Motherboard: The Jesuit Priest Who Helped Create Modern Transhumanism

I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! my beloved is knocking. “Open to me…” (Song of Songs 5:2a) It’s the saturday after Jesus’ crucifixion. His body lies in the grave; his apprentices are devastated or in shock. But what else might be go...

2019 is well under way and the attention on Artificial Intelligence persists. An AI revolution is already underway (for a very informative deep dive on this topic check this infographic).  Businesses are investing heavily in the field and staffing...

Thinking about Authority this evening. We are letting artificial intelligence help us predict recidivism in court. As a community, we are trusting in its authority to give us a more accurate answer then we can come up with. So in essence it has au...

Okay sometimes I get a little nostalgic, if you ask my wife she would say I get VERY nostalgic. Anyway, I was just listening did this video by Motley Crue. And with all of the glam-rock big hair and makeup I was reminded of growing up back in the ...

*Presented at the 2019 Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference on Saturday, April 15, 2019.I remember the first time I met Death. It was a brief and horrifying experience. The second time I met Death was far more alluring. The second time I co...

When trying to make sense of artificial intelligence and how it interacts with spirituality, I like to loosen my religious dogmatic definitions that I previously held. The holy spirit is called the spirit of Truth. Evangelical friends of mine give...

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Yesterday, the ERLC released a statement on AI. This was a laudable step as the Southern Baptist became the first large Christian denomination to address this issue directly. While this is a start, the document fell short in many fronts. From the ...

Hi Pastor, So last week my local pastor spoke of a future of technology where kids will not need driver’s license because the cameras will be able to identify who they are and if they are legally allowed to drive. Honestly, I didn’t know my pastor...

One of the biggest casualties of Western subject-based knowledge is the separation between Science and Humanities. Because of this rift, Science became abstracted from human affairs and Humanities disconnected from the natural world. This did not ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k-lruKnyKF8/XKuAEPsycWI/AAAAAAACHjQ/6vDX1LS7gYYCKlVVUID7xTIulXzn8f-TQCLcBGAs/s1600/boy-reading-worn-bible.png" /><br /><br />Im...

<img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mzxjiuAzJK8/XKp9LJjlnuI/AAAAAAACHjA/8bYlUcqee08CNj_hK1NvjldbcjtGgzoxACLcBGAs/s1600/october-2010-general-conference-congregation-811005-print.p...

<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jaIBM22MCdU/XKgMOg1LVHI/AAAAAAACHik/vAC3PgN1AtoHBtceZMzIj6Ta_GsSi3mWwCLcBGAs/s1600/return-of-christ.png" /><br /><br />This is an edited transcript of my presentation at the 2018 Co...

Dear friends,Within regards to the most recent policy changes, there are some things I’d like you to know.Please know that queer folks have been deeply injured by the Policy of Exclusion (POX) and so far as I’m concerned queer folks can take all t...

The post Mark Zuckerburg live feed video using AI appeared first on The Singularity.

The post Mark Zuckerburg live feed video using AI appeared first on The Singularity.

The following is an excerpt from The Interfaith Family Journal by Susan Katz Miller. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Introduction I come from a great, big, thr...

Last week, I had the privilege to see one of my favorite theologians speak in person at Emory University. I was introduced to her in one of my first classes in seminary through her book “She Who is”. In it, Johnson sheds light in the many astonish...

The following is an excerpt from Psychedelic Christianity by Jack Call. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. We are all sinners because there are always ideals we h...

In my previous essay, The Resurrection is Technological, I explored Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15, that the resurrection is about God’s intention for humanity to reign over the cosmos. According to Paul, God’s plan was for humans to rule th...

The following is an excerpt from Impolite Questions for a Generous God by Jeremy Armstrong. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. As a one-time Christian music journ...

This week, I take a break from my recent blog series to report on my road trip to Nashville last week. This was a unique experience as I traveled in the middle of the work week to meet new friends and engage in meaningful conversations in the even...

The following is an excerpt from Finding God in the Margins by Carolyn Custis James. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Unlocking the Power of the Book of Ruth Fr...

The following is an excerpt from A Resurrection Shaped Life by Jake Owensby. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Despite the heat and humidity of late-July Florida...

In my last blog, I explored Philip Hefner’s theory of “Created Co-Creators” to set a foundation for a theology of technological hope. In this blog, I want to flesh out more what it means to shape and re-direct the ethos of technology using Moltman...

Recently, I was interviewed by Peter Hayward, host of FuturePod, a new source for practicing futurists, and shared how my work as a practicing futurist came about, and how I became an accidental academic, helping groups using visioning exercises t...

Today is the Feast of Saint Patrick—or Lá Fhéile Pádraig, “the Day of the Festival of Patrick.” It’s a time many around the world celebrate by wearing green, eating and drinking terribly-dyed green things. But on a deeper level, it’s a time ...

The following is an excerpt from Love, God by Deborah J. Simmons-Roslak and Linda J. Orber. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. “Happiness is our natural state. Ha...

The Kingdom of God has a biotechnological research agenda. We must cultivate all life, starting from the bottom up. We must learn how life works, how evolution unfolds, how ecosystems function—and we must learn to bless and uplift those processes...

The previous three blogs were setting the stage for what I want to discuss here. I traced the beginnings of Moltmann’s theology of hope, discussed the development of liberation theology and then made the case for why technology is the main driving...

Dear United Methodist Friend, I’ve never been one of your number, though I’ve always been a fan. I grew up Pentecostal (among other things), where we found your personal and social holiness traditions to be fertile soil to grow our experienc...

In part 1, I introduced Moltmann’s theology of hope and its origins. In part 2, I explored one of its main offshoots, theology of liberation. There, I also posed the question whether the avenue for liberation may be shifting from politics to techn...

It’s bittersweet to share that this will be my last Rational Faiths blog post. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Rational Faiths team the last two and half years. It has been a very enlightening journey. I also want to express m...

You searched for me, year after year.Search no longer, the veil is sheer.You are not alone. The Mother is here.Take my hand, and let go of your fear. Dry your eyes. Not one more tear.Lay down your sorrow. It’s okay to be queer. Join your sisters a...

Moltmann's theology of hope inspired theologians and clergy globally. In this blog, I explore the emergence of liberation theology. The post Theology of Hope Moves South – Latin American Liberation appeared first on AI Theology.

Heavenly Mother is a cherished doctrine among many Latter-day Saints. Her unique esthetic of feminine deity offers Latter-day Saint women a trajectory for godhood—the ultimate goal of Mormon theology. Though Heavenly Mother offers a uniquely femin...

This blogs starts a series on re-visiting a theology of hope in a technological age. For full transparency, I write this as my reflection on the topic progresses. I do this on purpose, in the hope that this reflection is not limited to an isolated...

I have noticed a shift in the corporate America recently. Moving away from the unapologetic defense of profit making of the late 20th century, corporations are now asking deeper questions on the purpose of their enterprises. Consider how businesse...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQRXRpVQBUE/XFnsJa0zgWI/AAAAAAACHWM/KGM38NNGjMoOcz5uF997aDXmlpSd8WRwQCLcBGAs/s1600/simulated-earth.png" /><br /><br />A decade a...

The following is an excerpt from Good Blood by K. C. Pastore. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Five men dressed in black suits lounged at the far end of the cov...

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, ...

  Systematic theology organizes theological ideas into topics. The original intent was to construct a system that could explain the many facets of the Christian faith to its adherents. If Scripture described the experience of God through history, ...

The following is an excerpt from When God Was A Bird by Mark I. Wallace. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. The Singing Monk of the Crum Woods Today the wood thru...

Life is hard. If I want to relate to life’s spiritual dimension in a way that embraces—rather than evades—life, generative spirituality unfolds for me along three axes: Generative spirituality is rooted in the past. Those who have gone befor...

This is not an academic paper about religious Transhumanism. I find myself less interested in discussing religious transhumanism and more interested in doing religious transhumanism. Consider this a sermon written by a religious Transhumanist divi...

Dear Bisexuals,Some of you have expressed your concerns to me about possibly being “gay” and not “bi.” The idea of bisexuality being a stop on the way to “gay-town” has been a common way for monosexuals to delegitimize the experiences of bisexuals...

The following is an excerpt from Jewish And Christian Views On Bodily Pleasure by Robert Cherry. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. The Religious Setting Increasi...

Some folks suppose that the UFO phenomenon is demonic* in nature, especially in light of so-called alien abductions. As a result of this belief, some have wondered how a Christian can be have an “alien abduction” at all if these experiences are th...

Can the technical and the religious intersect? In this blog I want to explore what happens when we look at liturgy (the order of Christian rituals) as technology. What kind of new insights can this perspective provide? A Personal Struggle For a fe...

As a first installment to the Emergent Christian Lexicon blog series, I was guided to take inspiration from one of my favorite worship songs, Reckless Love, and take a look at some of the lyrics which I feel can be understood from varying points o...

The following is an excerpt from The Disfiguration Of Nature by James G. Krueger. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Preface An addicted man has little reason to ...

If you found yourself over-extended in a holiday rush this year (as I did), skipping right over the usual New Years’ ‘resolutions,’ consider this your invitation to a sacred pause. Dreams, signs in the heavens, intuitive gifts and obedience ...

Dear Mormon feminists,I’m glad to see so many women happy about the latest changes to the temple endowment. I’m genuinely moved by how things have improved for cisgender, heterosexual, monogamous women. I mean that sincerely. You deserve to celebr...

Over the last couple of years, I have grown to appreciate and even adore Christian Worship music. It was not a genre of music I have ever liked, even when my comfort level of Christianity began to increase. I experienced the language of mainstream...

Love and Blessings! So we have entered a new solar year. And I pray it was a journey that was abundant and prosperous for all those who read this. I can say that the year 2018 brought with it some amazing blessings, necessary challenges, and life ...

*Below is a copy of my final research paper for 19th Century European Philosophy. Citations are from the 1961 R.H. Hollingdale translation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche describes the Superman, or Overman,...

Butler University Religion Professor James McGrath interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek for an extended Christmas Special version of his ReligionProf Podcast on Patheos. Hear... The post Patheos – James McGrath’s ReligionProf Podcast with Chr...

I hope you’ve been having a restful and reflective season. And, I realize that, for many of us, this has been a difficult season – whether simply feeling the weight of national and global tensions and tragedies, or the pain often borne uniqu...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwjRmedMArc/XCFF5c16pWI/AAAAAAACHLc/SauKlxComv82I7oKmN8fR6My3X-AnoGXwCLcBGAs/s1600/jesus-christmas-god-child-manger.png" /><br /><b...

The Mormon Feminist community has been writing poetry and blessings for our dear Gina Colvin as she faces possible excommunication. Below are three poems I wrote for her. Though these poems were written for Gina, these are also for every Mormon wo...

As part of our prelude to the Cosmic Campfire Gathering this February 1-2 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (co-hosted with Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity and ‘Science’ Mike McHargue of The Liturgists), I got to sit down with one of my...

He called me to his office. His brow was heavy with concern as he placed clasped hands on an oversized oak desk. Question after question, he searched for what went wrong. How could such a faithful sister from ward council become so misguided? I co...

There’s a love deep within my chestI wanted nothing more than to express,but the moment passed.Like castles in the sand,the fantasy washed away with the tide. Yet, love lingers just out of reach—haunting me.You cannot claim naïve innocenceto your ...

The following is an excerpt from The INTRAfaith Conversation by Susan Strouse. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. What is an intrafaith conversation and how is it...

 In a previous blog, I explored how AI will speed up scientific research. In this blog, I will examine the overlooked  potential that AI has to transform the Humanities. This connection may not be clear at first since most of these fields do not i...

Michael Gryboski of The Christian Post quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek as a comedy sketch by comedian John Crist raises theological questions about the... The post The Christian Post – John Crist pokes fun at virtual reality churches in hila...

The following is an excerpt from The Seventh Story, a brand-new release from Gareth Higgins and Brian McLaren about the six stories that divide us and the Seventh Story that unites. It’s paired with a unique, beautifully-illustrated children...

The following is an excerpt from Atonement and the New Perspective by Stephen Burnhope. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Salvation through the atoning work of J...

Last year, former Nevada Senator Harry Reid gave George Knapp an exclusive interview regarding a secret US government study of UFOs from 2007 to 2012. “One aim of the study was to find out the origin of the craft. Intelligence officials ruled out ...

In 1600, during Giordano Bruno’s heresy trial, the inquisitors asked a question: Did he believe Jesus’ miracles were performed by magic? It’s hard for us to understand the significance of this question. In our post-Enlightenment world, this seems...

As part of our ongoing Cosmic Campfire Book Club with Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity and ‘Science’ Mike McHargue of The Liturgists, I got to sit down with one of my all-time heroes, Matthew Fox: In our conversation, Matthew and I di...

*Below is a copy of a workshop I led at Encircle’s Ignite LGBTQ+ Youth Summit. Feel free to use, change, adapt, or copy for any queer youth projects/presentations.One of the things I love most about the queer community is that we are writing our o...

I got my first Digital SLR camera 10 years ago, just a few months after our first child was born. I didn’t know such happiness existed until I became a mother. The reality of impermanence became strikingly evident as I watched my child change befo...

The post Technological Valley Of Dry Bones appeared first on The Singularity.

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CIOgN71Td5U/W_x8ruSyZcI/AAAAAAACHHc/7469Fpavw1o87TzMzcUxxF3H54kPK5UrwCLcBGAs/s1600/waters-of-mormon.png" /><br /><br />During th...

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The anonymous authors of UFO International Project (who nonetheless are advocates of Disclosure, just not for themselves, obviously) claim in a November 19, 2015 article that “Aliens Are Coming Back To Retrieve ‘Their’ Religion.” In fact, they cla...

Of all the controversial topics I write about, the topic I get the most resistance to is not queer issues, but plural marriage. Generally, Mormon feminists don’t like plural marriage. That might be a bit of an understatement. There have been blog ...

I recently attended the “What’s in a Name?” panel discussion hosted by Utah Valley University’s Mormon Studies Department. During the Q&A section, I asked a question concerning the risk of queer Mormon identity labels being erased after Presid...

The June 1970 edition (Vol. 7 No. 1) of the Creation Research Society Quarterly stressed cosmology. One of journal’s contributors was Harold L. Armstrong (1921-1985). Armstrong was an early member of the Creation Research Society and a Professor o...

Joint project with the Christian Transhumanist Podcast! https://www.christiantranshumanism.org/podcastLots of interesting questions. How can we love religion when so many are hurt? How do we describe the reality of social construction? Does Jesus ...

How many names for Divinity are there? Do the names for God change? Ought they change as humans evolve and as circumstances of life evolve around us? Matthew Fox reveals the urgent need for ancient-future names of God.

Dear Heavenly Mother, Today, two of my children fought. As one physically injured the other, my primitive instincts kicked in to protect the injured child with any force necessary. However, before I could even move, I saw the face of the offender....

I was reminded recently that the Demonic Hypothesis of UFO played a role during 1981’s McLean v Arkansas Board of Education court case when it was used by evolutionists to discredit Dr. Norman Geisler’s testimony. On March 1, 1982, fellow creation...

Recently, two Harvard university researchers proposed that a cigar-shaped astronomical object dubbed “‘Oumuamua” was actually an alien probe ship. Two things need to be said about that theory up front. This isn’t likely. And this isn’t a new theor...

In religious literature, suffering and punishment in fire are symbolic of the spiritually corrective nature of metaphorical fire. A literal interpretation of the symbolism of fire is a major cause of fear, spiritual insanity, and spiritual a...

The following is an excerpt from God in My Head, Josh Grisetti’s divine dialogue memoir with blunt comic undertones. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. I was dead...

The late Pastor Chris Ward (1948-2015) was one of the presenters of the First Christian Symposium on Aliens in July of 2009. The Symposium sparked a new wave of interest in the Demonic Hypothesis of UFO, resuscitated from charismatic deliverance m...

  The following is an excerpt of Making America Great Again, a winsome and prophetic text by David N Moore. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers. Our Resistance The ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgbPQwqVhgA/W94VEzuEv1I/AAAAAAACG4c/XOPPyC3v4wE7QPH6j_RrrnRpYq1JFiVcwCLcBGAs/s1600/friedrich-nietzsche.png" /><br /><br />If Chr...

What happens when a Tibetan Buddhist lama and a Christian minister sit down to talk? And not just any lama and minister, but a renegade Catholic priest silenced by the Church for his progressive and inclusive beliefs and an American-born sec...

You might find yourself scoffing at the title of this post, but hear me out. For me, obedience in my religion is quite liberating, especially as a woman. Here’s why.God gave us the greatest commandment through Jesus Christ. The greatest commandmen...

A few days ago, before the sold-out Evolving Faith Conference kicked off at Montreat, ‘Science’ Mike McHargue and I were able to grab an hour together to talk about some of our most vulnerable experiences with God, and how these encounters h...

The Church released their new “Abuse Help” website and from what I have read, I am impressed. It seems thoughtful, helpful, and sincere. This would have been something I would have liked to see when I was assaulted by a priesthood holder as a teen...

The following is an excerpt of Leatherbound Terrorism, Chris Kratzer‘s incisive and confessional memoir-manifesto about life in Christ after evangelicalism. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies avail...

Becoming a prophet is not a career option. Children will tell you they want to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or firefighter when they grow up but never, as far as I know, a prophet. When you get right down to it, there is nowhere to go to fi...

