News & Announcements about the CTA

If you struggle with the concept of someone kneeling during the national anthem then you are really going to have a hard time with the coming eschaton. Jesus didn’t come to unilaterally support the United States of America – he came to save and r...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyxSJLJHXAk/WcWdwnF4zuI/AAAAAAAB_8g/CsRVH_vDrBMb741s9QGmr-dHWMyY7-J6wCLcBGAs/s1600/joseph-smith-last-sermon.jpg" /><br /><br />T...

WND covers The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek's work on Christian Transhumanism. Read the full article HERE.

Dear Levi, You arrived on this world in the day of a total solar eclipse. What a momentous occasion for you to be born! It is as if creation was welcoming you with a party. As we heard your first cries, our heart leapt in joy just as it had for ou...

Every year on the third weekend of September, the town of Point Pleasant, WV, hosts the Mothman Festival to commemorate the appearance of a mysterious creature or entity known as the Mothman, reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from Novembe...

It’s the 65th anniversary of the Flatwoods Monster incident, so today I offer my take on one of West Virginia’s most famous monsters. The story of the Flatwoods Monster bears telling because it is unique amongst UFO encounters. Depending upon who ...

We have been reviewing a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” given by fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave  at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, Heiser has set out to demonstrate that sci-f...

I believe that there are two kinds of power in the universe. The first one is control—the ability to constrain action. The second one is freedom—the ability to act. These two kinds of power are in deep conflict, locked together in an inverse rela...

Ellen Duffer, Writing for Religion and Politics, interviews The Rev Dr. Christopher Benek and various other experts in a signififcant article that deals with the Religious Issue surrounding Artificial Intelligence. Read the full article HERE.

The earliest full-fledged expression of the Demonic Hypothesis of UFO comes from a 37-page book written by Rev. Walter Vincent Grant, Sr. (1913-1983) called Men in the flying saucers identified: not a mystery! The book was published in late 1954 [...

Here’s how salvation works in Christianity. In Christianity, love is what saves. When Jesus is asked how to inherit eternal life, the answer is the the greatest commands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and wi...

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.

Transhumanism at its core is not some sci-fi or superhero, this will happen in 100 years, concept. Transhumanism is happening right now. As a pastor serving a local congregation, I see proof of transhumanism in my congregation everyday.

We have been reviewing a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” given by fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave  at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, Heiser has set out to demonstrate that sci-f...

Writing in the May 1955 issue of Flying Saucer Review, Desmond Judge summed up the issue of “Occultism and Flying Saucers.” In the article of the same name, he wrote the following; “Since 1947, when reported observations of Flying Saucers began to...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a7-AI435Jm4/WZ-jq16HZ0I/AAAAAAAB_mA/O4u3GIQ4lwEZlvYVh1paJ-VyqVKYpSs_wCEwYBhgL/s1600/beanmuseum.jpg" /><br /><br />If, like I am,...

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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MiglFvzclA/WZznZAyZzsI/AAAAAAAB_ls/qCzZsTWkJvQ7UlSHuH6Ph3mfet7GBFS-wCLcBGAs/s1600/aquinas.jpg" /><br /><br />Sometimes, perhaps...

Ira Glass, in an interview on creativity, described the thing that no one ever tells beginners. It’s simply this: When you start pursuing something new, it’s often because you fell in love with something old. Maybe you decided to learn music bec...

WELCOME TO CHRISTOPHERBENEK.COM! Get Pioneering Insights about how Emerging Technology like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Nanotechnology, Christian Transhumanism and Genetic Engineering are impacting Theology and Christian Living by SU...

Science fiction cyborgs are scary. They make me wonder if we would ever co-exist with such beings in real life. Well, if you are looking for cyborgs you might as well start looking at the mirror. Our race to adopt the latest technologies is slowly...

I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about scripture and doctrine. And yet, as I’ve expressed in many different ways, I believe that love is the answer—the truly significant factor. So why not just let the scripture & doctrine stuf...

I’ve been researching the roots of Christian Ufology lately. I’ve already written on initial Christian reactions to the advent of the flying saucer phenomenon and how the idea that UFOs were Biblically foretold harbingers of God’s judgment was fur...

