Shows
The Reconnect with Carmen LaBergeMore teens seeking life help from AI companions - Austin Gravley | Christians with a price on their heads - Ruth KramerThe Gospel Coalition's social media manager, Austin Gravley, reads us in a report about the pervasive trend of teens are seeking friendship, counseling, and support through AI chatbots. What are the concerns? Mission Network News' Ruth Kramer outlines the increased persecution of Christians in some states in India, as well as concerns in Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Gaza. Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here 2025-07-2348 minThe Reconnect with Carmen LaBergeDoes your church have plans to deal with smart glasses - Austin Gravley | Christians in Middle East need your prayers - Ruth KramerAustin Gravley, social media manager for The Gospel Coalition, talks about the privacy and safety concerns around smart glasses, and what churches and Christians can do in figuring out a policy for use in churches. He also addresses the concerns of AI being used to scam church members. Ruth Kramer of Mission Network News helps us see what's happening in places like Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen, and how Christians are bearing up. Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here 2025-07-0948 min
What Would Jesus TechAI Shepherds and Electric Sheep, with Paul Hoffman"AI is a tool, not a partner."As more people use AI tools like ChatGPT, how should Christian leaders respond? On one hand, there are opportunities to leverage Artificial Intelligence as a tool for human flourishing. But we should also be cautious about its potential to diminish human connection and creativity. They discuss the need for engagement, the importance of community, and the role of the Christian faith despite the allure of transhumanism.Cohosts Andrew Noble (PhD Student Theology & Technology), Joel Jacob (Principle Product Manager at Splunk), and Austin...2025-06-0557 min
What Would Jesus TechYou Were Never Meant to Do It All, with Kelly Kapic"God purposefully designed humans to have limits and depend on one another." Why is it so hard to believe this?Theologian Kelly Kapic discusses this with us in his new book, You Were Never Meant to Do It All: A 40-Day Devotional On The Goodness of Being Human. Cohosts Andrew Noble and Austin Gravley ask Kapic about human limitations, depending on one another, and the balance between work ethic and rest. They discuss the importance of community and the significance of physical touch in a technological age.Buy the book...2025-05-2950 min
What Would Jesus TechNavigating the Christian Tech World, with Cory HixsonHow should Christians navigate various faith and technology organizations? Some are Universities. Others are non-profits you can volunteer with. The three cohosts chat with Corey Hickson on the intersection of engineering education, technology, and growing your faith. They explore the role of Christian universities in shaping future engineers, the impact of AI on education and work, and the importance of integrating faith into the tech space, even if you don't work at a Christian company! The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by Christians in technology, the need for community, and the significance...2025-05-2252 min
What Would Jesus TechThis episode is so clichéIn this episode of 'What Would Jesus Tech?', Austin Gravley and Joel Jacob explore clichés in both the tech and ministry worlds. They delve into the implications of phrases like 'let go and let God' and 'everything is a season', as well as tech cliches about the future and scale. There are pitfalls in overusing such terms. We need to get past the cliches if those in tech and those in ministry are going to do a good job speaking to each other. 00:00 Intro01:10 Brief u...2025-05-1434 min
What Would Jesus TechHow AI Can Function As IdolatryAustin and Andrew explore the intersection of idolatry and technology, particularly how AI can act just like idols used to. Why is Andrew studying idolatry and AI? How do they connect? How should we take Tertullian's views on idolatry and apply them to today? They explore these questions and more, including the human need for connection and how technology can fulfill or distort that need, drawing on insights from Sherry Turkle's work. Ultimately, Andrew challenges listeners to consider whether their use of technology leads to life or idolatry.Join the WWJT Discord: https://discord...2025-04-3034 min
