I was talking to some friends about AI this week. The conversation got bleak. They had watched a documentary, warning that the new technology could end humanity before children born today reach high school. While such worries are likely overblown, we agreed AI could cause massive disruptions to society, including widening inequality and displacing millions of workers.
In scary times like these, I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to be independently wealthy. I mean that literally. I can’t tell you. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is building a massive bunker in Hawaii, but I don’t even have a basement. Whatever cataclysm is coming, I’ll have to ride it out with the masses. And that’s okay. God is looking out for me—and you. And, as Scripture tells us, He “knows the end from the beginning.” That’s good news. Even when all the other news is bad.
A quick recap of what you might have missed this week
Forget Love Is Blind. And The Bachelor. There’s a new reality dating show coming and it has a Christian twist. Hulu is launching a Christian college dating show called “Ring by Spring.” The name is an allusion to the pressure many Christian college students feel to find “the one” before graduation day. Relevant ran a piece on the show which it said could be “a sincere look at Christian dating or an unending supply of meme material.” My money is on the latter.
“All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare. Well, now it’s a casino. Not only is gambling ubiquitous; it has changed. As Russell Moore writes, “You can bet on whether a Venezuelan drug boat will be blown up between May 1 and May 10. You can bet on whether Tom Holland and Zendaya will split up in 2027. You can bet on whether famine will hit North Korea by winter. And on and on.” In his essay “Against the Casinofication of the Church”, Moore details the ways in which new forms of betting are preying on the vulnerable and destroying community. But he ends on a hopeful note. “Will it be difficult for the church to counter casino culture with something that really matters? Of course. Can we do it? You bet your life.”
In the book Dedicated, author Pete Davis compares the experience of browsing Netflix, unable to commit to watching one show, to the way an increasing number of people approach life. He calls it “Infinite Browsing Mode,” where you hold off on big decisions in hopes of keeping your options open. I thought of Davis’s insights as I read a post from the young pastor Justin Poythress on “How Jesus Saves from Identity Crisis.” Poythress acknowledges the challenges of second-guessing every decision in an age of limitless options but concludes that Christ offers a better path. “A Jesus-focused identity pulls your heart back towards what is real, simple, and obtainable instead of nebulous ache because maybe you betrayed your best self somewhere along the way.”
The latest theological dustup on the world wide web
A clip of David French went viral this week in which he admits to changing his mind on “the lingering severity of race problems in this country.” Part of what changed his mind, he explains, is witnessing the racism experienced by his adopted daughter from Ethiopia. Everyone lauded French for having empathy for the plight of his daughter and the humility to change his mind. Just kidding. This is the Internet, remember? People piled from both sides of the political aisle, claiming he was exaggerating the problem of racism—or that he only cared about racism when it affected his family.
Odd stories I thought you should know about
“The new standard of cringe.” Source: X
Famous atheist Richard Dawkins talked to the AI Chatbot Claude for three days. The result? He now believes Claude is conscious. Or at least semi-conscious. Now, if only he could look at our vast and beautiful universe and see a consciousness behind that.
You know when a group of preteen boys sneak cigarettes out to their tree fort and feel like the coolest guys on earth? Well, this picture of three Christian nationalist leaders lighting up is kind of like that—but more pathetic. As one commenter put it: “the new standard of cringe.”
Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed
Researchers used multispectral imaging (yeah, I don’t know what that is either) to find a secret, older version of a gospel hidden in a 1,500-year-old manuscript. The discovery shows how the new technology can “digitally excavate” erased text and uncover marginalia from early scribes. They even found a humorous poem in the margins. I guess people have been writing in their Bibles for quite a while.
The Holy Post hosted a live recording in Atlanta with hip-hop artist Lecrae to discuss his journey through a dark season of doubt.
On the SkyePod, Skye explains what he calls “Crotch Christianity” and why the over-reaction by progressive Christians is also problematic.
On the Esau McCaulley Podcast, the team discusses the latest assassination attempt on President Trump and how Christians should respond.
Fresh updates across the religious landscape
Anti-Christian Bias Task Force Blasts Biden for Targeting “Traditional Christians”
Sam Allberry Halts Ministry Over “Inappropriate Relationship” with Man
Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access to Abortion Pill by Mail
