I started the Digital Public Square podcast back in April 2020 with hopes of helping Christians think wisely about the ways that technology intersects with ethics and the public square. As I often say on the podcast, technology is not really a different set of ethical issues to navigate as much as it is a central element to all of life given how we now live in a digital age.
2022 was a banner year for the podcast as we welcomed over 5,000 unique listeners, published our centennial episode back in August, and hosted over 36 conversations with leading figures across theology, philosophy, and ethics. Each year, I like to highlight the top conversations from the previous year as I plan out the next season of episodes for 2023. We have some great guests lined up and I can’t wait to share these conversations with you. If you are traveling this holiday season or just want to catch up on some past episodes, here are some of the top conversations from 2022.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you do me a huge favor and leave a review on your favorite podcasting app? I know we are all busy but know these reviews help share the word about the podcast with potential listeners. It would also mean the world to me if you would share some of your favorite episodes with friends, family, and colleagues.
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jessica Joustra to talk about Herman Bavinck and the centrality of ethics in the Chrisitan life in light of the recently released Reformed Ethics, volume two with Baker Books.
A conversation with Dr. Tyler Wittman and Dr. R.B. Jamieson on how to read the Bible accurately
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Tyler Wittman and Dr. Bobby Jamieson to talk about their new book Biblical Reasoning and how to read the Bible accurately.
A conversation with Dr. Paul D. Miller on Christian nationalism
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Paul D. Miller, professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University and author of a recent book entitled The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism. We talk about religion, politics, social ethics, and the rise of Christian nationalism.
A conversation with Dr. Ross Hastings on pastoral ethics and moral formation
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. W. Ross Hastings, an ethicist and theologian who is the recent author of a new book titled Pastoral Ethics: Moral Formation as Life in the Trinity.
A conversation with Dr. Jarvis Williams on Diversity in the Kingdom of God
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jarvis Williams, associate professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of a recent book entitled Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: A Biblical Theology of the People of God. We talk about diversity in the Bible and its place in the Kingdom of God.
A conversation with Dr. Jordan Ballor on Abraham Kuyper, Christian ethics, and public theology
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jordan Ballor, director of research at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy as well as co-editor of Abraham Kuyper’s Collected Works in Public Theology with Lexham Press. We talk about the life and work of Abraham Kuyper, as well as the task of public theology and Christian ethics.
A conversation with Dr. Felicia Wu Song on personhood, presence, and place in the digital age
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Felicia Wu Song, cultural sociologist and author of a recent book entitled Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age. We talk about how technological devices form us and how to gain control over them.
The Rundown
Bible Apps Are the New Printing Press by John Dyer | Christianity Today
In the summer of 1979, just a few years after Jimmy Carter brought the term “born again” into the mainstream American lexicon and Steve Jobs made the home computer a part of everyday life, two engineers at Intel hatched a plan to create a new kind of technology company.
Untangling Theology from Digital Technology by Samuel James | Mere Orthodoxy
A few years ago I received an advance copy of a book on the end times by a well-loved and influential pastor. Most of the book was standard, biblically faithful reflections. The most interesting section, however, argued that the European Union was an instrument of Satan that would eventually unite all the countries in Europe into a one-world conglomerate. This prediction was alarming, but short-lived. Just a few months after the book was published, voters in the U.K. stunned the world by opting to leave the EU. Satan, it seems, had simply not seen Brexit coming.
A resource for Southern Baptists on religious liberty by ERLC Staff | ERLC
Government is ordained by God for the promotion of civil order and justice in society. From the Noahic covenant, which served to set limits on how individuals interacted with one another after the Fall—requiring life for those who took a life—to Paul’s reminder to church at Rome about submission to government, government exists to punish evil doers and restrain injustice (Gen. 9:1-7; Rom. 13:1-7).
CGI Technology Reveals What These Historic Figures Looked Like by Shannon Quinn | History Collection
When we go through history books, we often see paintings and illustrations of famous people. However, this is often left up to the artist’s interpretation of the person. More often than not, paintings we see of famous people look so drastically different, it’s difficult to tell what they actually looked like.
The FAQs: How an AI Chatbot May Affect Gospel-Centered Ministry by Joe Carter | The Gospel Coalition
The best artificial intelligence chatbot in history was released earlier this week. But unless you were on Twitter, you probably haven’t heard about it. ChatGPT (the GPT stands for “generative pre-trained transformer”) acquired 1 million users within the first five days of launch, making it one of the fastest-adopted technology services in the modern age. (In comparison, Facebook took 10 months, Spotify took 5 months, and Instagram took 2.5 months to reach that level of engagement.) Over the next few months, ChatGPT could be a ubiquitous presence in your online life.