What Would Jesus TechThe Tech-Savvy Christian Faith | Re: Wes Huff's History of Technology & ChristianityHave Christians historically been innovators in the tech space? At least when it comes to the codex and the printing press, the answer seems to be yes. That's what Wes Huff argued in his video over at Apologetics Canada. We watched that video and discussed its implications, including: the historical context of the writings of the Bible, the emotional impact of technology on faith, and the implications of generative AI for ministry.We also delve into the balance between innovation and tradition in worship, the role of immersive experiences in understanding scripture, and the...2025-04-1529 min
What Would Jesus TechMultiplying the Word: Steward Your Story, with Ian Harbor"Just ship it, even if you're 19.""You can only control your outputs."In this episode, Andrew Noble, Austin Gravley, and Ian Harber discuss the intersection of marketing, faith, and personal branding. This is our fourth and final public episode of Multiplying the Word. They explore how marketing can be a tool for spreading ideas. We should steward our stories and reputations. Ian shares insights from his journey in writing and marketing, emphasizing the need for authenticity and the value of connecting with an audience. Vulnerability and authenticity don't always mix well. Ian...2025-04-0156 min
What Would Jesus TechChoosing and Using GenAI as ChristiansJoel: "AI models are like four years olds."Andrew: "AI is not a fad."In this episode of WWJT, Andrew Noble (Theology & AI PhD Student at U of Nottingham) and Joel Jacob (AI & Robotics Product Manager at Splunk) explore the evolving landscape of AI, discussing the differences between various AI models, ethical considerations in their usage, and the implications of AI on daily life. They delve into the importance of user experience, the role of open-source models, and the future of AI in software development. The discussion emphasizes the need for caution...2025-03-2536 min
What Would Jesus TechMultiplying the Word: Creating Local Digital Content as a Church, with Pastor Luke SimmonsIn this episode of What Would Jesus Tech, hosts Andrew Noble and Austin Gravley chat with Luke Simmons, a lead pastor, discussing the intersection of digital marketing and pastoral ministry. One of our most practical episodes for what churches can be doing!We explore the role of social media for pastors, the potential harms of digital media, and how to leverage digital tools for local ministry. Luke shares practical tips for creating engaging church communications, overcoming barriers to digital engagement, and navigating the challenges of content creation, including the use of AI. We also address the celebrity...2025-03-1754 min
What Would Jesus TechMultiplying the Word: Growth & Institutions, with Caleb WaitJoin our Discord: https://discord.gg/YskwNchCHow do we navigate content creation in a digital age? We consider this today through the angle of institutions, like media organizations who are trying to spread good resources across varyingly helpful digital outlets. Joining us is Caleb Wait. He is the Director of Content at Sola Media (the makers beyond multiple top Christian podcasts, including the White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, and Theo Global).In Multiplying The Word we explore the whats, the whys, and the hows of digital marketing: living in the digital, but...2025-02-2655 min
What Would Jesus TechTrump's Win, Christians, and TechnologyWe discuss the results of the election as Christians and technologists.How impactful were podcasts in this election? Is society moving on from woke rhetoric? What will happen to Elon Musk? To Bitcoin and associated companies? To Christians? To Canadians? This is a wide-ranging conversation between three Christians: Andrew Noble (Technology and Theology PhD Student), Austin Gravely (Social Media Guru), and Joel Jacob (Tech Futurist).0:00 - Intro0:59 - Surprised?3:04 - Voting, Social Media, Podcasts Making The Difference18:12 - Bitcoin, Regulation, and Internet Culture...2024-11-1147 min
What Would Jesus TechInternet Culture Is CultureWe can better understand “internet culture(s)” by examining three categories: fraternity, fandom, and fantasy. We explore Austin Gravely's article in this latest episode. Join our new Discord server here!As Austin wrote, "Internet culture is, for most people, the most attractive thing to do at any time of the day or night. Even if you personally participate little in internet culture, your neighbors are likely being reshaped on internet culture’s terms without even realizing it. Sooner or later, you will encounter the formative effects of internet culture in your life. Are you prepared to sha...2024-10-3048 min
