Device & Virtue

Can we live humbly and still post that photo on Instagram? In the digital age, humility isn't so straightforward. With the smartphone at our fingertips, is pride just one selfie away? Many of tech’s biggest names have been anything but humble. Tesla, Edison, Jobs, Zuckerberg, Musk. Does that mean their inventions will re-make us in their image? Or is there a way to hold humility in one hand and our smartphones in the other? Drawing from Christian wisdom, Greek virtues, and modern theologians, Adam and Chris look for the borderland between pride and pusillanimity, between vainglory and self-abasement. And they explore how those borders are shifting thanks to social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. IN THIS EPISODE The AC/DC battle between Tesla and Edison, and what Frank Lloyd Wright said under oath The many shades of pride: ambition, autonomy, conceit, domination, vanity, and more! Aristotle’s concept of magnanimity Why you can’t have humility without Christianity, Stanley Hauerwas says Newsfeeds and the vainglorious “love of novelty” Chris and Adam’s reflections on pride and humility in their own lives LINKS We’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Rebecca Konyndyk Deyoung’s Glittering Vices More on Edison v Tesla “The Virtues of Pride and Humility: A Survey” - Robert C. Roberts “Beware Our Tower of Babel” by John Walton TALK BACK Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The word "temperance" may make us think of prohibition, but this virtue isn't some outdated legislation. Today's technologies are creating all new challenges. Should we be prohibiting them now? It’s the season of Virtues! We’re exploring the old-school virtue of Temperance—including how a technology in the 1800s changed the course of American politics, spawned hundreds of Christian organizations and even changed the US constitution! Plus, why ice cream could be an moral issue. >> Voicemail: Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! << IN THIS EPISODE How virtue ethics can be understood through parenting What it could mean to be “temperate” in our social media and smartphone usage How temperance could change the way humans use A.I. THE LITTLE COLD WATER GIRL THE WILLARD FOUNTAIN.Children Invited to Contribute Their Mite to the Fund for This Gift.The commission for “Willard Fountain.” which is to be a gift to the city of Chicago from children all over the world connected with the Loyal Temperance Legion Department of the World’s W.C.T.U.,…All money raised should be sent to Miss Anna Gordon, Evanston, Ill., and it is earnestly desired that little people everywhere should be impressed with the thought that the mission of love and money which they might perform by giving a cup of cold water to men who might otherwise be drawn into the saloon, can be carried out by this patient little figure, which will never grow “weary in welldoing.” It rests with them to send their pennies if they would be thus represented. Cold Water Girl Fountain—Chicagology QUOTES …the self indulgent man is so called because he is pained more than he ought at not getting pleasant things (even his pain being caused by pleasure), and the temperate man is so called because he is not pained at the absence of what is pleasant and at his abstinence from it.The self-indulgent man, then, craves for all pleasant things or those that are most pleasant, and is led by his appetite to choose these at the cost of everything else; hence he is pained both when he fails to get them and when he is merely craving for them (for appetite involves pain); but it seems absurd to be pained for the sake of pleasure. —Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics LINKS We’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! TALK BACK Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can we live simply without tossing our smartphone-life in the trash? We found answers in Sister Act II and walk-in closets. This season, we're doing something new, and it begins with the virtue of Simplicity. We live in a complex world. Can technology help simplify it? Or does it only make things worse? Chris and Adam look at Simplicity in the face of social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. IN THIS EPISODE If you ever feel fragmented, this episode is for you. Drawing on insights from Stanley Hauerwas, Richard Foster, and the Sermon on the Mount, we explore... How might we live simpler lives in a technology-driven world? Could social media and smartphones promote simplicity rather than fragmentation? What role does Christian community play in fostering the virtue of Simplicity? Plus, learn how past technological developments have already shaped our relationship to Simplicity. Filled with philosophical insights and practical advice for integrating simplicity into modern life. LINKS We’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! TALK BACK Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wow, we've got a new set of episodes coming our way—and Adam & Chris have decided to unveil a twist—while possible moving even closer to the Platonic ideal of Device & Virtue. Support our new season at https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/patreon Leave us a feedback voicemail at https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/talk-back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If not, what about our soundboards and electric guitars? If you thought the answer would be straightforward, you don't know us! Adam and Chris deep into the intertwining histories of church music and technology. From early debates over instruments in worship services to the effects of platforms like Spotify on today's songwriting, they explore the tensions between tradition and innovation. NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! IN THIS EPISODE Trace the twists and turns of church debates over instruments vs voices Can instruments help Christians worship in Spirit and truth? Strong opinions from ancient church fathers, the Reformers, and denominational creeds Is AI just another "instrument," or something more disruptive? Watch the TikTok Worship Song clip: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathanogdenmusic/video/7221950505486945541 Read Chris' AI worship song about the blind man in John 9 LINKS “The first AI Christian artist” JC (@jc.theartist) • Instagram photos and videos Worship.ai by John Dyer (create your own worship song in “modern worship music”, “classic hymn”, or the “Psalms (KJV)” Spotify has reportedly removed tens of thousands of AI-generated songs (Engadget May 2023) TALK BACK NEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Pulpit AI could save your church hours of social media work every week. Could it kill the sermon in the process? We interview pastor and entrepreneur Michael Whittle. He wants to make the sermon more valuable than ever, and he created Pulpit AI to do it. We talk to him about his new AI platform does and the future he’s dreaming for it.  Plus, Chris and Adam discuss how Pulpit AI might affect pastors, preaching, and the work of discipleship. In this episode  Is the sermon just “content”?  Why Pulpit AI won’t write your sermons What does Pulpit AI look like in 2033?  Risks for pastors and churches Megachurches have used social media to build massive platforms and stir up plenty of controversy. If Pulpit AI gives that platform to every pastor, how will it affect the church? Links Michael Whittle is the Founder and CEO of PulpitAI and Vast Media. He’s obsessed with the intersection of faith, business & entrepreneurship, a topic he explores in his podcast, "Kings & Priests." Over the past decade, he has built companies spanning media, advertising, and consumer products in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Singapore. Michael also serves on the pastoral team at C3 Los Angeles and resides in South Pasadena, CA with his wife Jillean and their two children, Rook and Willa. Learn more about Pulpit AI on their website.  Talk Back NEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ownership is not an option. Forget magazines—does it seem like today we subscribe to just about everything? You’re not wrong—from reading books to driving cars—80% of new businesses offer a subscription. Has software changed ownership forever? Chris & Adam explore how technology has changed how we pay—and all the implications. No longer do we buy Microsoft Office in shiny boxes from Best Buy! That model that used to be magazines and the CD of the month club has moved to practically every digital product in our daily world. Chris’s business degree 101 taught him that all purchases fell into two two obvious categories—product or service. But now? Who knows! Add complaints about inkjet printers, Tesla, and thought on the spiritual implications of ownership, and we’ve got a roving convo that mixes tech, economics & daily life. Links How Tesla changed owner’s car battery capacity by unlocking software My Printer is Extorting Me by Charlie Warzel (The Atlantic) Listener Voicemail This episode features a talkback voice message from listener Toby B. Thanks Toby! Leave Your Own Voice Message Patreon Patreon supporters get a raw video cut of this episode! Check out how to support us here. Talk Back NEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! When’s the last time you got a handwritten letter, or stared out the window, or went on vacation without checking email? Did the Internet kill the good ol’ days, or is this just nostalgia talking? Chris and Adam dive into the book 100 Things We Lost to the Internet and explore the difference between true wisdom and mere wistfulness. Tech has become the de facto symbol of progress, but is everything new a true advancement? How could we know the difference. In this episode Among the 100 Things We Lost are… Boredom Getting Lost Relying on the Doctor Uninhibitedness The Spanish-English Dictionary Solitude Your Attention Span Spelling The New Kid Memory Scrabble Tiles Social Cues Closure Links Learn more about the author Pamela Paul and her book 100 Things We Lost to the Internet Talk Back NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THREADS is the all new social network launched by the founders of Facebook, and it launched big and fast—over 100 millions accounts in the first week. Chris reflects on how social networks work like societal mirrors, and reflect some of the same issues that vexxed the early Christian church. Short Circuit episodes skip the argument—Adam or Chris grab the mic on their own for a more personal reflection on technology & faith. These shorter entries are a bonus to our full-length Device & Virtue episodes. Enjoy! Feedback? Send us a voicemail from your phone: https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. -- This month, Apple announced the new Vision Pro headset. 10 years from now, will we look back and say it changed our life? Can we ever know whether something is a Flop or the Future? Think about it. When they first came out, did folks know that the electric refrigerator or the microwave oven would change modern life as we know it? How about when Apple launched the iPhone? Sure—today we think about that as a turning point in history. But then? Discerning and predicting new tech is hard. You’ll find naysayers and you’ll find worshippers from the first minutes it appears. Who’s right? And how would we know? APPLE VISION PRO LAUNCH (JUNE 5, 2023) “In the same way that Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing.” …“The first Apple product you look through, and not at.” — Tim Cook Watch the 2 hour event (Apple Vision Pro begins at 1hr 20min) APPLE IPHONE LAUNCH (JANUARY 9, 2007) “Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything” — Steve Jobs MORE LINKS Professor Scott Galloway was unimpressed with the Vision Pro launch TALK BACK NEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! “Minority Report” was just a movie, right? Well, not anymore. Beat cops from Los Angeles to London are using Artificial Intelligence to forecast tomorrow’s murders. Is every crime predestined? Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, including the police station. From forecasting burglary to heading off homicides, predictive policing is more than 10 years old, and your city is probably already using it.  What is predictive policing, and what should Christians think about it? Chris and Adam unpack the ethics of prediction and beliefs about predestination. They look some of the risks that come with crime statistics, and the solutions that don’t merely reduce crime but actually increase justice.  Plus, if you’ve ever used Google Analytics, stick around for the Bible story of David’s census In this episode What is predictive policing? Is crime predictable? Is it predestined?  What personal data is being tracked? How can crime statistics be biased? What should Christians think? Links Predictive Policing Explained (Brennan Center for Justice) 2021: Predictive Policing and Crime Control in The United States of America and Europe: Trends in a Decade of Research and the Future of Predictive Policing (Social Sciences Journal) 2022: ​​Algorithm predicts crime a week in advance, but reveals bias in police response (University of Chicago) 2022: The never-ending quest to predict crime using AI (Washington Post) 2020: Predictive policing algorithms are racist. They need to be dismantled. (MIT Tech Review) 2017: How strategic is Chicago’s “Strategic Subjects List”? (Equal Future) 2020 Update: Chicago police end effort to predict gun offenders, victims. (Associated Press) Talk Back NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Device & Virtue, Season 9!  Leave Us a Digital Voicemail! Starting this season, *in these show notes* and at deviceandvirtue.com, you can leave us a digital voicemail.  We’ve been arguing the wrongs and rights of technology and faith for 4 years. We think it's time you spoke up. If you’ve ever wanted to hear yourself featured on a podcast, this could be your debut!  There will be a link in the show notes for every episode of Season 9! Tap through and start recording! Tell us... - something we should discuss in season 9 - a technology and faith dilemma that you have - a Vice or Virtue that we should do ...90 seconds or less. We’ll see you soon with our next episode on AI Cops and the world of predictive policing! Thanks for listening! Adam & Chris https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/talk-back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christians used to be known as "people of the book." Do we lose something big if we become the "people of the screen"? From Moses to Gutenberg to YouVersion App, we’re talking the digital bible with our guest John Dyer. Chris talks with John about his newest book People of the Screen. We explore how evangelicals created the digital Bible and how it is shaping Christians interpretation of scripture today. In his research, John found that people read print and digital Bibles at different times depending on where they are and what they’re doing. We cover a lot of ground: How digital reading influence our Bible interpretation The history of the Bible technologies, from Moses to Gutenberg The four eras of the digital Bible, from universities to YouVersion How Christians can better understand digital’s influence on their own Bible reading If your Bible reading ever leaves you feeling judged or confused, John’s research illuminates some surprising reasons why that might be the case.  What’s the future of print Bibles? Find out what John thinks will happen as the Christians go deeper into digital. Plus, hear about John’s latest Bible project: the Y’all Version.  ABOUT JOHN John Dyer is Vice President for Enrollment Services and Educational Technologies & Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.  LINKS Visit John Dyer’s website From the Garden to the City: The Place of Technology in the Story of God People of the Screen: How Evangelicals Created the Digital Bible and How It Shapes Their Reading of Scripture Y’all Version—putting the “y’all” back in the Bible where it belongs Follow John on Twitter REACH OUT TO ADAM & CHRIS Reach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Hey Chat GPT, write a script for a podcast arguing the wrongs and rights of technology and faith…” Could AI write that? The shocking answer is… it’s close. Maybe a full yes. The revolution of Artificial Intelligence chatbots got a rocket boost in the last months when on Nov 30, 2022, OpenAI released a language model called ChatGPT, which can interact in a conversational way. The results were heads above what we’ve experienced with Siri or Alexa, immediately launching fears and possibilties. Adam and Chris explore what ChatGPT can do, and talk about the implications for society and faith. What does this change for the future? Are we witnessing one of the biggest tech moments of our lifetime? Bonus this episode: find out if Chris can pronounce the word 'specificity.' (Spoiler Slert: it’s rough) WHAT/WHO IS THE VOICE FOR CHATGPT IN THE EPISODE? This version of ChatGPT is text only, but for our podcast, we used another AI product called Descript to generate an artificial voice to read ChatGPT’s parts. And guess what? OpenAI is one of the investors in the Descript product—one we use regularly for our podcast production. LINKS OpenAI’s original introduction to the world in 2015 “Why Does ChatGPT Lie?” from Noah Smith A New Chat Bot is Code Red for Google’s Search Business via New York Times Business background: The Best Little Unicorn in Texas: Jasper Was Winning the AI Race—Then ChatGPT Blew Up The Whole Game from The Information MORE ABOUT CHATGPT HOW FAST DID IT GROW? WHO IS BEHIND IT? Starting as a non-profit, in 2019 Microsoft invested more than $1 Billion dollars, and in January 2023, after ChatGPT exploded, they upped their investment to $10 billion. REAL CHATGPT EXAMPLES CHRIS TRIED What is my future? As a language model, I do not have the capability to predict the future. I can provide information and answer questions based on my training data, but I cannot predict events that have not yet occurred. It's best to consult with experts or make your own plans for your future. SEE THE REST OF THE CHATGPT EXAMPLES AT DEVICEANDVIRTUE.COM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Device & Virtue friend & author John Dyer jumps on the podcast talking about the 10 11 year updated edition of his book From the Garden to the City. Wow, a lot changes in a decade! Ten years ago, nobody knew what Zoom was, and online church meant having a Facebook page. No matter how fast tech changes, John Dyer says it still has a place in the story of God. Adam asks John about “The virtualization of culture” The definition of technology Why technology is not netural Tools vs devices And don’t miss the end where we debut our special guest segment, Settle This Argument Between Adam & Chris. MORE ABOUT JOHN DYER Adam & Chris think John Dyer is one of the best voices writing on technology & faith. Dr. John Dyer is the Vice President for Enrollment Services and Educational Technologies & Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Channeling Eric Liddell, John likes to say, “When I code, I can feel God’s pleasure.” This desire to glorify God by showing how our creativity is an important aspect of our role as image bearers, drives John’s work and teaching. A former youth pastor, he enjoys working with students to see how the biblical story brings insight and clarity to the ideas found in science, sociology, and culture. John is married to Amber, a literature and philosophy professor and has two lovely children. LINKS Visit John Dyer’s website Best Commentaries.com—”rotten tomatoes for biblical studies” Y’all Version—putting the y’all back in the Bible where it belongs Follow John on Twitter REACH OUT TO ADAM & CHRIS Reach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who hasn’t heard about Twitter these days? With all the controversy, Adam & Chris are talking about how private tech becomes a “public square”—and does Twitter have a future in 2023? Big Questions What is “free speech”? What is the idea of the public square and how does it relate? How has the long history of communications technology been controlled by the rich or the royal? Who owned the most powerful communications network in the middle ages? How should Christians speak and interact in the public square? Should Adam & Chris delete the Device & Virtue Twitter account? Links A timeline of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (NBC) We’re witnessing the brain death of Twitter (MIT Technology Review) Beyond the Public Square: Imagining Digital Democracy by Mary Ann Franks (Yale Law Journal) Dramatic Tweets https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1518623997054918657?s=20&t=CVF4F0xrENuRCMb8-QztJg https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1604617643973124097?s=20&t=CVF4F0xrENuRCMb8-QztJg Talk Back to Adam & Chris Reach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter (uh, the Vice & Virtue vote was to keep it?) Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stained glass, digital photos, or a pile of rocks. Today, we join the co-hosts of the Embedded Church podcast and talk about how the church builds memories. It’s a podcast inside a podcast. Memories help people establish identities and build communities, and physical places are fertile ground where memories take root. But are new digital spaces uprooting our memories, or giving them new soil to grow in?  As Christians, God consistently calls us to remember all that he has done and the ways he has been faithful. How can we root our memories in physical places and digital spaces, and cultivate the benefits of both?  We asked our friends Eric Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe, the co-hosts of the Embedded Church podcast, to help us sort this out. Call it a podcast playdate. What does memory look like in digital and built spaces?  How do these spaces shape the capacity, and content, of our memory? Hear stories of churches that have established creative practices that both embrace lament and celebrate God’s healing. If your church wants to build memory and community through digital and physical spaces, check out this episode! LINKS Learn more about the Embedded Church podcast on their website and on Instagram. Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, and everywhere else. Eric O. Jacobsen is the Lead Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma Washington. He is the author of numerous books and articles exploring the connections between the Christian faith, local community, and the built environment. He has a PhD in Theology and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary and is a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism. He is married to Liz Jacobsen and has four amazing children (Kate, Peter, Emma, and Abraham). Follow him on Twitter. Sara Joy Proppe (‘Pro-pay’) is a speaker and consultant who started Proximity Project as a way to integrate her faith and work. She seeks to educate and equip churches to be strategic stewards of their properties for the common good within the contexts of their neighborhoods through avenues of placemaking and real estate development. Her professional expertise includes urban planning, real estate development, and placemaking. She has a Masters in Community Planning from Iowa State University and is a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Follow her on Twitter. Sara Joy mentioned Biola’s Advent devotionals. You can check them out here! Chris mentioned Laurence Scott a couple times. His book The Four-Dimensional Human is an acute reflection on the human experience of digital spaces. Learn more here. TALK BACK Reach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Andy Crouch says that we’re doing it all wrong—smartphones aren’t giving us the life we’re looking for. We asked him how to fix it, plus whether he’d ever own a robot dog. Andy is our first returning guest to Device & Virtue! This time, he joins us to talk about his new book, The Life We’re Looking For. We take his ideas for a test drive, and run into everything from dishwashers and furnaces to Slack and electric cars. Plus, we ask Andy to resolve some arguments from past episodes. He weighs in on Ring doorbells, robot dogs, communion online, and AI art generators. His hot takes will keep you on your toes. Andy Crouch is partner for theology and culture at Praxis Labs and author of multiple books including his latest, The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World, and his earlier book, The Tech-Wise Family. A public speaker and professional musician, Andy was executive editor of Christianity Today from 2012 to 2016 and served the John Templeton Foundation as senior strategist for communication in 2017. Most importantly, he received a shout-out in Lecrae's 2014 single “Non-Fiction.”  LINKS For more about Andy and all his books, check out his website. Follow him on Twitter. Andy first joined us with his daughter Amy to talk about her book, My Tech-Wise Life, back in Season 5.  Check out our past episodes for more on the topics we talked about with Andy.  DALL-E Electric Cars Slack Robot Dogs Ring Doorbell Communion Online Andy mentions “prompt battles.” We did a little digging. Learn more about them here. Andy adapts his analysis of instruments and devices from the work of philosopher Albert Borgmann, who first introduced “the device paradigm” in his 1984 book, Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life. Borgmann writes more about it in his newer book Power Failure. QUOTES FROM THE LIFE WE'RE LOOKING FOR "God and Mammon ... are precisely opposed to each other. God wishes to put all things into the service of persons and ultimately to bring forth the flourishing of creation through the flourshing of persons. Mammon wants to put all persons into the service of things and ultimately to bring about the exploitation of all creation." (p78) "So, rather than actually creating machines that understand the infinitely creative and complex world of human culture, we will find that it is far easier to create attenuated cultural environments that treat persons like machines." (p97) TALK BACK Reach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you strap on VR goggles and go to church in the metaverse? We asked the author Jay Kim of Analog Church and the pastor DJ Soto of Virtual Reality Church to argue all the wrongs and rights. Finally, an episode where Adam & Chris aren’t the ones doing all the fighting! To be fair both these guys are pastors so the debate is probably more of mild-mannered discussion, but it covers some important ground about what it means to be the church, and what the future of the church might look like. VR CHURCH—PASTOR DJ SOTO DJ Soto, Bishop & Pastor or VR Church D.J. Soto began preaching in the metaverse in 2016. Originally thinking he would plant physical churches, he soon realized a new vision to plant churches in the metaverse. He is now the Bishop of Virtual Reality Church and MMO Church, which are futuristic church expressions that is intended to be radically inclusive and consistent with Christianity’s long history of adapting to new forms of media. About DJ Soto at VR Church Wired Magazine interview with DJ Soto (Feb 2018) Check Out what VR Church building looks like “inside”—YouTube ANALOG CHURCH—PASTOR JAY KIM Jay Kim author of Analog Church Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley—really!—of CA and as teacher-in-residence at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. He's the author of Analog Church (IVP, 2020) and Analog Christian (IVP, 2022). Some of his written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Missio Alliance, Relevant, and other publications. Visit Jay Kim’s website Outreach Magazine interview with Jay Kim (January 2020) Jay Kim is the author of Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age (InterVarsity Press) THE QUESTIONS DJ’S QUESTION(S) FOR JAY How do you define church? What would "count" as a church experience.? Can a metaverse church fulfill all the functions of a physical church? JAY’S QUESTION(S) FOR DJ What are the most significant limitations of virtual church, as you see it? Do you think there are any potential drawbacks or even dangers to the customization and control afforded in VR (e.g. avatars curated to project an aspirational self rather than a more genuine self)? Find Us Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Join the Device & Virtue Team on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vincent van Gogh spent decades perfecting his impressionist style. You can master it in one minute with the new AI art generator called DALL-E. Do we even need artists any more? DALL-E 2 is an artificial intelligence image generator released to the public on Sept 28, 2022. Considered by experts to be a noticeable jump in technology, the website or app allows users to type in any imaginary prompt “a monkey eating grapes in Mexico in the style of Picasso” and in a few seconds generates a new unique image that tries to match the prompt. Try DALL-E for yourself! THE QUESTIONS Adam & Chris imagine the implications and effects of AI generated art including questions like: How does this work? Could AI generated art replace the human artist? Who are the people behind DALL-E art and what are their goals? What does the future look like with AI generated art? Is their a Christian viewpoint on AI generated art? What happens in a world where everything can be unique? LINKS & RESOURCES OpenAI is the non-profit that created DALL-E 2. Their 2015 announcement outlined their goals. OpenAI has a content policy for safety and blocks certain keywords from working that could create pornography or fakes of politicians. It also has worked to promote accurate diversity in results. However other groups have announced plans to release similar AI tools without any filters Chris mentions concepts from Roland Barthes’ “The Death of the Author” THE IMAGES For being a podcast for your ears, this was a pretty eye-opening episode! (groan) Check out all the visual images that Adam & Chris talk about here, including unique images that they created with DALL-E Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices