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Chapters (00:00:01) - Welcome and Opening Question: Phones and Priorities(00:01:27) - Discussion: What Phones Teach Us to Prioritize(00:03:30) - Introducing Purpose: Playing With vs Playing a Game(00:04:33) - Monopoly Story Continued: Rules and Purpose(00:06:54) - Meaning-Making Stories and Modern Rivals to God's Purpose(00:09:12) - Ancient Myths vs Genesis: Enuma Elish and Modern Science(00:11:26) - God's Intention Precedes Creation: Analyzing 'Let There Be Light'(00:13:11) - Speech as Design: Bookshelves and Divine Intention(00:14:43) - Everything in Creation Serves a Purpose(00:16:36) - Speech Communicates Intention: Frisbee and Krispy Kreme Illustrations(00:19:15) - Humans Created in God's Image with Special Purpose(00:21:20) - Babel and the Rejection of God-Given Purpose(00:23:14) - Fulfillment of Purpose in Christ: John 1 and Colossians(00:25:21) - Digital Technology and the Multiplication of Purposes(00:29:55) - Attention, Algorithms, and the Economics of Distraction(00:31:41) - The Inner Ring: Group Identity and Digital Tribalism(00:33:17) - Building a Self-Image Online Instead of God's Image(00:36:01) - Conclusion, Homework Examen, and Closing Prayer

Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome back and digital-free space homework review(00:01:15) - Reflections on digital-free spaces: porch, bathroom, bedroom(00:04:13) - Recap: meaning-making stories and the digital age(00:07:10) - Introducing today's topic: matter(00:10:07) - First affirmation: God creates out of nothing(00:14:32) - Second affirmation: creation is irreducibly material(00:17:09) - Third affirmation: creation is not merely material(00:19:05) - The fall, redemption, and Jesus' material resurrection(00:21:50) - Two errors: materialism and dualism(00:24:19) - The digital age's materialist/dualist worldview(00:27:27) - Three moves: exploit, avoid, escape matter(00:32:21) - Case study: the digital age and sex(00:35:17) - Living faithfully with a material existence(00:36:20) - Jack's example: frictionlessness, video games, and deepfakes(00:38:36) - Q&A: transhumanism, digitalizing the soul, and cosmic redemption(00:41:23) - Closing prayer

Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro: Review of Time and Limitations(00:00:49) - Life in the Cotswolds: A Pre-Modern Sense of Space(00:03:59) - How Our Experience of Space Has Changed(00:05:08) - Defining Space and Recap of the Series(00:06:59) - Genesis 1: Space Gives Definition to Reality(00:07:58) - Tower of Babel and Resisting God's Boundaries(00:10:53) - Space Organizes Reality Into Places(00:13:42) - Places Allow Creatures to Flourish(00:14:42) - Humanity's Garden Home and Global Mission(00:16:15) - Sin Displaces Us Toward Welter(00:17:45) - From Eden to the Garden City(00:18:17) - The Digital World's Tinkering With Space(00:19:32) - Where Is the Internet? Digital Space vs Physical Space(00:21:53) - The Apple Ad: Welter in the Kitchen(00:25:28) - Discussing the Ad's Portrayal of Space(00:27:43) - The Digital Blurs the Organization of Space(00:29:50) - Global News and False Transcendence of Space(00:32:22) - The Digital Displaces Us and Empties Real Space(00:34:11) - C.S. Lewis's Grey Town and the Cost of Convenience(00:36:07) - Nextdoor, Consumerism, and Losing Real Neighbors(00:37:34) - Homework: Creating a Digital-Free Space(00:38:35) - Closing Prayer

Overarching theme: Submission to authority does not mean political quietism. Key concepts to cover: The general biblical assumption is that we will submit even to unjust rulers Although our context is different, much of the rationale for this remains However, even in the New Testament, we see examples of how to appeal to the rights of citizenship to resist unjust authorities (Paul in Acts). In our own context, such rights, and institutions for vindicating them, have multiplied and this is the product of Christian civilization How Christians should think about lawsuits The doctrine of the “lesser magistrate” and its relevance to constitutional mechanisms of resistance Just war theory as a paradigm for thinking about resisting unjust authority How to think about voting How to think about nations and borders

Overarching theme: Law is the mediator between divine and human, reason and will, individual and community. Key concepts to cover: Introduce basic categories of eternal, natural, divine, and human law. Distinguish between “purely human” and “partly human” law and highlight the great practical significance of this distinction. Law must be an ordinance of reason, an ordering toward the common good. Law is also an act of will, binding to some extent even if unreasonable. Clarifying the sense in which “an unjust law is not law” Law has both divine and human authority; law as an act of corporate promise-making Law both restrains the individual for the sake of the community and restrains the community for the sake of the individual The scope over which law has authority (law not separable from morality or religion)

Overarching theme: Political authority is a representative of God but can become a blasphemous idol. Key concepts to cover: Political authority (in some sense) not a result of the Fall Political authority (in the full sense) made necessary by the Fall Political authority is a sign of God’s mercy to us in a violent world Political authority is a providential provision of God However, the particular forms and personal of government are a matter of human institution. Government will abuse its authority. Submission should be our default posture in relation to government (not our only posture, but our default). Political authority can become demonic, blasphemous, and idolatrous (highlight connection between political and angelic authority)

Session 1: How to Think About Politics Possible Scripture passages: Psalm 20; 2 Sam. 3; 1 Kings 22; Isaiah 36-37 Overarching theme: Be still and know that the Lord is God. Key concepts to cover: Distinguishing the temporal and the eternal. Don’t immanentize the eschaton. The universal reign of Christ. Politics is a sphere of Christian discipleship. Be wary of the affective power of politics—its ability to consume our loyalties and breed a tribal mindset Be wary of the deceptive power of politics—its ability to make us compromise truth in flattery of the powerful. Don’t be a purist—not all political compromise is moral compromise Distinguish between ends and means—be willing to build smart political coalitions with unbelievers, and even more importantly, retain the right hand of fellowship with believers across political divides

As our virtual engagement with the wider world has increased, our local connections have diminished. In some ways the internet has become more real than our neighborhoods, and virtual "friendships" have replaced the real thing. This leaves us longing for a sense of place in a rootless world. Why are we so restless?  Because we no longer know where we live.   At the conclusion of John’s talk, co-hosts Center for Public Christianity Executive Director Josh Chatraw and New City Fellows alumnus Micah Vandegrift are joined by Abby Vandegrift, Micah’s wife and a New City Fellows alumnae, to reflect on John’s teaching and discuss how it applies to daily life. So, keep listening!   Additional Resources   From John’s Talks A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life by Ephraim Radner Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Penséesby Blaise Pascal Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Jeffrey Bilbro The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Ageby Daniel Grothe You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman Worldby Alan Noble Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentmentby Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storeycom   From the Discussion Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith   Websites https://htcraleigh.org/ https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/

We live in an age of information. Not only are we generating more than ever before, we have unprecedented access to information of all kinds. Our phones have become portals to a world of infinite knowledge. And this brave new world of endless information is busy reshaping our humanity. Why are we so restless? Because we are obsessed with information in a world that is desperate for wisdom.   At the conclusion of John’s talk, co-hosts Center for Public Christianity Executive Director Josh Chatraw and New City Fellows alumnus Micah Vandegrift are joined by Matt Benson, also a New City Fellows alumnus, to reflect on John’s teaching and discuss how it applies to daily life. So, keep listening!   Additional Resources   From John’s Talks A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life by Ephraim Radner Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Penséesby Blaise Pascal Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Jeffrey Bilbro The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Ageby Daniel Grothe You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman Worldby Alan Noble Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentmentby Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey From the Discussion How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter https://grayscale.whiteboard.is/     Websites https://htcraleigh.org/ https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/

Everything about our lives these days is fast. We measure time in fractions of a second. We prize efficiency and good time management more than just about anything else. But this puts pressure on us that ultimately degrades our humanity. When so much of life and growth happens slowly, being in a hurry can wear you down.  Why are we so restless?  Because we've lost track of time.     At the conclusion of John’s talk, co-hosts Center for Public Christianity Executive Director Josh Chatraw and New City Fellows alumnus Micah Vandegrift are joined by Jimmy Doster, also a New City Fellows alumnus, to reflect on John’s teaching and discuss how it applies to daily life. So, keep listening!   Additional Resources   From John’s Talks A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life by Ephraim Radner Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Penséesby Blaise Pascal Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Jeffrey Bilbro The Givenness of Things:Essays by Marilynne Robinson The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Ageby Daniel Grothe You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman Worldby Alan Noble Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentmentby Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey     From the Discussion He Held Radical Light: The Art of Faith, the Faith of Art by Christian Wiman How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now by James K. A. Smith The Sacrament of the Present Moment by Andrew Fellows   Websites https://htcraleigh.org/ https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/

Our country was founded on the premise that all of us have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what is happiness and where do we find it? The world around us encourages us to look within, to find our passions and pursue them. But this doesn't always work. Why are we so restless? Because we’re pursuing happiness in the wrong direction.   At the conclusion of John’s talk, co-hosts Center for Public Christianity Executive Director Josh Chatraw and New City Fellows alumnus Micah Vandegrift are joined by Seth Berman, also a New City Fellows alumnus, to reflect on John’s teaching and discuss how it applies to daily life. So, keep listening!   Additional Resources   From John’s Talks Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Penséesby Blaise Pascal Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Jeffrey Bilbro The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Ageby Daniel Grothe You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman Worldby Alan Noble Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentmentby Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey   Websites https://htcraleigh.org/ https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/