What Would Jesus Tech

In the world today, there are more people that play video games than there are who say they're Christians. Is gaming causing a "boy crisis? Is there any good in playing video games? Would Jesus play video games?To help us on this episode, we spoke with Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, senior writer and faith-and-work editor for The Gospel Coalition. She is also the coauthor of Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age and editor of Social Sanity in an Insta World. She believes that social media should come with a warning label and she recently wrote something that caught our attention, saying, "Let’s play video games under the lordship of Christ and before the face of God." Episode 19 of WWJT.Check out her original piece on "Gaming Alone" here.0:00 - Intro to Sarah Zystra4:30 - The similarities between social media and gaming6:46 - The Gaming Gender Gap10:18 - How Gaming Is Getting Worse And Better14:50 - Shouldn't We Panic?17:49 - How To Know If You're Addicted?20:03 - A Theology of Play24:21 - Parenting & Video Games29:00 - Parenting, Getting Immersed, and Learning32:14 - A Christian Kind of Video Game?38:42 - Would Jesus Play Video Games?41:05 - Why did Sarah leave Social Media?Notes & links:Listen to TGC's Recorded podcast episode on Gaming Alone. You can find the statistics that Sarah referenced here.TGC's Recorded podcast episode on Social Media.Statistica Gaming Gender Gap.The Rise of Chess.FaithTech's "Missional Tech Trends" brief on Video Games.John Dyer's People of the Screen.

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 CES2:01 - Is CES a religious experience?4:51 - Smart Baby Carseat6:37 - Autonomous lawn mower & snow blower8:53 - A bike that fits in a suitcase9:18 - The Truth Brush10:28 - ADHD Test Kit12:40 - New Cars TV News, multi-colored car13:41 - Sony and Honda launch electric sedan14:00 - A Flying Car15:45 - Smart Oven16:22 - Smart Shower16:47 - Personal Infinity Pool17:05 - The Ring Smart Products17:45 - Age Technology18:15 - Smart Urinal20:00 - Smart Pen22:48 - Reflections after the conference24:20 - 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 whatwouldjesustech@gmail.com Episode 17. 0:00 - Intro, Joel's product update, and Tech layoffs3:02 - Andrew's #1 Story - Twitter Takeover9:20 - Joel's #1 Story - ChatGPT and AI Progression19:52 - Andrew's #3 - Facebook's Struggle Due To Apple's Privacy Changes and Metaverse Flop24:41 - Andrew's #4 - Censorship and Bill C-1128:23 - Joel's #2 - Nuclear Fusion34:20 - Joel's #4 - "Nothing-burger" year's for Crypto, IoT, and Robotics38:24 - 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-meditationThe 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!)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/