Shows
Device & VirtueHumility: Can Enhanced Humans Imitate Jesus?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, be...2024-07-3157 min
Device & VirtueTemperance: When Losing the Pleasure is PainfulThe word "temperance" may make us think of prohibition, but this virtue isn't some outdated legislation.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 segmen2024-06-1149 min
Device & VirtueSimplicity: Can Our Devices Lead to Virtue?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 EPISODEIf you ever feel fragmented, this episode is for you. Drawing on insights from Stanley Hauerwas, Richard Foster, and the Sermon...2024-05-2843 min
Device & VirtueA Twist for Season 10Wow, 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/patreonLeave us a feedback voicemail at https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/talk-back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2024-05-2103 min
Device & VirtueShould AI Write Worship Music?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...2024-02-051h 03
Denver Seminary130 | The Intersection of the Church and AIJanuary 8, 2024 | Adam Graber and Chris Ridgeway With how rapidly technology grows and expands, it is essential for Church leaders...2024-01-0836 min
Denver Seminary130 | The Intersection of the Church and AI
January 8, 2024 | Adam Graber and Chris Ridgeway
With how rapidly technology grows and expands, it is essential for Church leaders to thoroughly examine and understand the intersection of technology, AI in particular, and the Church. What are the ethical ramifications of using AI in a Church setting? Should pastors be using it, and if so, how?
Adam Graber and Chris Ridgeway, hosts of the Device and Virtue podcast, explore this topic alongside the history of technology and the Church, challenges and opportunities presented by AI, and how Church leaders can thoughtfully and faithfully engage...2024-01-0800 min
In Defense of SkaIn Defense of Ska Ep 153: Anna Valenzuela (Comedy Central Roast Battle, 12 Questions, Murderpuss)Comedian Anna Valenzuela has gone to Fest for the past 3 years. She feels right at home there because she grew up going to punk and ska shows, and when she started comedy in 2014, she often performed on the same bills as punk bands. She got involved in LA’s roast battle scene in 2015 and even participated in the Comedy Central show Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle the following year. This week, we discuss the pockets of comedy in Anna’s world and see where they overlap with ska. Fest comes up a lot this week, as does the b...2023-12-201h 41
Device & VirtueIs Pulpit AI a Sermon Killer?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 aff...2023-09-121h 00
Device & VirtueOwn Or Subscribe? How Software Changed The Way We Pay For EverythingOwnership 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 deg...2023-08-1647 min
Premier Christian NewscastChatGPT: Coming to a church near you?At a recent Protestant convention in Germany an entire church service – liturgy, prayers, psalms, and sermon – was written and delivered by AI software. Around the world ministers and Christian techies are experimenting with tools such as ChatGPT to see what the latest technology can do when prompted to create materials for worship services. What impact could AI have on church? Will pastors begin using these programs to write their sermons en masse? Is ChatGPT just another computer tool we should readily adopt to simplify and streamline ministry, or something more concerning? Can an AI really expound scripture faithfully or lead spir...2023-08-0747 min
Device & Virtue100 Things We’ve Lost To The InternetNEW 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...2023-07-261h 03Device & VirtueShort Circuit: Threads 'R Us (Chris)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:http...2023-07-1206 min
Device & VirtueLife-Changing Tech? How Would We Know? Feat: Apple Vision ProNEW 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?...2023-06-261h 01
Device & VirtueA.I. Cops: Is Crime Predestined?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 un...2023-06-1349 minDevice & VirtueFeaturing You on Season 9!?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!2023-06-0503 min
Device & VirtuePeople of the Screen—with John DyerChristians 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...2023-03-0658 min
Device & VirtueChatGPT: The Tech Shift of our Lifetime?“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...2023-02-2153 min
Device & VirtueTracking Tech & Faith for a Decade—with John DyerDevice & 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...2023-01-1743 min
Device & VirtueDoes Twitter Survive 2023? A Birdseye View Of The “Public Square”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?
Links2023-01-0354 min
Device & VirtueBuilding Memory—Featuring the Embedded Church PodcastStained 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 phy...2022-12-141h 18
The Embedded Church PodcastBonus: A Podcast Collaborative with Device & VirtueStained glass, digital photos, or a pile of rocks. Today, we join the co-hosts of the Device & Virtue podcast to talk about how the church builds memories and the role of technology in this space. 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 fai...2022-12-131h 18
Device & VirtueTurning Devices Into Instruments—with Andy CrouchAuthor 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...2022-12-0751 min
Device & VirtueMetaverse Church vs Analog Church—with Pastors DJ Soto & Jay KimCan 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...2022-11-141h 08
Device & VirtueThe AI Artist “DALL-E”: Now Everything Is UniqueVincent 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.Tr...2022-10-3157 min
Device & VirtueGas vs Electric Cars: The Tech Choices We Do and Don’t HaveGas prices went crazy this year. Are electric cars actually better?This is the one where Adam tries to decide whether to buy an electric car. In the age of Tesla, is it the right choice? Where did the choice even come from?Adam and Chris take a look at the key issues that could help us decide.
Are electric vehicles the eco-friendly choice?
How would life change if everyone went electric?
What's the cost/benefit compared to gas vehicles?
Could electric cars kill the great American road trip?
How long does it take...2022-08-231h 03
Device & VirtueConscious Robot Dogs And God’s Sovereignty—With Wired Columnist Meghan O'GieblynIs a computer actually like the human brain? And is God’s wisdom as mysterious as an AI’s black box? We host Wired columnist Meghan O’Gieblyn with fascinating conversation through sentience, suffering, God’s sovereignty—and of course, AI robotic dogs.Meghan O'Gieblyn is the author of God Human Animal Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning. Her previous essay collection Interior States, won the Believer Book Award for nonfiction. She writes essays and criticism for Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New York Times, and Bookforum. Her writing has received three Pushcart P...2022-08-091h 04
Device & VirtueAnswering Google's Autocomplete QuestionsYou know that Thing where they ask celebrities to answer popular questions from Google autocomplete? Yeah... that’s what we’re doing today.Every day, people google their questions about technology. In this episode, Chris & Adam set the record straight and answer some of the most popular searches. They each choose 3 questions the other has to answer. No takebacks.
Why does technology hate me?
Is technology making us dumber?
Where did technology come from?
Where has technology gone wrong?
What if technology disappeared?
How did technology improve city life?
How would you answ...2022-07-261h 02
Device & VirtueThe Digital Prophet: Marshall McLuhan—with Nick RipatrazoneWhen Wired magazine started, they did the weirdest thing a tech magazine could do—they picked a patron saint. Was Marshall McLuhan a digital prophet?Chris interviews Nick Ripatrazone, author of Digital Communion: Marshall McLuhan's Spiritual Vision for a Virtual Age (2022). Nick is the Culture Editor for Image and a Contributing Editor for the Catholic Herald.Find out why McLuhan, in his mid-20s, left his nominal Baptist upbringing for a robust Catholic faith. Plus, are smartphones the new stained glass window? In the book, Ripatrazone writes, "For McLuhan, mass media was a for...2022-06-2757 min
Device & VirtueDoes Slack Make Work Better?Do you use Slack at work? Is your email inbox overflowing? Has any of this tech made our work better?Workplace tech has grown a lot… from memorandums to fax machines to email to Slack! So are we all more efficient? Or more overwhelmed?Workers check their email every 6 minutes. Slack users check it every 5! How do we get anything done? Do we just send messages to show our boss that we’re working? Performative productivity is real!Chris and Adam arguing about work life for the first time. Tech is collapsing our work...2022-06-131h 02
Device & VirtueUkraine's Invisible Story: Is Digital War Real Violence?The war in Ukraine has tanks in the streets, but don’t miss the invisible weapons—hackers from both sides are launching online attacks. Chris & Adam ask a really subtly perplexing question: is digital war violence?BIG TOPICS INCLUDEThis episode floats into all sorts of things:
The 31 year old digital marketer that has become the tech mastermind behind Ukraine’s digital offense and defense
Some of the history of the world being very slow to recognize online attacks as “real attacks”
What is hacking really anyway? Like, what do they actually DO?
What does scrip...2022-05-3059 min
Device & VirtueWhat Christians Are Getting Wrong About Tech, With Tony ReinkeAuthor Tony Reinke thinks Christians have made a wrong turn with technology, and he is out to steer us right. We’re coming along for the ride.We interview Tony Reinke, author of the new book God, Technology, and the Christian Life, exploring how humanity’s innovation relates to God’s purposes. You don’t want to miss this conversation!IN THIS EPISODE…
Why Tony thinks non-Christians will be innovators more often than Christians.
What Tony imagines the future fate of technology will look like.
How tech gratitude and tech stewardship pave a way forward fo...2022-05-161h 14
Device & VirtueHits & Flashbacks. Episode 50!CELEBRATING 50 EPISODES50 technologies. 50 arguments. 50 episodes. After 6 seasons, we’re celebrating with clips from our greatest hits. Get ready for flashbacks.We dug into the archives, and dusted off a handful of clips that have stuck with us, going all the way back to Season 1! We add some updated thinking and reflect on why these episodes were chart-toppers for us. Plus, sample some episodes that might be new to you.As fast as tech changes, these episodes are still worth your ears. With insights that are still relevant today.CLIPS FROM THIS EP...2022-05-0258 minDevice & VirtueAnnouncement! Season 7 Preview + Patreon LaunchNew! We are launching www.patreon.com/deviceandvirtue and have a goal to have 50 listeners become brand-new members of our DV crew! We need you! (And join by May 2 for a special bonus!)Special message from Adam + Chris:"Hey there! We love our listeners! You're smart. You notice the tech around you. And you know that our mission has always been to "argue" about the wrongs and rights of technology and faith in everyday life. We’ve heard from so many of you who know that this conversation is incredibly essential for our culture. Especially no...2022-04-1905 min
Device & VirtueCreating Alexa: Interview with Inventor Jeff AdamsDoes he use Alexa in his own house? We've got a interview with the founder of Alexa, Jeff Adams.MORE QUESTIONS INCLUDE
What’s the story of how Alexa came about?
How does your faith affect your work in technology?
What are the next big things coming with voice technology?
PLUS, CHRIS & ADAM DISCUSS:
Are we good at predicting the next big technology? (seems like… no)
How the first automobile relates to the Alexa project
Should Alexa be emotionally intelligent?
ABOUT JEFF ADAMSJeff Adams has been a speech technologist for 25 year...2022-03-011h 00
Device & VirtueFor-Profit Prayer Apps: Good For The Soul?SHOULD WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR PRAYER IS?How do you pray? In the morning? With friends from church? How about with your smartphone? Millions of people already are, and paying a subscription to do so. And Big Tech thinks you will too. Are Prayer Apps good for the soul? Adam and Chris dive into the spiritual, and financial, realities of Prayer Apps and this new pay-to-pray world.We do everything else on our phones. Why not praying too? But how might these apps change the ways people connect with God? And should we...2022-02-1557 min
Device & VirtueRestless Devices: Interview with Felicia Wu SongLIVING WITH AN IMMANENT SENSE OF THE DIGITALFelicia Wu Song is a Christian sociologist who says digital natives aren't as native as we think. Is there any hope for the rest of us? She says, yes.Chris interviews Dr Felicia Wu Song about her new book Restless Devices. She explains her belief that our digital routines and habits are themselves forms of discipleship. She says they not only form our habits, but also shape our identity, community, and relationships.And as a sociologist, Dr Song also draws attention to Big Tech's platforms...2022-02-0154 min
Device & VirtueThe Rise and Fall of the ExpertWHOSE EXPERTS? WHICH INFORMATION?Doctors and scientists have fallen on hard times. Experts are facing a crisis of trust, and we think technology is a major factor. We explore why on this episode of Device & Virtue.Chris proposes how elders, priests, and magicians gave way to the modern expert, how digital media has led to the expert’s decline, and who is rising up in their wake.Meanwhile, Adam says that information overload is something the Bible addresses in surprising ways. Navigating the new information economy starts with some age-old wisdom.LI...2022-01-1747 min
Device & VirtueHow NFTs Could Change the (Real) WorldSometimes a new technology comes along that you’ve barely heard of but could change everything. Like how we OWN things. Adam & Chris are putting the fun in Non-Fungible Tokens—the relatively new digital tech also known as “NFTs”OWN THE NFT FOR THIS DEVICE & VIRTUE EPISODEAre we kidding? No! You can buy the NFT for this very episode! CHECK IT OUT HERECHRIS & ADAM ARGUE ABOUT NFTSThey use the same underlying technology as Bitcoin, but NFTs aren’t money—they are being used more like a digital deed—an ownership c...2021-12-2053 min
Device & VirtueThe MetaverseWell. Facebook has announced that their new name is Meta. As in “metaverse.” As in a science fiction nerd-term becoming reality. As in—is this our future??Chris & Adam laugh and raise eyebrows as they watch Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement of what he thinks future life will be like for relationships, work, and play. What does a virtual reality life offer that life today doesn't? Is this bad? Good?And what does a Christian think about an alternate reality? A virtual reality that is becoming less “virtual” every day?WATCH THE FACEBOOK/META KEYNOTE VIDE...2021-12-0758 min
Device & VirtueInterview: "Wise Phone" Creator, Chris KasparMeet a new smartphone that can’t install apps, doesn’t have Facebook, and that’s why people want it. Does it make life better?Adam interviews Chris Kaspar, founder of Techless and maker of the Wisephone, aiming to change how people relate to their most personal device. They talk about digital addiction, parenting, smartphone self-control, and more.Then, in the post-interview discussion, Chris and Adam discuss whether they would get a Wisephone. They even get around to suggesting some ways the Techless might make the Wisephone better.Links
Learn...2021-11-2255 min
Device & VirtueIs My Smartphone Listening to Me?Is my smartphone listening to me? Too many creepy stories are out there about suspiciously perfect ads appearing after just a conversation with a friend!So Adam starts getting a little paranoid and tries an experiment with some friends. Then he brings It to Chris to prove that our phone’s microphones have to be spying on us.Welcome to the world of digital marketing which is still right in front of us but many people don’t entirely understand.MARKETING TECH FROM EASY TO CREEPY MAGIC2021-11-0956 minDevice & VirtueInterview: Dr. Darrell Bock: How To Think Biblically About Church In Your PajamasEver seen a Bible professor wear virtual reality goggles? Dr. Darrell Bock is well known in the Biblical scholarship world—he is a past President of the Evangelical Theological Society, New Testament Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, and pastors know his commentaries on Luke & Acts.But today we interview him about a pretty different topic: the future of the church in a post-pandemic world where Zoom and livestreamed church has become the norm.Plus he talks about virtual reality goggles.Questions include:
Can you do a virtual baptism?
How does virtual reality he...2021-07-191h 03
Device & VirtueInvasion of the Body Trackers: Apple Watch & The Quantified SelfDo you wear a FitBit? Fitness trackers are producing more data than ever. But how useful are all these charts and graphs? We dig into the spreadsheets of the Quantified Self to see what kind of person we can find in the numbers.Meanwhile, as Big Tech companies hoover up data about our resting heart rates, body-fat percentages, and sleep habits, is our own privacy being threatened?Finally, we ask, “What is a body for?” We turn to Pope John Paul II, a big hitter when it comes to a theology of the body. He offe...2021-02-1649 minDevice & VirtueShort Circuit: Spiritual Epistemology (Chris)Why you have to trust in order to know.Learn more about "Lateral reading" sourcing and more with this video series that Chris recommends:https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/navigatingdigitalinfoSkip the argument with our new Short Circuit format! Adam or Chris grabs the mic for a more personal reflection on technology & faith. These shorter entries are a bonus to our full-length episodes. Enjoy!TALK BACKFollow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.Support Device & Virtue on...2021-02-1108 min
Device & VirtueDisinformation: Who Can I Trust Online?From disinformation to polarization, we hardly know what to believe anymore. And knowing who to believe isn't any easier. Chris and Adam talk thru the marks of conspiracy theories, and how moderation of social platforms may need to get more personal, not less.And how does our Christian faith impact this all? Doubting Thomas and how Paul talks about mystery cults—all packed in to this oneTALK BACKFollow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.Support Device & Virtue on Pa...2021-02-0256 minDevice & VirtueShort Circuit: Upgrades (Adam)This week Adam sits down to talk about finding Upgrades in an expected place: The Book of Genesis.Skip the argument with our new Short Circuit format! Adam or Chris grabs the mic for a more personal reflection on technology & faith. These shorter entries are a bonus to our full-length episodes. Enjoy!TALK BACKFollow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.Support Device & Virtue on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2021-01-2608 min
Device & VirtueInterview: Andy Crouch & Amy Crouch: My TechWise LifeCan we live more genuine, compassionate, and focused lives online? Well-known Christian author Andy Crouch joins his daughter Amy Crouch for a fascinating conversation on living My TechWise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of DevicesAmy’s book is a follow up to the The TechWise Family by Andy Crouch: and the family Amy grew up in! Now a junior at Cornell University, she writes her own volume on what it was like as a teenager to grow up in a household with a certain approach to the iPhones and technology that we li...2021-01-181h 01
Device & VirtuemRNA Vaccines: 2020's Technology of YearThe COVID-19 vaccine might be the technology of the year. But what is it about some new technologies that fuels fear? And where is faith? And are Chris & Adam going to get the vaccine?“If I get the COVID vaccine, am I failing to trust God?” Some Christians will be asking themselves this question.The vaccine has arrived faster than anyone could believe, and more effective than most doctors dared to hope. How did it happen so fast? And what makes this vaccine different than any vaccine in history?The COVID-19 vaccine is bran...2021-01-0550 minDevice & VirtueShort Circuit: LED Christmas Lights (Chris)Chris takes 5 minutes to talk LED lights for Christmas and what makes them special.Introducing our new Short Circuit format! Skip the argument. Adam or Chris grab the mic for themselves to make any point they want about technology & faith. These short sidebars are in addition to our full length episodes. Enjoy!TALK BACK
Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.
Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.
Support Device & Virtue on Patreon.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2020-12-3006 min
Device & VirtueThe Social Dilemma on NetflixIs social media manipulating the world? People are talking about this new scary documentary on Netflix, so Adam and Chris did movie night and are ready to talk it out.(We recommend you watch it first, but you don't have to!)Watch the trailer on YouTube right here.Adam & Chris talk through theThe “Psychology Dilemma” — Does social media cause psychological harm?The “Disinformation Dilemma” — Does social media manipulate politics and what we believe?The “Never Before in History” Dilemma — Is this unprecedented?The “Solution Dilemma” — What will...2020-10-1956 min
Device & VirtueInterview: GrubHub Co-Founder Mike EvansSo the founder of GrubHub—the original guy who started the app from his Chicago apartment—just gave us a call. Here’s what he thinks about the ethics of what he made—in this interview with Device & Virtue. Order some takeout, and listen while you wait.When Mike Evans started GrubHub in 2002, he was doing more than helping you find your next meal. He was seeking to change the game for small businesses across the country. Mike sits down with Chris to talk about how his faith inspired the groundbreaking app.Get an inside look at...2020-09-2943 minDevice & VirtueFood Delivery Apps: GrubHub, Ghost Kitchens, and Tacos-On-DemandFood delivery didn’t start with pizza. It’s as least as old as the Bible. But ordering food is now easier than ever. Food delivery apps are transforming how we find food and consume it like never before.Transforming not just the making and eating, but also space and time. Food has a story and a history. And even a theology. How will food delivery apps shape them all?For Christians, whose faith finds its focus around a table, food delivery apps are worth thinking about deeply. Get started here.LI...2020-09-1444 min
Device & VirtueE-Scooters & Digital MicromobilityIf you’ve been in a big city recently, you’ve probably seen people scootering around. Or is it “scooting”? Chris & Adam are asking the hard questions about micro-mobility—is it trendy? Transformational? Or Terrible?And if “cars created the megachurch”—what do e-scooters create?TALK BACK
Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.
Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.
Support Device & Virtue on Patreon.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2020-08-3141 minDevice & VirtueIn TikTok We TrustHave you installed the world’s newest social media app? Your church youth group has! China, dancing cats, and Adam’s new obsession all right here on the first episode of season 5.TALK BACK
Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter.
Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter.
Support Device & Virtue on Patreon.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2020-08-0447 min
Device & VirtueForce For Good?What if cops carried freeze rays instead of guns? Could it change society? Could technology really solve police brutality?Christians for millennia have debated whether force—and the technology employed in it—is necessary to stop evil, and whether Christians should resist lethal weapons in general. Some people envision a future without guns, where law enforcement uses non-lethal weapons. Star Trek has long pictured a reality where force involves stun guns but not bullets.Can non-lethal technology create a more peaceful future? Could it lead to a more equitable society?After all these cent...2020-06-2944 minDevice & VirtueHoly Emoji 😂❤Can you translate the Bible into emoji? 😂. Some Christian leaders say No Way. But we ❤ this idea. Here’s why.Some people 👀 emoji as just 😜 cartoons that make texting more fun, but they offer a crucial way to recover our humanity and share our ❤ with others. Could they help us know God better too?Adam and Chris look at the multi-faceted world of emoji:
the surprising value of their playful style
emoji keyboards as cultural battlegrounds 💻
the history of emoji 📜
representing gender, sexuality, and politics ✌
the 🤔 of images . . . and words
God’s use of ima...2020-05-2644 min
Device & VirtueRing Doorbell and the Neighborhood Surveillance StateIf you’re out for an evening stroll, you can bet that someone’s watching, even if nobody’s home. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood surveillance state. Instead of Mr. Rogers, Jeff Bezos is putting on his cardigan and answering the door. Grab your shoes.Ring Doorbells are popping up on porches across the country and around the world. What happens in your neighborhood no longer stays in your neighborhood. The video is getting uploaded to the cloud, everything from kidnappings to random acts of kindness.Are Ring cameras making our neighborhoods safer or...2020-05-1133 minDevice & VirtueToo Close For Comfort? Contact Tracing, Big Brother, And Loving Your NeighborApple, Google, and governments around the world are cooking up a new way to trace where you’ve been and who you’ve talked to. Sound like Big Brother? It may actually help you to love your neighbor.TALK BACK
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2020-04-2339 min
Device & VirtueWatching Or Worshiping? Digital Platforms Can Make Or Break Your Online ChurchLife's changed for all of us, right? Adam & Chris each highlight four things they noticed this week about technology & faith—all from home.For one thing, when church goes online, what’s the difference between watching and worshiping? It may depend on which app you use. Pastors are scrambling to keep their congregations connected during the coronavirus quarantine. And they are realizing that some key elements of “church” go far beyond just live-streaming the service itself.Plus, every live-streaming platform offers different features, and these differences will significantly impact the online community experience. Chris and Adam hel...2020-04-0148 minDevice & VirtueCan We Do Communion Online? Coronavirus & Church Live-StreamingDid your church cancel services last weekend? With coronavirus, worship went online in unprecedented numbers, and social distancing has us all asking, “Can real church happen on the Internet?”The coronavirus may do more than infect our bodies. It may have a lasting effect on church theology around the world. Even while we long to gather together in person, we’re finding ways to still connect in real, meaningful ways.Plus, why is COVID-19 different than earlier pandemics? And what role has social media played in its spread?Adam & Chris jump in for a unpl...2020-03-1944 min
Device & VirtueDoctors, Truckers & War: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence with Jason ThackerWill artificial intelligence start delivering all your Amazon orders? If 9 million drivers lose their jobs, what should we do about it?Artificial Intelligence has already found its way into our homes, says Jason Thacker. We interview him about his new book, The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (Zondervan 2020). We talk about:
Why Christians need to be thinking about AI
How AI is different from the way movies portray them
What we think do about autonomous weapons
Whether robots will take our jobs
We wrap up...2020-03-0949 min
Device & VirtueLogging Off for Lent: 10 Tips On Giving Up Tech. Or Not.Thinking of giving up technology for Lent? We have 10 ideas for how to do it. Plus, you know, maybe why you shouldn’t.Fasting from social media has been a popular choice the past couple years. Internet habits are out of control. People feel out of sorts. Maybe you feel the same way.Chris and Adam offer up 10 ways to develop a better tech-life balance. Ten alternatives to going cold turkey while still finding a healthier diet with our devices.Giving up social media isn’t just about our relationship with technology though. It’s...2020-02-2443 min
Device & VirtueWill Social Media Break Democracy?How did we get from the Arab Spring to Cambridge Analytica in less than 5 years? Waves of pro-democracy protesters in the Middle East have given way to waves of nationalism around the globe. In less than a decade, the Internet went from harbinger of democracy to herald of demagogues.What happened? And ARE WE … DOOMED??Technology and social media are undoubtedly changing how elections and government run today. Will democracy survive them?And how do Christians survive—each other?Adam and Chris tip-toe through the minefield of political vitriol—risking life, limb...2020-01-2846 min
Device & VirtueTech Savvy Family: Smart Screen Time and Parenting Digital NativesIgnore the hyped-up headlines and impossible advice blogs, and hear how two moms are trying their best to walk with their kids in a world surrounded by screens.Adam and Chris invite two special guests to share about their own experiences raising Gen Z kids. Two moms who show us that, even in the age of Instagram families, parenting isn’t about perfection.Hear how two different moms handle screen time in two different, but doable, ways. And find some ideas that might fit your family.Two different moms. Two different methods. No wr...2020-01-1450 min
Device & VirtueCounting Down The New Year? That’s Techy.The New Year is upon us, and the only reason we know that is thanks to the Egyptians. And the Catholic Church! Clocks, calendars, and timekeeping tech on our final episode of 2019.Wait a second: What does being a “good Christian” have to do with clocks and calendars? The connections surprised us too…From sunsets to seconds, we’ve been tracking time for all of human history. To the point that we forget that calendars and clocks are technologies too. And like any technology, timekeeping has its vices and its virtues.So this year, yo...2019-12-3036 min
Device & VirtueArguing with Google MapsHow does Google Maps decide what route you should take? How does Spotify determine what kind of music you might like? And if I wanted to get a job at those companies, how would they choose one application out of a thousand resumes?Decide. Determine. Choose. That’s what algorithms do.Everything from song recommendations to health insurance rates to prison sentencing, companies and governments are using algorithms more than ever. But news reports seem to come out every other week exposing how biased algorithms are. So can we really trust them?Adam an...2019-12-0237 min
Device & VirtueNow Computers Can Read Your Emotions! Be Happy. Or AfraidFrom autism to advertising, technology is reading people’s emotions like never before. Some say emotional intelligence is being outsourced. Others predict emotion tech is on the cusp of a multi-billion dollar payday. So . . . how do YOU feel about that?No worries, the technology already knows.Just like FitBit changed how we relate to our bodies, emotion tech will change how we relate to our feelings. Could it train us to be more empathetic and understanding? Or numb us to real human connection?After meeting MIT Media Lab Professor Rosalind Picard—a leading rese...2019-11-1834 min
Device & VirtueText Me When You're HereWhat if we told you that at the Last Supper, Jesus taught us something about text messaging? Sounds far-fetched, right? But the connections will have you rethinking what “IRL” really means.Adam & Chris dive into our daily experiences of texting—especially that moment when your friend stops listening because a new text lights up their phone. Yeah, you know that moment.Key QuestionsShould we text when we are with other people?What does it mean to be present? Or absent?Which emoji is your favorite?T...2019-11-0536 min
Device & VirtueTechneSpecial Conference Episode! Chris & Adam join a conference for pastors on technology called Teche: A Christian View of Technology, put on by the Center for Pastor Theologians. This is our same-day hot-takes—recorded live on location! Stuff like: What’s the difference between a musical instrument and a Roomba? How is the Eucharist like technology? How the church could be more like a forest pathTALK BACK
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Device & VirtueAre Selfies Narcissistic?What do you think? Are selfies narcissistic? Yes, right? But we’re starting season 3 off right and taking one of our own.Selfies have become part of normal life. We see them. We take them. We see other people taking them too. And while they may be normal, do they show us anything real?Chris and Adam dive into identity, authenticity, and the image of God to look for answers, with a few embarrassing stories along the way.LINKS
Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Ag...2019-10-0736 min
Device & VirtueS2E8 - The Soothing Voice Of SiriWhat do you think Siri looks like? Is she someone you would tell your secrets to? She’s not a person—but she’s getting more personal than ever—could she change our real relationships?In this episode Chris & Adam chat up the voice part of “voice assistants.” More talking and less typing—what happens when as we shift our interaction with technology to the very personal medium of voice?LINKS & QUOTES
Alexa, How Will You Change Us by Judith Shulevitz (The Atlantic)
Female Voice Assistants Fuel Damaging Gender Stereotypes, says a UN Study (MI...2019-07-2240 min
Device & VirtueS2E7 - Smartphone Giving: The New Tithing TechEver pass the plate in church and there’s nothing in there? Smartphones are the new tithing tech—building church budgets—even as they shape our souls!Adam & Chris cash in on the question: what happens when the cash goes out?Digital giving has been slowly growing for years and in our city of Chicago, cashless is the new normal for many folks. Venmo—the money app we use most often—reports 40 million users with $21 billion passing through the app at the beginning of 2019 (Q1). Paypal, it’s parent company, does much much more!So how doe...2019-07-0833 min
Device & VirtueS2E6—Tech: Resistance is Futile (Or is it?!)Does technology control history? Or does history control tech? Adam & Chris take sides.When major technologies hit the world stage, do they upend human history?There are a couple camps out there in scholarship. But one of the big questions is—how big of an influence is technology on human society?Tech Controls History (Chris)History Controls Tech (Adam)TALK BACK
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Learn more about yo...2019-07-0138 min
Device & VirtueS2E5 - Designer BabiesImagine: You’re pregnant and your doctor offers you a DNA edit so your baby can avoid a terminal illness. Do you do it? That decision is coming sooner than you think.Turns out an expert professor on DNA-editing (who is also a Christian) had some early conversations with the Chinese scientist who shocked the world in 2018 by editing two real babies DNA. The trouble is, the Chinese scientist has some compelling moral reasoning for what he did: and he explains them on YouTube.What do we think of this?Plus we namecheck an...2019-06-2438 min
Device & VirtueS2E4—Church Tracking SoftwareWould you be OK if your church tracked you the way Facebook does? Some churches already are.When Adam meets representatives for a church software company, he can’t help but interrogate them for half an hour. He brings his reconnaissance back, and he and Chris sit down to discuss just how they feel about how churches are tracking their congregations.This is Big Data on a church’s scale. Find out what data churches are already tracking and how these powerful platforms could inform the pastoral imagination and reshape the work of churches everywhere.2019-06-1038 min
Device & VirtueS2E3—Evangelism ChatbotsSome people think the next great evangelist will reach more people than Billy Graham ever did. And they’re already programming the artificial intelligence to do it.When Chris and Adam meet an Australian who’s already programmed an AI chatbot to do evangelism, they look at each other and wonder, “Can a chatbot really spread the Gospel?” Only to realize that evangelism chatbots are not quite as unprecedented as they first appear to be. Still, this new generation of tech-driven evangelism forces today’s Christians to go back again and ask, “What exactly is the Gospel?”The futur...2019-06-0339 min
Device & VirtueS2E2 - Fixing Our Privacy SettingsHas your pastor preached a sermon on Facebook settings or surveillance cameras? Mine hasn’t. Does the Bible really have anything to say about digital privacy?And—is Alexa actually listening to us in my kitchen?Chris wrote the cover story for Christianity Today on a Christian view of digital privacy. He started out by going to parties and asking “When was a time your privacy was violated?”So Adam interviews Chris about what he found out including:What is the “intimacy paradox”?Are you a “city, suburbs, or country” perso...2019-05-2738 min
Device & VirtueS2E1 — Can I Get a Witness? Tech or HumanLast summer, Chicago Cubs baseball player Ben Zobrist got thrown out of the game when he turned to the umpire and complained “that’s why we want an electronic strike zone”.Who is a better witness to the truth—a person … or a computer?On a more serious note: This question became especially relevant in Chicago. Chris & Adam watched the race-charged trial of the police officer who shot black teenager Laquan MacDonald. A police video camera became the key piece of evidence the jury trusted over the eye-witness accounts.From a Christian ethics point of v...2019-05-1536 min
Device & VirtueS2E0 - Introducing the Device & Virtue PodcastAdam & Chris start a podcast. By arguing.TALK BACK
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2019-04-0802 min
Device & VirtueS1E8 - Is Technology Diabolical??So Chris found an article from 1962 called “Is Technology Diabolical?” What do you think Adam said . . .German theologian Helmut Thielicke posed this question more than 50 years ago, and it’s more relevant than ever. Chris and Adam unpack Thielicke's article and the most challenging questions it poses. Questions like, “If humanity wasn't sinful, would we need technology?” And, “Can humans avoid moral responsibility by blaming technology?”Chris and Adam find themselves wondering, What does technology look like in the Kingdom of God? Like Thielicke's article, questions will surprise you at every turn, not least of which is, “How...2017-03-2632 min
Device & VirtueS1E7 - C.S. Lewis Talks TechnologyCS Lewis became a household name because of the Radio. So why did he get rid of the one in his own house?What did CS Lewis think about technology? He had strong opinions about the radio and other technologies inhabiting our lives. Chris and Adam sit down to talk about what CS Lewis thought about technology, and also how he lived with it personally. Drawing from published work like Abolition of Man and That Hideous Strength as well as Lewis's private letters, Adam and Chris explore why Lewis got rid of his radio, why he believed...2017-03-1335 min
Device & VirtueS1E6 - Merging Man and MachineThe merging of human and machines sounds like an Ironman movie. But it’s actually happening right now. We even found some Christians who are praying this is the next big thing.Has humanity reached the end of its evolution, or could technology light the path for the next stage of human development? People like Neil Harbison believe technology could be just the beginning. Advancements in medicine have brought humans and devices closer and closer together, but where’s the line between healing someone’s defective heart and enhancing their capacity beyond human norms?Adam and Ch...2017-01-2335 min
Device & VirtueS1E5 - Facebook's Scrollable Values - From Family to Fake NewsYou’ll never guess who just released an ethics statement all about the values they are trying to promote. It’s not the government or your church.Yeah. It’s Facebook. Included in this episode: All the morals of scrolling through those cat pictures.How do Facebook and Instagram decide what you see every time you scroll through? Deciding what to show you involves value judgments. If it always showed you the most recent post first, the value would be “newest = most important.” But Facebook’s algorithms are much more complicated. So are its values.Adam an...2017-01-0434 min
Device & VirtueS1E4 - Digital Romance: Getting Serious With Aziz AnsariOur grandparents met because they lived in the same neighborhood. Today, we meet because we’re on the same app.From dating scenes to dating screens, the Internet has turned your parent's relationship into a foreign world. Aziz Ansari, in his book Modern Romance, dives deep into how the Internet has transformed love and relationships.From intimacy and transparency to cheating, sexting, and breaking up, we look at some of the stories and research from his book, and discuss what they mean for Christians.A few questions we cover:Does your si...2016-07-1034 min
Device & VirtueS1E3 - Driverless Cars: Where Are They Taking Us?Some day your computer will drive your car. “Ok Google, Take Me To Church!”Could driverless cars alter church life? Could they even impact Christian beliefs? As we outsource human activities to technology, those devices come to define our human activities, and even our ways of thinking. How will driverless cars impact church attendance, parking problems, demographic shifts, embodiment, church geographic reach? How will they influence how we think about ourselves as humans?Adam and Chris raise more questions than answers as they unpack the driverless car craze. Plus, they offer some suggestion for what we s...2016-04-2232 min
Device & VirtueS1E2 - Big Brother Church: Facial Recognition SoftwareFacial recognition is everywhere—it’s how you unlock your iPhone, and some cops are even using it. So what if your church did?Software companies are already stepping into the sanctuary. Sure, we might expect China or Facebook or Apple to use facial recognition, but what standards or expectations should we have for churches using it? Could facial recognition help make large churches more personal … or more anonymous?Facial recognition inhabits more and more spaces in our lives and our society, identifying us and tracking our behaviors. So what happens when it enters our church...2016-04-1729 min
Device & VirtueS1E1 - Ancient Social MediaWhen did social media start? In 2004 when Facebook started? Nope, try the 1st century!Social media is anything but new and early Christians played a key role in its growth, Tom Standage argues in his book, Writing in the Wall. We dive in to look his claim that social media existed in the Roman Empire and and that the church influenced its development with their own system upgrades. What does it mean for the Church today that early Christianity developed in an age of Roman social media?TALK BACK
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