What Would Jesus Tech

Why does it feel like the Christian world and the tech world speak two different languages? If there's a senior software developer at your church, is the best use of their giftings to click *next* on the PowerPoint slides? FaithTech exists to bridge the gap between faith and technology. This week Andrew Noble speaks with James Kelly about the story behind FaithTech, how Christians should approach technology, and how Christians can work toward a better world through tech. (Joel Jacob was away on vacation this week - he'll be back soon!)Outline0:00 - Intro0:57 - Story of FaithTech9:05 - The Three Kinds of Tech15:45 - Should Tech people leave their companies if they have moral disagreements?20:10 - What keeps James going through the challenges of leading FaithTech?26:00 - What did James' wife think of James starting FaithTech?27:10 - How has the culture's view of tech changed?32:15 - Digital Sabbath36:10 - What are strategies for Christians to live counter-culturally with tech?41:30 - Sabbaticals for all?43:30 - Some really funky audioShow notes:- FaithTech.com- The FaithTech Podcast https://faithtech.com/podcast/- Andy Crouch's Tech-Wise Family https://www.amazon.ca/Tech-Wise-Family-Everyday-Putting-Technology/dp/0801018668James K.A. Smith's You Are What You Love - https://www.amazon.ca/You-Are-What-Love-Spiritual-ebook/dp/B012H10K3G/- "The Age of Social Media is Ending" - https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/11/twitter-facebook-social-media-decline/672074/

Would Jesus use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? How should Christians approach AI with neither fear nor naivety; neither pessimism nor blind futurism? How might we be both innovative with AI and wise to its risks? What does the future hold?In this episode, Joel Jacob goes deep into one of his personal passions, discussing with Andrew Noble the allure of AI and the essence of this AI technology that may bring robots to life.For feedback and ideas, reach out to us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, or send us an email at whatwouldjesustech@gmail.com 01:04 - No really though, what is AI?06:10 - How does AI learn? Intro to Neural Networks.11:00 - The bias that AI brings14:58 - The wild future of AI20:49 - Are AI people, too?30:30 - Will God reconcile robots to himself?Show notes:Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian & Tom GriffithsThe Age of AI - by Jason ThackerThe Evangelical Statement on Artificial Intelligence - https://erlc.com/resource-library/statements/artificial-intelligence-an-evangelical-statement-of-principles/The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

Twitter affects us all, even if you never use it. It is shaping what we think of as "public opinion" as traditional news networks increasingly rely on it. It serves as a forum for discussion, and Andrew & Joel discuss the pros and cons of Twitter's approach.On the user side, the Bible never talks about Twitter but it does talk about how we ought to speak to one another. What is your speed of listening? Is it quick? What is your speed of speaking? Is it slow? When you use Twitter, do you see evidence of the fruit of the Spirit displayed? For some, they need to delete it since it's destructive. For others, tweet more since we need more Christians in this online version of the public square.0:00 - Intro1:13 - What's going on with Musk and Twitter?5:30 - Twitter Future & Past9:05 - Lack of Context13:45 - Challenges of Social Media Management16:05 - Sort By Latest! (and why)22:30 - How Important Is News?30:00 - If you deleted, what would happen?34:34 - Would Jesus Use Twitter?Links to things, books, and articles referenced:- Alastair Roberts on how Social Media lacks context - https://youtu.be/PsVR6vpRFgo- Analogue Christian by Jay Y. Kim - https://www.amazon.com/Analog-Christian-Cultivating-Contentment-Resilience/dp/1514003163- Neil Postman on Telegraphy - https://andrewnoble.substack.com/i/79295626/a-longer-history-of-substack- C.S. Lewis on why schoolboys shouldn't read the newspaper - https://www.afterall.net/quotes/c-s-lewis-on-newspapers/- Chris Martin's book "Terms of Service" - https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Service-Real-Social-Media/dp/1087738377- Evidence of the harms of social media (meta-analysis by Jonathan Haidt) - https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1vVAtMCQnz8WVxtSNQev_e1cGmY9rnY96ecYuAj6C548/mobilebasic#- Research on what happens when you deactivate Facebook - https://www.nber.org/papers/w25514- WWJT episode with Wyatt Graham on Working Through Our Tech Differences - https://youtu.be/dkPcO3vnRiA- John Dyer's From The Garden To The City - https://www.amazon.com/Garden-City-Redeeming-Corrupting-Technology/dp/0825426685- Andrew's controversial tweet - https://twitter.com/nobullnoble/status/1582808738922012672?s=20&t=s3U5MxixTi_1eMPWoW62SA

Working in tech is hard. Our last episode focused on using dating apps and this episode focuses on building them. Burdens can be a good thing, but they weigh us down; we need to encourage one another to work well in this stressful world. We need to work out of our rest that we can find in Christ.Guests:Hayden Mills is a Lead Product Manager at a Dating App company.Dr. David Deepwell is a Software Developer at the University of Calgary.0:00 - Intro2:49 - Figma Acquisition4:05 - How do you bring your Christian identity into the workplace?7:25 - Why should Christians reflect more on their identity at work?8:14 - Faithful Presence not Christian Nationalism10:11 - A Story of Hayden at Work13:58 - Christian Ethics & Influencing Dating App Development16:25 - How Do Tech Companies Handle Ethics?18:41 - We're in Phase Two of the Internet20:10 - Recognizing The Risks of Rushing Ethical Decisions23:22 - Understanding the dating space24:32 - The Dating Algorithm Will Not Save You27:13 - An Ethical Framework For Building Tech:27:41 - #1 Build Tech While Loving God & Loving People34:03 - #2 Working out of rest, rather than for rest40:41 - #3 Bring Your Full Self To Work - Live By Biblical First PrinciplesNotes:Wall Street Journal article about Facebook's algorithm - https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-algorithm-change-zuckerberg-11631654215

Let's get over our dating app stigma and start swiping right to the glory of God. Single Christians should do this, if they so desire and if their conscience allows it, as long as they do so with Biblical principles in mind. We're joined by Ruth Cuthbert, who shares her wisdom on navigating the world of Christian & non-Christian dating apps.0:00 - Intro1:30 - Dating Apps Are...4:10 - Ruth's Experience & Single Stigma7:20 - Joel's Experience & Single Stigma14:50 - How should Christians navigate dating apps?19:30 - What NOT to do & ghosting24:56 - Vulnerability, taking breaks, and checking your heart27:40 - How to go from texting to friends to dating to marriage35:22 - Predictive AI and Dating Apps39:31 - Setting expectations for the "ideal" spouse45:00 - Bots and Final AdviceLinks:- How To Get A Date Worth Keeping - https://www.amazon.ca/How-Get-Date-Worth-Keeping/dp/0310262658- Andrew's former employer - Plum - https://www.plum.io/- Skepticism about eHarmony's predictive algorithm - https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/science/skepticism-as-eharmony-defends-its-matchmaking-algorithm.html- Modern Romance - https://www.amazon.ca/Modern-Romance-Aziz-Ansari/dp/0143109251- Research on how starring for 5+ minutes increases attraction - https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/style/modern-love-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-do-this.html- Tim & Kathy Keller interview #1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ0AcJU4wAo&ab_channel=GordonConwell- Tim & Kathy Keller interview #2 - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/tim-and-kathy-keller-share-the-secret-of-a-great-marriage/

Social media is constantly changing. BeReal has entered the scene as an alternative to unmanageable Facebook, algorithm-heavy TikTok, and over-polished Instagram. So would Jesus add his disciples on BeReal if he had lived today?0:00 - Intro1:35 - Did Joel get fired?2:24 - What is BeReal?6:40 - How TikTok is different from BeReal11:20 - Positives of BeReal14:30 - Authenticity is good but overrated16:50 - Why authenticity is overrated21:45 - Expressive individualism & the Lord's Prayer24:30 - Creating social media apps in the midst of economic struggle30:40 - Would Jesus use BeReal?Links:- Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow (system 1 vs system 2) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow- Kranzberg's Laws of Technology - https://andrewnoble.substack.com/p/book-review-following-jesus-in-a- Luke 12 (fear God rather than man) is the passage Andrew spoke to around 15:00- Tim Keller on authenticity - https://youtu.be/R_IBHXVfVeA- Brian Rosner on how The Lord's Prayer is an Antidote to Expressive Individualism - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/prayer-antidote/- Chris Martin on What's The Deal With BeReal - https://www.termsofservice.social/p/whats-the-deal-with-bereal- BeReal Captures Our Nostalgia for a Time When Social Media Was Boring - The New York Times... https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/magazine/bereal-app.html- Stratechery - Instagram, TikTok, and the Three Trends - https://stratechery.com/2022/instagram-tiktok-and-the-three-trends/

August 30th, 2022, marks the official release of Jason Thacker's latest book, Following Jesus In a Digital Age. We spoke with him about the so-called neutrality of technology, sharing truth in a post-truth world, and navigating everything digital from TikTok to conspiracy theories. If we're honest, too many of us are digitally addicted. We think we use social media but social media uses us. Thacker believes that the Bible's wisdom has something to say so that we might better love God and our neighbor.Outline:0:00 - Intro1:40 - Jason Thacker's interest in tech6:45 - Are technologies good, bad, or neutral?8:30 - How is technology discipling us?14:05 - What does it mean to follow Jesus in "a digital age"?20:44 - How do we navigate platforms like TikTok?29:18 - Pursuing truth in a post-truth world 38:09 - Could new tech prioritize truth?45:49 - Being responsible for our digital actions52:45 - Should Christians do a better job building tech?55:46 - Rapid fire questions (Twitter, pods, & books)Links:https://jasonthacker.com/Following Jesus In a Digital Age by Jason Thacker - https://www.amazon.com/Following-Jesus-Digital-Jason-Thacker/dp/1087754593/The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity - https://www.amazon.com/Age-AI-Artificial-Intelligence-Humanity/dp/0310357640/Jason's podcast Digital Public Square Podcast: https://jasonthacker.com/digital-public-square-podcast/ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari - https://bookshop.org/books/homo-deus-a-brief-history-of-tomorrow/9780062464347Top books by Herman Bavinck, ordered from young adult reading level to college-educated: 1) What is Christianity? - https://www.amazon.com/What-Christianity-Herman-Bavinck/dp/1683074203/ 2) Guidebook for Instruction in the Christian Religion - https://www.christianbook.com/guidebook-for-instruction-the-christian-religion/9781683072997/pd/072997 3) The Wonderful Works of God - https://www.christianbook.com/wonderful-instructions-christian-according-reformed-confession/herman-bavinck/9781733627221/pd/27221XNeil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death - https://www.amazon.com/Amusing-Ourselves-Death-Discourse-Business/dp/014303653X/

A podcast is not a sermon. It's not a lecture. And it's certainly not a book. But it is something like a friendship. The very medium of a podcast is personable and intimate - you literally hear a podcast inside your own head thanks to the earplugs most of us use. But we should never settle for consuming friendships, we need to cultivate our own. In this episode, Joel and Andrew reflect on podcasts and friendships and how they make sense of each other.0:00 - Intro + banter4:25 - Tony Reinke's description of podcasts & what makes them unique7:25 - Why podcasts are like friendships15:55 - Why do we produce a podcast?17:40 - Why creating something is important25:20 - The rise of loneliness 27:40 - Cultivating friendshipsLinks:  - This episode was inspired & heavily influenced by a tweet from Tony Reinke. See here: https://twitter.com/TonyReinke/status/1528010723107819522?s=20&t=S_k5yehGcJSFglYBkQkglQ  - C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves - https://www.cslewis.com/four-types-of-love/  - Bloom's Taxonomy - https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/  - The Trellis & The Vine - https://www.amazon.com/Trellis-Vine-Ministry-Mind-Shift-Everything-ebook/dp/B09CZFTLCC  - James Kelly's FaithTech podcast - https://anchor.fm/faithtech-podcast  - Brad East on loneliness - https://www.bradeast.org/blog/four-loves-loss  - Tim Keller's sermon on friendship HIGHLY RECOMMEND - https://youtu.be/8Tc4VIQrXdE

Two years ago, the proliferation of a certain technology threw the world into a heated debate. Some wore masks. Others didn't. Many called the other side ignorant. And in the church, some even went so far as to call the other side sinful and apostate due to their masking (or lack of masking). Rather than focusing on the technology of masks themselves, in this episode, we work through a Biblical approach to moral decisions and how Christians should work through disputable matters. This is not easy! But for the good of the church, theologians like The Gospel Coalition's Wyatt Graham have pointed to Romans 14 (and 1 Cor. 8-10) to help church leaders navigate this tension. Joel and Andrew picked his brain on the topic with questions ranging from using the Old Testament for moral instruction to using masks and whether more invasive technologies like masks and Neuralink still fall under the category of "Christian Liberty."1:00 - Romans 14:1-92:25 - Intros6:17 - Why should people use the Bible for morality?8:50 - Why should Christians use the whole Bible for morality?12:45 - In what ways does the Old Testament apply to us today?17:05 - In what ways is the Bible is misapplied?19:58 - How should Christians apply Scripture today?21:30 - Life isn't simple! We need to be more humble.22:59 - What is this idea of first principles for moral reasoning?26:55 - Does Paul use first principles for moral reasoning?33:50 - How does the idea of "Christian freedom" interact with moral judgement?36:55 - How did the reformation view Christian freedom?38:54 - What are the categories - first principles and secondary matters?43:02 - Should we wear masks for the sake of others?50:01 - What about more intrusive technologies like NeuraLace and Elon Musk's Neurolink? Are they matters of Christian liberty too?57:05 - What is Wyatt's theology of technology? And so how then should we use it?Links:Wyatt Graham | Twitter, @wagraham | Facebook, /wyatt.graham1 | https://wyattgraham.com/Wyatt Graham's TGCC article on Romans 14 - https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/detrinitate/how-romans-14-helps-us-to-work-through-our-differences/Calvin's Institutes - Chapter 19 - Of Christian Liberty - https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.v.xx.htmlThe Gospel Coalition Canada Confererence - Nov. 17-18 - https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/tgcc22/

What we attend to is what we value. We cannot live a life of merely avoiding distraction because we will always be giving attention to something. By definition, a distraction is something that takes our attention away from something else. So what do we value? Do we value scrolling social media newsfeeds? Do we value the *ding* notifications in the midst of trying to do work? Why are we on our phones so much?In this episode, we work through what distractions are, how to think about our "attention economy," and how to live a life where our attention is not distracted.Links:Alan Jacobs' Habits of Mind in an Age of DistractionL.M. Sacasas' We Are Not Living in a Simulation, We Are Living In the PastAndy Crouch's The Life We're Looking ForL.M. Sacasas' Your Attention is not a ResourceMichael Goldhaber's 1997 Wired Essay on Attention EconomyCarl Trueman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern SelfCarl Trueman's Strange New World