Ever 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 help the global and persecuted church? Practical ideas on making online church more human and interactive And after the interview, Chris reacts with Adam, talking about Billy Graham and Jesus Avatars. Buy Virtual Reality Church by Darrell Bock (published by Moody Press). Links to Amazon are affiliate links and any proceeds go to help support Device & Virtue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Device & Virtue

S6E1 - Interview: Dr. Darrell Bock: How To Think Biblically About Church In Your Pajamas

Do 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 offers deep insights about what human freedom truly means, which gives us insight for how fitness trackers might help us live into all that God has for us as his image-bearers. NOTES A history and analysis of the Quantified Self movement that started in 2008. The Amazon Halo band: Reviews from The New York Times and The Verge. A review of Amazon’s custom t-shirt biz. A summary of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. All his public addresses can be searched for here. Most of Adam’s comments are drawn from this message.

S5E9 - Invasion of the Body Trackers: Apple Watch & The Quantified Self

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/navigatingdigitalinfo 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!

Short Circuit: Spiritual Epistemology (Chris)

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 one

S5E8 - Disinformation: Who Can I Trust Online?

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! This week Adam sits down to talk about finding Upgrades in an expected place: The Book of Genesis.

Short Circuit: Upgrades

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!

Short Circuit: Upgrades (Adam)

Can 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 Devices Amy’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 live with everyday. Our interview is packed with fascinating bits including: What does it feel like for a teenager growing up with SnapChat and social expectations online? How does technology interact with our own vulnerability and self-doubt? How do we confront distraction? How do parents and kids work together on creating family approaches to technology? Also—we ask Andy Crouch (author of Culture Making and former editor of Christianity Today) magazine what he makes of the current startling events in Washington DC, how technology has affected what has happened, and what he thinks the church can do in response. **This podcast description includes sponsored links: help support the Device & Virtue podcast**

S5E7 - Interview: Andy Crouch & Amy Crouch: My TechWise Life

The 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 brand new in many ways, but it took 6 decades to create this vaccine in record time. Chris and Adam unpack the history and technology of mRNA, and the story of the woman behind it. And they dig deep into Scripture to look at what it means to trust God with what seems like a man-made miracle. Links Wired: How mRNA went from a scientific backwater to a pandemic crusher NYT: Politics, Science and the Remarkable Race for a Coronavirus Vaccine Official vaccine site: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine | cvdvaccine.com Gospel Coalition: The FAQs: What You Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccines STAT News: With science and scripture, a pastor fights Covid-19 vaccine skepticism YouTube: Inside the Lab That Invented the COVID-19 Vaccine

S5E6 - mRNA Vaccines: 2020's Technology of Year

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! Chris takes 5 minutes to talk LED lights for Christmas and what makes them special.

Short Circuit: LED Christmas Lights

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!

Short Circuit: LED Christmas Lights (Chris)

Is 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 the The “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 work? LINKS Official website—The Social Dilemma The press release response from Facebook Review from Wired Magazine: Hate Social Media? You’ll Love This Documentary Review from The Verge: Telling People to Delete Facebook Won’t Fix the Internet Critique that The Social Dilemma did not include a diverse set of voices from experts who are women or people of color.

S5E5 - The Social Dilemma on Netflix

So 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 how vision and virtue can drive a company, and how business models and digital platforms can shape how tech companies develop. And see how a dream for helping restaurateurs translated into increased quality and convenience for customers. Plus, a hard look at the ethics of food delivery apps from farm to table.

S5E4 - Interview: GrubHub Co-Founder Mike Evans

Food 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. Links Ghost Kitchens are real. Here are a couple articles about this haunting phenomenon. Here is a history of online meal delivery. Margherita pizza and the origins of modern pizza delivery. Pizza Net circa 1993! The Slow Food Movement doesn’t mean you don’t crave McDonald’s. As Christians in the 21st century, how now should we think about food?

S5E3 - Food Delivery Apps: GrubHub, Ghost Kitchens, and Tacos-On-Demand

If 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?

S5E2 - E-Scooters & Digital Micromobility

Have 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.

S5E1 - In TikTok We Trust

Chris & Adam argue about life in a techified world—from iPhones to DNA tests—and if Christians have a third-way.

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Device & Virtue

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