The digital age isn't that new, argues Jeff Bilbro in his latest book, Words for Conviviality: Media Technologies and Practices of Hope. In this episode of What Would Jesus Tech, we ask him about the book, its thesis, the value of metaphors, the potential pushback from Barba-Kay, how the printed word is not necessarily the more moral medium and more.

0:00 - Intro

5:15 - Print to Digital Thesis

13:30 - Media Metaphors

22:50 - Walking

31:21 - Is Digital Different?

36:09 - Not Nostalgia. Postman Was Wrong (sometimes).

42:57 - Conviviality, Friendship, and Podcasting

You can get a copy of Words For Conviviality, and potentially even a discount code, through Jeff's website here: https://jeffbilbro.com/books/words-for-conviviality/

You can join the WWJT Discord here (invite expires in seven days): https://discord.gg/mrA3W6Jm

WWJT is a listener-supported production. We'd love your support. Sign up here: https://www.whatwouldjesustech.com/

How might we be misunderstanding anxiety and mental health? Is it really an addiction crisis rather than a mental health crisis?

This episode is a far-ranging conversation with WWJT co-host Andrew Noble (PhD Candidate, Nottingham University) and Matthew LaPine, author of The Logic of the Body (PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). We dive into different visions for viewing human persons, how science might inform our understanding, and Matt's own growth and challenges amidst his work.

0:00 - Intro

05:35 - Undoing the "anxiety as sin" paradigm and The Logic of the Body

15:30 - Is the mental health crisis really a digital addiction crisis?

20:05 - Embodiment and Neuroplasticity

27:10 - Loneliness

30:15 - PhD Experience and Challenges

Matthew LaPine (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Christian Education Director at Citylight Omaha. His book, The Logic of the Body, was a finalist for Christianity Today's book of the year in 2022.

Andrew briefly references a tiered Thomistic Anthropology: https://www.whatwouldjesustech.com/all-episodes/a-thomistic-case-for-ai-souls (see links in that episode)

To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com

The God of the Scriptures has revealed himself in various ways, but which way does He prefer? In this episode, we have a far-ranging conversation with an expert in Scripture who has also studied media ecology. We dive into why God might prefer some mediums over others, tech criticism and wise adoption, tech in worship, the technology of the book, and even Andrew's new favorite subject, technology and idolatry!

Alastair Roberts (PhD, Durham University) works for both the Theopolis Institute and the Davenant Institute. He participates in the Mere Fidelity and Theopolis podcasts, writes at The Anchored Argosy, tweets at @zugzwanged, and sails the blue sky at zugzwanged.bsky.social.

0:00 - Intro

2:30 - God's Preferred Medium

33:50 - How Should Christians Adopt Technology? New Mediums?

39:24 - Is there a "Christian" tech criticism?

52:32 - Idolatry and Technology Similarities

We reference John Dyer's People of the Screen a few times. We recorded an episode with John discussing his book here.

Read Meditations On Moloch here.

Within the last week, Bluesky has grown in popularity with many Christian authors and pastors announcing that they are moving to the new platform. Some have even considered deleting Twitter altogether.

We hope this episode helps Christian leaders consider whether or not to use Bluesky, as well as better consider how the social internet is changing overall.

In this episode we discuss: What is Bluesky? Why did it grow now? We discuss how the idea of link impression isn't new. It's the new ecosystem of the internet. Bluesky may buck the trend of that ecosystem, but that won't change the internet. Or will it? Is decentralized social media the solution to billionaire control? Or is just another media fad?

Thanks for listening. Note: ChatGPT was used to create one of the background images for the YouTube thumbnail.

Support us at whatwouldjesustech.com

We discuss the results of the election as Christians and technologists.

How impactful were podcasts in this election? Is society moving on from woke rhetoric? What will happen to Elon Musk? To Bitcoin and associated companies? To Christians? To Canadians? This is a wide-ranging conversation between three Christians: Andrew Noble (Technology and Theology PhD Student), Austin Gravely (Social Media Guru), and Joel Jacob (Tech Futurist).

0:00 - Intro

0:59 - Surprised?

3:04 - Voting, Social Media, Podcasts Making The Difference

18:12 - Bitcoin, Regulation, and Internet Culture IS THE CULTURE

26:08 - Tired Woke Rhetoric and Young Men

36:39 - Build Things

39:23 - Impact on Canada

Previous Episode: Internet Culture Is Culture

White Horse Inn's breakdown of Elon Musk's ideology.

Jake Meador's article on The Doug Election and America After the Great Dechurching.

Link to join our Discord. Note: link will expire after 7 days.

Cohosted by Andrew Noble, Joel Jacob, and Austin Gravley. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com

Are we underestimating just how radical the upside of AI could be?

Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, recently wrote a five-point essay to outlines how great the benefits of AI might be based upon recent history, current AI technologies, and the potential future of work.

Joel Jacob, Andrew Noble, and Austin Gravely discuss the valuable insights that Amodei offers, as well as the shortcomings.

Link to his essay: https://darioamodei.com/machines-of-loving-grace



We can better understand “internet culture(s)” by examining three categories: fraternity, fandom, and fantasy. We explore Austin Gravely's article in this latest episode.

Join our new Discord server here!

As Austin wrote, "Internet culture is, for most people, the most attractive thing to do at any time of the day or night. Even if you personally participate little in internet culture, your neighbors are likely being reshaped on internet culture’s terms without even realizing it. Sooner or later, you will encounter the formative effects of internet culture in your life. Are you prepared to share the Gospel, defend the Christian faith, and make mature disciples of Christ against a backdrop of the fraternity, fandom, and fantasy that internet culture provides?"

Austin's article at Endeavor: When Internet Culture Becomes the Culture

0:00 - Culture Merges With The Internet

15:50 - Fraternity, Fandom, and Fantasy

28:35 - Digital and Physical Worlds Keep Merging

33:00 - Should Christians Be On The Internet MORE?

Cohosted by Andrew Noble, Joel Jacob, and Austin Gravley. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com

What if we understood the human person, body and soul, in the way of Thomas Aquinas (13th-century AD Christian Theologian) or Aristotle (5th-century BC Greek Philosopher)? Why not both?

Timothy Jacobs is a Thomistic scholar who teaches at The Davenant Institute, an organization that retrieves the riches of classical Protestantism to renew and build up the contemporary Church.

In this episode, we discuss how the body and soul relate. In Thomistic thought (which follows Aristotle), there are five primary "Powers" (which can sometimes each be called "Souls" - which can be confusing). Each of these powers has an important role. Some actions within each power (such as memory within the sensitive power) can be replicated by a machine. Other actions cannot be properly said to be done by a machine, no matter how advanced the AI.

0:00 - Intro & Tim Jacobs

6:15 - Thomistic Psychology Overview

21:00 - Mind and Soul Dualism, "Souls" as Thomistic Powers

35:00 - What about organic substrates? Advanced AI? Pikachu?

47:00 - Knowing God (humans) vs Knowing About God (machines)

Tim Jacob's handout on Thomistic Psychology:

Tim's website: https://www.tljacobs.com/

Tim's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCcF_QqLWOatOO5vHHlzK_Hw

Cohosted by Andrew Noble and Joel Jacob. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com

In response to our technological age, many want to adapt a set of disciplines. Many of these disciplines are good. But what if, upon reflection, we realized that our solutions are embedded within a deeper technological problem? What if we are reducing persons to inputs and outputs and expecting machine-like productivity instead of recognizing what it means to be human? In this episode, Andrew, Austin, and Joel are joined by theologian and writer Kirsten Sanders. The article that led to this conversation was: What's the deal with "Rules of Life"?

Also referenced in this episode:

Tending the flame

Modern Mothers

For more of Kirsten's writing, please visit her Substack: In Particular.

0:00 - Intro

3:12 - Quick Questions (Writing, Feedback, Fav Tech, Teen Tech Restriction, Aspiring Theologian Advice, Aspiring Writer Advice)

8:52 - "I think sin, and its opposite, grace, is the chief misunderstanding we are having in our technological age."

20:04 - Beyond the self-correcting impulse

28:00 - Technological concerns

33:50 - Insecure Christians and doing "Enough"

45:00 - Is your life a project?

What Would Jesus Tech is cohosted by Andrew Noble, Joel Jacob, and Austin Gravley. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show, visit whatwouldjesustech.com

Meta launched a new product. But this is about more than putting Augmented Reality into glasses. This is about mana, power, the blocking of reality, and the myth of progress.

0:00 - Are Glasses The Next Platform?

5:19 - Reasons to be Skeptical

12:14 - Creepy Hidden Cameras

16:28 - S-Curve of Technology Growth

20:58 - Is Progress Good?

25:28 - What Motivates Companies Like Meta?

35:16 - Distracting From Real Human Connection

38:50 - Benefits of AR Glasses

47:13 - What We're Working On

Episode on Neo-Calvinism and Herman Bavinck with Jess Joulstra.

Our first episode on Mark Zuckerberg and the Meaning of Life.

Our episode on Apple Vision Pro.

Austin's article on internet culture.

Andrew's article on how headphones block reality and love.

Cohosted by Andrew Noble, Joel Jacob, and Austin Gravley. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com