We have been reviewing a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” given by fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave  at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, Heiser has set out to demonstrate that sci-f...

Believe it or not, one if the theories proposed to explain the UFO phenomenon is that they are as yet undiscovered biological entities.  That’s right. Critters in the sky! What’s more, the earliest well-known proponent of the Cryptozoological Theo...

While Millennials continue to capture most of the headlines, we are just now starting to understand the next generation. Early reports are worrisome. The Atlantic just published an article about an extensive study on what is now called the Igenera...

John Weldon and Zola Levitt are best known as the authors of UFOs: What on Earth is Happening? The 1975 book was influential in popularizing the Demonic Eschatological Hypothesis of UFO, especially because it received encouraging back cover blurbs...

A recent post about Ken Ham‘s repeated use of a bad argument that Isaiah 45:18 says anything about alien life has made rounds. It has also gotten me castigated by those who feel that no one ought to ever question the man (!) I have no ill will tow...

Ann Druffel wrote a book called How To Defend Yourself Against Alien Abduction. Ann Druffel’s book draws from 120 research cases. Like me, Druffel thinks that the experiencer phenomenon should be evaluated separately from the rest of the UFO pheno...

In the mid-July 2017, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment commissioned a national survey conducted by Toluna regarding UFOs, aliens and abductions. The purpose of the survey was to celebrate and promote the August 1, 2017 release of its film, Phoe...

We used to believe that intelligent alien life might be found within our very Solar system, perhaps even on the Moon itself; however, as we continue to explore the cosmos, the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis has undergone a steady territorial retreat....

Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis has recently “written” a post (with the help of the oft-times half-cocked “AiG’s research team”) called “Study: Mars “More Uninhabitable Than Previously Thought.” Apparently, a new study [“Perchlorates on Mars enhance...

We have been reviewing a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” given by fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave  at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, Heiser has set out to demonstrate that sci-f...

RNS interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding concepts surrounding "the uncanny valley" hypothesis as it pertains to artificial intelligence. Read the full article HERE.

Rev. Orval Lee Jaggers, founder of the World Church, began preaching about the possibility of alien abduction after the publication of his 1952 book, Flying Saucers!, which doesn’t mention the subject at all. (We commented on that book in a differ...

Is there a way to achieve (artificial) immortality? What would that look like? This month’s Wired featured an article where journalist James Vlahos sought to immortalize his dying father by creating a chatbot that would mimic his dad’s knowledge, ...

In researching the origins of the UFO phenomenon, especially the advent of the Flying Saucer Craze, one is continually surprised by what one discovers.  While looking up material on the origins of Rev. Orval Lee Jaggers’ belief that flying saucers...

David Deutsch explains the physics of humanity’s profound place in the cosmos—and our potentially unlimited future.

In the early 1950s, Christians were still trying to make sense of the flying saucer phenomenon.  Men associated with the Pentecostal Voice of Healing magazine were among the first on record to weigh in. Gordon Lindsay In July 1950, Gordon Lindsay ...

The noise around AI has been deafening lately. From tales of doom, fears of automation to promises of a new humanity, there is no limit for the speculation around this technology. As one tracking the news and articles around this topic, the task h...

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>Man in the High Castle</em> distorts our...

The Gospel Herald (China) covers the theological commentary of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding robot & human relations. Read the full article HERE. Don't read Chinese? Try Google Translate.

We have been reviewing a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” given by fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave  at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, Heiser has set out to demonstrate that sci-f...

I think it’s high time we shot one enduringly false UFO meme down. I’m pretty sure most people have heard the standard tale of how the term flying saucers came to be. On June 25, 1947, The East Oregonian ran a brief story by Bill Bequette with the...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Neil Gaiman</...

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>George R. R. Martin slew the narrator-god that makes mea...

Fundamentalism is used as a by-word these days and perhaps much of their reputation is deserved. I used to joke that I was trying to put the “fun” back into fundamentalism because the “duh” and the “mental” were already well covered. Originally, C...

The following declaration from members of the World Congress of Mummy Studies appeared on their Facebook page in connection with fully human corpses being promoted by Jaime Maussan and Gaia as potentially “alien” mummies.   The day before the decl...

Fellow science fiction author Dr. Michael Heiser gave a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion” at the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival. Basically, he has set out to demonstrate that sci-fi is isn’t just escapism entertainmen...

Over the past few days, I’ve been watching presentations from the Roswell UFO Festival 2017: “70 Years Later: Modern Challenges to the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis.” This particular post concerns a presentation given by RoswellMission.org founder a...

One of the presentations from the 2017 Roswell UFO Festival (themed “70 Years Later: Modern Challenges to the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis”) that I was most intrigued by a presentation called “Science Fiction: Televangelism for ET Religion.” The sp...

“What are we really looking for in stories of flying saucers and government cover-ups?” Luke Sharret asks in a July 7, 2017 op-ed for The New York Times entitled, “Roswell’s Mysteries Are Life’s Mysteries.” The short answer is just that: answers. ...

The Christian Post features The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek's theological take on sexbots. Read the full article HERE.

Jack Crosby of Inverse cites the writings of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek in an article dealing with theological implications of developing sexbots. Read the full article HERE.

Writing for Czech Magazine Česká Pozice, Blahoslav Hruška quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek in his piece on AI Ethics. Read the full version HERE. Don't read Czech? Try Google Translate.

One of the earliest reports of Christian interpretation of the flying saucer phenomenon came from Kenneth Arnold himself. On June 27, 1947, newspapers across the US ran a story in which Arnold “said that a preacher called him from Texas and inform...

We all utilize tools and tech to enhance our abilities. Some are attached to our body such as a filling in our teeth, contact lenses, or screws to help a broken bone mend. Others are not, such as a knife to cut our food or a hang glider etc. For u...

 I was reading a 2016 feedback article on Creation.com, entitled, “Is the universe a simulation?” when I realized how much the allegedly Biblical principles that modern creationists tout in support of their Earthbound religious perspective have in...

By and large, Biblical creationists are anti-alien and they think the Bible forbids the existence of extraterrestrials. I blame Gary Bates. Gary Bates is the CEO of Creation Ministries International and, more importantly, the author of the best-se...

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Our brains associate neural regions that are architectur...

Gary Bates, CEO of Creation Ministries International and the author of the best-selling book Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection, has responded to my previous post, Gary Bates Thinks ET Could Potentially Falsify The Bible. Predictab...

Gary Bates is the CEO of Creation Ministries International and the author of the best-selling book Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection. It is perhaps no surprise that Bates does not believe aliens exist, especially intelligent alien...

Mike Poteet quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding theological considerations regarding Christianity and AI. Read the full article HERE

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Conservative news sources condemn black rage before cond...

In the previous blog, I talked about how theology has much to offer to the AI conversation. With that said, one must recognize that the conversation between AI and Theology is rather awkward at the moment. While sharing common points of references...

There is presently a societal clash occurring over issues of inclusion in the fields of science and technology. Some advocates believe that all people should be equipped and encouraged to participate in making our scientific and technological fut...

CreationWiki believes that the Bible teaches that there aren’t “any other Earths.” At least, that’s the argument presented in their Extraterrestrial Life article: Consider this well-known verse, which Astronaut Jim Lovell, one of the first three m...

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.

I love the movie Moana. And, particularly, I love this song—both because it’s a great song, and because it perfectly encapsulates a deep truth about reading scripture, or any kind of story. (Listen to it!) On the surface, the meaning of the so...

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> This book failed to enchant me. Perhaps I have a high b...

What does Theology have to do with Artificial Intelligence? What does Jerusalem have to do with Silicon Valley? In this blog, I want to address this question head-on to show that theology is not just relevant but much needed in the current debates...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3V1N-BuMrM/WUXYD2RNUjI/AAAAAAAB_Rw/pjhJg4l5rScOOTQQT3Pu_ZDoDQ-KwJ5cgCLcBGAs/s1600/heaven.jpg" /><br /><br />I love how heaven i...

Superheroes have always served as metaphors for the nuances of human behavior. The starkest dichotomies of these distinctions represent our hopes and fears of what humanity could potentially become through enhanced good or evil. Ironically, suc...

– – What’s up guys? This is Mark Russell with thesingularity.com. It’s been six days with no caffeine and still thinking about Jesus and the second coming and technology and want to comment on 1 Timothy 4:3. So here’s my thought. I think about Jes...

I have intentionally steered clear from political topics in this blog. Yet, just like many in this season, I found myself needing to say something given the unique political moment the US is undergoing at this point. For starters, as an immigrant ...

Today marks a year since the Orlando nightclub shooting. On June 12, 2016, a single gunman walked into a Florida nightclub and killed 49 people, wounding 58 others. A few days later, I wrote down some thoughts about what was happening. This is the...

Stephen Hawking may be an extraordinary theoretical physicist and cosmologist, but he is a misguided futurist. The Earth is not going to be destroyed in 100—or even a 1000—years as he predicts. Instead, it is going to be remade into a new creat...

In a previous blog I talked about how big government and big business were racing to get a piece of the AI revolution. In this blog, I want to explore the parallel grass-roots movement of open AI and its possibilities. Open-Source Movement: The De...

I can really appreciate the idea of us needing each other. Too many times religion says I don’t need you to the rest of the world. Religion tends to look at people on the outside, as do scientists, and in their hearts they think I don’t need you. ...

In a previous blog, I described the trends that led to the current AI renaissance. In this blog, I want to talk about where AI is going and how we can prepare children and young adults to seize on the opportunities emerging from it.  The Global Ra...

Christians should be concerned by the recent international March for Science that happened this past April.

AI hype has come and gone in the past. Why is back on the spotlight now? I will answer this question by describing the three main trends that are driving the AI revolution. The post Why Is Artificial Intelligence All Over The News Lately? appeared...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Ursula K. Le Gui...

Top innovator, creative thinker & global strategist, John Nosta interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek on God, Christian Transhumanism & AI for Psychology Today. Read the article HERE.           Related StoriesThe Gospel Herald (China)...

In previous blogs, I often used the phrase “AI for human flourishing.” In this blog, I want to explore what human flourishing is. What is Human Flourishing? I learned of this concept still in seminary when taking classes on ethics, mission and min...

Very rarely do the words sex and theology appear in the same blog title. Yet, here we are. Sexbots: The Final Step in Human Machine Relationships In a previous blog I discussed how Intelligent Agents could eventually develop romantic relationships...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Chimamanda Ngozi...

– The spirit is willing but the flesh is week. My name’s Mark, this is May 6th, with thesingularity.com. Just got done working out, and I was thinking about the idea of what computers are doing. Ray Kurzweil talking about the age of spiritual mach...

Right now we are seeing the rudimentary functionality of the gospel of Christ move through the net.    The job of bringing people good news is done manually.  One day, Artificial Intelligence will do this work for us. One day I believe technology ...

In my previous blog, I discussed how algorithmic matchmaking was changing how people choose their spouse. In this blog, I want to explore how AI is actually displacing human relationships. While the first example shows some evidence of improving t...

Agah Bahari talks with The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek about the Christian Transhumanist Association on The Neohuman Podcast. Hear the full interview HERE           Related StoriesČeská Pozice – Robot a jeho pán aneb Může mít umělá inteligence vla...

  In a previous post, I mentioned that AI was changing relationships. In this multi-part blog, I want to delve further on this topic to describe how AI is changing marriages. I will focus on algorithmic matchmaking which is present in dating sites...

Writing for The Guardian, Meghan O'Gieblyn, chronicles her personal journey and features a cameo appearance of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek. She writes "After losing her faith, a former evangelical Christian felt adrift in the world. She then fo...

I want to say that it has been an honor serving as the Board Chair of the CTA for the past 3 years. This is an organization admittedly still in its infancy, and it rightly means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But its creat...

I’ve heard it over and over again, when people are considering some new capabilities or technological power: “This is just a repeat of the Serpent’s lie, You shall be like God!” The reference is to Genesis, where the Serpent tempts Eve by prom...

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. My name is Mark. Today is April 28th, and this is an encouraging word for you about your identity, and who you are. So I just got done working out, and I was thinking about that verse, Romans 12:2,...

This is SOOO neat!

What does Christianity bring to the conversation about humanity’s future? 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 the...

I just read a great article (below): Ghost in the Cloud Transhumanism’s simulation theology,  by MEGHAN O’GIEBLYN that was published on N+1. _________________ “I DO PLAN TO BRING BACK MY FATHER,” Ray Kurzweil says. He is standing in the anemic lig...

Matthew 11:4-6  Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed...

Here…   You want to see where God is moving?    Just watch this. Here is where we are going…

Is cryonics selfish? What do Harry Potter, transhumanism & religious education have in common? What happens when kids go door-to-door raising money for life extension? Shannon Vyff—Transhumanist, Unitarian Universalist, and author of “21st Cen...

<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZAr3OUzDrE/WOvC8sl51oI/AAAAAAAB_Ac/az4vXhfbw9w5WxJrDh_ZDkf7WPDXQSVzgCLcB/s1600/lincoln-cannon-mta-2017.jpg" /><br /><br />At the 2017 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Associa...

<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rhHvnkz0mk/WORiLtkuz1I/AAAAAAAB--4/97O4Hry52BQiAfXpbwARmysGvsG8uYdwwCLcB/s1600/religions-of-the-future.jpg" /><br /><br />In 2007 and 2008, I gave a few presentations in the virtua...

What’s up guys, this is Mark with the singularity.com, and I’ve just been thinking about perspective and computers and God and, man, I’m just excited. I saw Eric Schmidt’s, his comments on artificial intelligence. As a Christian, I’m very excited ...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Andrea Rock</...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Eduardo Galeano&...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Hope Mirless<...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Ursula K. Le Gui...

<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="field-label">Author: </span>Lucius Shepard&l...

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Somewhere along the line, I learned that racism was over...

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...

<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vb90Qp__6oo/WNDH8Vn6bGI/AAAAAAAB-8o/NyXCgKrcA94NJ5trwVCUY1_RZqMs6GcyACLcB/s1600/lds-evolution.jpg" /><br /><br />The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the la...

Reading scripture is meant to be hard. I don’t mean that it has to be tedious or boring or anger-inducing or something like that. I mean that the meaning is not just floating on the surface, waiting to be scooped off like so much pond scum. No, th...

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 explore...

<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L_1e5vPutYA/WMQ54cIr0aI/AAAAAAAB-2s/Vyw33_OFaScLtrtHc21MySyfvyJfM1tswCLcB/s1600/caravaggio-conversion-paul-unseen.jpg" /><br /><br />I envision the role of Mormon Transhumanism in c...

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?

If you could flip a switch and experience more pleasure than you have ever felt in your entire life—would you do it? What if that switch also made you feel incredibly happy and joyful? What if it made you feel contented and successful and accompl...

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,...

I’ve recently been rediscovering how truly audacious the biblical vision for humanity is. According to even a cursory reading of the scriptures, humanity is made in the image of God, given charge of the entire world, and called to participate with...

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, ho...

The other day I saw The Lego Batman Movie, a great addition to both the Batman movie franchise, and the Lego movie franchise. It had action, adventure, drama, romance—and more cameos from familiar good guys, bad guys, and ambiguous guys than you c...

I’ve spent my entire life wondering what I would do at certain junctures in history. Would I have followed Jesus—or stood with the Pharisees? Would I have worked against slavery—or argued that it was a necessary evil? Would I have opposed the Nazi...

Johnathan Merritt, writing for The Atlantic, highlights to the work of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek as Merritt wrestles with issues surrounding AI and Christianity. Read the full story HERE.           Related StoriesPsychology Today – The Pasto...

Here is what I believe is happening in the world. Accelerating technological change has unleashed an era of unprecedented prosperity, freedom, and opportunity. The necessity of extreme poverty is vanishing in the rear view mirror, the incidence ...

I am a Christian, and part of what that means is that I am an heir of an incredibly dense and comprehensive cultural tradition. I would call it a maximal cultural tradition, as it has produced art, music, literature, language, buildings, societies...

<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XjtCA35qNNA/WIvI1QC0B2I/AAAAAAAB9Dc/8euFyrNNlvoZejHirhq4pwHuZUPsmD69QCLcB/s1600/simulated-earth.jpg" /><br /><br />"<a href="https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/if-you-could-...

Nicholas Korody, writing for the Architect, quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek as he investigates what VR will mean for the future of Religion. Read the full story HERE.           Related StoriesPsychology Today – The Pastor Who Found God in T...

Carli Velocci, of Gizmodo, points to the work of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek as she explores various uses of VR in the modern context. Read the full story HERE.           Related StoriesPsychology Today – The Pastor Who Found God in Technology...

In the last few years, a number of different organizations have launched projects to end aging and radically extend human longevity. Google’s Calico Labs is perhaps the most well-known effort, followed by Aubrey De Grey’s SENS foundation—but many ...

Christianity is the assertion that love is the most powerful force in the universe. Of course, when we talk about love, all kinds of ideas come to mind, from romance to hippies to powerful feelings about ice cream. (And by the way, if you don’t ...

<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pJH45OaOnYg/WHGGwHvmNyI/AAAAAAAB8tA/j53j04vMyC8-42T5Qxt-zRtH1ZOH5DWvwCLcB/s1600/little-lincoln-byu-dorm.jpg" /><br /><br />Implicitly, I’ve been a <a href="http://lincoln.metacan...

This Fall I taught a Bible class at my local church, along with Kyle Creamer, Nate Underwood, Emily Stutzman Jones (Lipscomb’s Director of Sustainability), Rob Touchstone (founder of the Well Coffeehouse), Tim Catchim (creator of OneLife Ministrie...

<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh9zABU0gRo/WF7kAUZNO1I/AAAAAAAB8kI/ee-kEPg9r9Mid0feRqcj4mVESWuvViPTwCLcB/s1600/girls-consoling-scripture.jpg" /><br /><br />Jesus has many titles and corresponding roles, most nota...

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.

At the beginning of last year, I inadvertently found myself listening to an interview with self-help guru Tony Robbins. That interview made me curious, and pretty soon I had listened to several interviews, a 20-hour full-length audiobook, and a co...

In the movie Elysium, some people live in a paradise city in the sky, while…(can you guess the next part?)…some people live in a hell on earth. I bet you could have guessed the second part even if I hadn’t told you. Why? Because you know this sto...

In the ancient world, leprosy was incredibly unclean—if you had it, you were not simply unhealthy, you were cast out of society. For you to touch anyone was to risk contaminating them. You had to live on the outskirts of town, shouting “unclean! u...

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 optimis...

<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yaRLHyBePlQ/WDuPB8NTixI/AAAAAAAB77k/5K-NfM8GZEYcakoXndoetjRKWz0lKRDaQCLcB/s1600/christian.jpg" /><br /><br />The Bible teaches Christian Transhumanism. Or, in other words, as presen...

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!

<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HtEeXW1U9PY/WBQdGNJd2UI/AAAAAAAB7ow/ZyqPQX1C_jkvSAZyrI60aCvKvKLaZCsLgCLcB/s1600/marionette.jpg" /><br /><br />Spencer, my oldest son, recently completed training to be a missionary ...

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.

<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCcYTTIW2X8/WAUGfyn7-CI/AAAAAAAB7jU/dHGVFwPqz780VwKN4-39o57yJpVslxeaQCLcB/s1600/timothy-killian.jpg" /><br /><br />Timothy Killian authored a critique of the <a href="https://new...

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.

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.

Back in March, I had the privilege of speaking at a TEDx event in the Cayman Islands. My topic? We all live in the developing world. The idea is simple. When we say “the developed world”, it suggests that our society is already finished—that ...

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 Bea...

We often encounter new things in very different ways. Sometimes, new things are terrifying—even demonic. Sometimes, new things are freedom. Talking to Emily the other day, I was struck by how quickly we can switch between these responses. I remem...

I have often thought about the way we define ‘death’. When is someone actually dead? At one point in time, we defined death as the point when someone’s heart stopped beating. Now, we define death as the cessation of brain activity. But even “...

This is part of a series on a Minimum Viable Theology. The idea is to see if we can construct a minimal theological starter kit, using only reasonable assumptions. The first entry is about why good wins. You should start there. The Theistic Premi...

One of the reasons that science has been widely regarded as an atheistic enterprise over the years, is that for quite a while now, it has preached a future of relentless annihilation. Ever since the laws of thermodynamics were formulated, the out...

For quite a while now, I’ve been suffering through something I might call abstraction angst. It’s hard to describe to those who haven’t experienced it, but you might get a little of the flavor if you imagine working at a bank, handling thousands a...

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.

If you, like me, grew up in a “Bible-believing church”, one thing that might have been discussed is the question of what role women could play in church services. You might have been told, for example, that the Bible clearly teaches women to be si...

When I was 12, I began to wonder whether I was becoming an atheist. I couldn’t tell, of course, because while I knew I was exploring things that had turned other people into atheists, I didn’t know whether they inevitably led people into atheism, ...

A few months ago, I gave a talk entitled “The Infinite Resurrection” at the annual conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. The MTA are always great hosts, and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with many of the other speakers. ...

Amy and Micah tackle self-driving cars, the rise of nomadic culture, how stories create technology, and why animated GIFs are saving the world.

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...

The other day, I explored the story of Genesis, and its perplexing account of the corruption of mankind through the knowledge of good and evil. I tried to unpack some of the overlooked dynamics of the story, to get at what it is telling us about h...

The deep challenges of losing your faith community, questioning your own beliefs, and dealing with the difficult process of building a new world.

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!

The other day I posted a hypothesis I was working on, and stirred up some wide-ranging discussion on Twitter. After a while, this kind of thing becomes difficult to squeeze into 140-character chunks, so I thought I would unpack my thinking a bit m...

Paul Wallace talks 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.

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 spirit...

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.

Micah and Amy discuss the disruptiveness of the Singularity, the creepiness of robots, the awesomeness of superheroes, and the importance of origin stories.

Micah Redding talks to Adam Ericksen about Rene Girard, the mechanisms of violence, and how Jesus unravels the ancient cycle of myth and scapegoating.

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.

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.

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.

Micah & Amy 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 Hit...

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...

In this episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin talk about radical life extension.

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.

In this episode, Micah Redding and Amy Gaskin talk about doomsday!

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.

After 2 years, and 3 rounds of peer review, my landmark global Delphi for 2030 has been published. See the URL link to: Gary, J. E., & von der Gracht, H. A. (2015, August). The future of foresight professionals: Results from a global Delphi s...

I will teach a one-day master course at the World Future Society this summer to precede their annual conference. I am calling it the Foresight Educator's BootCamp.

Recently I was asked me to develop a course that anyone could take on "how to think like a futurist." What emerged was a 16-week elective, A&S 392: Contemporary Futurist Thought: From H.G. Wells to Ray Kurzweil.

Religious imagination first re-framed our quest toward tomorrow. Can it still move us in the twenty-first century to recreate our worlds?

Thank you for visiting JayGary.com. I created this site to help you reframe your future based on my latest papers, workshops, consulting, and features.

Forty years ago, America was gripped by Future Shock, so claimed Alvin Toffler. Are we seeing the eclipse of Future Shock as a younger, more adaptable workforce comes into its own?  Future Shock was a book released in 1970, but it was also an idea...

In the fall of 2011 I conducted a Real-time Delphi survey with members of Empowered21, entitled: "Outlook 2020: The future of Spirit-empowered Christianity."

Based on more than a decade of management consulting, in 2003 I formed PeakFutures as a firm to offer foresight training, research and assessments for teams and organizations.

This paper views Sardar’s postnormal times as embryonic, and extends it using ecosystems theory. To develop Sardar's concept as a macrohistory, Holling's adaptive cycle and panarchical systems are proposed as mechanisms of change that create postn...

What has occupied your executive team’s attention the past three years? Chances are you have been restructuring departments or reengineering core programs for immediate gain, rather than regenerating your strategies or reinventing your organizatio...