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270 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Martin Rees 2: Blurred humanity, re-dignifying care work, algorithms reading lung X-rays, and the risks of virtual life
4 januari 2023 · 32 min
Happy New Year! Today’s episode continues the Big Conversation between John and Martin Rees, the astronomer royal. In this part, they respond to robotics experts who welcome the arrival of non-human machines which could take over care work, healthcare, and even become our lovers. Is it healthy to replace jobs done by people with robots, especially when that work involves interacting with vulnerable people? How will we re-order society if widespread super-capable AI renders a lot of our white-collar industries redundant? And are the risks of blurring the lines between the real and the virtual, the human and the machine, being underestimated in our dash towards progress? Lees meer
This discussion was first broadcast as part of the Big Conversation podcast, hosted by Justin Brierley, which is also part of the Premier Unbelievable network - https://www.thebigconversation.show/
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Martin Rees 1: Advances in artificial intelligence, the Eliza effect, passing the Turing Test, and the problem of other minds
28 december 2022 · 28 min
Today’s episode is a little different from normal as we’re going to begin a short series sharing a recent conversation John had with Lord Martin Rees, the astronomer royal. As well as a highly distinguished cosmologist and astrophysicist, Martin is also an author whose recent books have explored some themes familiar to Matters of Life and Death listeners, including the rise of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity. Lees meer
Their chat was first broadcast as part of the Big Conversation podcast, hosted by Justin Brierley, which is also part of the Premier Unbelievable network - https://www.thebigconversation.show/
Support our End Of Year Appeal: https://gtly.to/aAxRk0kQs
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Social media and politics 2: A mucky business, the ultimate conspiracy theory, ‘showbiz for ugly people’, and and atomised individuals
21 december 2022 · 22 min
In the second half of our conversation with Tim Farron, we discuss his conviction that Christians should get stuck into politics despite its compromises and challenges. Why did his own term as leader of the Liberal Democrats come unstuck so badly, and does he believe there actually is a ceiling on ambition for Christian politicians who wish to hold onto their integrity? What impact is social media and our accelerating, atomised society having on our politics, and how can we as believers resist being dragged along with this? Lees meer
Premier's End Of Year Appeal: https://gtly.to/aAxRk0kQs
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Social media and politics 1: The judgemental society, 3,000 offensive tweets a day, freedom from vs freedom to, and Elon Musk’s Twitter
14 december 2022 · 25 min
This week we’re joined by the former leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron to discuss social media and politics. Research suggests UK members of parliament like Tim get sent thousands of offensive tweets every single day. Why have social networks become such toxic, hateful places? Is this a technology problem to be solved with better moderation, a policy issue solved by government regulation, or a spiritual affair reflecting the sinfulness of the human heart? And should Christians avoid these online worlds to remain unpolluted, or stick around to act as salt and light regardless? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Mental health 2: Emotional resilience, the bio-psycho-social model, the power of story, and depression in the Psalms
7 december 2022 · 29 min
In the second half of our discussion with Christian psychiatrist Daniel Maughan, we work through some ways in which the church might play in role in supporting those struggling with their mental health back to fullness of life. But is there also a place for the church in gently pushing back on the medicalisation of ordinary emotions and modelling a greater sense of mental resilience? And what kind of narratives within the Christian faith and scriptural tradition might help us move away from damaging or judgemental stereotypes about mental health? Lees meer
Some useful resources recommended by Daniel:
The Mind and Soul Foundation
Tackling mental illness together, by Alan Thomas
Christianity and Depression, by Tasia Scrutton
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Mental health 1: Power dynamics, the psychiatrist as brick wall, casualties of social media, and over-pathologising distress
30 november 2022 · 30 min
Since the covid pandemic there has been an alarming rise in people presenting with mental health problems. Today we speak with Christian psychiatrist Daniel Maughan to better understand why this might be happening, how our mental healthcare systems are coping (or not), and how his faith intersects with his work diagnosing and treating those with psychosis. Can professional mental healthcare workers bring their Christianity into the treatment room? What can we do to protect ourselves and especially our younger people from this tsunami of anxiety and depression? And has society over-corrected in its desire to eradicate mental health stigma? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Dependence 2: The Panopticon at home, evangelising to retirees, existential angst in the House of Lords, and rejecting self-sufficiency
23 november 2022 · 32 min
In the second part of our conversation on ageing and dependence, we think about how secular society has tried to ameliorate the crisis of isolated older people with technological solutions. Can the smart home or robotics really save us from having to care for our elders ourselves? And if this isn’t the whole answer, what does the Church have to bring to the table? How can we as believers plausibly offer up the countercultural idea of embracing dependence in old age and indeed at every stage of life, and make it real through practical service? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Dependence 1: Isolated elderly people, altruistic suicide, a second childhood, and a crucified hero
16 november 2022 · 31 min
We’ve discussed in previous episodes the looming ‘demographic timebomb’ – a growing mass of elderly and increasingly chronically ill people in many developed nations, expected to place huge strain on public resources. The policy debates around this issue often emphasise the importance of not ‘being a burden’ on others, with some even suggesting there could be a ‘duty to die’ by assisted suicide for those who become old and infirm. Why does our contemporary culture have such a horror of the idea of becoming dependent on our families or the state? And what does the Christian story have to say about the value of dependence versus autonomy, especially as we near the final seasons of our lives? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Protestant Social Teaching 2: The ars moriendi, open casket funerals in Derry Girls, the end of Christendom and ethical quietism
9 november 2022 · 33 min
Resuming our conversation with Rhys Laverty from the Davenant Institute, we look at John’s contribution to the Protestant Social Teaching book – a chapter exploring post-Reformation tradition around death and dying. What might medieval and early modern approaches to the end of life be able to teach us modern Christians about how to die well? How was the hospice movement inspired by this, and how has it lost its way amid debates over assisted suicide? And what can the Protestant Church do if it wishes to renew its interest and investment in ethics and social teaching? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Protestant Social Teaching 1: Overlap with Catholicism, chronological snobbery, rejecting one-size-fits-all ethics, and ‘worldly’ versus ‘spiritual’ matters
2 november 2022 · 33 min
Over 150 years the Catholic Church has built up a body of ethical doctrine commonly known as Catholic Social Teaching, which applies Catholic theology to wider social concerns, covering everything from labour relations to contraception. In this episode we are joined by Rhys Laverty from the Davenant Institute to discuss their new book Protestant Social Teaching, an attempt to scour the history of Protestant thought and establish a reformed version of CST. Why have evangelicals been so behind the curve when it comes to thoughtfully applying church and Biblical tradition to the social concerns of the day? Is there merit in perusing the writings of long dead believers when thinking about 21st century ethics? And how would any kind of Protestant Social Teaching differ or agree with its Catholic counterpart? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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AI sentience 2: I-Thou relationships, talking to stuffed animals, thanking Alexa, and Turing red flag laws
26 oktober 2022 · 32 min
Building on last week’s discussion of AI chatbots, we consider the theology and sociology of why interacting with other human beings is so central to our personhood. But would it matter if we did enter into a counselling or caring relationship with a robot or AI software, if we felt it helped our loneliness or anxiety? How can we be raising young people, who cannot remember a world before smart speakers and digital assistants, to engage well and honestly with the AI all around them? And might there be a role for regulation to hem in the ambitions of the overmighty tech giants in this space? Lees meer
You can read John’s briefing paper on AI and simulated relationships here - https://johnwyatt.com/2020/01/10/article-artificial-intelligence-and-simulated-relationships/
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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AI sentience 1: Blake Lemoine and LaMDA, trillions of words, mute idols, and the God who speaks
19 oktober 2022 · 30 min
Earlier this year, a Google engineer went public with his concerns an artificial intelligence chatbot program he had been testing had become sentient. Although his fears were dismissed by Google’s bosses, parts of his conversations with the software reveal the chatbot can speak in shockingly coherent and nuanced language, and even claims itself to have become conscious. How do these kind of programs work and why have they taken such a huge leap forward in recent years? Do we as Christians have anything to fear about the rise of computers which can talk back to us as convincingly as people? And why is speech in particular such a powerful part of our own sense of personhood and who God is? Lees meer
The Washington Post article on Blake Lemoine is here - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-lemoine/
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Matters of Life and Death: The book reconsidered, the Moscow State University reading list, audiobooks, and the decline of the reading Christian
12 oktober 2022 · 36 min
Twenty-four years ago, John published the book which gave this podcast its name: Matters of Life and Death. His first foray into Christian writing and teaching on ethics, it’s now available as an audiobook for the first time which we’re using as an excuse to do a short retrospective. How does the book stand up to scrutiny today? Would John change anything about it if he was writing it from scratch? Why has it been influential, even beyond the UK’s shores? And what has the experience told John about the miracle of the written word and its power to engage and shape minds across time and space? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Embryology 2: Psalm 139, reconsidering ‘ensoulment’, the language of right and wrong, and co-operation with evil
5 oktober 2022 · 33 min
