In Good Faith Chong Shao, Daniel Shih

On today’s show, Chong and Dan look back on an eventful year. Along major dimensions - in technology, in geopolitics, in our socio-emotional lives, it feels like things are accelerating and spinning out of control. This leads to a discussion about peace - what is it, and how can we achieve it? Why does it seem like peace is only ever temporary? Where does chaos and disorder come from, that disturb the peace? Dan concludes with reflections on where ultimate peace is found - yes, Jesus - but goes to great lengths to explain this in the least-trite way possible.
 
 Music by: Julian Wan

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 Show notes
 
Big things have been happening (2:55)
Social-technological - AI, medicine, Internet-mediated life...Geopolitical - Breakdown of Pax AmericanaEmotional-psychological - Awareness, acceptance and exploitation of disorders within the heartThe external things affect us individually, and vice versaThe Nine Breakthroughs of the Year

How Anxiety Became Content

What do we mean by peace? (26:05)
Absence of bad stuff; presence of good stuffCan we be at peace, even when things around us are bad?"Shalom" - the way things ought to be
What causes chaos and disorder? (37:50)
Left-Right answer, circa early 2000s - individuals vs societyLeft-Right answer, circa 2020s - Common-Enemy politicsThe upshot - we are being affected both too little and too much by the outside world
Conclusion (53:20)
Peace comes from an external intervention into the broken human worldPeace requires a change in perspective - cosmic, eternalPeople are looking for peace; Christians can help them find it

On today’s show, Chong and Dan plant their flag on the next transformational change facing society: Artificial Intelligence (AI). After a decades-long pursuit, pioneering researchers and organisations have been releasing AI products into the world, with amazing and unsettling results. We provide a primer on AI, focusing on ChatGPT and its Large Language Model relatives. Then Chong provides Dan with three near-future, AI-driven scenarios, to spark a discussion of what could come next. AI seems set to disrupt society, but we are still unsure by how much, given that so much of society still operates in the physical world. To be continued… 
 
 Music by: Julian Wan

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 Show notes
 
Something big is happening (1:41)
Human technology as (i) fire, (ii) sharp sticks and (ii) our brainsThe biggest upgrade to our brains is happening right nowPlanting the flag on AI - not exploring all the issues, but rather what it is and what it could mean for usExistential risk, AI, and the inevitable turn in human history

AI primer (11:43)
Neural networks, Large Language Models (LLM) and generative AIIntro to ChatGPT - how it works, what can be doneHow to Become an Expert on A.I.

How Does ChatGPT Really Work?


What all this could mean (31:44)
Scenario 1 - Disruption of “knowledge work”Scenario 2 - Teaching and learning overhauledScenario 3 - “Her” will be real lifeHow much does all this matter? Torn between “not as much” and “a whole lot”Tinkering With ChatGPT, Workers Wonder: Will This Take My Job?

Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It.

Replika users fell in love with their AI chatbot companions. Then they lost them

You Can Have the Blue Pill or the Red Pill, and We’re Out of Blue Pills

Conclusion (1:07:09)
We should be careful when wielding words…

On today’s show, Chong and Dan share what’s been going on in our lives during a busy 2022. This gets us to unpack the concept of “busyness”, and how we in modern society constantly strain against our limits and wonder if we are doing “enough”. Drawing on insights from the book You’re Only Human, we consider how limits are not an inherently bad thing. We also explore the root of our busyness, namely pride in pursuing our own interests and seeking to be the master of our own lives. We conclude with a call to not be everything, everywhere, all at once.

Music by: Julian Wan

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Show notes

Year in review (2:01)
Dan’s “sophomore slump” in ministryChong’s priority stack - core, primary, secondaryPrimary responsibilities (children, church, work) expanding and crowding out other things
Concept of busyness (16:31)
Why do we feel like we are never doing enough?Introduction to Kelly Kapic’s bookUltimately a theological problem - misunderstanding who we are and what we were made forYou’re Only Human by Kelly Kapic

Finitude is not sin (25:17)
God created us with limits (and it was good); he did not create us with sinCautionary tale: Everything Everywhere All at OnceTime management techniques cover up the core problemIGF 11: The Crisis of Freedom

Pride as the root cause (45:05)
We want to do more and be more, want mastery over all things… i.e., to be like GodHumility as the antidote - to think less of ourselves and to think of ourselves lessGiving thanks for our limitations
Conclusion (1:02:09)
The insidious effect of busyness - robbing us of joy in the present

On today’s show, Chong and Dan examine the elephant in the current affairs room - the Russo-Ukrainian War. We start by introducing the frame of the End of History, the famous work of political philosophy which posited liberal democracy as the final form of human government after the Cold War. The 1990s and 2000s were great, but now History is back with a vengeance. Rather than discussing the intricacies of the war, we unpack why the war matters by reflecting on four ideas:
There is such a thing as good and evilDecadence is bad… war is so much worseBe wary of righteous fervourDon’t take peace and civilisation for granted
Music by: Julian Wan
 
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 Show notes
 
The End of History (3:32)
Francis Fukuyama’s thesis - liberal democracy as the end stateThe 1990s and 2000s were very good!History returns… 2016, COVID-19, war on continental EuropeWikipedia: The End of History and the Last Man

There is such a thing as good and evil (20:15)
Genuine heroism - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian defenders, good samaritans helping Ukrainian refugeesEvil is revealed - Russian President Vladimir Putin, foot soldiers and atrocities on the groundReflections - we gravitate to moral complexity (e.g., in art and media), but war clarifies what is good and what is evilHow Zelensky Tamed Ukraine’s Fractious Politics and Stood Up to Putin

Decadence is bad… war is so much worse (34:03)
Definition of decadence - economic stagnation, political stalemate, cultural exhaustion, demographic declineWar is certainly not decadent, neither is Russia’s descent into a totalitarian stateBe careful when you wish for suffering to strengthen resolve, or excitement to remove boredom…The Age of Decadence

Be wary of righteous fervour (43:33)
Economic sanctions, calls for military escalation, actual cancellation of Russian culture Being blind to reason, discriminating on the basis of group identity, demanding loyalty oaths - this is what “liberal” ideals are meant to mitigate
Don’t take peace and civilisation for granted (50:45)
The mechanisms for peace are shockingly fragile… you will always need walls manned by gunsJonah Goldberg: “History… is always out there… staring at us with feral yellow eyes that are hard to see through the light pollution of modern civilisation…”Chesterton’s Defense

Conclusion (1:00:36)
After the Berlin Wall fell, we were supposed to progress to peace, love and freedom forever… how naive we wereThe Bible takes a longer view - the whole creation is in the pains of childbirth (Romans 8:18-25) until Jesus returns and brings history to an end

On today’s show, Chong and Dan plants the flag on a topic that is looming large on the horizon: the metaverse. We begin by exploring how previous technologies have transformed society and worship, including automobiles (leading to megachurches) and smartphones (leading to Instavangelists). The metaverse looks like the next “big thing”. What is it, and why should people (including Christians) care about it? Drawing on a Gospel Coalition article, we critically examine the metaverse through three lenses: (i) identity, (ii) physicality and (iii) limits, and call for more wisdom in how people interact with the metaverse.

Music by: Julian Wan
 
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Show notes
 
Technology and worship (1:31)
What do McDonalds, Walmart and megachurches have in common?What do Instagram, Uber and Airbnb have in common?Automobiles and smartphones have profoundly shaped society and worship
What is the metaverse (10:42)
TL;DR - The metaverse is an extension of the internet where we interact inside digital worldsRecent developments - Facebook/Meta rebrand, Web3 technologies, VR and ARFramework for the Metaverse
 
Meta-thinking about the problem (19:58)
“Traditionalists” - cautious with new tech; characterised by the Jurassic Park quote: just because you could, doesn’t mean you should“Progressivists” - excited by new tech; it is good to push boundaries and do new thingsIGF approach - use new tech thoughtfully, give thanks for the good, think critically about the downsidesHow to Prepare for the Metaverse

Consideration 1: Identity (26:56)
“What happens when we identify more with a virtual version of ourselves than with our real selves?”As Christians, celebrate our received identity that is given by God
Consideration 2: Physicality (35:57)
“It will be easy to begin to see the infinite possibilities of our virtual world and bodies as better and more real than the physical world”As Christians, resist constant digital connection; intentionally disconnect to be physically present with others
Consideration 3: Limits (43:32)
“The metaverse will present us with the opportunity to experience glimpses of power only God has” - omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresentAs Christians, embrace God-given limits - including on who we are, where we live, and what we know
Conclusion (58:05)
Robert Nozick’s Experience Machine and the Matrix - “plugging in” was seen as a bad thing; that is not the case todayThe metaverse is about the normalisation of “plugging in”We need to seek wisdom and ask the right questionsWikipedia: Experience machine

On today’s show, Chong and Dan commemorate an important milestone - after 10 years, Dan has completed bible college! The main topic of our show is  “belonging”. We reflect on what is special about this word - it is passive (we don’t “do” it), and it is always in relation to something or someone else. Belonging is also a core part of our identity. Therefore it is no surprise that in our individualistic culture, there is a “crisis” of both belonging and identity. What is the “solution”? Dan boldly claims that true belonging cannot be fulfilled by this world, but rather granted by God.

Music by: Julian Wan

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Show notes

Dan finished bible college! (1:54)
Reflections and quick-fire questionsHuge personal lesson: everyone is walking their own path, you cannot plan for life
Meditations on belonging (7:11)
You can’t “do” belongingYou belong only in relation to other things - family, place, nation, etc.To belong is a fundamental aspect of human identityTo belong is to have an obligation to others
The modern crisis of belonging (26:00)
(Young) people who are lost - we all feel itSelf-sabotage - showing up is hard, so we don’t do it, therefore sacrificing our long-term identityExternal obstacles in modern life
What is the solution? (45:46)
We can’t get belonging just by trying harderDan gets preachy - only Christianity offers true belonging through a God who sent his son into the world to find us
Conclusion (56:06)
Parable of the Prodigal Son - belonging that is lost and found again, by graceMerry Christmas - please tell a friend about our show and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts :)