In this episode of Mere Fidelity, the hosts engage in a deep discussion about the implications of artificial intelligence on society, the church, and human relationships. They explore the theological and ethical dimensions of AI, emphasizing the importance of human agency and the role of the Word in shaping our understanding of technology. The conversation also addresses the dangers of AI in ministry, the potential for dehumanization, and the need for a critical approach to technology in light of the Christian faith.   Chapters 00:00 Now You're Cooking with AI 02:24 Starting Points & Inevitabilities 05:06 The Real Vehicle of the Word 10:09 AI as an Extension of Human Capacity 14:23 The Dehumanizing Nature of AI 17:14 The Demonic Nature of Technology 24:05 Double Non-Neutrality 26:27 The Point Is the Struggle 33:03 How Reading Works 38:05 Glorified Google Searches and Machine Collaboration 44:35 A Solution to a Problem that Shouldn't Exist 46:52 We Are Living in the Darkest Timeline 50:23 Pornographic Logic 55:36 Relieving the Human Condition 01:02:17 The Illusion of Efficiency

In this episode of Mere Fidelity, the hosts engage in a deep discussion about covenant theology, exploring its significance in scripture and its role in Reformed theology. They debate the load-bearing nature of covenant language, its historical context, and its relationship to other theological concepts. The conversation highlights the complexity of covenant theology and its evolution over time, emphasizing the importance of understanding scripture through multiple lenses while recognizing the unifying role of covenant in redemptive history.

Chapters

00:00 Hermeneutics and Biblical Theology 01:57 Load-Bearing Covenant? 04:53 Counting Verses Versus Verses Counting 10:01 As Widespread as TULIP 14:26 It's Literally in the Name (Blankets vs Structure) 19:20 The Concrete Organizing Principle 23:22 Distinguishing Semantics from Substance 25:43 Self-Conscious History 27:45 Covenants and Meta-Covenant (Background vs Framework) 34:43 What Gets Obscured 39:18 Covenant Overload 42:16 Covenant-pilled Sonship 46:00 Non-Hierarchical Relations of Concepts 50:35 It All Hangs Together!

When a prominent Biblical theologian changes his position on the legitimacy of same-sex marriage, it prompts numerous questions for Derek, Alastair, and Matt to tackle in this episode of Mere Fidelity. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: Against Worldview [0:00] A Change of Mind [1:41] What Kind of Change? [3:06] Hays’s Shift [6:55] “Using” Scripture [9:13] The “Right” Community [12:59] Ignoring Marriage [17:57] Different Questions Entirely [23:03] No Longer a Sin [29:57] Orthodoxy [35:22] Leadership and Esteem [38:08]

For many 21st century Christians in the West it seems that the world is unraveling. There are two questions we must ask: Is this time different than other times? and How can Christians offer hope to a world coming apart? These are the questions that Matt, Alastair, and Derek seek answers for with Jake Meador while discussing Jake’s new book, What Are Christians For? Life Together at the End of the World. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Reading the Psalms individually as we often do, you can miss how they all fit together. Dr. James Hamilton’s new two-volume commentary brings to life the wonder of how intricately the Psalms are linked literarily and structurally. Derek, Alastair, and Matt explore with Dr. Hamilton what the big patterns are, what the superscriptions indicate, and what David was perhaps thinking when he was writing about Christ. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

We humans have a complicated relationship with our limits. We constantly push them; expand them; try to circumvent them. But limits are inherent to Creation. Why would God, who could have made the world in an instant, use a process instead? And what does this mean for our own process of sanctification, which we often want to be instantaneous? Matt, Derek, and Alastair jump into these questions with Dr. Kelly Kapic, the author of You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

A conundrum has been bothering Andrew: If you say that few people are saved, that raises certain theological problems, but if you say that many people are saved, that raises other theological problems. But this is what Mere Fidelity is for: tackling the tough questions that others avoid. Matt doesn’t think this is the right question to be asking, but you’ll be interested to hear where he ends up. And Derek coins a unique word. s Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

The modern mindset instinctively views everything, even texts, as objects to be pulled apart and understood rationally. When we do this to the Bible, we can inadvertently end up bifurcating Biblical studies from ethics. But that’s not what the Bible is doing. When you read the Bible and let it change you, you discover that all of it is Wisdom Literature. That’s what Mere Fidelity guest Dr. Jeff Dryden claims in his book, A Hermeneutic of Wisdom. Matt and Derek love where he goes with it on this episode. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

You may get the impression that shame is always a bad thing. That’s not exactly right. Dr. Gregg TenElshof, author of the book For Shame: Rediscovering the Virtues of a Maligned Emotion, discusses the nuances of bad shame and good shame with the Mere Fidelity crew. When should we feel shame? For what should we feel shame? How does the body and appearance relate to shame? Listen in! (The +1 on this one is particularly good.) Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

On Mere Fidelity it’s not just the guests that are experts. All four of our hosts have projects of their own that will be of great interest to our listeners. Three of our hosts (alas, Derek is not on this episode) open up about what has been taking up their intellectual space this past year: from 1776 to Dante to YouTube to Gossip and more. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat returns to Mere Fidelity to discuss his harrowing experience with Lyme disease as told in his new book, The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness & Discovery. Alastair and Matt take the conversation in some interesting directions that you’ll probably only find on Mere Fidelity, like how the sociological experience of chronic illness compares with the psychology of witness in the Christian community. That, and more, in this episode. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

The church year begins with Advent. But Advent begins by looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Why would we start with the end? The doctrine of the Last Things sheds some light on this tradition. Matt, Derek, and Alastair examine Advent and the Last Things by taking a close look at Charles Wesley’s classic Advent hymn, “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.” Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

What is our only comfort in life and in death? It’s that we do not belong to ourselves, but that we belong body and soul to Jesus Christ. Alan Noble thinks that if we will embrace this teaching, the church will be able to weather modernity. How exactly does that play out in our daily lives? That’s what he talks about with Matt, Derek, Alastair, and Andrew(!) on this episode. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Amy Mantravadi, Mere Fi’s snarkiest online critic has written a novel—a historical novel—about the heroes of the Reformation. Matt and Alastair bring her on the show to talk about it, what historical fiction can do that theology can’t, what the central issue of the Reformation was, and what it’s like inside the heads of Luther, Erasmus, and Melanchthon. Plus, Matt gets it exactly right at least once. Stick around to the end for a big announcement about the future of Mere Fidelity. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: A Big Tease [0:00] Delighted and Terrified [1:48] Psychologically Intense [4:55] Historical Fiction [10:56] Hazards [15:49] Those Particular Years [23:05] Melanchthon FTW [29:10] The Peasants Are Revolting [34:45] Ambivalence [45:13] Mythological Force [50:17]

What’s gone wrong in Biblical theology? We’ve turned the Bible into an object to master, instead of letting it master us. Rev. Hans Boersma’s new book, Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew, opens this conversation up very well, reminding us the job of the Biblical scholar is not primarily historical. Matt and Derek talk with Rev. Boersma, and things get a little spicy when the topic of Sola Scriptura comes up. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

A conversation has erupted in Evangelical circles about elites and their willingness to accommodate worldly powers. But who counts as elite? Which worldly powers are they cozying up to? The answers can change depending on who’s doing the accusing. Alastair, Matt, and Derek take up the conversation to pick apart confusing threads and lower the temperature of the argument. Will they succeed or end up disagreeing with each other? Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Death is an uncomfortable subject for many people. That makes funerals difficult at the least, and even worse, confusing and traumatic. How does the Christian understanding of death influence the way we do funerals? Dr. Tim Perry, author of Funerals: For the Care of Souls, published by Lexham Press, joins Matt and Derek to liven your understanding of what it means for a Christian to die. Practical considerations are covered as well, like cremation vs. burial, whether to eulogize, and which parts of funerals should be customized and which shouldn’t be. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Dr. Scott Swain is the President of Reformed Theological Seminary, and he is the author of The Trinity & the Bible: On Theological Interpretation published by Lexham Press. In this conversation with Derek, Matt, and Alastair, Dr. Swain helps ask and answer some big questions about the Doctrine of the Trinity: How do we find it in the Bible? Is it just imported Greek categories? Why do we use the terms Father, Son, and Spirit? How do you pronounce ‘prosopological’? And what use is the Doctrine of the Trinity anyway? Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Join the Merrie Band™ and hear the +1 at www.patreon.com/merefidelity.

What’s the difference between someone “deconstructing” their faith and plain, old apostasy? Are Exvangelicals really leaving Christianity? Andrew, Alastair, and Matt discuss the new trend of Evangelicals prominently deconstructing their faith and what it means for the church and the doctrine of assurance. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

The Jordan Peterson phenomenon is worth looking into. Even Aquinas scholar Dr. Christopher Kaczor is writing about the effect that Jordan Peterson is having. Matt and Alastair join the discussion, bringing a particular emphasis to how Peterson reads Scripture and what Christians can learn from his approach. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

With the ideas like technology, progress, and liberty shaping our lives, we are formed to believe that reality is tending toward an ever greater number of choices and ever fewer limits. But is this limitless ideal a good way to live? Dr. Ashley Hales has a different idea, which she explores in her new book, A Spacious Life: Trading Hustle and Hurry for the Goodness of Limits. She returns to Mere Fidelity to discuss about how limits can actually increase our liberty and what this looks like for the modern Christian. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Many Christians and ex-Christians have experienced severe trauma because of bad, even abusive, church leadership. Using the story of Mark Driscoll as a basis for comparison, Matt, Andrew, and Alastair discuss the causes and outcomes of bad leadership. They compare and contrast the US and UK churches, look at the sociology of trust, and ask how to examine one’s own leadership to avoid becoming abusive. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

Dr. John Kleinig joins Matt and Alastair to discuss a Biblical approach to a theology of the body. More specifically, they talk about how we can acquire the vision with which God sees our bodies. Some questions that they cover are how ritual trains the body, what the significance of the body is in Protestant theology, and why Jesus’s physical body is so emphasized in the Gospels. Dr. Kleinig’s latest book also focuses on these issues. (There’s also a particularly spectacular +1 that you can hear if you are one of the Merrie Band of Patreon supporters.) Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.

You may think that Christianity and Judaism have gone their separate ways; that they have nothing to do with each other. But this is not necessarily the case. On this episode, Dr. Jennifer Rosner, author of Healing the Schism: Karl Barth, Franz Rosenzweig, and the New Jewish-Christian Encounter, joins Matt and Alastair to talk about how Christianity and Judaism should relate to one another. Full show notes at www.MereFidelity.com.

On October 23rd, 524, Boethius, the last of the Classical philosophers and the first Medieval Man, was executed. Today, 1,500 years later, his work, especially The Consolation of Philosophy, continues to influence many, including major thinkers such as C.S. Lewis. Dr. Tom Ward returns to Mere Fidelity to discuss what Boethius can teach us today. Dr. Ward has recently written a new book about Boethius: After Stoicism. With the resurgence of interest in Stoicism spreading rapidly online and off, you will certainly benefit from this conversation. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: A Very Important Book [0:00] 1,500 Years Ago Today [1:53] Stoicism [4:07] Apatheia and Ataraxia [7:07] Self-Indulgent Sadness [10:00] Joy [15:03] His Christian Bona Fides [19:01] Wisdom [25:27] Therapy [28:08] The Philosophers Who Don’t Do Anything [35:10] The End of an Era [36:25]

Is the theory of natural rights really the best way to protect ourselves from tyrannical governments? This is the big question of Dr. Nigel Biggar’s book, What’s Wrong With Rights? Dr. Biggar is Regius Professor of Moral & Pastoral Theology, and Director of the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, & Public Life, University of Oxford. Matt and Alastair push on this argument with Dr. Biggar to examine the relationship between morality and law. Fun connection: Dr. Biggar is Dr. Matt Anderson’s former Ph.D. advisor! Full show notes at merefidelity.com

How should pastors address the issue of race in their churches? This is exactly what Andrew and Alastair are talking about with Dr. Matthew Kim on this episode. Dr. Kim has both academic expertise and practical experience with this issue. He is a contributor to Ministers of Reconciliation: Preaching on Race and the Gospel. In this conversation you will learn about preaching the Gospel in a climate of racial tension, the boundaries of the act of preaching, and advice for pastoring diverse congregations. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Have you ever wondered if Christian persecution really happens in America? Are you confused about how to respond when you are persecuted for your faith? In this episode, Alastair, Derek, and Matt finish their series of discussions on the Beatitudes. If you’ll recall, in the last episode, there was some disagreement as to whether being persecuted for righteousness’ sake and being persecuted for Jesus’ name’s sake are one beatitude or two. Can the guys come to an agreement? Find out in this exciting conclusion! Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

There’s a movement in Evangelicalism you may have heard of: the New Calvinism. Apart from its theological significance, it turns out that this sort of movement is of great interest to sociologists too. The guest on this episode, Brad Vermurlen, decided to apply the tools of sociology to the young, restless, and reformed, and see what turns up. His book is Reformed Resurgence: The New Calvinist Movement and the Battle Over American Evangelicalism. He talks about his fascinating results with Matt and Derek, about the Evangelical landscape, the secular landscape, the movement of the Holy Ghost, new models of leadership behavior, and demographic factors that all point to the direction that the New Calvinism is headed. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Continuing the Mere Fidelity series of discussions on the Beatitudes, Alastair, Derek, and Matt talk about the blessing for those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. It’s not as clear as it might at first seem. Specifically, why are there two beatitudes for persecution? What is the righteousness that is being persecuted? Why do multiple beatitudes promise the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor and to the persecuted? The answers to these questions have very real consequences for situations that you could find yourself in today. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Is gossip always bad? Are you sure about that? Inspired by a recent cover story of Christianity Today Derek, Alastair, and Matt take up the topic of gossip in the church. They explore the topic from Biblical, personal, and organizational perspectives. You may be surprised at the results. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Everyone has a Beatitude that is their least favorite or that they are most confused by. We’re not saying Matt has an issue with peacemaking. (We’re just sayin’.) This episode in the Mere Fi series on the Beatitudes features a lively discussion of the role of peace and conflict in the life of the church and the Christian. Alastair, Derek, and Matt also talk about the profound ways that Christ is our peace. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Mike Cosper, Director of Podcasting for Christianity Today, has created a podcast exploring the rise and the fall of Mars Hill church in Seattle. He joins Derek, Alastair, and Matt to discuss the story, the scandal, and what this project hopes to accomplish. What is the danger of celebrity pastors? Why does this keep happening? And how can pastors prevent it from happening to their churches? Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Many blessings are promised to the ones named in the Beatitudes. But the pure in heart are told that they will “see God.” That is an amazing promise, indeed! What does this mean for us here in the world? Matt, Alastair, and Derek discuss this plus the concept of purity generally in the Old Testament and in the Gospel. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm is the founder of The Joshua Project. He is one of the youngest leaders of a major Jewish organization in the U.S., serving as chief executive of Bnai Zion. Dr. Lamm joins the full cast of Mere Fidelity to discuss the recent resurgence of antisemitism in the world and how we can approach it from a Biblical perspective. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Dr. Tim Perry returns to Mere Fidelity with a (as Matt calls it) “spicy” book about how ancient heresies have structured the political witness of modern evangelicalism. This is bad. Maybe even very bad. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: One Correction [0:00] Speaking of Politics (again) [2:04] The Challenge of Critiquing Self-Loathing [5:59] Straddling Worlds [8:14] Sourcing Heresy [10:58] Balancing Two Kingdoms [14:40] Slow Down [18:02] Presupposed Politics [22:00] Patchwork Theology [25:25] Gnostic Relevance [29:31] Settle Down [36:57] Idolatrously High Stakes [38:35]

Continuing the series of discussions on the Beatitudes, Matt, Alastair, and Derek come to “Blessed are the merciful.” Mercy is a virtue that has enormous possibilities for social transformation. It is so central to God’s identity and to ours as His creation. But what is the relation of mercy to justice? And what is the relation of mercy to forgiveness? What does the structure of Scripture teach us about mercy? Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

We need a renewal of baptismal imagination. Peter Leithart joins Andrew, Alastair, and Derek to help point the way toward that renewal. Did you know that baptism implies an anthropology that cuts across the grain of our modern notion of consent? There is a ton of typology. Water events! Food events! And of course the debate over full immersion makes an appearance. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Punching back against Eternal Functional Subordination theory, Dr. Matthew Barrett has written Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit. Matthew, Derek, and Alastair have questions. If you’ve ever wondered why God gave us the names “Father” and “Son,” or what implications the Trinity has for our society, then this is the conversation for you. (Some free copies of Dr. Barrett’s book are available for the Merrie Band of Patreon Supporters.) Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Continuing our series of discussions on the Beatitudes, Alastair, Derek, and Matt next consider “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” At first glance this statement seems completely obvious. But when you dig deeper and look at the connected issues of justice, humility, and anger (as well as actual physical hunger) you discover so much more. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

As secularism has grown ascendant and liberalism has become decadent, Christians have used different strategies to respond. Some change to accommodate the culture, some hunker down and wait for it to blow over, and some propose re-Christianizing America. Ross Douthat recently wrote a piece analyzing these responses. You’ll get a lot more out of this Mere Fidelity conversation if you read Ross Douthat’s article first. Nothing says Mere Fidelity better than a heated exchange over the pronunciation of ‘amicable.’ Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Meekness is not often understood. And when it’s understood, it’s not often commended. And when it’s commended, it’s not often lived out. And yet we are told that the meek will inherit the earth. How should we understand this virtue Biblically? And how should we practice it in our cultural moment? Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

He is risen indeed! This high holy day calls for reveling in the glories of the best Easter hymns. Visit the full show notes to read the lyrics of the three hymns that Matt, Alastair, and Derek discuss in this episode. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Continuing their series of discussions of the Beatitudes, Alastair, Derek, and Matt ask about mourning. What is the role of mourning in the Old Testament? Does our culture allow us to mourn properly? Is there joy to be found in mourning? Listen and consider why Jesus calls those who mourn blessed. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Did you know that the Mere Fidelity cast & crew host live Q&A shows where you can ask your questions about theology, the church, and the culture? To hear the latest Q&A show, and to get to ask your question on the next one, become a Patreon supporter at the appropriate level at www.patreon.com/merefidelity.

Announcing "Passages," a new podcast from the Mere Orthodoxy Podcast Network. www.mereorthodoxy.com/passages

Politics has inflated beyond the realm where it can order our finite, common, physical lives. What is the natural realm of politics? How is it delimited by human mortality? Theologian Dr. Ephraim Radner joins Matt and Alastair to discuss the theme of his fascinating new book, Mortal Goods: Reimagining Christian Political Duty. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: Discount for All!! [0:00] Speaking of Politics [1:48] Defining Mortality and Politics [2:28] Indifferentism [9:17] Catastrophes Waiting to Happen [17:03] Providence in Control [20:19] Utter Grace [25:50] Normal and Abnormal Politics [29:34] The Monarchy [39:27] Personal Sovereignty [46:02]

Matt claims that the Mere Fidelity team won’t read fiction with him (though they counter that this is merely due to lack of a suitable reading companion). Karen Swallow Prior joins the conversation to set the record straight about the value of fiction and literature, along the way clearing up misconceptions about moral formation, church community, and the values and dangers of empathy. Karen is the author of the new book, On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity. Please visit the Mere Fidelity Patreon page for more information about the Live Q&A show for supporters this Friday, March 19th, 2021.

Mere Fidelity’s own Andrew Wilson (teaching pastor at King’s Church London) has written a stunning book, devotional in nature, but premised on examining things as Things, theologically. So in this episode Andrew gets to be both guest and host as he converses with the other hosts, Alastair, Derek, and Matt. Since you deal with things every day, you will definitely get something valuable out of this conversation. Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.

Hannah Anderson is captivated by Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Her writing comes from that deep wonder at God’s creation, and she approaches practical-theological issues in a poetic-devotional mode. This is a delightful conversation with the entire Mere Fidelity team. They talk about being formed in the school of nature, why we have lost the ability to read natural revelation, and so much more. There is also a new benefit for the Merrie Band™ of Patreon supporters: Exclusive Confessions wall prints from Scale House Print Shop. Listen for details. https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity Full show notes at www.mereorthodoxy.com/categories/mere-fidelity.