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*Fixed audio release* Today we're watching the Artemis II, but in the 1960s, our parents watched humanity land a man on the moon from their living room TV. It was a new era of hope, but it somehow disappeared. Can technology make us hopeful people? This episode recorded in March 2026, before the Artemis II launch. Hope can send us soaring to the stars, but when our lives sink beneath the wind and the waves, what happens to hope then? Amid the hurricanes of today’s technology, hope seems less like a rocket ship soaring above it all and more “like the thing with feathers.”  Adam and Chris look at the materials required for building real hope, and they explore whether social media, smartphones, or AI are tools for constructing a home or weapons of mass destruction. Drawing on Scripture, story, and the work of Stanley Hauerwas, they look for the blueprints to build a sturdy hope. And they consider what role technology can play in building a hope that will withstand life’s storms. Stanley Hauerwas, ⁠The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson⁠. Buy a copy and read along with us!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CBS archives: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apollo 11 moon landing leaves Walter Cronkite "speechless"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NYT: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jack Garman, Whose Judgment Call Saved Moon Landing, Dies at 72⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New York Times: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Until the Apollo 11 mission, my family didn't have a television⁠⁠⁠⁠Daniel Nayeri, ⁠Everything Sad Is Untrue⁠Jürgen Moltmann, ⁠Theology of Hope⁠Viktor Frankl, ⁠Man’s Search for Meaning⁠C.S. Lewis, ⁠Prince Caspian⁠⁠Romans 5⁠, on suffering’s role in Christian hope1 Corinthians 13⁠, on faith, hope, and love as enduring theological virtuesTalk Back ⁠Leave a comment via Spotify⁠ Follow Device & Virtue on ⁠Instagram⁠.  Follow ⁠Adam on Substack⁠.  Support Device & Virtue. ⁠Learn how⁠.

Aristotle called friendship a virtue. Mark Zuckerberg made “friending” a verb. Next up: AI companions—What happens when they listen better than your fellow Christians?  Loneliness is being called an epidemic, even as we’re “connected” all day. Online spaces reward hot takes over hospitality, and friendship gets flattened into a friend request, a feed, or a follower count. Meanwhile, Jesus’ most personal message was a passionate prayer for friendship. How can Christians recover real, virtue-shaped friendship in an age of hyper-connected loneliness—when AI affirms us, social media tribalizes us, and smartphones stick closer than a brother? Chris and Adam trace friendship as a virtue through Scripture and classic and contemporary voices, then weigh modern tech against what friendship actually requires: presence, trust, humility, and a shared pursuit of the good. In This Episode Did social media’s rise lead to friendship’s decline? Why Jesus put friendship—more than family—at the heart of the Church Aristotle’s three kinds of friendship: the useful, the pleasurable, and “of the good.” Friendship killers—the vices of slander, reproach, betrayal, sloth, and codependence Historical deep dives—how a new technology drove the social platforms of the 17th century, spawned new friendships, and gave us the world’s oldest magazine AI companions—their comfort, their stigma, and what Christians could learn from their example Chris and Adam reflect on whether friendship is a vice or a virtue in their own lives Links Stanley Hauerwas, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! Mark Vernon micro-podcast lectures “Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship” U.S. Surgeon General advisory on loneliness and social connection (pdf) Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Cicero, On Friendship Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship The story of Joseph Addison and Dick Steele’s The Spectator Talk Back Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram.  Follow Chris on Threads, and Adam on Substack.  Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Image: Detail from François Venant's "The Parting of David and Jonathan"

Can we live humbly and still post that photo on Instagram? In the digital age, humility isn't so straightforward. With the smartphone at our fingertips, is pride just one selfie away? Many of tech’s biggest names have been anything but humble. Tesla, Edison, Jobs, Zuckerberg, Musk. Does that mean their inventions will re-make us in their image? Or is there a way to hold humility in one hand and our smartphones in the other? Drawing from Christian wisdom, Greek virtues, and modern theologians, Adam and Chris look for the borderland between pride and pusillanimity, between vainglory and self-abasement. And they explore how those borders are shifting thanks to social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. IN THIS EPISODE The AC/DC battle between Tesla and Edison, and what Frank Lloyd Wright said under oath The many shades of pride: ambition, autonomy, conceit, domination, vanity, and more! Aristotle’s concept of magnanimity Why you can’t have humility without Christianity, Stanley Hauerwas says Newsfeeds and the vainglorious “love of novelty” Chris and Adam’s reflections on pride and humility in their own lives LINKS We’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Rebecca Konyndyk Deyoung’s Glittering Vices More on Edison v Tesla “The Virtues of Pride and Humility: A Survey” - Robert C. Roberts “Beware Our Tower of Babel” by John Walton TALK BACKLeave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The word "temperance" may make us think of prohibition, but this virtue isn't some outdated legislation. Today's technologies are creating all new challenges. Should we be prohibiting them now? It’s the season of Virtues! We’re exploring the old-school virtue of Temperance—including how a technology in the 1800s changed the course of American politics, spawned hundreds of Christian organizations and even changed the US constitution! Plus, why ice cream could be an moral issue. >> Voicemail: Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! IN THIS EPISODE How virtue ethics can be understood through parenting What it could mean to be “temperate” in our social media and smartphone usage How temperance could change the way humans use A.I. THE LITTLE COLD WATER GIRLTHE WILLARD FOUNTAIN.Children Invited to Contribute Their Mite to the Fund for This Gift.The commission for “Willard Fountain.” which is to be a gift to the city of Chicago from children all over the world connected with the Loyal Temperance Legion Department of the World’s W.C.T.U.,…All money raised should be sent to Miss Anna Gordon, Evanston, Ill., and it is earnestly desired that little people everywhere should be impressed with the thought that the mission of love and money which they might perform by giving a cup of cold water to men who might otherwise be drawn into the saloon, can be carried out by this patient little figure, which will never grow “weary in welldoing.” It rests with them to send their pennies if they would be thus represented. Cold Water Girl Fountain—Chicagology QUOTES…the self indulgent man is so called because he is pained more than he ought at not getting pleasant things (even his pain being caused by pleasure), and the temperate man is so called because he is not pained at the absence of what is pleasant and at his abstinence from it.The self-indulgent man, then, craves for all pleasant things or those that are most pleasant, and is led by his appetite to choose these at the cost of everything else; hence he is pained both when he fails to get them and when he is merely craving for them (for appetite involves pain); but it seems absurd to be pained for the sake of pleasure. —Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics LINKSWe’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us!TALK BACK Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can we live simply without tossing our smartphone-life in the trash? We found answers in Sister Act II and walk-in closets. This season, we're doing something new, and it begins with the virtue of Simplicity. We live in a complex world. Can technology help simplify it? Or does it only make things worse? Chris and Adam look at Simplicity in the face of social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. IN THIS EPISODEIf you ever feel fragmented, this episode is for you. Drawing on insights from Stanley Hauerwas, Richard Foster, and the Sermon on the Mount, we explore... How might we live simpler lives in a technology-driven world? Could social media and smartphones promote simplicity rather than fragmentation? What role does Christian community play in fostering the virtue of Simplicity? Plus, learn how past technological developments have already shaped our relationship to Simplicity. Filled with philosophical insights and practical advice for integrating simplicity into modern life. LINKSWe’re using the list of virtues from Stanley Hauerwas and his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Buy a copy and read along with us! TALK BACKLeave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wow, we've got a new set of episodes coming our way—and Adam & Chris have decided to unveil a twist—while possible moving even closer to the Platonic ideal of Device & Virtue. Support our new season at https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/patreon Leave us a feedback voicemail at https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/talk-back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If not, what about our soundboards and electric guitars? If you thought the answer would be straightforward, you don't know us! Adam and Chris deep into the intertwining histories of church music and technology. From early debates over instruments in worship services to the effects of platforms like Spotify on today's songwriting, they explore the tensions between tradition and innovation. NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! IN THIS EPISODE Trace the twists and turns of church debates over instruments vs voices Can instruments help Christians worship in Spirit and truth? Strong opinions from ancient church fathers, the Reformers, and denominational creeds Is AI just another "instrument," or something more disruptive? Watch the TikTok Worship Song clip: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathanogdenmusic/video/7221950505486945541 Read Chris' AI worship song about the blind man in John 9 LINKS “The first AI Christian artist” JC (@jc.theartist) • Instagram photos and videos Worship.ai by John Dyer (create your own worship song in “modern worship music”, “classic hymn”, or the “Psalms (KJV)” Spotify has reportedly removed tens of thousands of AI-generated songs (Engadget May 2023) TALK BACKNEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Pulpit AI could save your church hours of social media work every week. Could it kill the sermon in the process? We interview pastor and entrepreneur Michael Whittle. He wants to make the sermon more valuable than ever, and he created Pulpit AI to do it. We talk to him about his new AI platform does and the future he’s dreaming for it.  Plus, Chris and Adam discuss how Pulpit AI might affect pastors, preaching, and the work of discipleship. In this episode  Is the sermon just “content”?  Why Pulpit AI won’t write your sermons What does Pulpit AI look like in 2033?  Risks for pastors and churches Megachurches have used social media to build massive platforms and stir up plenty of controversy. If Pulpit AI gives that platform to every pastor, how will it affect the church? LinksMichael Whittle is the Founder and CEO of PulpitAI and Vast Media. He’s obsessed with the intersection of faith, business & entrepreneurship, a topic he explores in his podcast, "Kings & Priests." Over the past decade, he has built companies spanning media, advertising, and consumer products in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Singapore. Michael also serves on the pastoral team at C3 Los Angeles and resides in South Pasadena, CA with his wife Jillean and their two children, Rook and Willa. Learn more about Pulpit AI on their website.  Talk BackNEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ownership is not an option. Forget magazines—does it seem like today we subscribe to just about everything? You’re not wrong—from reading books to driving cars—80% of new businesses offer a subscription. Has software changed ownership forever? Chris & Adam explore how technology has changed how we pay—and all the implications. No longer do we buy Microsoft Office in shiny boxes from Best Buy! That model that used to be magazines and the CD of the month club has moved to practically every digital product in our daily world. Chris’s business degree 101 taught him that all purchases fell into two two obvious categories—product or service. But now? Who knows! Add complaints about inkjet printers, Tesla, and thought on the spiritual implications of ownership, and we’ve got a roving convo that mixes tech, economics & daily life. Links How Tesla changed owner’s car battery capacity by unlocking software My Printer is Extorting Me by Charlie Warzel (The Atlantic) Listener VoicemailThis episode features a talkback voice message from listener Toby B. Thanks Toby! Leave Your Own Voice Message PatreonPatreon supporters get a raw video cut of this episode! Check out how to support us here. Talk BackNEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! When’s the last time you got a handwritten letter, or stared out the window, or went on vacation without checking email? Did the Internet kill the good ol’ days, or is this just nostalgia talking? Chris and Adam dive into the book 100 Things We Lost to the Internet and explore the difference between true wisdom and mere wistfulness. Tech has become the de facto symbol of progress, but is everything new a true advancement? How could we know the difference. In this episodeAmong the 100 Things We Lost are… Boredom Getting Lost Relying on the Doctor Uninhibitedness The Spanish-English Dictionary Solitude Your Attention Span Spelling The New Kid Memory Scrabble Tiles Social Cues Closure Links Learn more about the author Pamela Paul and her book 100 Things We Lost to the Internet Talk BackNEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THREADS is the all new social network launched by the founders of Facebook, and it launched big and fast—over 100 millions accounts in the first week. Chris reflects on how social networks work like societal mirrors, and reflect some of the same issues that vexxed the early Christian church. Short Circuit episodes skip the argument—Adam or Chris grab the mic on their own for a more personal reflection on technology & faith. These shorter entries are a bonus to our full-length Device & Virtue episodes. Enjoy! Feedback? Send us a voicemail from your phone: https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. -- This month, Apple announced the new Vision Pro headset. 10 years from now, will we look back and say it changed our life? Can we ever know whether something is a Flop or the Future? Think about it. When they first came out, did folks know that the electric refrigerator or the microwave oven would change modern life as we know it? How about when Apple launched the iPhone? Sure—today we think about that as a turning point in history. But then? Discerning and predicting new tech is hard. You’ll find naysayers and you’ll find worshippers from the first minutes it appears. Who’s right? And how would we know? APPLE VISION PRO LAUNCH (JUNE 5, 2023)“In the same way that Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing.” …“The first Apple product you look through, and not at.” — Tim Cook Watch the 2 hour event (Apple Vision Pro begins at 1hr 20min) APPLE IPHONE LAUNCH (JANUARY 9, 2007)“Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything” — Steve Jobs MORE LINKS Professor Scott Galloway was unimpressed with the Vision Pro launch TALK BACKNEW! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! “Minority Report” was just a movie, right? Well, not anymore. Beat cops from Los Angeles to London are using Artificial Intelligence to forecast tomorrow’s murders. Is every crime predestined? Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, including the police station. From forecasting burglary to heading off homicides, predictive policing is more than 10 years old, and your city is probably already using it.  What is predictive policing, and what should Christians think about it? Chris and Adam unpack the ethics of prediction and beliefs about predestination. They look some of the risks that come with crime statistics, and the solutions that don’t merely reduce crime but actually increase justice.  Plus, if you’ve ever used Google Analytics, stick around for the Bible story of David’s census In this episode What is predictive policing? Is crime predictable? Is it predestined?  What personal data is being tracked? How can crime statistics be biased? What should Christians think? Links Predictive Policing Explained (Brennan Center for Justice) 2021: Predictive Policing and Crime Control in The United States of America and Europe: Trends in a Decade of Research and the Future of Predictive Policing (Social Sciences Journal) 2022: ​​Algorithm predicts crime a week in advance, but reveals bias in police response (University of Chicago) 2022: The never-ending quest to predict crime using AI (Washington Post) 2020: Predictive policing algorithms are racist. They need to be dismantled. (MIT Tech Review) 2017: How strategic is Chicago’s “Strategic Subjects List”? (Equal Future) 2020 Update: Chicago police end effort to predict gun offenders, victims. (Associated Press) Talk BackNEW THIS SEASON! Leave us a 90-second voice message about this episode. We may feature it in a future segment! Follow Device & Virtue on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Chris and Adam on Twitter. Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Device & Virtue, Season 9!  Leave Us a Digital Voicemail! Starting this season, *in these show notes* and at deviceandvirtue.com, you can leave us a digital voicemail.  We’ve been arguing the wrongs and rights of technology and faith for 4 years. We think it's time you spoke up. If you’ve ever wanted to hear yourself featured on a podcast, this could be your debut!  There will be a link in the show notes for every episode of Season 9! Tap through and start recording! Tell us... - something we should discuss in season 9 - a technology and faith dilemma that you have - a Vice or Virtue that we should do ...90 seconds or less. We’ll see you soon with our next episode on AI Cops and the world of predictive policing! Thanks for listening! Adam & Chris https://www.deviceandvirtue.com/talk-back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christians used to be known as "people of the book." Do we lose something big if we become the "people of the screen"? From Moses to Gutenberg to YouVersion App, we’re talking the digital bible with our guest John Dyer. Chris talks with John about his newest book People of the Screen. We explore how evangelicals created the digital Bible and how it is shaping Christians interpretation of scripture today. In his research, John found that people read print and digital Bibles at different times depending on where they are and what they’re doing. We cover a lot of ground: How digital reading influence our Bible interpretation The history of the Bible technologies, from Moses to Gutenberg The four eras of the digital Bible, from universities to YouVersion How Christians can better understand digital’s influence on their own Bible reading If your Bible reading ever leaves you feeling judged or confused, John’s research illuminates some surprising reasons why that might be the case.  What’s the future of print Bibles? Find out what John thinks will happen as the Christians go deeper into digital. Plus, hear about John’s latest Bible project: the Y’all Version.  ABOUT JOHNJohn Dyer is Vice President for Enrollment Services and Educational Technologies & Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.  LINKS Visit John Dyer’s website From the Garden to the City: The Place of Technology in the Story of God People of the Screen: How Evangelicals Created the Digital Bible and How It Shapes Their Reading of Scripture Y’all Version—putting the “y’all” back in the Bible where it belongs Follow John on Twitter REACH OUT TO ADAM & CHRISReach out to Device & Virtue on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk back to Chris and Adam on Twitter Support Device & Virtue. Learn how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices