What Would Jesus Tech

Joel Jacob joins the podcast today right from CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. He and Andrew Noble show off fifteen innovations and reflect on whether Jesus would ever go to such a consumeristic event. This one has some visuals, so watching on YouTube may be preferable for you. Audio-only will work too! Episode 18 of WWJT.

0:00 - Intro to CES

2:01 - Is CES a religious experience?

4:51 - Smart Baby Carseat

6:37 - Autonomous lawn mower & snow blower

8:53 - A bike that fits in a suitcase

9:18 - The Truth Brush

10:28 - ADHD Test Kit

12:40 - New Cars TV News, multi-colored car

13:41 - Sony and Honda launch electric sedan

14:00 - A Flying Car

15:45 - Smart Oven

16:22 - Smart Shower

16:47 - Personal Infinity Pool

17:05 - The Ring Smart Products

17:45 - Age Technology

18:15 - Smart Urinal

20:00 - Smart Pen

22:48 - Reflections after the conference

24:20 - Does the tech industry only care about rich people?

28:00 - Would Jesus Go To CES?

31:05 - Funding good works, open source, philanthropy etc.

Links and resources referenced:

- Stock video footage from https://www.cesbroll.com/

- Smart Baby Carseat - https://www.babyark.com/

- Autonomous lawn mower & snow blower - https://www.yarbo.com/

- A bike that fits in a suitcase - https://ca.e-scooter.co/icoma-tatamel/

- The Truth Brush - https://www.truthbrush.com/#/

- ADHD Test Kit - https://www.ces.tech/innovation-awards/honorees/2023/honorees/a/adhd-bank-(adhd-genetic-testing-kit).aspx

- Multi-coloured car - https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/04/bmw-unveils-dee-prototype-the-next-level-of-human-machine-interaction/

- A Flying Car - https://www.cnet.com/tech/a-flying-car-futuristic-screens-and-the-tesla-of-the-sea-ces-must-see-highlights/

- Smart Oven - https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/brava-glass-smart-oven-ces/

- Smart Shower - https://www.kohler.com/en/products/smart-home/shop-smart-showering

- Ring Smart Home - https://ring.com/

- Smart Urinal - https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/smart-home/ces-2023-sees-the-launch-of-two-smart-toilet-sensors/

- Smart Pen - https://nuwapen.com/

- Gospel Patrons - https://www.gospelpatrons.org/

- Henry Zoo - Open Source -https://henryzoo.com/

- Timothy Keller's How To Reach The West Again - https://redeemercitytocity.com/reachthewest

What made headlines this year? What technology news should Christians be aware of?

Joel is back! He and Andrew Noble each made a list of their top tech stories. They unpack each story for the uninitiated and discuss the implications from a Christian perspective.

What Would Jesus Tech is a Canadian-made, reformed podcast helping Christians use technology as Jesus would. Send us your ideas and feedback at [email protected] Episode 17.

• 0:00 - Intro, Joel's product update, and Tech layoffs
• 3:02 - Andrew's #1 Story - Twitter Takeover
• 9:20 - Joel's #1 Story - ChatGPT and AI Progression
• 19:52 - Andrew's #3 - Facebook's Struggle Due To Apple's Privacy Changes and Metaverse Flop
• 24:41 - Andrew's #4 - Censorship and Bill C-11
• 28:23 - Joel's #2 - Nuclear Fusion
• 34:20 - Joel's #4 - "Nothing-burger" year's for Crypto, IoT, and Robotics
• 38:24 - Andrew's #5 - Government Hacking

Which is more commended by Scripture?

A) A daily 15-minute quiet time with Bible reading.

B) A throughout-the-day reflection on Scripture.

In this post, Andrew Noble answers that question and describes how to meditate on Scripture, the ways of reminding ourselves of Scripture (according to Deut. 6), and how technology can be leveraged to better take-in Scripture. The Israelites used doorposts to remember Scripture. We should use digital doorposts.

Note:

Joel Jacob is away again but will be back soon.

The first 8 minutes of this video are transcripted here (with links and references included): https://andrewnoble.substack.com/p/the-neglected-practice-of-bible-meditation

The final portion of the video is transcripted here (with links and references included): https://andrewnoble.substack.com/p/228ca664-9c82-4efd-948d-8b8828cedac7

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!)

Outline

0:00 - Intro

0:57 - Story of FaithTech

9:05 - The Three Kinds of Tech

15:45 - 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 Sabbath

36:10 - What are strategies for Christians to live counter-culturally with tech?

41:30 - Sabbaticals for all?

43:30 - Some really funky audio

Show 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/0801018668

James 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 [email protected] 

01:04 - No really though, what is AI?

06:10 - How does AI learn? Intro to Neural Networks.

11:00 - The bias that AI brings

14:58 - The wild future of AI

20:49 - Are AI people, too?

30:30 - Will God reconcile robots to himself?

Show notes:

• Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths
• The Age of AI - by Jason Thacker
• The 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 - Intro

1:13 - What's going on with Musk and Twitter?

5:30 - Twitter Future & Past

9:05 - Lack of Context

13:45 - Challenges of Social Media Management

16:05 - 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 - Intro

2:49 - Figma Acquisition

4:05 - 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 Nationalism

10:11 - A Story of Hayden at Work

13:58 - Christian Ethics & Influencing Dating App Development

16:25 - How Do Tech Companies Handle Ethics?

18:41 - We're in Phase Two of the Internet

20:10 - Recognizing The Risks of Rushing Ethical Decisions

23:22 - Understanding the dating space

24:32 - The Dating Algorithm Will Not Save You

27:13 - An Ethical Framework For Building Tech:

27:41 - #1 Build Tech While Loving God & Loving People

34:03 - #2 Working out of rest, rather than for rest

40:41 - #3 Bring Your Full Self To Work - Live By Biblical First Principles

Notes:

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 - Intro
• 1:30 - Dating Apps Are...
• 4:10 - Ruth's Experience & Single Stigma
• 7:20 - Joel's Experience & Single Stigma
• 14:50 - How should Christians navigate dating apps?
• 19:30 - What NOT to do & ghosting
• 24:56 - Vulnerability, taking breaks, and checking your heart
• 27:40 - How to go from texting to friends to dating to marriage
• 35:22 - Predictive AI and Dating Apps
• 39:31 - Setting expectations for the "ideal" spouse
• 45:00 - Bots and Final Advice

Links:

- 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 - Intro
• 1:35 - Did Joel get fired?
• 2:24 - What is BeReal?
• 6:40 - How TikTok is different from BeReal
• 11:20 - Positives of BeReal
• 14:30 - Authenticity is good but overrated
• 16:50 - Why authenticity is overrated
• 21:45 - Expressive individualism & the Lord's Prayer
• 24:30 - Creating social media apps in the midst of economic struggle
• 30:40 - 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 - Intro

1:40 - Jason Thacker's interest in tech

6:45 - 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 actions

52:45 - 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/9780062464347

Top 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/27221X

Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death - https://www.amazon.com/Amusing-Ourselves-Death-Discourse-Business/dp/014303653X/