How can we love religion when so many are hurt? How do we describe the reality of social constructs? Does Jesus have a personality? What's St. Paul's social media presence? Is God an AI? twitter @BrokenBookPod Broken Book Podcast twitter @micahtredding Deconstruction John Calvin Calvin College How to be human. Different messages from the minor prop…

Moritz Bierling & Micah Redding discuss the self, the second brain, and the process of individual and group transformation.Micah Redding, Moritz Bierling

Derek Webb gets inside the head of the first A.I. waking up to consciousness. Also: the oncoming future, laws, the Amish, hippies, Kevin Kelly, and the iPhone 13. Links: Derek Webb Christian Transhumanist Conference 2018Micah Redding, Derek Webb

Taryn Southern teaches AI to sing, releases the first song on the blockchain, and talks about how to use VR for good. Bio: Taryn Southern is a digital artist and filmmaker. She is co-directing a documentary about the brain, and recently unveiled her AI/human collaborative album, I AM AI. As a YouTuber, she has produced more than 1000 videos and gar…

David Pearce lays out a plan for building heaven on earth, shows us why vegans need more science fiction, and explains why computers may never become conscious. Bio: David Pearce is a philosopher, a founder of the World Transhumanist Association (now called Humanity+), and the author of The Hedonistic Imperative. Topics: The Naturalization of Heave…

Justin Lee navigates being gay & Christian, talks about Paul, the Bible, and Christian ethics, and bridges the ultimate divide: geeks vs nerds! Bio: Justin Lee is an American author, speaker, and LGBT Christian activist known for his focus on building bridges. He is the author of "Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate" and t…

Ilia Delio explains how Jesus is like the Singularity, shows us why Christianity is the religion of evolution, and explores the thought of Teilhard de Chardin—the 1930s priest who foresaw the internet. Bio: Ilia Delio is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C., is the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova Unive…

NT Wright explains why we don't want to go to Heaven, points us toward medical technology as a sign of the Kingdom, and clears up our biggest misconceptions about the apostle Paul. Books & Links: Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church Paul: A Biography NT Wright's online courses Topics: Why should the …

Robin Hanson explores a future of robotic human uploads, helps us worry about The Great Filter, gives us strategies for living in a Simulation, and casually points out the Elephant in the Brain. Bio: Robin Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate of the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford …

See Aubrey de Grey live at the first ever Christian Transhumanist Conference on August 25th, 2018—in Nashville, TN! Aubrey de Grey pioneers anti-aging research, answers your questions about the future this is leading to, and explains why not working to defeat aging would be a sin. Bio: Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist, the founder & Chi…

David Deutsch explains the physics of humanity’s profound place in the cosmos—and our potentially unlimited future. Bio: David Deutsch is an Oxford Physicist, a pioneer in the field of Quantum Computing, the founder of Constructor Theory, and the author of the books The Fabric of Reality, and The Beginning of Infinity. Takeaways: Humans occupy a pr…

Meghan O'Gieblyn lost her faith—and found transhumanism. Then she realized that those two things weren't quite as far apart as she first believed. Relevant links: N+1: Ghost in the Cloud—transhumanism's Simulation Theology Guardian: God in the Machine—my strange journey into transhumanism (shorter version of above) Megan O'Gieblyn's Hell Megan's we…

What does Christianity bring to the conversation about the future of humanity? How do we move beyond the selfishness of short-term thinking, and embrace technology as part of the renewal and transformation of all life? Ron Cole-Turner, professor of theology and ethics, and author of numerous books on transhumanism and human origins, joins us to exp…

Is cryonics selfish? What do Harry Potter, transhumanism, and religious education have in common? What happens when kids go door-to-door raising money for life extension? Shannon Vyff—Transhumanist, Cryonicist, Unitarian Universalist, and author of “21st Century Kids“, and “The Scientific Conquest of Death”—discusses all these questions and more! 2…

How can certainty be a form of idolatry? Why should Christians embrace the humanity of the scriptures? How did an existentialist rant sneak into the Bible? And what does that teach us about faith? Peter Enns joins us to explore all these questions and more! Peter Enns is an biblical scholar and theologian, and Professor of Biblical Studies at Easte…

Can evolution have a purpose? Are we living in an alien zoo? Does the cosmos evolve? Why did Christianity emerge when it did? What is the direction of human society—and are we at a crisis point in history? Best-selling author Robert Wright explores all these questions and more. Robert Wright is a journalist, scholar, and prize-winning author of bes…

How does religion grapple with transhumanism and radical life extension? What does a theology of Extraterrestrials say about a theology of AI? Is Mind Uploading a rejection of the body, or an affirmation of St Paul's theology of resurrection? Dr Calvin Mercer is the Professor of Religious Studies at East Carolina University, the founder of the Amer…

Can a Seventh-Day Adventist be a transhumanist? Robert Walden Kurtz, Adventist pastor and Professor of Philosophy, says yes! Join us as we discuss robots stealing your job, mind-mapping Jesus, the hidden threat of washing machines, zero-sum games, hacking the mind, and radical humility. Why Singularitarians are like early Seventh-Day Adventists The…

Is it possible to be a Presbyterian and a Transhumanist? Rev. Christopher Benek, pastor of a large Presbyterian church, and graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, says yes! Join us as we discuss how AI will participate in God's redemption, how humans are God's technology, and the surprising connection between Ray Kurzweil and NT Wright. Is it …

Raised by atheists, now a theologian and philosopher, Philip Clayton joins us to discuss the messy world between doubt and belief, feeling stuck in Christianity, and being okay with unanswered questions. Do you find God at 6,000 feet? The Spectrum/Grid of Belief — occupying the liminal space between belief and doubt. Are you willing to escape priso…

Katharine Hayhoe shares her unexpected journey to becoming an evangelical Christian climate scientist, discusses evidence for climate change, and explains why working to solve our climate problems doesn't mean "Big Government!". We explore optimistic ways to address global warming, and the incredible economic and health benefits of clean energy. Ka…

Greg Boyd on how God enters the cosmic dance through Science, Scripture, and Us. We explore faith & doubt, quantum physics & relativity, Christ-shaped politics, and the hard parts of the Bible! Greg Boyd is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher, apologist and author. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Charlie Rose…

Genesis vs the Babylonians, Eastern Orthodoxy vs American Fundamentalism, theosis vs playing god, and why early Christians kept talking about the 8th day of the week. Micah's favorite shoes Portmantober! The story of Jesus calming the storm and how God affirms the chaos What is the Eastern Orthodox concept of Theosis? How does it relate to "playing…

The Bible is a rap battle! How to read the Bible like Jesus did, how to wrestle with the hard parts, and how the scientific method can make us better Christians. Derek Flood is the author of Disarming Scripture: Cherry-Picking Liberals, Violence-Loving Conservatives, and Why We All Need to Learn to Read the Bible Like Jesus Did. He is a writer for …

How to lose your religion, disrupt your life, and become a skeptic with faith! Science Mike describes his faith journey, and discusses brain science, space exploration, cryonics, and the oceanification of Miami. Mike McHargue's new book: Finding God in the Waves: How I Lost My Faith and Found It Again Through Science, and the website, including mor…

Why do some people believe it's all determined, and others believe it's up to us? Religious or irreligious, scientist or non-scientist, transhumanist or singularitarian—people can't agree on this subject. We look to CS Lewis, Ghostbusters, the Beatles, and Jupiter's moon for answers! The word Micah was looking for was "contrarian" Calvinists vs Arm…

What does physics say about the ultimate future? Professor Tipler explains the Omega Point Theory, how life can exist all the way to the end of time, and what Christianity has to say about all of this. Frank Tipler is a mathematical physicist and cosmologist, a professor of Mathematics & Physics at Tulane University, and the author of The Physics o…

Amy and Micah tackle self-driving cars, the rise of nomadic culture, how stories create technology, and why animated GIFs are saving the world. The challenge and danger of a networked world, now becoming part of our driving experience! The sad admission that Micah has not yet seen Battlestar Galactica Tesla autopilot and Tesla Summon, which is basi…

What's Inevitable, and what we get to choose? Micah Redding and Kevin Kelly discuss rapidly approaching technological change, the advent of Artificial Intelligence, and how technology challenges and illuminates our understanding of God, faith, and ourselves. Kevin Kelly is the founding editor of Wired magazine, a former editor & publisher of the Wh…

Amy and Micah tackle the deep challenges of losing your faith community, questioning your own beliefs, and dealing with the difficult process of building a new world. Code-switching ENTP & ENFP Analysis, Loss of Meaning, and Religious Transhumanism When you reconstruct, you lose language, wallpaper, memories, good songs, etc. All kinds of things yo…

