Mere Fidelity – Details, episodes & analysis

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.