Josh Lawman, a software engineer who works with LLMs, gives us the inside look at how they work. Are they really a groundbreaking innovation like the printing press and the internet? What are the dangers of thinking they can solve all the world's problems? What perspective does Christianity bring to the debate?

These and other questions are discussed in this episode. Enjoy!

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

Welcome to a new series on Artificial Intelligence!

In this episode Professor Ruth Okediji joins us on the show to talk about the rapid rise of Large Language Models (LLMs). Why have they been so quickly adopted by so many people? What ethical and legal challenges do they present? How can we use them wisely and responsibly to help us and our society become better from a Christian point of view?

This is the first of a wide variety of perspectives on AI from many different areas of expertise.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

In this episode Nick Townsend revisits the distinction between nationalism and patriotism by noting the difference between nationalism as a claim about where political power should lie (that is, with the nation state), and nationalism as a claim about what political power is for.

Barney’s new book is out, coauthored with Professor DavidElcott! On the Significance of Religion in Immigration Policy.

You can buy the book here or download it free here.

The book guides you through the Jewish and Christianarguments made for many different immigration policies throughout history and in the present day. It has sections that discuss:

• Bible verses used on all sides of the debate
• The state of Israel
• Christian values and US Immigration policy
• Ambiguities in the Jewish tradition
• European Immigration in medieval times and today
• Differences between Catholic, Orthodox, & Protestant approaches to immigration

In this conversation, Austin asks us questions about theintended audience of the book, its goals and aims, and we also talk a bit about the disagreements we had to overcome in order to have a truly interreligious publication!

In this episode, Barney and Austin interview the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams for his views on Christian nationalism. He offers us wisdom that seeks what is good about both sides of the debate and aims to synthesise them into a thoroughly Christian way of thinking about national identity.Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

In this episode, Barney & Austin stage a head-to-head on whether Christian nationalism is a good thing or not!

It’s time to gather the insights from our past episodes together and see which argument is strongest. Barney takes the “pro-Christian Nationalism” side and Austin takes the “anti-Christian Nationalism” position. Who is going to win?

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: views expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent the real views of the speakers.Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue (University of Notre Dame Press, 2007).
• Alasdair MacIntyre, Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry (University of Notre Dame Press, 1994).
• Luke Bretherton, Christianity and Contemporary Politics (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).
• Hugo Rahner, Church and State in Early Christianity (Ignatius Press, 1992).
• N. T. Wright and Michael Bird, Jesus and the Powers (Zondervan, 2024).
• Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum.

• Ha-Joon Chang, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism (Bloomsbury, 2012).

Thanks to Jamie Maule for the post-production!

Is Christian nationalism the proper term for what is happening in Russia? What is unique about Putin's claims of civilizational superiority compared with western nations? What does orthodox theology offer into this mix that is distinct from Catholic or Protestant theologies? We talk with Cyril Hovorun to consider these and other questions in the next installment in our series on Christian nationalism.

Stretchy definitions of ‘Nationalism’ can be a useful political tool, says Nick Spencer, senior fellow at Theos Think Tank. People can give a ‘thin’ definition while their actions suggest something ‘thicker’ and more like 19th century definitions. But all Christians want their country run according to Christian values, and no government can avoid having a coercive dimension. Nick gives us a vision of Christian engagement in politics that navigates through the tricky waters of coercion vs. persuasion and offers some much-needed wisdom in the conversation.

"It is a Catholic axiom that in order to lead someone away from error, you must recognize the truth that gives power to the error."

Thus writes Professor Colt Anderson in Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021). In this episode, we ask him how we can take that insight and use it to understand nationalism, especially Catholic nationalism. Anderson is clear that he thinks it is an error. But it also teaches us important things about the priority of the local. Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

The power of the cross is weakness, according to the apostle Paul. How does that idea translate into the dog-eat-dog world of politics?

In this episode we interview Dr. Mike Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University. He shares the content of a forthcoming book which explores, among other things, what the apostle Paul might say to the christian nationalist movement. This is a link to the article by Barney mentioned in the episode:

• Love is Not an Executive Order.

Thanks for listening!