TheoTech Podcast

In the decade since John Dyer published “From the Garden to the City” the cutting edge of technology has transitioned from hardware innovations like the iPad and the viral domination of social media platforms to new “fads” like VR, web3, bitcoin, and of course breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence. As a software developer and professor of theology, John has had a front-row seat to how these shifts are affecting the Christian faith and vice versa. Listen in to hear his thoughts on the ways different generations are handling the captivating power of screens and innovative ways technological affordances can help us engage with and live out Scripture in the future.

Connect with John at:

Should Christian products and services be free? What can churches learn from the open source movement? Listen in as Conley Owens, author of The Dorean Principle shares the story behind his book and makes a biblical case for colabor instead of reciprocity in ministry financing. In this episode, Chris and Conley discuss theological challenges with different fundraising models, the ministry problems posed by existing copyright law, the distinction between the sacred and the holy and its interaction with money (cf simony), and ultimately dream of a future where the blessings of the Gospel are exchanged freely instead of for a price.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Jon Edmiston is the creator of RockRMS is a church management system centered on people. In collaboration with more than 650 churches worldwide and his team at the Spark Development Network, Jon has created an open-source community that can level the playing field so churches of all sizes can benefit from digital transformation.

Listen in to hear about the unique funding model and open-source network effects that enable wealthier churches to fund the development of features they need in a way that can benefit many other congregations as well. Learn more about how Jon views data privacy and the need for pastors to know their flock as well as a vision for what excellent church technology could look like in the future.

(Bonus: speculations on a dystopian metaverse future ;-) )

If people spend 7 to 8 hours a day on digital platforms, how can they make the most of that time for the Gospel? #HACK is an Indigitous hackathon bringing Christians together to answer that question. In collaboration with organizations like the American Bible Society, Coalition of the Willing, and World Vision, participants from more than 46 countries developed projects to increase Bible engagement, build multilingual mapping tools for unreached people groups, and create trust-building donor apps. Listen in to learn more about the experimental mindset it takes to serve the global body of Christ with technology.

How might Christians think about bitcoin? Amidst all the hype, Tripp Parker shares his thoughts with Chris about why Bitcoin could be "Christian money" and the ways it aligns/may not align with God's Kingdom. This episode looks at the differences between Bitcoin, fiat currency, and our existing monetary system. Listen in to hear about its resilience to manipulation as well as criticisms of its energy consumption and why ultimately like Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle”, the evolution of this cryptocurrency may simply be a pointer to a more beautiful future.

Recently churches around the world have been forced to make sweeping changes to their services and ministries, many operating exclusively online for months. Some of these changes have been fruitful. But as most of us have seen, the innovation of sacred space is a delicate process.

How can churches move forward with new technology without resistance or, worse, leaving people behind?

How can professionals use their valuable experience and skills to serve God? Silicon Valley Web Developer Matt Chan was driven by this question. Matt is the Co-Founder of Basil Tech, a company where Christian tech professionals can work with non-profit companies and ministries to build sustainable tech solutions. Their San Francisco based team has been working on "projects for the kingdom" around the world for about 5 years now. In this episode Matt talks with Chris about how God led him to this calling, and his insights on building a space where faith and technology based cultures overlap. 

James Adams is an AI professional with 12 years experience in foreign missions. In this episode he and Chris discuss ways cutting edge AI technology could be applied to support missions to unreached populations. AI recommendations, AI generated media, and even chatbots could all be used to spread the gospel.

Are the Christians you know “quick to listen”? They could be, if they followed the Quick to Listen podcast, hosted by Christianity Today’s Global Media Manager Morgan Lee. As the host and producer, Morgan strives to “go beyond the hashtags and hottakes”, unpacking current events with insightful and invested guests. Morgan and Chris also discuss their co-operation in Christianity Today’s Global Initiative, which this year has completed 350 translations into more than 12 languages. Together they’ve been working to improve AI-assisted translation.

And of course, Chris and Morgan address the current event of the year, COVID. They explore how the pandemic has forced the church to innovate, finding new ways to come together, fellowship, and serve one another digitally across the world.

Ask a Software Developer about the hardest part of their job, and you may be surprised by their answer. It probably won’t be “de-bugging” or “deadlines”, you're more likely to hear about “communication” or “people”. In this podcast we speak with Todd White, a Development Manager at Faithlife. Faithlife is an established tech company with over 30 years experience in making Bible software and mobile apps. Todd shares with us the management strategies Faithlife uses to balance autonomy and teamwork, and cultivate a trust-based corporate culture.

“The opportunity to glorify God through language diversity is limitless, and as many pastors would testify, it brings tremendous joy to the life of their congregation. Climbing this multi-lingual hill is not easy...but the view will only get better and better because what we are delivering is a foretaste of heaven as described in Revelations 7:9 : A great multitude that no-one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne, before the Lamb.” 

“While we may not be able to achieve what heaven will be like, with people from 6,000 tongues worshiping together, we are one step closer each time we add a language translation to our worship service…” 

“What is God actually calling us to do with our lives? How can we use our gifts for His Kingdom?” 

Henry Zhu has worked hard to try and answer these questions for himself. From his start as an Industrial Engineering graduate, through his first programming job with Adobe, to his current work as Core Maintainer for Babel (an Open Source Java Script Compiler). He has repeatedly chosen the path-less-taken. In this podcast we discuss his career, and how to take risks in faith.  How can we as Christian technologists integrate our faith and work? How can we build an inclusive culture that challenges and empowers others to do the same?

Today we're discussing church government and COVID-19 with our guest Eliana Maxim, Seattle Presbytery Co-Executive Presbyter. Eliana shares how Seattle area churches are ministering to their congregations and communities through the pandemic. Churches have been facing new technical problems, like how to have communion during a virtual service. And the solutions aren’t coming from denominations or church governments, but individual church leaders. So the Seattle Presbytery is stepping back to “let the church be the church”, and stepping up to having tough theological conversations that build a framework to support innovation.

John Johnson is the principal of a branding and design agency called “a small studio”. In this episode we discuss the uniqueness of each person’s story and how that motivates us to continually use our gifts for God’s purposes.

As a black business owner, John decided to pause agency work in response to the national pain flowing from the death of George Floyd. His team is now dedicated to bringing peace to people’s lives through giveadose.co, a safe online space for people to learn from other perspectives and reflect on their own racial experiences.

Listen in to hear Chris and John get vulnerable about their own sense of identity and calling and how a posture of continually seeking God’s will is the only way forward.

How are small businesses responding to covid-19? In this episode, we interview Billy Davis, owner of the FabLab, a maker space providing 3D printing services and classes. When covid-19 hit, the FabLab pivoted by creating nearly 4,000 face shields and 600 face masks for medical workers. These 3-d printed masks enable N95 masks to be reused 6 times. We discuss the maker mindset and what churches can learn from maker space culture.  

Listen in to hear the story of Billy's entrepreneurial journey and how faith and technology can make a difference in times like these. 

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What might church look like when quarantine is over? In today's episode, DJ Chuang, strategy consultant for .BIBLE Domain Name Registry, maps out a few predictions of what the future of church could look like post-pandemic. He and Chris also discuss some examples of effective online communities, new formats for connection, and the impact of COVID-19 on Asian-Americans and mental health.

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How has COVID-19 impacted higher education? What's the most effective way to do remote/virtual learning? Michael Paulus, a professor of information studies at Seattle Pacific University shares his perspective on-the ground, drawing from a historical, pedagogical and theological lens. Listen in to hear how our learnings from higher education help us discern the future of Church.

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Meet Calvin Freitas, a senior frontend engineer and creator of a scripture memory app called Verses for Life. Hear his story of how he’s grown as a software developer through his work and side projects like Verses for Life. Learn about what inspired him to build the app and how he hopes it helps fellow believers to engage with the Bible. Chris and Calvin also chat about how side projects can level up your coding skills, the Bible licensing hurdles when it comes to building Christian apps, entrepreneurship challenges, and goals in the new year.

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How do you teach AI so it performs better than random chance? What does "bias in AI" mean and can AI really be "bias-free"? George Montañez is a computer science professor at Harvey Mudd College researching these questions. Listen as he and Chris discuss his talk at the COSM Technology conference and the surprising connections between the latest AI research and age-old philosophical questions. Hear as George also shares about his journey of faith in academia and why he explicitly states, "I love Jesus" in his profile.

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Melissa Birchfield is an undergraduate student who wanted to find the connection where her Computer Science major could drive real impact for the Kingdom of God. This desire led her to write the book Data for Dignity, which explores the ways non-profits are leveraging technology to combat human trafficking. Listen in as she shares eye-opening stories from the frontlines of the fight against human trafficking and how her faith informed her journey toward publishing this book. Also, hear about how she hopes to inspire the next generation to use their skills for a greater purpose.

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Kick off 2020 with Chris Lim and Natasha Lim as they get back to basics and discuss what theology of technology is, why it's important in the life of a believer, and examples of how it makes a difference. Hear the vision for the podcast this year and how you can be a part of shaping the conversation. If you're new the podcast or aren't sure what theology of technology really means, this is the episode for you.

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How is social media changing how we communicate, and how can it help shape our faith? Erin Dienst is the Global Social Media Community Manager at Cru. Her passion for digital communication inspired her to join others to use it for God’s work. Listen in as Erin and Chris discuss how various aspects of social media, from aesthetics, the originality of your posts, to the demographics of your online audience, contribute to how we portray ourselves and our faith online.

How are entrepreneurs pursuing faith making a difference? Phil Kono was jobless before starting his company, Maranatha Technologies. An impression to follow his faith and God’s direction in his job search led him to become an entrepreneur. In this new episode Chris and Phil discuss faith integration in entrepreneurship, and how tech is offering solutions to spread the gospel throughout the world. Phil shares his business ownership journey and how his faith helped him navigate challenges and risks associated with it.

Technology has created the opportunity to communicate more broadly, while people are beginning to discover that vocation means serving God in all of life. Every person in every sphere of society can live out their calling from God. What would it look like around the world as people catch what it is to serve God in all areas of our lives? What would it mean for our churches to experience a Second Reformation?