What Would Jesus TechRule of Life as Technology, with Kirsten SandersIn response to our technological age, many want to adapt a set of disciplines. Many of these disciplines are good. But what if, upon reflection, we realized that our solutions are embedded within a deeper technological problem? What if we are reducing persons to inputs and outputs and expecting machine-like productivity instead of recognizing what it means to be human? In this episode, Andrew, Austin, and Joel are joined by theologian and writer Kirsten Sanders. The article that led to this conversation was: What's the deal with "Rules of Life"?Also referenced in this episode:...2024-10-1555 min
What Would Jesus TechMeta's Orion Is About More Than AR GlassesMeta launched a new product. But this is about more than putting Augmented Reality into glasses. This is about mana, power, the blocking of reality, and the myth of progress.0:00 - Are Glasses The Next Platform?5:19 - Reasons to be Skeptical12:14 - Creepy Hidden Cameras16:28 - S-Curve of Technology Growth20:58 - Is Progress Good?25:28 - What Motivates Companies Like Meta?35:16 - Distracting From Real Human Connection38:50 - Benefits of AR Glasses47:13 - What We're Working On2024-10-0451 minWhat Would Jesus TechThe MASSIVE Change Coming To Social MediaHave you heard of §230? Section 230 of the Communications Act? It's been giving social media companies a free pass ever since the 1990s. But it's all about to change.The Federal Court (specifically, the federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals) recently released an opinion which questions 230 since algorithms in the 2020s aren't like those in 1990s. We break it all down in this episode. Here's a pdf link to the legal document of Anderson vs TikTok (Bytedance, Inc.) that we reference.0:00 - Intro0:45 - A girl died: Background to the Federal Court appeal2024-09-1845 min
What Would Jesus TechGod, Shields, And Techno-Idolatry in Psalm 115In this special edition of What Would Jesus Tech, we are sharing a sermon that Andrew Noble preached at Heritage Grace Church in Kitchener, Ontario. We will be back with more episodes in mid-September.Please send your ideas and feedback to the cohosts, Andrew Noble, Joel Jacob, and Austin Gravley, at whatwouldjesustech@gmail.com. Original Music by Abigail Neale. To learn more about What Would Jesus Tech and to support the show visit whatwouldjesustech.com2024-08-0639 minWhat Would Jesus TechALL the Faith Tools, with Cam PakCam Pak made Faith Tools: https://faith.tools/Faith Tools is the best place for Christians to find apps.But who is Cam Pak?This is a story all about how Cam Pak's life got turned upside down. So I'd like to take a minute, keep listening here, and Cam Pak will tell you all about his dev & Jesus journey.0:00 - Who is Cam Pak?9:10 - Software to Serve the Homeless20:02 - The Story Before Faith Tools; Sabbath, Sickness, and Solace38:35...2024-07-171h 00
What Would Jesus TechGrowth, Influence, and Stories: Getting to Know Austin GravleyAs Austin has joined our team, it was time to get to know him. From Pest Control to Apple Computers to Social Media Management, we learn a little about Austin and how God has used him.0:00 - Intro2:21 - Conversion4:55 - Early Optimistic Days in Technology, Church Planting, and Gaming18:45 - Mentorship22:15 - RTS26:48 - Podcasting, Substack, Socials37:50 - Finding a Tech Balance45:05 - Spiritual Formation Despite Occupational Hazards51:02 - Should TGC get off of Twitter since it's...2024-06-201h 13
What Would Jesus TechA Bad ADpleThe latest Apple ad will be referenced in tech criticism for the next several years. It was so bad that Apple has since apologized for it. But what was so bad? Can there be any good in iPads?Also, we have a new co-host! Austin Gravely is the former host of the podcast Breaking the Digital Spell and is currently the Social Media Manager of The Gospel Coalition. He is also the Executive Producer of Mending Division Academy, and he works in Youth Ministry at Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas.2024-05-1446 min
Redeemer YouthGod is My Strength and Portion Forever - Part TwoAsaph laments and grieves the brokenness of his world, and rejoices that from God's perspective, the arrogant and wicked are nothing before the Lord. But then he realizes that he is also arrogant and wicked, and his sinned against the Lord himself. The logic in the Psalm makes clear he should expect judgment for his sin, but instead Asaph describes the wonderful grace of God that sustains him and is the strength of his heart and his hope in a broken world. In Part Two of this examination of Psalm 73, Austin Gravley describes how Asaph puts his trust in the...2022-05-1200 minRedeemer YouthGod Is: Sovereign (Pt. 7)When we talk about the sovereignty of God, several questions are usually raised in the process. If God is sovereign, are we just robots? Why take responsibilities for our actions if God is in control? Does God have the right to be God?
In Part 7 of our series "God Is", based on Jen Wilkin's "None Like Him", Austin Gravley talks about how God is sovereign over all things and uses all things to accomplish his purposes, which are for his glory and the good of people all over the world that he saves through the gospel of grace!2022-04-0700 minRedeemer YouthGod Is: Omnipresent (Pt. 6)The idea that God is omnipresent - that he is everywhere - is one of the most well known attributes of God. Even young children grasp this idea very early on. But what does it mean that God is everywhere? Is part of him in one part of creation, and another part of him somewhere else? Is creation God itself? How can God be fully present in all creation at all times, and yet be distinct and separate from it?
In Part 6 of our series "God Is", based on Jen Wilkin's "None Like Him", Austin Gravley talks about how God...2022-03-1000 minRedeemer YouthGod Is: Immutable (Pt. 5)All of are constantly experiencing change. No matter how much we try to stop it, our lives, circumstances, and world are always in flux. But what about God? Why is it such good news that God does not change - and unlike everything else in our lives, God cannot change?
In Part 5 of our series "God Is", based on Jen Wilkin's "None Like Him", Austin Gravley talks about how God is unchanging, and how the Gospel can only be truly good news because the unchanging God guarantees all of the promises and blessings of the Gospel to us in Christ!2022-02-2400 minRedeemer YouthGod Is: Incomprehensible (Pt. 3)As humans, we have more knowledge about ourselves than at any point in human history. And yet, we like to pretend that we are mysterious and unknowable - both because we are afraid of being known and rejected, and because we love our sin. We can never fully know the incomprehensible God, but God fully knows us - and this is a good thing!
In the third sermon of "God Is", based on Jen Wilkin's "None Like Him", Austin Gravley talks about how God is incomprehensible, and how God knows us completely and perfectly - and still loves us!
Note...2022-02-1000 min
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-8: How Churches Can Break the Social Media PrismIn the last decade, churches have been on the back foot when it comes to responding to changes in the technology and media landscape. There are too many things changing far too fast, and as soon as a trend appears, it ends as quickly as it came. And yet, churches easily feel the worst effects of this rapidly changing landscape: distraction, confusion, and above all, polarization and division among its members. Our pastors and ministry leaders cannot compete with the number of voices available to disciple us, nor the amount of time we spend with them each week. But...2022-02-071h 59
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-7: Internet Trolls and the Quest for the Inner RingEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/internet-trolls-and-the-quest-forThe amplification of extremists and the muting of moderates. When it comes to social media's impact on American politics (and many other subjects), Chris Bail argues the two biggest effects of the social media prism feed into each other, making political extremists embolden and empowered to troll anyone they can and for moderates to give up hope that nuanced political dialogue and opinions are possible anymore. What drives Internet trolls to be trolls? What gives moderates the impression that discussing controversial topics online is so risky despite being the...2022-01-031h 01
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-6: Distorted Beyond the Funhouse MirrorEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/distorted-beyond-the-funhouse-mirrorWhen you stand in front of a funhouse mirror, your image in distorted in some bizarre and unusual way. Whether you get huge legs or a giant head, you know a funhouse mirror is not meant to give you a true reflection of yourself the way a normal mirror does. But what happens when a society or culture mistakes a funhouse mirror for a mirror capable of accurately reflecting culture and society around us? What if social media gives us outsized views of polarization, extremism, or other distortions of...2021-12-0643 min
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-5: Stepping on the Glass of Broken Echo ChambersEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/stepping-on-the-glass-of-broken-echoPolitical polarization and tribalism are on the rise, and social media appears to be the chief culprit. The ability to customize our social media feeds to only hear the voices we want to hear has lead us into echo chambers of increasingly one-sided viewpoints and unchecked misinformation - at least, that's what cultural wisdom suggests. But is that actually true? What actually happens when people step outside their "echo chambers"? Is information really the driving force behind the rise of political polarization, radical viewpoints, and extreme behavior on social...2021-11-0136 min
Breaking The Digital SpellCan Content Warnings Make Instagram Safer for Kids? (Buy Me a Coffee Member Preview)When the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook knew that Instagram was toxic and harmful to teen girls, it lit up a firestorm greater than any of the other stories the Journal would break in it’s “Facebook Files” series. Nick Clegg, VP of Global Affairs, recently went on to CNN to discuss the Journal’s report and revealed that Instagram would be rolling out several features that will help curb Instagram’s harmful impact on teenage mental health. But will things like warning labels for harmful content or nudges to “take a break” actually make a difference? Is Facebook’s emp...2021-10-2513 min
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-4: Should Christians Leave Social Media? A Conversation About Digital BabylonThe Bible gives us a framework for understanding and navigating a world dominated by social media: Christians are to live as faithfully obedient exiles in the midst of Digital Babylon. This is the claim we explored on the prior episode of Breaking the Digital Spell, and we ended the episode open to pushback or objections to this idea. In this bonus episode, Austin sits down with Jacob Cates, executive pastor of Redeemer Christian Church, to talk through some good questions and objections to the “Digital Babylon” framework. Are there other analogies that are more helpful to us? How could the...2021-10-1859 min
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-3: On Esther, Daniel, and Exile in Digital BabylonThe Babylonian exile is arguably the most important event in the history of the Old Testament. Israel's long descent into apostasy ends with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the people of God are forcibly relocated to a pagan nation that they did not want to live in. But the Babylonian exile is more than just a date and time in history - it is a framework, used by New Testament writers and by Christians for millennia, that helps us understand what faithful obedience to God looks like in a sinful world. In this episode of Breaking t...2021-09-271h 36
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-2: On Students and Brett McCracken's "The Wisdom Pyramid"Media literacy is the biggest gaping hole in our discipleship. We can feel its effects in our churches and our lives in the same way we can feel the effects of poor financial stewardship or failing marriages in our churches. Plenty of courses and programs exist for churches to address financial literacy and building healthy marriages, but what about for media literacy? The problem has festered for so long feels so overwhelming; it's hard to know where to start! In this episode of Breaking the Digital Spell, we look at one particular resource, Brett McCracken's "The Wisdom Pyramid", and...2021-08-3014 min
Breaking The Digital SpellSA-1: The Asterisk YearEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/sa1-the-asterisk-yearWhen 2020 began, none of us factored in the possibility of a pandemic being the defining reality of our year. Our plans and predictions for the world were thrown into chaos, and our sense of "normal" upended overnight as we embraced a strong sense of uncertainty about our future. But how "normal" was our pre-pandemic "normal"? What exactly did Covid-19 change, and how lasting are those changes? How should we think about our confidence in our ability to plan, predict, and control or understand our future in a world...2021-08-0927 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E13: ...Is To Break The SpellEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e13-is-to-break-the-spellOur love for the technology and media in our lives has left us held under a spell that leads us to believe there is nothing worth seeing or experiencing beyond the screen in front of our face. On the season finale of Breaking the Digital Spell, we look at what it means to live our lives with the digital spell broken.Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.2018-11-2025 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E12: Conclusions, Part TwoEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e12-conclusions-part-twoWe live in a world defined by the Internet and the technology and media it has created. How does this change the way we think about God and the way we love our neighbor? “In Conclusions, Part Two”, we come full circle as the season begins to come to a close.Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-11-1351 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E11: A Tale Of Two RealitiesEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e11-a-tale-of-two-realitiesNo matter how much we might use television or the Internet to escape the real world, the screen size and location always leaves a little bit of the real world in our peripheral vision. VR takes that peripheral vision away and replaces it will a full digital world that could offer us what our real life can’t.Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-10-3023 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E10: The Useful Distraction of SmartphonesEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e10-the-useful-distraction-of-smartphonesSmartphones are incredible useful. They’re also incredibly distracting. They can help us manage our lives and distract us from our lives at the same time. How does this change the way we think about God?Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-10-2324 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1B2: Surviving Elections On Social MediaEarlier this week we looked at social media's impact on us by offering us a limitless amount of content to consume. That content often gets nasty around election seasons - is there anything we can do to mitigate that nastiness and survive the toxicity of social media during election season? In this BONUS episode of Breaking The Digital Spell, we look at three practical ways to help us get through the ugliness of online politics during election season!For more information about Breaking the Digital Spell and for supplemental content related to each week's episode, like our...2018-10-1817 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E9: Social Media's Content WaterfallEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e9-social-medias-content-waterfallSocial media promises the ability to consume an endless amount of content thanks to timelines, algorithms, and a whole host of other technological forces designed to keep us up-to-date, informed, and connected with everything going on in the world. There is more content uploaded each day than our minds can comprehend -just how much of this can we consume each day without experiencing any negative effects?Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent...2018-10-1630 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E8: Fire! Wire!Episode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e8-fire-wireWe've spent the past several episodes talking about the social and intellectual environments - the mediums - created by new technology and media. But what about the machines themselves? What role do they have to do with this? What about the digital text we now consume as a result of these machines? Is there a difference between reading digital text and reading printed text? If there is, what impact does that have on us - on society?Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted...2018-10-0921 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E7: Conclusions, Part OneEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e7-conclusions-part-oneHow did television and the Internet change the way we think about God? In this episode, we come to some conclusions, and one of these conclusions paves the way for the digitally driven world we live in today. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-10-0234 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E6: The Internet's New CommunityEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e6-the-internets-new-communityWhen the Internet became readily available and adopted in the 90s, we had no idea what changes it would bring to our world. In many ways, we are still trying to fully asses the scope of that change even to this present day as the Internet continues to evolve and change. Even in the early days of the Internet, however, one thing was clear: our idea of "community" would never be the same again. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. M...2018-09-2521 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1B1: Good Television and Bad WritingIn this BONUS episode of Breaking The Digital Spell, we take a look at some of the good things about television and some of the ways where advances in print/oral communication have made the world worse. We've been pretty harsh on television up to this point - now its time to give it some credit.For more information about Breaking the Digital Spell and for supplemental content related to each week's episode, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @DigitalSpell. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional...2018-09-2014 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E5: Walking By Faith And SightEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e5-walking-by-faith-and-sight"If the delivery is not the same, then the message, quite likely, is not the same. And if the context in which the message is experienced is altogether different from what it was in Jesus’ time, we may assume that its social and psychological meaning is different as well.” - Neil Postman. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-09-1820 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E4: Television's Terms of EngagementEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e4-televisions-terms-of-engagementHow do you read a book? How do you watch television? How we engage a medium tells us what that medium values - and when it comes to television, it values something completely foreign to the world before it: discourse not through words, but through images. This episode was originally released on August 27th, 2018. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-09-1123 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E3: In The Beginning Were WordsEpisode Manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e3-in-the-beginning-were-wordsHow have changes in technology and media changed the way we think about God? In order to answer this, we must go back to the beginning, and in the beginning...were words. This episode was originally released on September 3rd, 2018. Produced by Austin Gravley and Andrew Akins. Hosted by Austin Gravley. Mixing/music by Andrew Akins. Additional vocal talent from Melissa Gravley.Support the show2018-09-0419 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E2: Between Optimism And PessimismEpisode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e2-between-optimism-and-pessimsimIn thinking about technology and media, its hard to know where to start when considering their effects on our lives. In this episode, we look at three general responses to technology - optimism, pessimism, and ambiguity - and how these responses can help us make sense of the good, bad, and ugly of technology and media. TThe New York Times article about Amazon: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html This episode was originally released on August 27th, 2018. Produced by Au...2018-08-2818 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E1: To Ask The Question...Episode manuscript: https://digitalbabylon.substack.com/p/s1e1-to-ask-the-questionBreaking the Digital Spell is not about convincing you to throw your MacBooks out the window, pack your things, and move to the middle of nowhere, free from any technological influence whatsoever. Nor is it about instilling a fear of the device you’re currently listening this into, as though there were some big, grand conspiracy to turn you into some mindless lemming. Instead, Breaking the Digital Spell is a podcast about asking questions about the technology and media we take for granted, and honestly assessing the fu...2018-08-2816 min
Breaking The Digital SpellS1E0: Season One PreviewFor this first season of Breaking the Digital Spell, we are going to look at how changes in technology and media - from the printing press to television, from television to the Internet, from the Internet to social media and beyond - change the way we think about God and what we think about when we think about God. With the help of thinkers like Neil Postman, Nicholas Carr, Alan Noble, and several others, we are going to examine how we got to the digitally-driven world we live in today, and how we think about Christianity in light of the...2018-08-1103 min