Building on last week’s whistlestop tour through the latest ground-breaking embryo research, in this episode we consider what we should do as Christians about all this. Do we continue to hold onto the position that every embryo is a distinct and precious human life from the moment of conception, or should we rethink our theology of the early unborn child? How on earth can ordinary believers keep up with the dizzying pace of scientific advancement to equip themselves to make good ethical choices? And should we prepare for a future world where Christians may have to opt out of lifesaving treatments because of how they are developed? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Embryology 1: A stem cell ‘Mini Me’, CRISPR, Brave New World, and extending the 14-day limit
28 september 2022 · 38 min
There has been a flood of highly significant if poorly reported developments in embryo research in recent years, all of which raise new and confusing questions for Christians and non-Christians alike. Is it acceptable to use stem cells to create embryo-like structures to research on? Should we ban all efforts to perfect gene editing, even if that stops us effectively eradicating some horrible conditions? And would it be wise to extend the current rules on embryo research to let scientists go further in the lab, as many would like? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Evolution 2: Tracking coronavirus variants, the immorality of mutation, roughly one thousand hominids, and intelligent uncertainty
21 september 2022 · 33 min
Our second episode on the evolution debate considers three more bones of contention: where do different species come from? Are we all commonly descended from a single source, or does God intervene? Then we consider homo sapiens, and whether science supports the Genesis account of humankind having an original Adam and Eve couple. Lastly we look at the Fall, and question if this can be seen as a real event in space and time, or instead has evolutionary biology proven death, predation and suffering were baked into creation long before human beings chose to sin. Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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The Queen: Monarchy as service, astonishing the President of Ireland, the changing Christmas Speech, and a testimonial faith
14 september 2022 · 33 min
In this special one-off episode, Tim speaks with Mark Greene from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity about Queen Elizabeth II, her faith and decades of service. We consider her own particularly Biblical vision for how constitutional monarchy should work in post-war and post-Imperial Britain, and we explore how her deeply-held Christian faith shaped a lifetime of service. How did this mostly silent figurehead become the most admired public Christian in Britain and quietly expound the gospel year after year in an increasingly secular country? Lees meer
You can find out more about Mark’s book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, here – https://licc.org.uk/ourresources/the-queens-faith/
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Evolution 1: Finding common ground, the cosmic watchmaker, interpreting Genesis, and a 6,000-year-old Earth?
7 september 2022 · 33 min
Evolution vs creationism. It's been one of the most divisive and contentious debates within Christianity. But is there a way to tackle these questions without falling into rancour and accusation? In this episode we tentatively attempt just that, exploring first what we can all agree on about God as Creator, and then looking through five big areas of disagreement. Can we sustain the idea the universe is only 6,000 years old in the 21st century? And should Christians reject scientists' insistence all species were originally descended from a common ancestor, including humans? Lees meer
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Archie Battersbee 2: Doubts over the brain scans, the end of ‘doctor knows best’, sucked into the culture wars and protective power of attorney
31 augustus 2022 · 31 min
Archie’s case underlines the growing crisis over the lack of trust many ordinary people have in medical professionals. Nobody wants to go back to absolute deference to doctors, but is there an alternative to furious hostility and judges having to rule on care decisions? Doctors and patients also need to wrestle with a new participant in these vexed and fraught conflicts – the public, newly involved in these cases via social media and online campaigns. But is it helping to have activists turning these unique and tragic stories of deeply sick children into grist for the culture war mill? Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Archie Battersbee 1: The invention of ‘brain death’, a breakdown in trust, the child’s best interests, and how to turn off life support
24 augustus 2022 · 39 min
Twelve-year-old Archie Battersbee died on 7 August, after months of legal wrangling between doctors who believed he was brain dead and wished to end life support, and his family who resisted this. This tragic case has captured a lot of media attention, and in this episode we try to unpick some of the complicated medical and ethical challenges thrown up by the story. Why is it so much harder today than in the past to actually determine if a person has died? How can, and should, the courts overrule the wishes of a child’s parents regarding medical treatment (or its withdrawal)? And can Christians be pro-life and anti-euthanasia, while still supporting the doctors’ wish to allow Archie to die? Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Genetics 2: Whole genome sequencing, Gattaca, de-identification versus anonymity, and Big Data Towers of Babel
17 augustus 2022 · 32 min
In this episode we pick up our conversation with clinical geneticist Melody Redman to talk about a new NHS programme in England which is piloting whole genome sequencing of newborn babies. Why are scientists and doctors interested in collecting a child’s entire set of genes and storing them for the rest of their life? What medical benefits might result from this, and what ethical challenges does it throw up? Just because we can now do this, should we? We also consider some of the risks of our increasingly geneticised world and how as Christians we can hold onto our identity in Christ rather than lapsing into genetic determinism. Lees meer
Find out more about the Newborn Genomes Programme here - https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/initiatives/newborns
The group Unique helps support people and families affected by rare chromosomal and genetic disorders - https://rarechromo.org/
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Genetics 1: Rare diseases, libraries of recipe books, BRCA1, and precision medicine
10 augustus 2022 · 30 min
Each of us carries around in our cells about 20,000 different genes – a unique set of biological code which shapes how our bodies develop. As scientists better understand genes and how they work, genetics is becoming a more and more important field of modern medicine, particularly in diagnosing conditions. But this comes with a brand new set of ethical challenges to think through. In this episode, we interview Melody Redman, a clinical geneticist working in the NHS, about her work, and her perspective on it as a Christian doctor. Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Subscribe to the Matters Of Life And Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Suffering 2: Rediscovering lament, reciting psalms in bomb shelters, the Gethsemane prayer, and the realism of Christian hope
3 augustus 2022 · 32 min
Resuming our conversation about suffering, we think through some faithful Christian responses to evil and loss. How can the church reintegrate the deeply Biblical tradition of lament into its corporate and individual life, picking up on the psalms and ultimately Jesus on the cross? And what might a resilient and hope-filled fellowship of believers look like in the light of this? Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Suffering 1: ’Adamah’, mystery and presence, the ever-smiling Buddha, and the lamb slain from the creation of the world
27 juli 2022 · 34 min
The problem of suffering has been one of the most intractable and painful theological debates for centuries. But is it perhaps not a problem to be solved, but a deeper mystery to be journeyed through? Is suffering solely a consequence of human sin since the Fall, or were we made to be fragile, dependent and broken? And how does knowing Jesus's death and resurrection are not simply a response to pain but God's Plan A from the start change things? Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
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Space 2: Astrobiology, 16 billion billion Earth-like planets, LUCA and the non-competitive Imago Dei
20 juli 2022 · 34 min
In the second half of our conversation with theologian Andrew Davison, we ask what the discovery of life elsewhere in the universe would mean for Christian faith and teaching. Whether it is single-celled organisms or fully-fledged intelligent sentient life, would its discovery change how we think about God as creator? Are aliens also made in the image of God? And if so, do they have their own Jesus and incarnation and redemption story, just as we do? Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Space 1: The James Webb telescope, extra-terrestrial life, hobbits of the universe and the doctrine of creation
13 juli 2022 · 32 min
In the week the first images from the new James Webb Space Telescope were beamed back to Earth, we are joined by theologian Andrew Davison to consider the spiritual value of cosmology and astrophysics. Andrew is a theologian of the sciences and especially interested in the deep questions about life thrown up by new developments in space exploration. We consider what the telescope might discover, how Christians can reconcile themselves to our smallness in the universe, and if there is spiritual value in spending billions on this kind of far-sighted scientific endeavour in the first place. Lees meer
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Simulation 2: Zoom’s face-smoothing, chatbot therapists, Trinitarianism, and evil as counterfeit
6 juli 2022 · 25 min
Hello, and welcome to Matters of Life and Death. Today we’re going back to our conversation about simulation for part two of this re-broadcast. Last week’s episode discussed the growth of deep fakes and other digital technologies which allow us to simulate human faces and speech with increasing accuracy. We thought about how these developments had been presaged for decades by sci fi, such as Philip K Dick’s iconic novels, but also by the influential yet eccentric French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. Baudrillard sketched out four phases of simulated reality, beginning with a first phase of accurate, faithful representation where an image acted as a sacrament. We’re going to pick up the discussion as John explains the next phase in Baudrillard’s analysis. Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Simulation 1: Deep fakes, David Beckham speaking Mandarin, Jean Baudrillard’s four phases, and image as sacrament
29 juni 2022 · 27 min
For the next two weeks we’re dipping back into the Matters of Life and Death archive to bring you an episode we first broadcast last year. It’s all about simulation. We live in an era when digital technology is making it increasingly easy and cheap to create fake but compelling images or videos of people, or even entirely artificial human-like personalities. Machine learning tools and progress in artificial intelligence software means we are closer than ever to things previously only imaginable in sci fi: computer programs which can speak to us like a human or, androids which are indistinguishable from real people. In this episode we discuss examples of this kind of tech already in the world, what impact it may have in the future, and how we as Christians should think about these forms of simulated images, relationships and personalities. Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Prenatal screening 2: The prohibition on soothsaying, transcending genetic determinism, a client-technician relationship and Heidi Crowter’s joyful self-advocacy
22 juni 2022 · 35 min
Could it be that some knowledge – including whether your unborn child has a serious genetic condition – is actually not helpful, and even harmful to us? In this episode we dig further into the complex ethics of prenatal screening and explore what the Christian tradition makes of seeking to understand the future, and the different arguments for and against aborting children we know will be disabled. Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Prenatal screening 1: Peering into the unknown, less than 1/150, blood tests over the internet, and disability doublethink
15 juni 2022 · 36 min
Pregnant women today are offered a battery of tests and screening for their unborn child, looking for an ever-increasing range of conditions and risks. But is the onward march of technology in this sphere always an unmitigated good thing? With abortion for a disability legal in the UK up to term, women are being given terrible choices previous generations never faced: give birth to a child who probably has a life-limiting or even fatal condition, or end the pregnancy early. What ethical challenges does this knowledge, whether gained via the official NHS programmes or a growing number of DIY tests available online, pose? Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John’s website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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Old people 2: Aging congregations, transcendence at the Arsenal, understanding life backwards, and honouring prayer warriors
8 juni 2022 · 31 min
Demographic trends reveal clearly the next century will be one increasingly dominated by older people. If God is giving us a lot more folk in their later years, what are they for in church life? Has the modern church, terrified of decline, alienated its faithful, older congregants in a desperate attempt to lure back the young? And what wisdom and service do older Christians have to offer their churches? Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Matters of Life and Death is part of Premier Unbelievable. Find out more at www.premierunbelievable.com
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Old people 1: The demographic transition, Reverend Thomas Malthus, Hasidic Jewish outliers, and the grey vote
1 juni 2022 · 30 min
The world’s population is rapidly becoming older and older, with many developed nations seeing unprecedented proportions of their citizens in retirement age. Why is this taking place, and does this presage an era of economic stagnation or a utopia of stability? How have fears over demography shifted as fertility rates plummet across the world, and how can we avoid pitting the young against the ever more powerful old in bitter intergenerational conflict? Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
Matters of Life and Death is part of Premier Unbelievable. Find out more at www.premierunbelievable.com
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Robot rights 2: Rejecting self-definition, the citadel of human uniqueness, rehashing ‘God of the gaps’, and evangelising at androids
25 mei 2022 · 33 min
In the second part of our conversation on robot rights, we explore three Christian responses to calls for robot personhood, spanning the spectrum of hostility to optimism about the development. What Biblical truths and doctrines can we turn to as we wrestle with what is a fundamentally brand new dilemma? And how would our theology and practice as believers change should conscious, intelligent, autonomous robots come to live among us? Lees meer
You can find plenty of resources on the question of personhood and robotics on John’s website: www.johnwyatt.com
John co-edited a multi-author book last year called The Robot Will See You Now which brought together Christian thinkers and writers to consider how the rise of robotics and AI might affect everything from the arts to healthcare. You can find out more and order a copy here: https://johnwyatt.com/2021/07/01/the-robot-will-see-you-now/
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Robot rights 1: Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws, fauxbots, whimpering miniature dinosaurs, and inherent or conferred personhood
18 mei 2022 · 31 min
If and when autonomous and intelligent robots come into existence, should they be granted rights, or even personhood? A growing number of technologists argue governments must lay out what status conscious and rational machines would have before they actually have been invented. But how can we decide what is and isn’t a person, and what rights and responsibilities such a thing should have? And how could this philosophical and technical debate affect our Christian beliefs on human uniqueness? Lees meer
You can find plenty of resources on the question of personhood and robotics on John’s website: www.johnwyatt.com
John co-edited a multi-author book last year called The Robot Will See You Now which brought together Christian thinkers and writers to consider how the rise of robotics and AI might affect everything from the arts to healthcare. You can find out more and order a copy here: https://johnwyatt.com/2021/07/01/the-robot-will-see-you-now/
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Pregnancy crisis 2: Paternalistic gynaecologists, holding truth with grace, ambiguity in the ultrasound clinic, and refusing the culture war
11 mei 2022 · 33 min
Abortion is a flashpoint issue in both the church and wider culture, with the very language you choose used as a cudgel for either side. So how can Christians talk about it and respond to it in a way which cools tensions rather than inflames them? How has the church’s thinking on abortion and pregnancy changed over the many decades John has been involved in healthcare? And can a pro-life believer offer truly non-directive counselling to a pregnant woman considering termination, or work with integrity in a hospital which carries out abortions? Lees meer
(This episode was recorded before the news broke about the draft Supreme Court ruling in the United States which would revoke Roe v Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.)
A good place to get help if you or someone you know is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy (or if you'd like to find your local pregnancy crisis centre in the UK) is https://www.pregnancychoicesdirectory.com/info
You can find more information and resources on abortion and the beginning of life on John's website: www.johnwyatt.com
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Pregnancy crisis 1: A constructive Christian response, heads versus hearts, feeling like a ‘bad feminist’, and the three options
4 mei 2022 · 33 min
Rates of unplanned pregnancies rose significantly during the coronavirus lockdowns. What kind of support is out there for women (and men) facing this situation, and how can the church try and plug the gaps? In this episode we speak with Sophie Guthrie-Kummer, who runs a charity in London which has offered pregnancy crisis counselling (among other services) for two decades, to hear what this work looks like and how Choices juggles the theological and social hot potatoes of pregnancy and abortion. Lees meer
You can find more information and resources on abortion and the beginning of life on John's website: www.johnwyatt.com
A good place to get help if you or someone you know is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy (or if you'd like to find your local pregnancy crisis centre in the UK) is https://www.pregnancychoicesdirectory.com/info
You can find out more about Choices here: https://www.choicesislington.org/
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John Stott 2: Christians in the public square, an untried ideal, talking and living like Jesus, and the challenge of evangelical hagiography
27 april 2022 · 29 min
This is part two of our re-broadcast of last year’s John Stott episode, to mark what would have been his centenary. Is Stott’s vision of lay Christians persuading for Christ in the public square a naïve fantasy in the 21st century? And should we be more cautious before lionising evangelical titans like Stott in this age of scandal and disappointment? Lees meer
(Originally broadcast in April 2021).
Resources from John's website from the Stott centenary:
Talk and discussion: Quick to listen – lessons from John Stott on grace under fire
Interview and talk: The John Stott Centenary – Equipping the people of God for ministry
Interview: The life and legacy of John Stott
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John Stott 1: Double listening, a conservative radical, redefining ‘the ministry’ and salt as preservative
20 april 2022 · 24 min
This month marks 101 years since the late John Stott was born, and his centenary last year prompted a flurry of events to mark the centenary of this highly influential vicar, Bible teacher and evangelical leader. ‘Uncle John’, as he was affectionately known, also had a huge impact on John's life and career and so we dialled in back then to reflect on not just the legacy of Stott’s many decades of ministry, but also to consider whether his vision for how Christians can engage well in the public square was still relevant and meaningful now, more than 60 years after he began making the case. Has society long since moved on, or are there still things to learn and challenges to heed from Stott? Lees meer
(This episode was first broadcast in April 2021)
Other resources on John's website from the John Stott centenary:
Talk and discussion: Quick to listen – lessons from John Stott on grace under fire
Interview and talk: The John Stott Centenary – Equipping the people of God for ministry
Interview: The life and legacy of John Stott
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Palliative care 2: Resisting assisted dying, the ‘superskill’ of listening, DNAR discussions, and euthanasia-free-zones
13 april 2022 · 33 min
In Britain as in many countries there is a growing campaign to legalise assisted suicide and to make doctors prescribe on request lethal drugs to terminally ill patients. In the second part of our interview with Sarah Foot, a Christian palliative care doctor, Sarah explains why her colleagues are overwhelmingly opposed to this, the ignorance which lies behind many of the arguments for changing the law, and the implications for palliative care should assisted dying be imposed upon it. Lees meer
John's resources page for material on euthanasia and the end of life: https://johnwyatt.com/medical-ethics/euthanasia-end-of-life/
An article he wrote about the Assisted Dying Bill introduced to the UK parliament last year: https://johnwyatt.com/2021/07/08/whats-wrong-with-the-assisted-dying-bill/
Our episode about assisted dying from 2021: https://johnwyatt.com/2021/10/08/assisted-dying-the-meacher-bill-radicals-in-the-lords-canadas-slippery-slope-and-fragile-conscience-protections/
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Palliative care 1: Dogs and Guinness on the wards, ‘living until you die’, deathbed prayers, and complicated grief
6 april 2022 · 33 min
Over the past 60 years a new field of medicine has emerged – palliative care. In this episode we interview Sarah Foot, a Christian palliative care doctor, who explains how she treats the physical, mental, social and even spiritual needs of those who are dying, the Christian foundations of the discipline, and what impact her profession has on her. Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Climate anxiety 2: Listening to the Global South, alienation from creation, throwing pebbles into God’s river, and rediscovering lament
29 maart 2022 · 32 min
Following on from our discussion last week on the rise of climate fatalism, we discuss what an authentically Christian response to our environmental crisis would look like. How can we steer a middle path between complacency and despair? Does our different theology of the future change how we act on climate change? And, what can we learn from our evangelical forbears about how to live well in the face of potential climate catastrophe? Lees meer
Excerpts from CS Lewis's essay Living in an Atomic Age
Christian Aid's climate change projects
A Rocha's Eco Church scheme
The Christian Climate Alliance's principles and values for Christian climate activism
'The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis' - 1967 essay by Lynn White
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Climate anxiety 1: ’Delay means death’, media apathy, Extinction Rebellion, and fatalism among the young
23 maart 2022 · 30 min
The latest report from the UN's climate scientists was both incredibly downbeat about climate change and almost entirely ignored by a media fixated on Ukraine. In this episode we consider the communication and changing narratives around climate change, why an unscientific hyper-fatalism has set in with many activists, and what impact this might be having on younger generations terrified humanity itself is going extinct. Lees meer
'We're heading Straight for a Demi-Apocalypse' - Emma Marris in The Atlantic
Climate anxiety in children - study in The Lancet
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability - IPCC report
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Human enhancement 2: Techno-optimism returns, the yuck factor, cultivating our bodies, and the divinisation of humanity
16 maart 2022 · 31 min
In this episode we pick up our conversation from last week about transhumanism and how technology might redefine what it means to be human. We consider what place technology has in today's social narrative and whether it makes sense as Christians to automatically resist efforts to use cutting-edge science to reshape ourselves. Is the human body to be regarded as a Lego kit or a flawed masterpiece of art? How do we discern the Creator's original intention for our bodies in a world where they, like everything else, have been broken by the Fall? And how might it change our ethics in this area if we focused our attention on the resurrected Jesus as the firstfruits of a new kind of humanity? Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Human enhancement 1: Calico, the dragon tyrant, transhumanism, and monkeys playing Pong
9 maart 2022 · 28 min
Billions of dollars are currently being spent by a suite of private firms, mostly in Silicon Valley, pursuing radical research to enhance human capacities. These companies want to put off, or even defeat, aging, upload our minds to computers and give humans new abilities. Is this simply the next frontier for science and something to be welcomed, or should Christians hesitate to endorse research which appears to target our very created selves? What is the difference between using technology to tackle cancer versus tackling the aging process itself? And what is driving tech billionaires to spend their fortunes in this way? Lees meer
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
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Relaunch: How we started, baby boomers and millennials, the pandemic as catalyst, and the signal to noise ratio
2 maart 2022 · 32 min
To mark our arrival on the Premier network, we recap how Matters of Life and Death began and what we hope our intergenerational conversations might achieve. We then reflect on how the pandemic and its acceleration of digital technology has shaped so many of the issues we discuss, before briefly exploring three stories we will cover in future episodes (human enhancement, climate change nihilism, and end of life care). Lees meer
If you're new to the show, please do also scroll down the podcast feed to find the last two years of episodes we've already produced to have a listen.
If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, find more resources to read, listen to and watch at John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
US based listeners can support this podcast financially. Head to https://premierinsight.org/mattersoflifeanddeath
UK based listeners can support this podcast financially. Head to https://my.premier.org.uk/donate/donate-unbelievable-2021 -
Coronavirus: The Omicron variant, mandatory vaccination, pandemic solidarity, and memories of authoritarianism
17 december 2021 · 35 min
The Omicron variant has in a few short weeks almost taken over the pandemic. This highly transmissible version of covid is raising afresh complicated ethical questions about vaccine distribution and international solidarity between nations. How can we ascertain what is the common good during global crises affecting different countries in different ways? Does Christianity lend any intellectual backing to those who demand the state refrain from telling them how to live during a pandemic? And how might the differing legacies of authoritarian regimes in Europe and the dissenting pilgrims who founded America be playing a part in contemporary vaccine politics? Lees meer
Note: This episode was recorded earlier in December so sadly the wildly explosive growth of Omicron since has meant some of the data and news we mention in passing is now quite out of date!
Also, at the end we have a special announcement about the future of Matters of Life and Death. Thanks for listening, and see you all in 2022.
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Reproductive technologies: the ’Google baby’, Oliver O’Donovan, 14-day-old embryos, and techno-optimism
9 december 2021 · 55 min
This week we are resuming our conversation about infertility which begun in our previous episode. If you haven’t yet listened to that discussion, which focused on IVF, we’d recommend pausing this and going back to it as we will build on some of the ideas we explored last time. Today, we moved on to consider new ethical issues among other reproductive technologies. This is an area of medicine and science which is developing fast, sometimes faster than ethicists and regulators can keep up. What would it mean if we were able to genetically screen embryos to choose the most desirable traits before pregnancy? Is surrogacy, a growing alternative to IVF, a good option for couples or could it unintentionally become exploitative? And more broadly, should we as Christians be concerned by this rush to find technological solutions to our human frailties? Lees meer
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Infertility and IVF: Hidden wounds, premature quintuplets, embryo donation and the procreative-unitive bond
10 november 2021 · 41 min
Today we are delving into a complex and sensitive topic – infertility and IVF. The statistics suggest about one in seven couples will be unable to conceive without some kind of medical intervention, and the most popular form of reproductive treatment is in vitro fertilisation – IVF. Partly because infertility is such a painful time for many of those experiencing it, we don’t talk about it much. The same is also true of IVF, even though today in some places the procedure now accounts for as many as five per cent of all births. In this episode we wanted to consider how infertility interacts with both church culture and broader society, for good or ill, and then examine the complicated ethical questions raised by IVF treatment. Lees meer
Some links which may be helpful for Christians who are experiencing infertility:
Saltwater and Honey - a collection of voices sharing their stories about infertility, miscarriage, childlessness and faith, plus lots of resources
The Rhythm of Hope - an annual retreat and community for Christian couples
Waiting for Children - a course which many churches around the UK run, including HTB who are running it online
John's book Matters of Life and Death also has several chapters exploring infertility and reproductive technology.
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Assisted dying: The Meacher Bill, radicals in the Lords, Canada’s slippery slope and fragile conscience protections
8 oktober 2021 · 39 min
This week we’re digging into assisted dying. A bill to legalise it in England has been introduced to parliament – what does it propose and how likely is it to actually become law? And zooming out a little, what are the social factors behind this renewed push to introduce a form of euthanasia to Britain, and in particular via the House of Lords of all places? Finally, we discuss what we could learn from Canada – which has brought in its own form of assisted suicide, with some alarming consequences, since we in the UK last debated it six years ago. Lees meer
You can find more information on Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying programme here: https://www.betterwaycampaign.co.uk/canada
John's article unpacking the Meacher Bill is here: https://johnwyatt.com/2021/07/08/whats-wrong-with-the-assisted-dying-bill
You can also find lots more material and resources on the topic on this page on his website: https://johnwyatt.com/medical-ethics/euthanasia-and-palliative-care
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Abusive leadership: Mark Driscoll, the hermeneutic of suspicion, Sigmund Freud’s chaise longue, and Paul-Timothy relationships
30 augustus 2021 · 46 min
Today’s episode is a little hard to sum up – we begin by reflecting on the recent series of scandals around abusive church leaders, before going to discuss how contemporary culture thinks about sex and power (and in particular how they are exploited) in human relationships. And then we consider to what extent Christians should become as suspicious of our leaders and their relationships, as it seems wider society is. Lees meer
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast (which we both strongly recommend) can be found here - https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/
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