Belief in the Future

We often think about how technology has influenced religion, but we rarely question the opposite: how has religion pushed technological advancement? In the case of Christianity, software to share the Bible has been in development for decades and has been shaping tech advancement behind the scenes for even longer. On this episode, we're talking to John Dyer, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of the new book People of the Screen that details the entwined history of software and evangelism. Reading and resource list:  YouVersion Hebcal The Medium is the Message, Marshall McCluhan Geneva Bible The Scofield Study Bible Encountering Peace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if AI and religion had a converging relationship rather than a parallel one? In Professor Beth Singler's new book, Religion and Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction, she explores how enmeshed technology and religion are in our current era, and how we as a society may be heading toward the creation and worship of a god-like AI.   Reading list:  Roko’s Basilisk or Pascal’s? Thinking of Singularity Thought Experiments as Implicit Religion The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence Existential Conversations with Large Language Models: Content, Community, and Culture The Turing Church Theta Noir Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The confessional booth is usually a private space for reflection and human connection. But what if, on the other side of the wall, you discovered you were asking forgiveness from a robot? This week, we're talking to Marco Schmid, the theologian at St. Peter's Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, about how his church uses AI to guide people to and through their prayer.  You can read more about St. Peter's Chapel and its AI program on NPR or The Guardian, or join AI Jesus for an interactive chat on Twitch.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does religion have a role in developing ethical frameworks around technology? On this episode, we're talking to Rabbi Zvika Kreiger, spiritual leader of Chochmat Halev and former Director of Responsible Innovation at Facebook. Zvika and host David Zvi Kalman dive into the Metaverse and discuss how religious leaders can lean into technology, and what separation of tech and religion looks like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology moves quickly – often times faster than governments can create laws to regulate it. So how do we adapt our lawmaking practices to keep up?    We’re talking to Gideon Lichfield, a journalist and alum of MIT Technology Review, The Economist, and WIRED Magazine, about how lawmaking can keep up with the fast pace of our digital world, and how government and religion mirror each other when interfacing with new technology.    Reading list:    Gideon’s newsletter, Futurepolis. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt  Dune by Frank Herbert Karl Schroeder Kim Stanley Robinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices