Faith & Technology: Navigating the Digital Age with Wisdom (Derek Schuurman)

February 17, 2025

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William Wilberforce: Faith, Friendship, and Cultural Change (Michael Morgan)

February 13, 2025

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Technology is shaping our world at an unprecedented rate—but how should Christians respond? Are we thoughtfully engaging with the digital world, or are we being shaped by it in ways we don’t even realize?

In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer sits down with Dr. Derek Schuurman, Professor of Computer Science at Calvin University and author of Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture, and Computer Technology. Together, they explore how theology, technology, and Christian discipleship intersect in our increasingly digital lives.

Key Discussion Points:
How does the biblical narrative shape our approach to technology?
Are we using technology wisely, or is it using us?
Theological insights from Genesis, the Tower of Babel, and eschatology
Are AI, social media, and digital tools eroding true human connection?
How Christians can practice discernment in an efficiency-driven world
Why technology is not neutral—and how we can shape it responsibly
McLuhan’s Four Laws of Media & how they help us evaluate new tech
Practical ways to maintain human flourishing in a digital-first culture

Resources & Links:

Go deeper: Technology & Media

Thinking Christian is hosted by Dr. James Spencer, president of the D. L. Moody Center and author of Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Each conversation reads the Bible as the final authority for life and faith, questioning the assumptions of our culture, even our Christian culture, so that we don't settle for a narrower vision than God's word offers.

Unsettling convention. Cultivating conviction.
Episodes, articles, and questions: thinkingchristian.org
About James Spencer: thinkingchristian.org/james
The Thinking Christian Framework: thinkingchristian.org/framework
Order Digital Discernment: amazon.com

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Meet Your Host

James Spencer earned his Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He believes discipleship will open up opportunities beyond anything God’s people could accomplish through their own wit and wisdom. As such, James seeks to help believers think Christianly about social, cultural, and political assumptions. His desire is to see Christians test God by trusting God so that they conform ever more closely to the image of Christ.

In addition to being a regular contributor to Christianity.com and Washingtontimes.com, James has published multiple works, including Christian Resistance: Learnign to Defy the World and Follow Christ, Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D.L. Moody, Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, and Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology.

James currently serves as president of the D. L. Moody Center, an adjunct instructor at Wheaton College Graduate School, and faculty member at Right On Mission.

You can find out more about James at his personal website www.jamesspencer.com.