Ritchie, a pastor in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, about his long-term struggle with different mental health challenges and how he thinks about these as a pastor. They also discuss Paul’s book, “Is it Unspiritual to be Depressed? Loved by God in the Midst of Pain”, the relationship between the medical and the spiritual, intrusive thinking, the importance of receiving medical help, and the role of the church in looking after people with mental illness. We hope you find Paul’s insights—drawn from both his own experience and his understanding of God’s word—helpful. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-118/

Many Christians have testified to the power of good Christian books and how the Lord has used them in their lives. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr talks to Jane Tooher about the different Christian books that the Lord has used in her life. We hope you find it encouraging. You might be prompted to read some of the titles that Jane mentions, or to think about different areas of your Christian life where it would be helpful to read a Christian book. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-117/

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being widely embraced across our society. When OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a large language model-based chatbot, the application became the fastest-adopted new tool in human history. Its impact—and the impact of AI more broadly—is only beginning to be felt. Many AI researchers are concerned that AI will harm humanity, with some even sounding the alarm about humanity’s future altogether. How should Christians think about AI? What does the Bible have to say about how we think about and use this new and important technology? Furthermore, how might it affect our faith? Akos Balogh, writer and researcher, spoke about technology, humanity and theology at this year’s March event. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-116/

In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living podcast, we talk with Andrew Sach, who has recently released a book with Jonathan Gemmell entitled, “Are You 100% Sure You Want To Be an Agnostic?” Andrew discusses the difference between agnosticism and atheism, and thinks about how we can share the gospel with our friends who might be agnostic or who might have other beliefs. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-115/

The last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, is a book that many of us are intrigued by. We read its symbolism and the different imagery, and sometimes we don’t know what to do with it. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks with Tom Schreiner, who has recently released a couple of books on the Book of Revelation. Tom helps us think about how we should read the book and talks about its relevance for the Christian life. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-114/

In our last episode, we heard from Lionel Windsor, who talked about his new book, “Truth Be Told: Living truthfully in a post-truth world”. In this episode, we’re going to focus in on one chapter in Lionel’s book, looking at how, as Christians, we can live truthful, godly lives in a world that is becoming more and more technologically complex. Technology is not all bad; you listen to this podcast through a variety of technologies. But it’s hard to know how to live in such a technologically complex world. Lionel helps us think through some of the core issues that are vital for us to grasp in a world like ours. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-113/