Where are our hoverboards? Our flying cars? Where is the future we were promised? Micah and Amy go Back to the Future, just in time to get this episode out six months late! Where are the hoverboards? Peter Thiel’s motto: "We were promised flying cars - we got 140 characters" What about social change? The 60s vision of the future "women don’t have j…

Paul Wallace is a professor of physics and astronomy, a minister, and the author of the upcoming book: "Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos". In this episode, we talk about the exhilaration and vertigo of living in expanding cosmos, and how this both humbles us, and helps us rise to the challenge of suffering. Paul's book: Stars Be…

What if someone cloned Jesus, to kickstart the second coming? What if fringe religious groups USED science for a change? Christian Piatt explains his religious sci-fi thriller, and tackles thorny questions in science, faith, and progressive spirituality. Christian Piatt is an author, speaker, musician, podcaster, and church planter. His books inclu…

In this episode, Micah and Amy venture into the forbidden world of transhumanist political commentary, while Micah keeps trying to change the subject to almost anything else, including Alien Death Stars, Greek tragedies, time travel, and the first Christian heresy. Zoltan Istvan, the transhumanist party, The Transhumanist Wager, and The Immortality…

Micah and Amy discuss the disruptiveness of the Singularity, the creepiness of robots, the awesomeness of superheroes, and the importance of origin stories. Some nerdiness about the [literal mathematical singularities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularity_(mathematics)) at the center of black holes vs the metaphorical singularities we will be …

In this episode, Micah Redding talks to Adam Ericksen about Rene Girard, the mechanisms of violence, and how Jesus unravels the ancient cycle of myth and scapegoating. Adam Ericksen & The Raven Foundation Rene Girard, his recent death, and one of his most accessible books: I see Satan fall like Lightning Micah's Girardian reading of the scriptures …

In this episode, Micah Redding & Thomas Jay Oord talk about free will, predestination, and the open-ended future of God - and explore deep questions about miracles, science, and recent blockbuster movies. Thomas Jay Oord's blog and new book, The Uncontrolling Love of God What is open theism? Why open theism sounds different than traditional theolog…

In this episode, Micah Redding talks to Liz Parrish, the first human to be given gene therapy to reverse aging. Micah & Liz discuss risk-taking, the potential issues with life extension, and what happens if this treatment becomes available to the world. The Transhuman Visions conference where Micah and Liz met Childhood illnesses and how Liz got in…

Micah Redding and Dr. Steve Fuller discuss SPACE ARKS, the meaning of faith, the risk-taking nature of science, and why the future of politics isn't about left and right. Dr. Steve Fuller's book The Proactionary Imperative, as well as his writings on IEET and twitter Space arks! (also see this article where I speculated about space Noahs) Icarus In…

Micah Redding & Amy Gaskin discuss whether transhumanism is just an apologetic for capitalism, what will drive the economies of the future, and how Christians need to get out and play more...even if it means finding yourself mixed up in a plot to overthrow Hitler. Reddit AMA on Christian Transhumanism Bitcoin & Bartering Matthew 18:2-4 and why Jesu…

Micah Redding & James Hughes explore cyber-Buddhism, religious transhumanism, and the longevity dividend, covering topics like Universal Basic Income, the Christian theology of personal identity, and the importance of a powerful vision for the future. Projects from Dr Hughes: Citizen Cyborg, Cyborg Buddha and the IEET The experience of being an unu…

In this episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin talk about radical life extension. Why this man hopes to die at 75 Aubrey De Grey Calico Labs Million mile cars and Car Longevity Did God limit human lifespan to 120 years? Isaiah's vision of a future filled with multi-centenarians (Read these notes in your browser)…

In this episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin start talking about practicality, and then end up discussing Joseph Campbell, Harry Potter, transcendence, and speculative theology. Don't worry, it's all connected. Is death evil? Do we have a deathist culture? Death and all his friends The mission of God is to undo death and to replace it with life Th…

In this episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin talk about doomsday! Zero to One and the difference between horizontal and vertical progress The tower of Babel The 9 enneagram personality types Missio Dei, The Mission of God More about NT Wright (see this article on him and Peter Thiel) Chick Tracts, for example The Left Behind series The Book of Job…

In this first episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin ask the question 'What is Transhumanism?', and then go on to explore the landscape at the intersection of Christianity and Transhumanist thought. More about Amy Gaskin and Micah Redding The Cold Equations, Amy's first science fiction experience Wikipedia's definition of transhumanism Transhumanism…