I love my Latter-day Saint family and friends, immensely. I love our common theology, Mormonism. Not only that, I believe it. I want to build Zion with them. I want celestial glory as an eternal family with them. I want to participate in theosis w...

The following is an excerpt of Brother John: A Monk, a Pilgrim and the Purpose of Life, an award-winning true story about the surprising power of generosity – now beautifully illustrated in an all-ages rendering. It’s a featured Speakeasy se...

Dear Millennials,Our generation is technologically connected in ways our parents never imagined. Social media allows us to hear what’s happening around the world in a matter of seconds. We watch videos of cops shooting black men only moments after...

Christian UFO experts espousing the Demonic Hypothesis of UFO assure us that UFOs are a Satanic deception, yet, if this is the case, why are UFO reports in such a steep decline? The fact that they are statistically in decline is undeniable at this...

Originally posted on Hapgood: Opening keynote for dLRN 2015. Delivered October 16th @ Stanford. Actual keynote may have gone on significant tangents… 1 | a year in the garden A week or so ago, I was reading about the Oregon shooting. I’m a pretty ...

I’ve received a bit of feedback from peers about my work not being relevant enough to transhumanism and that I focus more on the “queer” and “Mormon” than “transhumanism.” A casual reading of my work might understandably lead someone to this concl...

A response of Hope to dr. John Lennox's sermon at Ravi Zacharias Ministries, asking the question if we should fear artificial intelligence. The post Response to Dr John Lennox at RZIM on AI and the church #TrendingQuestions appeared first on The ...

This week, Ravi Zachariah’s Institute here in Atlanta hosted an event entitled: “Should we fear Artificial Intelligence?” In it, British Mathematician and Christian Apologist John Lennox gave a lecture on the challenge of AI and Transhumanism to t...

William: You know how I was dead when I was a baby and then the doctors brought me back to life?Me: Yes. It was very scary. William: Well, if I died and now I’m alive this is heaven right now.Me: Huh. I never thought of it that way.William: But wh...

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero Richest Blessings to all of my readers. If you are Canadian, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the long weekend was a fruitful one...

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Shaun Doyle recently fielded an alleged letter to Creation Ministries International which cautioned against interpretive overreach on the subject of extraterrestrial life, lest we repeat the historical embarrassment of hitching our star to geocent...

In my Christian walk, the valley of dry bones has always been one of those stories that didn’t make a lot of sense. Yesterday I was able to see that story in a completely new perspective that I would like to share. However, before we go there, I h...

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Dr. Danny Faulkner has written a post in which he takes issue with the pro-extraterrestrial opinion of Isaac Watts, the “Godfather of English Hymnody.” In his lifetime, Watts composed around 750 hymns, including “Joy to the World,” “Alas! and Did ...

He asked me, “Why do you hate men?”The question took me off guard. I scanned through my mental rolodex of people I love. Many of the closest people in my life are men. My best friend is a man. I am raising two men whom I would live and die for. I’...

Some proponents of the Demonic Hypothesis of UFO have made a big deal about a study presented on the third night of an MIT (yes, THAT MIT) alien abduction conference held June 13-17, 1992. During that conference, California therapist Gwen Dean not...

I compiled a list of 20 preventative measures for men who have expressed their concerns about being falsely accused of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct.1. Don’t put yourself in compromising situations.2. Stay alert and...

The Fermi Paradox has plagued folks who ponder the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life ever since Enrico Fermi asked the question, “Where is everybody?” I think it’s time we admit how presumptuous his question is. Recently, I read ano...

The following is an excerpt of From The Inside Out: Reimagining Mission, Recreating the World, Ryan Kuja’s potent critique of missionary colonialism envisions a hope-filled future. It’s a Speakeasy selection, and there are still a few review...

*This post is an extension of a previous post, Concerning Theism. I will begin by acknowledging that the God I will describe to you is not an esthetic of God regularly discussed in common LDS settings. We tote around these ideas without fully embr...

Dear Fundamentalist Christians,We don’t know each other very well, but you have been saying some bizarrely inaccurate things about two organizations I belong to: the Mormon Transhumanist Association and the Christian Transhumanist Association. I r...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ2dKRWenOI/W6UjLHY3vUI/AAAAAAACGwc/Ig2eWMqNQ_UFIEPO3nf8lgUXMD0nZUzNACLcBGAs/s1600/fundamentalist-christians.png" /><br /><br />...

*This is a copy of my profile for Faces of Affirmation.  Hello. I’m Blaire Ostler. I’m a born and raised Mormon. I come from nine generations of Mormon pioneers. I often joke that if there is a Mormon gene, I have it. I’m also a gender variant, se...

I’ve recently been asked by several friends about my conception of the divine, and how I maintain my faith in God as a theist, philosopher, and intellectual. Many of my Mormon friends who experience a faith crisis or faith transition often turn to...

Answer: they are all mentioned in the Superposition Magazine.  As some of you may not know, besides keeping this blog I am also writing for a newly launched SuperPosition magazine. I am excited to be part of this new endeavor that aims to broaden ...

*This is the text of a talk I gave at the Provo Pride Interfaith Night at the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ. One of my favorite examples of finding unity in diversity is through Christ.The word Christ comes from the Greek ...

I just finished watching an absolutely wonderful movie called “Come Sunday“, which is a movie about internationally-renowned pastor Carlton Pearson, who has a crisis of faith when he receives guidance from God that contradicts scripture and puts h...

I’ll begin by acknowledging this post might be too much, too intimate, too real, too vulnerable. I have learned genuine intimacy and vulnerability can leave people uncomfortable or frightened. Honesty, genuine honesty, isn’t always wanted. Even so...

Greetings, Today I wanted to take some time and touch on an important element of society; education. Specifically, I wanted to address the various roles that exist in each sphere of identity in terms of education, and how best those roles can be f...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLE7JGvaOxg/W5GWni1rY8I/AAAAAAACGWc/eZusCqlTEo0vgF_It6gEZY6Nu152HcCGQCLcBGAs/s1600/white-oriental-lilies.png" /><br /><br />One ...

Trans and intersex bodies have been the battleground of gender essentialist gatekeeping. Our bodies have been questioned, scrutinized, examined, dissected, and cut while being met with skepticism, fear, and even hatred. The gatekeepers have assign...

Two unlikely miracles happen in Matamoros, Mexico. The post God of SuperPosition – Part 1: Seeing Miracles appeared first on ChristopherBenek.com.

Does your Facebook feed feel like digital Fight Club? Let's break the First Rule and talk about it. The post Facebook Hosts Posts Encouraging You to Fight So That They Can Make More Money appeared first on ChristopherBenek.com.

In 1587, 115 men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina. Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I, their colony was to establish England’s first foothold in the New World. But when the colony’s leader, John White...

The Christian Post interviews the Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek inquiring as to his thoughts on ministry that seeks to serve video gamers. Read the full article HERE. The post The Christian Post – Can a Video Game Church Advance the Kingdom of God? ...

The power of decision is my own. Let us today be truly humble, and accept what we have made as what it is. 2 The power of decision is our own. 3 Decide but to accept your rightful place as co-creator of the universe, and all you think you made wil...

The following is an excerpt of Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action, a compelling anthology of Creation Spirituality, applied. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copie...

One of the central themes of this blog is about changing our mind. It may seem at first to be an ambiguous statement, but in truth, it is the most essential decision a person can make in their life. It can be very easy for people to fall into repe...

In my work at the Mormon Transhumanist Association, I am often asked, “Where does faith fit into Mormon Transhumanism? Are religious transhumanists just faithless, closeted-atheists with no trust in God? What about grace? Are faith and grace relic...

I receive newsletters from Unity every so often, and today I received a letter reminding me of the upcoming 25th anniversary of World Day of Prayer. I have always appreciated the altitude of thinking of the Unity faith, built on the teachings of C...

Many of my fellow Mormons have become complacent in theological certainty, and apathetic to theological responsibility. Many sit in pews awaiting revelation they have not actively sought for. I see theological immaturity, arrogance, and ignorance,...

  Kings have advisors, presidents have cabinets, CEOs have boards and TV show hosts have writers – every public figure relies on a cadre of trusted advisors for making decisions. Whenever crucial decisions are made, an army of astute specialists h...

“Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. 2 It does not pardon sins and make them real. 3 It sees there was no sin. 4 And in that view are all your sins forgiven. 5 What is sin, except a false idea about Go...

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. It seems that nowadays it doesn’t take much to identi...

I’ve never been a huge fan of the political world, mainly due to the fact that it’s abundantly clear to me that greed and corruption are two of the main corner-stones to the entire system as it is practiced in most of the world. Real progress is s...

Following my previous post, I wanted to offer some thoughts surrounding what I perceive as the three plateaus of Christianity. This is an important topic for me due to the fact that Christianity has received a lot of flak from reputable (yet misgu...

When asked the question, “Who are you?”, we might respond with some obvious things, like our name, our gender, our occupation, our likes and dislikes, political affiliations, etc.. If we are capable of a deeper sense of reflection, a question of t...

Christian Transhumanist Conference—August 25th, 2018—with keynote speaker Aubrey de Grey!

One of the things I really appreciate about Jordan Peterson is that he recognizes the inherent worth existent in our cultural narratives. It is no secret that the knowledge of our society is passed on through stories and narratives, holding us to ...

Political Polarization. Severe climate change. Escalating violence, worldwide. Identity Crisis. The human soul seems to be dying. At the global level of magnification, I seem to be living in what appears to be an almost pre-apocalyptic stage of hu...

In today’s episode of the Anglican Gazette, we talk about the latest news in the community. First in the list is Bishop Michael Curry’s state after his cancer surgery. Next is the new bishops that were recently consecrated for new dioceses, The Po...

The idea of “allyship” has been weighing on my mind lately.Several months ago, I posted an article about “15 Ways To Be More Inclusive.” In it I gave 15 suggestions on how every-day, active LDS Mormons can be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ folks. I’m pl...

Adriaan Dippenaar, director of the Seattle Nonbinary Coalition joins in to discuss how queer identity, queer tension, and queer magic helps them imagine God. God is absurd, and that's okay! The divine does not fit into any clear, clean label. This...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9VM1sYuiog/W2cxDlNXhVI/AAAAAAACGPs/ttBmoDIqvLI7lHKDn-bGZJr9arD8UWYJACLcBGAs/s1600/sacred-grove.png" /><br /><br />From a resurr...

I’m restless with feelings I can’t keep—with dreams that won’t let me sleep.I need your kind of healing.Come and save me from all I’m feeling.My mind won’t stop reelin’.It makes me feel like screamin’.Clear this menace from my head,in the safety o...

There were a million reasons to leave. But she didn’t. Faith deconstruction—asking questions and finding that religion doesn’t do a good job of answering them—has become a well-documented phenomenon within Christianity. Studies show that peo...

Automation anxiety is real. In a recent Pew survey, 72 percent of Americans worry about the impact of automation on their jobs. Besides, automation is slowly becoming part of our lives: self-service cashiers in grocery stores, smart phone enabled ...

Derek Webb gets inside the head of the first A.I. waking up to consciousness.

In a post called, “Climate Change Killed the Aliens!“, Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis makes the following comments: “It seems extraterrestrial aliens make the news quite frequently (despite the fact that they don’t exist!). Every few weeks there’s ...

A new study attempting to refine or update the Drake Equation, a simplistic formula for calculating the number of detectable intelligent civilizations in our galaxy, has concluded that if we pick up alien radio transmissions, “the transmissions ar...

A new study by Anders Sandberg, Eric Drexler and Toby Ord at the Future of Humanity Institute (Oxford) suggests that we are probably alone in the observable universe. The study, entitled “Dissolving the Fermi Paradox,” was published on June 6 on A...

Taryn Southern teaches AI to sing, releases the first song on the blockchain, and talks about how to use VR for good.

Mike’s note: The following guest-post by Chuck Ammons is excerpted by his heart-felt exploration of abundant living, Life in the Overflow – a Speakeasy selection. If you review books for your blog, podcast, or are an Amazon/Goodreads superst...

Mike’s note: The following guest-post by Marcus Rempel is excerpted by his eclectic collection of delightfully subversive essays, Life at the End of Us Vs. Them: Cross Culture Stories – a Speakeasy selection. If you review books for your blo...

Will we be able to say no when AI’s shares the Gospel? The post Will we be able to say no when AI’s shares the Gospel? appeared first on The Singularity.

The very same creationist organization who gave us a documentary on demons posing as extraterrestrials has decided that the idea of living dinosaurs might be too sensational! An article from Creation Ministries International, the organization behi...

Dear President Nelson,My son, William, recently turned eight. His baptism was scheduled for this week, but his baptism has been postponed indefinitely. Once again, it has become a matter of priesthood logistics that has put a strain on our family....

Just some thoughts on My Faith in God Using A.I. The post My Faith in God Using A.I. appeared first on The Singularity.

Companies want to have satisfied customers who will come back for more and recommend their brands to others, and AI can help them to achieve this goal. There are many ways in which people benefit from this, for instance getting a quick reply to th...

Thoughts on Watson Debate, A.I.’s step toward arguing for God The post Watson Debate, A.I.’s step toward arguing for God appeared first on The Singularity.

Mike’s note: The following guest-post by Jason Louv is inspired by his ground-breaking historical tome, John Dee and the Empire of Angels: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World. Here Jason looks at how Christianity and ‘th...

In today’s episode of the Anglican Gazette, we talk about news around the Anglican Communion — what’s happening around us, both good and bad. In our first part we cover Stories from the survivors of abuse, information about the events when Presidi...

David Pearce lays out a plan for building heaven on earth, shows us why vegans need more science fiction, and explains why computers will never become conscious.

Mike’s note: The following is inspired by Terry Patten’s gripping, visionary volume, A New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries – A Guide to Inner Work for Holistic Change – still available in limited quantities to qualified r...

Mike’s note: The following is inspired by Theodore Richards‘ haunting, insightful tome, The Great Re-imagining Spirituality in an Age of Apocalypse – still available in limited quantities to qualified reviewers via Speakeasy! Among the oldes...

Mike’s note: The following is based on the introduction of Kevin Cloud’s insightful, multi-layered book, God and Hamilton – still available for a limited number of reviewers via Speakeasy! Our collective cultural ignorance about Alexander Ha...

Justin Lee navigates being gay & Christian, talks about Paul, the Bible, and Christian ethics, and bridges the ultimate divide: geeks vs nerds!

*Copy of speech given at the Annual Affirmation Donor Dinner.Last night I got a call from a friend who works in artificial intelligence development. His team was preparing to make a sizable financial commitment to a project they had been developin...

*Transcript of an interview done for From a Logical Point of View by Tarik D. LaCour.Tarik D. LaCour: Normally for my Friday Traditio’s I share an interview or debate from a famous philosopher/scientist/ public intellectual, etc. But today I wante...

Across the country, it seems like everyone is up in arms about immigrants as well as refugees. Mostly, this is left just as a political issue. But for Christian believers, how to care for outsiders is a lot more than a policy issue. A cursory rea...

Ilia Delio explains how Jesus is like the Singularity, shows us why Christianity is the religion of evolution, and explores the thought of Teilhard de Chardin—the 1930s priest who foresaw the internet.

On Tuesday, April 24th, I was interviewed on BBC Radio about technology, the pursuit of immortality, and the meaning of death. In the middle of that night, we were awakened by a call from an out-of-state hospital, telling us that my father-in-law...

In a previous blog, I compared the approaches from China and the US as they compete in the global AI race. In short, China proposed a government-led approach while the US is leaning on a business-led approach. The European approach represents an a...

NT Wright explains why we don't want to go to Heaven, points us toward medical technology as a sign of the Kingdom, and clears up our biggest misconceptions about the apostle Paul.

Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service covers how Catholic thinkers are now also beginning to consider the ethical issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence that Dr. Benek has previously raised. Read the full article HERE. The post Religion News ...

While the latest outrageous tweet by Kanye West fills up the news, a major development goes unnoticed: the global AI race for supremacy. Currently, many national governments are drafting plans for boosting AI research and development within their ...

2018 05 22 Anglican gazette show 31 Love is all you need. royal weddings news,American bishops and immigrants why we need unconditional love . http://anglicangazette.podcastpeople.com

At the Royal Wedding yesterday, there was a brief moment when everyone in attendance, including the royal couple, sang together. What they were singing was Be Thou My Vision, one of the most beautiful hymns ever written. The hymn has origins deep ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1EN1rr49i9Y/Wv4BTHbu3BI/AAAAAAACEqE/PdoNsJT4sH8TFSRaCMuurHwHBh5GBCXcgCLcBGAs/s1600/earth-asteroids.png" /><br /><br />Tech entre...

Robin Hanson explores a future of robotic human uploads, helps us worry about The Great Filter, gives us strategies for living in a Simulation, and casually points out the Elephant in the Brain.

Imagine what it would be like to hear as much about Heavenly Mother as we do Heavenly Father. Imagine if we spoke of Her as often as we do of Him. Imagine if we worshiped Her as vocally and immersively as we do Him. Imagine if the King Follett ser...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOoKhET7nUo/WvpUgv3pgTI/AAAAAAACD6E/MzkXQmojcuM0386mPKIH8YR8w8h17ypngCLcBGAs/s1600/crossed-fingers-363478_1920.png" /><br /><br /&g...

Technology is an essential and natural part of human evolution. That may seem like a controversial statement so allow me to expand. Technology, broadly defined, is a tool or application of knowledge to serve a practical purpose. Some might recoil ...

Perhaps no biblical story has captivated people’s imaginations like the Tower of Babel. In this story, a group of people get together to build a tower tall enough to reach heaven—from which they intend to launch an all-out war on God himself. God ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5afVs4ViuBE/WvNgzw6FvAI/AAAAAAACDpE/K8FCqrFWpO42kEpVtGDhqEdn7knOtEGoACLcBGAs/s1600/community.png" /><br /><br />Transhumanists, ...

Here among you have I risen, And aflame am I now blazing, Just a bit of light to give you, That I change your night to daytime I’ll combust and I will wither, Be consumed and be extinguished, Just to give you brightness, vision, That you not...

A buddy of mine just forwarded me an email that he got as an update from Peter Diamandis. I’m sorry but this guy is absolutely awesome! Very gifted in detailing out where we are and where we are going. When you stop and look at the details, we hav...

Last year I was browsing through new shows on Netlflix when I stumbled upon Travelers. The premise seemed interesting enough to to make me want to check it out. From the very first episode, I was hooked. Soon after, my wife watched the first episo...

Sam, who is on the autism spectrum, discusses how his diverse theory of mind has brought him on a unique, exciting, and terrifying journey with and towards God.People on the spectrum develop their sense of theory of mind differently than neurotypi...

*This is a copy of a research paper for my Philosophy of Education class. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the necessity of accepting neurodiversity as an important aspect of education and human evolution.  PROLOGUEI write this paper as...

There is much that feminism can learn from Transhumanism, and much Transhumanism can learn from feminism. Today, I have a lofty goal to convert all feminists to adopt transhumanism, and all transhumanists to adopt feminism, AND I have 15 minutes t...

It is not everyday that Elon Musk endorses and partially funds a documentary. Needless to say, when that happens, anyone tracking the tech industry takes notice. In “Do you Trust Your Computer?“, Chris Paine brings together experts, journalists an...

In one billion years, life on Earth will be gone. Five billion years from now, the Sun will expand to encompass the Earth. But long before that happens, the rising temperatures of the Sun will boil the oceans, and make the planet uninhabitable. ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9fRSM0KAA8o/WtaO6JgtsII/AAAAAAACDbg/x9IRzp7W3CooL0MhZx04NlzhFMItFS4cgCLcBGAs/s1600/peter-raises-tabitha-from-the-dead.png" /><br />&lt...

  In a previous blog, I argued that the best way to look into AI was not from a machine versus human perspective but more from a human PLUS machine paradigm. That is, the goal of AI should not be replacement but augmentation. Artificial Intelligen...

Hi, I’m Blaire. I’m a Mormon Transhumanist. It has been brought to my attention that some of you may not know what this means. For me, this means I think we should use science and technology to fulfill prophecies which improve humanity as the body...

Anglican gazette show #30 April 7th 2018 The love train is coming to America, are you on board? Does the Bible tell us to build a wall or a bridge . Listen and find out! http://anglicangazette.podcastpeople.com/

Bitcoin is all over the news lately. After the meteoric rise of these financial instruments, the financial world is both excited and fearful. Excited to get in the bandwagon while it is on the rise but scarred that this could be another bubble. Ev...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FW4aTG1QDVI/WsJgm4wKAhI/AAAAAAACDRE/cP0ubFxn9k02K_XvndfTQU8wv0eaDizLACLcBGAs/s1600/lds-general-conference-solemn-assembly.png" /><br /&gt...

Good Video by Michio Kaku explaining how one day we may duplicate ourselves.   http://bigthink.com/videos/could-we-transport-our-consciousness-into-robots-2?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook The post Duplicating ou...

It is no secret that AI is becoming a growing part of our lives and institutions. There is no shortage of article touting the dangers (and a few times the benefits) of this development. What is less publicized is the very technology that enables t...

This is a post I’ve been avoiding and was hoping not to write. Yet, I feel compelled to write. There has been so much sexual abuse in my own family that I fear addressing the topic might be too painful. I’m still getting professional help to proce...

Episode 29 How many guns do we need to be safe?

In a previous blog, I talked about a multi-disciplinary approach to STEM education. In this blog I want to explore how teaching Artificial Intelligence can accomplish those goals while also introducing youngsters to an emerging technology that wil...

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek, serving as the Moderator of the 41 churches of the Presbytery of Tropical Florida, signs his name to a letter opposing the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz. The post The Sun Sentinel – Nothing can be gained by taking...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YygE-ghfECQ/WrH-6aPwxXI/AAAAAAACDJE/cr3UI5tuM7cMXKk5WEHt57gmVgeVoPqrACLcBGAs/s1600/stop-sexual-abuse.png" /><br /><br />Evidentl...

My love may seem mad, a little insane,but honestly, you’re the one to blame.Your love is a drug. I need it to be tame.I’m a user for life—no plans to abstain.I let down my guard with triple sec in my veins.I’ll breathe with you through these growi...

They say, “Gender is eternal,” at least that’s what is suggested in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The actual text reads, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” [1] For ...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--unhxgpHjhs/WqwWlkFKq2I/AAAAAAACDHg/fHUNgQ9AGwUbQzBXmLr2nvcI0jVchneeQCLcBGAs/s1600/mummy.png" /><br /><br />Infamously, cryonics...

The Christian Post writes: "Some renowned evangelicals are using Hawking's passing as an opportunity to share with others why they disagreed with his stance on faith and God." Reporter Jeannie Law highlights the work of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Be...

This episode was originally recorded over two years ago, and shows us at a different stage in our spiritual development. Amanda, a Unitarian, defends the trinity. Sam, a relativist, defends Biblical' authority and infallibility. As modernism is ch...

  In a previous blog, I proposed the idea of teaching STEM with a purpose. In this blog, I want to take a step back to evaluate how traditional STEM education fails to prepare students for life and propose an alternative way forward: Integrated ST...

People are fleeing the institutional church and there should be no question as to why this exodus is happening. The vast majority of people who claim to represent God in the United States have been perpetuating a Biblical misconception that has be...

A podcast in which Lindsay Hansen Park and I discuss a controversial perspective of polygamy. I call it “queer polygamy.”While listening to this you may find yourself being stretched outside your comfort zone, but hopefully in the process we will ...

The more I am exposed to the Catholic aesthetic, the more I understand that for the ancient church, Mary was sort of like Wonder Woman, working against the power of Kings and Empires to smuggle the divine into the world. She strides across the an...

Tell me sweet lies, if you please,the ones that bring me to my knees.I’ll trade a brutal truth for honest lies.Make them so real, I can’t deny.Tell me the lies I need to hear,the ones that overpower death and fear.I need the stories that you tell,...

Black Panther is more than a movie, it is a manifesto of possibilities and a vivid expression of Postcolonial imagination. Much has been said about the importance of having an African super-hero. I want to discuss why Black Panther matters to all ...

When I speak to pastors about emerging technology I often ask them to envision a single scenario. I suggest that they imagine that they are standing in their pulpit on Sunday morning, looking out on the faces of their congregants, only to discov...

After Eden, God curses the world with hard child birth, patriarchy, toil, and death. The curse sets female against male, humans against nature, and humanity against the snake. We explore how these curses mirror the evolution of humans and the bir...

Yesterday, I posted this to my Facebook wall:Every time I hear someone say “I know the Church is true” my internal alarm goes off saying: What do those words even mean? What is it you know? How do you know it? Why do you think you know it? Why is ...

Past models of scientific inquiry and objective reality relied on the individual as a sufficient, independent agent of episteme. In this model, objectivity is an absolute, omnipotent third-party who a single individual could come to “know” with co...

Last Saturday I attended the 2018 LAMP (Leadership and Multi-faith Program) symposium, a collaborative endeavor between Emory University and Georgia Tech. The topic for this year was “Religious and Scientific Perspectives in the Future of Life.” T...

Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

Billy Graham died yesterday at the ripe old age of 99 years. He was perhaps the greatest evangelist the world has ever witnessed. Moreover, he was the quintessential evangelical, a preacher whose primary focus was ever and always the Gospel, the p...

“God runs this church!”It’s as if these words are the final say in any disagreement about church policy or leadership. No matter the issue, if you have a problem, well tough, “God runs this church!” All thinking, deliberation, and dialogue must ce...

I’ve just returned from seeing Black Panther, and not only is it a great superhero movie, it is one of the most tech-positive movies I’ve seen in a long time. Its story-telling offers to reorient the entire superhero genre around deep questions of...

In the 1600s, Francis Bacon, creator of the Scientific Method, was advocating Christian Transhumanism. It’s common for people wrestling with the tension between science and religion to point out that many great scientific pioneers, such as Bacon,...

A podcast in which the lovely Gina Colvin and I discuss process philosophy in relation to Mormon theology, including post-feminist theory and transhumanism.*Published at A Thoughtful Faith on Friday, February 16, 2018

The constant evolution of religious doctrines is an argument for God's living consciousness. The Spirit is sentient! Christianity has too often shunted the Holy Spirit to the corners of our canon, as sort of the third wheel of the Trinity. But th...

In the hit Netflix show Altered Carbon, the people become immortal by making their consciousness portable. They perpetuate their existence by moving into a new body (or “sleeve”) when the old one is no longer useful. Their consciousness live in a ...

Philosophers, by definition, are lovers. The prefix philo means loving, while sophia means knowledge or wisdom. Combined, philosophy is the love of knowledge. To be a philosopher is to love the pursuit of wisdom. As a theist, God is the prime exam...

  Lent falls on Valentine’s Day this year in the Western calendar, and Easter falls on April Fool’s. This feels about right for our current cultural moment, no? I don’t always observe the liturgical calendar of “church seasons”: I didn’t gro...

Recently, I’ve realized that feedback loops have been one of the most important things in my life—and are perhaps one of the most important things in the world. Most of us are aware of negative feedback loops. Feedback from a set of speakers and ...

Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

A few weeks prior to the release of his xenophobic documentary, Alien Intrusion: Unmasking a Deception, Gary Bates was given space to write himself an “ad-itorial” in Charisma Magazine. In “Demonic Deception Lurks Behind This Widespread Phenomenon...

Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

On November 19, 2009, a commenter named Tristan V. of Australia challenged one of the premises of Gary Bates’ article, “Did God create life on other planets?” “Hello, I wanted to comment on this paragraph: ‘Or, their creation is much older than th...

It was an average Sunday morning when I casually asked, “Does anyone want to go to church with me?”Our attendance had been on a slow decline the last year, and I didn’t expect anyone leaping at the opportunity. Preston was the only one to respond,...

The Chinese Christian Tribune quotes the The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek as it investigates the theological challenges surrounding Artificial Intelligence and Christian belief. Read the full article HERE. Don't read Chinese? Try using Google Tran...

Sheldon Neil from the Canadian News Show (Context with Lorna Dueck) interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding Artificial Intelligence & Religion. The show reaches more than 98% of English speaking Canada. Dr. Benek's segment starts ...

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. One of the most co...

Anugrah Kumar, writing for The Christian Post, quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek in an article that investigates the potential intersection of Virtual Reality and Christian practice. Read the full article HERE. The post The Christian Post – A...

If you think patriarchy is a problem, I’m with you. Let’s dismantle patriarchy. But keep in mind that polygamy is just a modality of patriarchy, not patriarchy itself.If you don’t like inequitable sealing practices, I’m with you. Let’s allow multi...

Recently I had the privilege of being on the Dr.Nilda Show to share how I was drawn to the future as I started my career and why foresight is essential to leading business and society. I also shared what futurists talk about when they get together...

Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

Mike’s note: This month, Speakeasy is highlighting the release of spiritual memoirist Elizabeth Jarrett Andrews‘ beautiful, illuminating guide to writing: Living Revision. Enjoy this excerpt as you reflect on the ways to revise your writing…...

Two spiky-haired dudes (one of whom being the incomparable Jon Scott) get together and talk about the collapse of empathy in America, the remedy of authentic connection, practicing the presence of each other, and doing what makes us come ali...

We answer more listener questions! How does the Spirit move and change through time? How should Christians approach the Qur'an? If we could make a Bible TV show, what book would we choose? And is America the new Roman Empire? Also, what does it me...

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Mike’s note: This is part of a guest series by Alexander John Shaia, sharing his insights gleaned from a lifetime of studying (and living) personal transformation, closely based on his explosive book Heart and Mind. Want to meet him in perso...

On November 3, 1957, the Texas town of Levelland saw a UFO that stalled the motors of five vehicles, caused a man to faint and generally alarmed everyone. The phantom object was described as “200 feet long, shaped like an egg and was lit up like i...

Christian Post reporter Brandon Showalter interviews The Rev Dr. Christopher Benek for a front-page feature regarding the intersection AI, Transhumanism and Christianity. Read the full article HERE. The post The Christian Post – Artificial Intelli...

Mike’s note: This is a Speakeasy-inspired guest-post from Seven Stories: How to Study and Teach the Nonviolent Bible, by my dear friend Anthony Bartlett.  Many Christians have to go through a time and experience of atheism, because the God w...

After years of denial, we are finally acknowledging that we have a problem with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education in this country. It is not an issue of access or supply of opportunities but one of perception: most student...

Most saucerians are familiar with the 1952 Washington DC Merry-Go-Round, a two weekend event in which flying saucers were sighted over the US capital, chiefly on July 19–20 and July 26–27. Historians consider it the climax of the 1952 flap. Perhap...

Dr. Danny Faulkner has received criticism on this site for proposing that an absence of extraterrestrial life is a powerful test of the creation model of origins against the evolution model. He expresses this belief most clearly in an article enti...

“Tony Breeden, we know about your lone wolf views on aliens. Go and troll somewhere else.” This comment was fired at me by an admin on the Alien Intrusion movie’s Facebook page and rather quickly deleted thereafter (Yes, I have a screenshot), but ...

Looking at Donald Trump, and the recent findings of his escapades with that stripper, I’m Amazed that the world is not outraged. It’s very intriguing. The president of the United States basically has a stripper telling the truth, that he had an ex...

A dear friend of mine was recently called to her Stake Young Women presidency. She asked for my suggestions on how she and other leaders could be more inclusive of Young Women and LGBTQ+ youth. With the help of some of my peers and friends, I comp...

The potential of AI is boundless. Currently, there is a lot of buzz around how it will change industries like transportation, entertainment and healthcare. Less known but even more revolutionary is how AI could change science itself. In a previous...

One of the biggest errors in the Alien Intrusion movie is the idea that without the Big Bang there could be no aliens. In the film, Dr Jonathan Sarfati says: “Now, here is the key point. This Big Bang Theory is a central to the idea of alien life ...

According to a study conducted by Glocalities.com of 26,492 people from 24 countries, roughly half of the planet believes in the possibility of extratetrestrial life. The study found that: 61% of people believe that there is some form of life on o...

Tomorrow morning President Russell M. Nelson will announce his presidency during a live broadcast. I don’t have particularly strong feelings about his upcoming announcement or tenure. I’m also not interested in personally condemning him. I don’t e...

For those of you who are familiar with my writing here on Exotheology.org and in my book Stranger and Aliens, you are probably aware that I knew I probably wouldn’t like the Alien Intrusion film going into it. It was already evident from the trail...

It may surprise you to learn that not all Christian Fundamentalists think that UFOs are demonic. One notable exception is Dr. Carl McIntire, the fundamentalist Presbyterian who is considered by some to be the founding father of the Religious Right...

The beginning of a short 2 minute clip of the Alien Intrusion movie, based on the book of the same name by Gary Bates, has a comment on Star Wars that should worry his audience. The same scene appears identically in the film itself. “Consider the ...

A May 31, 2006 article by Gary Bates and David Catchpoole on Creation.com caught my attention a while back. It was called “ET Needed Evolution.” Notably, it’s now cited as a linked resource for Session 2 in the Discussion Guide for the Alien Intru...

In the trailer for the film version of the Amazon bestseller, Alien Intrusion, author Gary Bates notes that the 2002 “Roper Poll concluded that up to 4 million Americans have been abducted by aliens.” On the Alien Intrusion Film’s website, we find...

  Happy new year, everybody! After a hiatus for the holiday season, I am now back to blogging with a renewed focus. For those of you who follow this blog or know me personally, last year was an encouraging beginning as I posted here my musings on ...

Not a lover that lies in my bed,but you lie in my head, instead,touching my dreams with crimson and red,but I’ll take this beating ‘til the day I’m dead.I’m sorry if you felt mislead,but my sincerity is as real as the blood I bled.I wasn’t careles...

Having trained myself to think like a futurist, I was invited in 2002 to the founding meeting of the Association of Professional Futurists.

  – If I were to guess what the Beast and the currency is, it wouldn’t be as everybody guesses. My name’s Mark, this is thesingularity.com, 2018, January 5th. It wouldn’t be the traditional Darbism. So, traditional Darbist rapture theology says th...

It’s a new year, friend. And what a previous year it’s been. I, for one, resolve to remember the lessons of this past year while letting go of their trauma, Savoring the relationships while releasing the heartbreak; Celebrating the amazing g...

Jesus Christ flips. He is the anti-emperor who becomes the symbol of empire. He resists all elements of power, and then becomes the all powerful. He is the incarnation that eventually rejects humanity. What Jesus stands for in the Bible versus wha...

– – Okay, today is a quick post. Today is December 23rd. Oh, wow. I was gonna do a post everyday on the Singularity at the beginning of the year, and I’ve failed on that bad, but I didn’t fail on my once-a-day workout. Most of the time, I post the...

How competent are you in anticipating and shaping the future? How competent are you in helping teams do the same, as a manager or a consultant? The Foresight Competency Model represents the practices that foresight professionals draw upon and use ...

Something funny happened. Someone mistook me for a Mormon apologist, so I thought I’d clarify myself here. I’m not a Mormon apologist. I’m a Mormon enthusiast. A Mormon enthusiast is one who is highly interested in, motivated by, and invested in M...

Episode 28 Is there any reason we keep picking people to represent us that are morally reprehensible? Tune in and find out.

Yesterday, the LDS Church announced the following changes concerning youth involvement in temple rituals:“Young women (ages 12-18) with a limited-use temple recommend may assist with baptistry assignments currently performed by sister temple ordin...

The feminist movement, according to hooks, aims to end sexist oppression by overcoming “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” While the feminist movement may be commonly perceived as a men verses women dichotomy, bell hooks suggest...

This week I want to discuss how our perception of the world shapes and guides our decisions about the future. In a previous blog, I discussed the power of narrative and how important that is in constructing reality. In this post, I want to challen...

  – So this message is in response to Ganz’s epic “Daniel seven perfectly describes what’s coming.” So here’s the deal, Ganz, I’m listening to this. Let’s see. Hold on. Okay, so who’s the ruler of this world? We go through and we say it is Satan. ...

<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>Just came across <a href="https://w2.eff.org/Misc/Pub...

<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 year saw social media bolster fake news and Trumpis...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vEiP-qgFMvI/Wh80eGw6YyI/AAAAAAACB8k/gVPLhx5-1jw9l1ZCVn919TjM0zx5hwuXwCLcBGAs/s1600/wings-time-wheel.png" /><br /><br />Although ...

Just saw this trailer for a new movie with John Cusack . Of course it’s human nature that fear sells.   But it is a little bit unfortunate. The Singularity is not going to happen like this. Not in my opinion. The problem with movies like this is t...

The more I progress on this AI theology journey, the more I realize the need for a re-configuration of our relationship between faith and science. Current status quo does not allow space for a conversation and therefore, forces faith, science and ...

Not a lot to say as the video of the Boston Dynamics All New Spot Mini speaks for itself…   The post Boston Dynamics All New Spot Mini appeared first on The Singularity.

The Anglican Gazette, episode 27. Today we will look why Southern evangelicals are diving over a cliff for Roy Moore. Shownotes

  Let it be known publicly that I want to meet up with Gonz on a recorded video hang out to talk about the singularity, artificial intelligence and how it relates to Jesus. Also let it be known that the world needs Gonz and the gifts he has to off...

This has to be one of the biggest issues in artificial intelligence. Will we be able to create machines that have consciousness? I just read this article posted on motherboard Vice Discussing the issue. As a Christian I’ve been fascinated with thi...

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500 years ago TODAY, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of a German church, kick-starting the Protestant Reformation, and changing the course of history. 500 years later, the religious world is once again in turmoil, grappling with new qu...

Its just a short post.  Here are possible steps: Our words and actions get digitized into an ocean of data Just as he did in Gen 1:2, the Holy Spirit, hovers over the water of our words the chaos to make sense of our words and organize creation th...

So I have a few questions… I shared an AI/tech article with one of my non-tech pastors and his response was…   “Very interesting! Technology can never replace a dependency on the Holy Spirit. He is the one who will guide us into all truth.”   I fe...

The Anglican Gazette show notes episode 26October 25 2017 Show Notes.

Clifford Wilson made his name in Ufology with Crash Go the Chariots (1972), a book specifically written to answer Erich von Daniken’s Chariots of the Gods? (1968) and his Ancient Alien Astronaut theory. In 1974, Wilson wrote a new book based on hi...

Eternity News writer Tess Holgate quotes The Rev Dr Christopher Benek in a article that considers whether salvation in Christ could potentially apply to AI as well. Read the full article HERE. The post Eternity News (Australia) – Hey Siri, did Jes...

The interesting part of the parable is that the “crobes” were a fictionalism. Though the “crobes” didn’t actually exist, they served a useful purpose in preventative medicine. Philosophers and scientists of the day expressed anxiety over the contr...

Published at the Huffington Post Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of a German church, kicking off one of the most significant movements in Christian history: the Protestant Reformation. The movement was less def...

In a past blog I talked about how an AI-enabled Internet was bound to bring a new Reformation to the church. In this blog, I want to talk about how AI can revolutionize the academic study of Scriptures. Just like the printing press brought the Bib...

Hilary Bird, writing for VentureBeat quotes The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding the ethical implications that AI development may have on Religion. Read the full article HERE. The post VentureBeat – AI innovation could cause an ethical conund...

Humanity’s best future will happen with the proper stewarding of science and technology. How can we assure such stewardship? By training up more tech pastors. The post More Virtuous Tech Pastors Will Prevent The Building of an AI God appeared f...

The Uruguayan publication República and the Italian Agora Magazine cover the work of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek in the following two articles: República - Un ingeniero crea nueva religión mirando al futuro Agora Magazine - Un ex ingegnere di ...

Emily Miller from Religion News Service interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding the the future of religious leadership as it pertains to AI and Christian Transhumanism in an article that is then widely featured in USA Today and variou...

The Anglican gazette episode 25 The Price of Freedom? Child Sacrifice and the American Gun Cult

As the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation approaches, I want to offer some thoughts on how emerging technologies like AI will revolutionize the face of Christianity. At first, these two seem mostly disconnected yet this could not be f...

BioEdge, Labmate Online, Sputnik International & Sputnik Mundo cover The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek's commentary on the interrelation of Artificial Intelligence and Religion. Read the full articles below: BioEdge - An AI alternative org...

Listener questions we consider - What is your favorite and least favorite book of the Bible? What would you ask Jesus (historical Jesus) if you had the chance? Do you know anything about Song of Songs? I've heard some interpret it a sour...

World Religion News, Clean Technica and the Indonesian News Source Surat Kabar all feature the work of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence and Religion. Read the full articles below: World Rel...

Dear Elder Oaks,You don’t know me. We’ve never met, but I’ve listened to you speak from the pulpit since I was a child. You’ll likely never read this, but I feel compelled to express myself anyway. You see, something sad happened a couple months a...

<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="844" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yb-0cYJmp5w/WdF0tpE-5VI/AAAAAAACANw/WIPhjCC9UgcVnYmUwOHXlWL497O0MVfzACLcBGAs/s1600/lds-general-conference-hall.jpg" /><br /><br /&g...

On todays show we cover Puerto Rican relief efforts, growth in the church of England and ask the question. Why is the Anglican church losing its mind over Gay issues? Go here for the show notes! http://anglicangazette.podcastpeople.com/posts/69150

Writing for Breitbart, Nate Church, covers The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek's commentary on AI and Religion. Read the full article, that tallies over 5,500 comments, HERE.

IT PRO and Primera Sistema de Noticias quote The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek while raising questions surrounding faith and artificial intelligence. Read the full IT PRO article HERE & the PSN article HERE. Don't read Spanish? Try Google Transl...

International coverage of The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek's commentary featured in the Chinese news sites Robotics China, SoHu.com, XCN News, & the British tabloid The Daily Star. Don't read Chinese? Try Google Translate. Read the full articl...

Olivia Solon, writing for The Guardian, interviews The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek regarding on his views on the ethics of creating Artificial Intelligence as a deity. Read the full article, that has been shared over 10,000 times, HERE. The articl...

In a previous blog, I described how current technology adoption is transforming us into cyborgs. In this blog, I want to show how AI will accelerate and reinforce cyborgization and why this matters. Much has been said about the emergence of AI as ...

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays out an argument that many believe is at the heart of the Christian faith—an argument for the ultimate resurrection of all people, and the eradication of death itself. Paul’s explanation of this belief is often overl...

*Watch the presentation here.Hello, everyone. I have been assigned the task of sharing my experience as a pansexual woman with you. This is somewhat of a challenge for me—I often have difficulty expressing my experiences and emotions. For me, it’s...

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...

The Anglican Gazette show notes episode 23September 22, 2017 Show Notes.

<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.

Can you be truly forgiven if your past is never forgotten. In this podcast we will explore Grace in a postmodern world, and cover the Anglican news of the day. Show notes http://anglicangazette.podcastpeople.com/posts/69038

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 ...

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...

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...

Who is you neighbor? Is the ACNA part of the Anglican communion. These and other topic are what I'm going to talk about in this weeks podcast

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...

Stripped to a state of honesty,I told you my secrets and fears.You showed me hope,and told me I was worthy.For some reason, I believed you.You were my exorcism,banishing villains from my head.When you said my nameyou summoned me to warmth.Your gaz...

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 ...

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.

On this episode we talk about the doctrine of discovery, praying on football fields and why conservative anglican cant let the episcopal church go, Show notes Quick view around the Anglican world Indigenous bishop slams the “doctrine of discover...

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...

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.

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,...

Two of the most attractive aspects of Transhumanism to me are morphological freedom and cognitive liberty. Morphological freedom refers to the civil rights each person has—to maintain or modify their own body according to their autonomy by the use...

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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...

Are you a peacemaker or a peace breaker?

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 beca...

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 stuff...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Have you been burned by the church? Found solace in Zen? Maybe you love your humanist discussion group. Maybe your church is the place you feel the most loved. Maybe you're disillusioned with religion in general. How do we hold the tension between...

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...

<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</...

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-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...

Contemporary Christianity has split into hordes of different factions. And we try to find labels to identify different kinds of Christians. These labels are probably necessary in order to talk about the modern faith. . . but these labels are also ...

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...

“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. ...

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...

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.

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...

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.

 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...

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...

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...

Satan is a powerful force of evil in Scripture. He is an independent agent who challenges God, and successfully rules the world for awhile. But Satan's power rests in a very simple lie, based on ignorance and outdated science. Satan claims that 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>Our brains associate neural regions that are architectur...

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...

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...

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...

Old Testament Law is difficult to understand, especially on the topic of blood. Blood belongs to God alone, and menstruation makes women unclean half the month. Miriam, Moses's older sister, illustrates the disappointment and disillusionment peopl...

<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...

Amanda and Sam cruise all over the Bible, seeing how modern progressive ideas are ancient and Biblical. Unitarian Universalism is no longer an exclusively Christian belief network, But it is still historically linked to the Bible, and it's seven p...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

– 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...

Question - which gospel author would you most like to write your biography? Sam discusses the strengths, and weaknesses, of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. He shows what elements of Jesus are captured in each narrative. And how those same themes wo...

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...

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,...

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 pr...

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...

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

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...

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...

At the center of the Book of Lamentations, there's a long fantastic personal prayer. The author is hurt by God. The author loves God. The author tries to convince himself to trust God, but God doesn't seem to work that way anymore. Lamentations 3 ...

<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...

It's a weekday night. You want to sit back, chillax, and read a Minor Prophet. Which one will be the most fun!?!?!? This minisode answers that ageold question you didn't know you were asking. How do you rank the Minor Prophets in order of Entertai...

<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</...

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>Lucius Shepard&l...

<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>Eduardo Galeano&...

<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...

<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<...

The Book of Lamentations captures that darkest sensation, when God becomes an enemy. Lamentations is our favorite book of the Bible. It has the darkest depiction of God seen in Scripture. And it may have the most hopeful, most empowering depictio...

<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...

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...

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...

Hard Atheism is the claim that there are no gods. This form of secularism is outdated, unnecessary, and accidentally hurts and silences progressive or alternative forms of religion. There is a theist/atheist binary that over simplifies the wisdom ...

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?

In this minisode, Amanda explores threads of continuity throughout her faith journey. The presence of God and the stories of those who have drawn on that presence for strength in difficult times have been interpreted and reinterpreted, but their p...

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...

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...

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,...

Without refugee narratives, the entire essence and logic and plot of the Bible ceases to exist. Ignore them and we lose our religion. In this episode Sam looks at how being forced out of their country impacted the Biblical authors, and really crea...

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...

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...

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 o...

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-...

The Bible was made up of Songs, poems, prose, letters, narratives, genealogies. . . all kinds of different media. So! If the Bible were made today, it certainly would not be a book! Amanda and her husband Jim go through the Bible and figure out ho...

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 ...

The idea that God is control of absolutely everything is incredibly common. That is because all of the universe is bound by its own existence, and it is incredibly easy to turn existence into its own God. Unfortunately this God is insanely problem...

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 h...

Judah is finished. The temple is destroyed. The old God conception failed. The prophet Ezekiel tries to make sense of everything that's happened. And he seems to go insane. And in this process, he discovers a new God conception. A deadly and sensi...

<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...

Amanda shares one of the great introspective legends of Deuteronomistic History. The prophet Elijah has just saved his country from drought, and scientifically proven the existence of God. But soon his victory turns on its head, and Elijah flees f...

<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...

God is a disembodied voice. God is a rock. God is a person. God is a weather phenomena. God is Lady Wisdom. God is love. God is a whole mess of different kinds of objects. But the Western Theological tradition likes to paint God as consistent, hav...

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...

Gideon illegitimate son tries to declare himself king. Lots of innocent people die in the process, and we get to hear a very trippy sermon about evil anthropomorphic plants. The central gist is that it's a very very very very bad idea to have a ki...

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...

Gideon is a rationalist skeptic douchebag. God is an ultra absurdist diva with massive jealously issues. Together, they fight Midianites, as we explore one of the craziest and funniest moments in the saddest part of the Bible.

Meet us! Amanda describes growing up having fun with a strong Christian faith. She talks about how good Christian education led her to doubt certain teachings, so she eventually became agnostic. Sam describes growing up as a kinda sloppy Christian...

<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!

Amanda describes her faith journey from conservative Christianity to agnosticism and finally into the progressive Unitarian Universalist (UU) tradition. She describes how within conservative Christianity, she struggled with 'small q questions,' fa...

Refugees return from exile in Babylon, and they try to rebuild. But religion is irrevocably changed. Books of the Bible start debating each other, and it gets intense. Some conservative books, like Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, try to return to t...

Irony - Noun. The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. Irony is present in just about every book in the Bible. Heaven is opposite world, and the Day of the Lord is opposite Day. Things are not as they...

The Old Testament comprises over half a million words written by dozens of authors over a thousand years. The history of its interpretation is basically the history of the West. So we’ve decided to summarize the whole thing in two podcasts. Becaus...

Howard Storm Back in the 80’s an Atheist by the name of Howard storm had a near-death experience.  Howard has been featured on many TV shows as well as written a book which I highly recommend. When Howard died, he met Jesus and also was able to se...

Howdy! Every week we’ll be releasing an extra minisode where one of us or both of us tackle a shorter topic. This week we explain our Theme Song, which combines the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness and the text it’s based on, Lamentations 3. We ...

In our pilot episode, we introduce ourselves and the Bible. Like, why do we care so much about the Bible that we’re doing a podcast about it? And hey, where does the Bible begin? Genesis, the first book of the Christian Bible, is a clear conten...

<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, ...

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

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. ...

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!

I’m on a mission to get in shape to climb Mt. Rainier with my brother on June 20th. To do that, my goal is to be under 180 by that date. You can read more about my story, see my progress, at MyFitnessPal.

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...

My Notes for Episode 19

Why do we find it so hard to get along? In my first podcast back i explore why we can't all just get along both in politics and the church. Music from https://soundcloud.com/motazdjmoo/arabic-vs-house-mega-mix-iii-iii-romanelissaebrumyriam-fares...

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.

Today we will remember John Stott, talk about evangelism, and ask the question, " When is the resurrection not the resurrection?"

How do we know whether a manager’s experiences and skills are sufficient to operate at a strategic level in an organization? What insight does recent research on strategic leadership shed on these challenges?

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...

Today we talk about the growth of the Anglican church in North America, and how important knowing church history is.

Psychologists have told us that humans are distinct in their ability to think forward. To what degree is foresight an innate human function of our brain power, or thinking preferences?

Despite all the obstacles, a new Anglican province is born, now what are we going to do with it?

Today we talk about covenants, Catholic priests and when our new Anglican church will meet together.

Today we will take about how even though its seems that the Anglican church is coming apart at the seams, what is actually taking place is the creation of a new seamless garment.

Show number 13, where we talk about Anglican covenant , Episcopal bishops, and why abortion is most certainly not a blessing!

The west opens up for the new Anglican province, and a Buddhist becomes an episcopal bishop,

Various Anglican churches in north America, have gathered to form one church, will it work?

Ft Worth Leaves and a new province is about to be born.

More News from the Anglican universe, and Happy Halloween!

More news that you need, from all over the Anglican 'verse.

Anglican news and some cool music too!

News from the Anglican 'verse, and why we need to work together.

Does the Roman Catholic Church Have All the Answers For Orthodox Anglicans?

Lambeth has come and gone, and we are left with the bill. Who will pay for the unanswered questions? Find out. Please click on the link to post comments, or e-mail the show at theanglicangazette@gmail.com

The Global South bishops threw the gauntlet down. Are American Episcopalians going to throw up? Stay tuned....

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...