Faith at the Frontiers

What does it mean for Christians to have hope in relation to A.I.? Are we putting our hope in the right thing? What are we hoping for ? How can we have hope if the situation looks hopeless? Professor Michael Burdett guides us in answering these questions in this episode. Michael is the author of Eschatology and the Technological Future (Routledge, 2015). He has a background in Christian thinking a...

Professor Nicholas Hayes-Mota and Dr Silvianne Aspray guide us through the insights of Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas . We discuss questions like: Why is the Pope weighing in on A.I.? What vision of humanity is A.I. cultivating? How do we protect against the illusions of objectivity and of human connection? What agency do normal A.I. users have to shape how it affects our world...

Dr Lyndon Drake has two PhDs: one in theology and one in A.I. Now a research fellow at Oxford, he wants to help us think through chatbots in a rigorous and careful way. Let’s be conscious of the pitfalls and dangers, but let’s also explore the opportunities. Christians have been wrestling with what it means to be human for centuries, and producers of A.I. technology can benefit from those insights...

In this episode, we’re bringing the thought of Augustine into the conversation with the help of Autumn Ridenour, the author of Restlessness and Belonging: Augustinian Wisdom for the Digital Empire . We explore this concept of a digital empire for thinking about the dangers and possibilities of A.I. and social media in ways that parallel what the Roman Empire was to St Augustine.

Social media helped people communicate with each other. AI does the opposite: people talk to it instead of another living being and become isolated. Human interaction, according to Katherine Schmidt, is one of the big differences between the two most recent technological revolutions, and why she is enthusiastic about the first but concerned about the second. Katherine Schmidt is Associate Professo...

We're excited to have Carmody Grey back on the show to discuss LLMs from the perspective of theology. We talk about the possible threats posed by A.I., the political questions it raises, and its deeper significance for how it is changing us.

This Episode is *Not* about Angels... Join us as we talk with Marie van Emerick and Oliver Wright: two scholars at Pembroke College Oxford who are working in the area of theology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. They emphasize the role of the humanities in responding to and engaging with big questions raised by LLMs, especially when it comes to questions about what it means to be human. W...

Josh Lawman, a software engineer who works with LLMs, gives us the inside look at how they work. Are they really a groundbreaking innovation like the printing press and the internet? What are the dangers of thinking they can solve all the world's problems? What perspective does Christianity bring to the debate? These and other questions are discussed in this episode. Enjoy! Thanks to Jamie Mau...

Welcome to a new series on Artificial Intelligence! In this episode Professor Ruth Okediji joins us on the show to talk about the rapid rise of Large Language Models (LLMs). Why have they been so quickly adopted by so many people? What ethical and legal challenges do they present? How can we use them wisely and responsibly to help us and our society become better from a Christian point of view? Th...

In this episode Nick Townsend revisits the distinction between nationalism and patriotism by noting the difference between nationalism as a claim about where political power should lie (that is, with the nation state), and nationalism as a claim about what political power is for.

Barney’s new book is out, coauthored with Professor DavidElcott! On the Significance of Religion in Immigration Policy . You can buy the book here or download it free here . The book guides you through the Jewish and Christianarguments made for many different immigration policies throughout history and in the present day. It has sections that discuss: Bible verses used on all sides of the debate T...

In this episode, Barney and Austin interview the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams for his views on Christian nationalism. He offers us wisdom that seeks what is good about both sides of the debate and aims to synthesise them into a thoroughly Christian way of thinking about national identity. Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

In this episode, Barney & Austin stage a head-to-head on whether Christian nationalism is a good thing or not! It’s time to gather the insights from our past episodes together and see which argument is strongest. Barney takes the “pro-Christian Nationalism” side and Austin takes the “anti-Christian Nationalism” position. Who is going to win? IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: views expressed in this episod...

Is Christian nationalism the proper term for what is happening in Russia? What is unique about Putin's claims of civilizational superiority compared with western nations? What does orthodox theology offer into this mix that is distinct from Catholic or Protestant theologies? We talk with Cyril Hovorun to consider these and other questions in the next installment in our series on Christian national...

Stretchy definitions of ‘Nationalism’ can be a useful political tool, says Nick Spencer , senior fellow at Theos Think Tank. People can give a ‘thin’ definition while their actions suggest something ‘thicker’ and more like 19th century definitions. But all Christians want their country run according to Christian values, and no government can avoid having a coercive dimension. Nick gives us a visio...

"It is a Catholic axiom that in order to lead someone away from error, you must recognize the truth that gives power to the error." Thus writes Professor Colt Anderson in Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021). In this episode, we ask him how we can take that insight and use it to understand nationalism, especially Catholic national...

The power of the cross is weakness, according to the apostle Paul. How does that idea translate into the dog-eat-dog world of politics? In this episode we interview Dr. Mike Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University . He shares the content of a forthcoming book which explores, among other things, what the apostle Paul might say to...

In this episode we have the privilege speaking with Prof Stanley Hauerwas. He challenges the typical categories used in conversations about 'christian nationalism' and pushes us to redefine what it means to be political.

What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? Is one of them acceptable (even desirable) from a Christian point of view? In this episode we interview James Walters , Professor at the London School of Economics. As an ordained priest in the Church of England, he is the first person we've interviewed who belongs to an established state church. This gives him a perspective somewhat d...

Not every Christian agrees on what a “Christian government” should look like. Whoever is in power will have to decide what form of Christianity to implement, and they are likely to claim it is the only valid kind. In this episode we chat with Elizabeth Bruenig , journalist for The Atlantic, on Christian Nationalism in the US. Does it really represent the values shared by all Christians? Does it ha...

Professor William Cavanaugh, author of Migrations of the Holy and The Uses of Idolatry , weighs in on the topic of nationalism. He argues that nationalism is a religion that rivals Christianity and is therefore not compatible with it. Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

How can national constitutions persecute religious minorities? What would motivate them to do so, and is this motivation really Christian? These questions and others are addressed by Marietta van der Tol in her book, Constitutional Intolerance  (CUP, 2025) . In this episode, Barney and Austin draw out some of Marietta’s key insights not only in this book but other of her publications. Thanks to Ja...

In this episode, Austin & Barney discuss the key takeaways and insights from the series on Exvangelicalism, and introduce the topic of our next series: Christian Nationalism! Watch this space for interviews with world experts across the spectrum of political opinions on this urgent and controversial topic! Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

Next up in our Exvangelicalism series, Karen Swallow Prior outlines some of the images that have shaped the social imaginary of evangelicals—for good and ill—and how that has impacted the experiences of exvangelicals . She is the author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2024).

Another episode in our Exvangelicalism series, Sarah McCammon shares her story and her research on those who leave the American Evangelical church, to produce a powerful and insightful insider account of the exvangelical experience. Today is the launch day of the paperback edition of Sarah's book, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church (Macmillan: 2024) . Click...