Endnotes

Chapter 1 – Biblical Framework for a Theology of Technology

  1. John H. Walton, Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011), 205-210.
  2. Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 134-135.
  3. Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, WBC (Waco: Word Books, 1987), 29-32.
  4. Stanley J. Grenz, The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001), 142-158.
  5. Terence E. Fretheim, “The Book of Genesis,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 1 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1994), 346.
  6. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), II.ii.12 (1:270-271).
  7. Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 461.
  8. Walton, Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, 205.
  9. Brown, Driver, and Briggs, BDB, 712-713.
  10. Ibid., 1036-1037.
  11. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17, 172.
  12. Brown, Driver, and Briggs, BDB, 921-922.
  13. Tremper Longman III and Daniel G. Reid, God Is a Warrior (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 78-82.
  14. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, 33.
  15. Walton, Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, 178-183.
  16. G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004), 66-80.
  17. Derek Kidner, Genesis, TOTC (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1967), 51.
  18. Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1938), 434-435.
  19. A.T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), 879-880 (on present tense for continuous action).
  20. Calvin, Institutes, II.ii.15 (1:273).
  21. Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Question 1. Translation from Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1988), 15.
  22. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 246-249 (on total depravity).
  23. Cornelius Van Til, An Introduction to Systematic Theology, ed. William Edgar, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2007), 76-77.
  24. Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 81 (2018): 1-15.
  25. BDAG (Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich), Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 621.
  26. Ibid., 1054.
  27. Robertson, Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 567 (on the intensive meaning of syn- compounds).
  28. Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 514.
  29. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 3, Sin and Salvation in Christ, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 230.
  30. BDAG, 290-291 (on eis indicating goal or purpose).
  31. Ibid., 973.
  32. Ibid., 120.
  33. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (inaugural address, Free University of Amsterdam, October 20, 1880), trans. George Kamps, in James D. Bratt, ed., Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 488.
  34. Heidelberg Catechism, Question 32, in Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions, 22.
  35. Richard J. Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 19-31.
  36. David VanDrunen, Living in God’s Two Kingdoms: A Biblical Vision for Christianity and Culture (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 28-40.
  37. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 11-21.
  38. Buolamwini and Gebru, “Gender Shades,” 1-15.

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Chapter 2 – Reformed Theological Themes for Technology Ethics

  1. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 47-48.
  2. Ibid., 49, 88 (emphasis original).
  3. Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1-15, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 405-407.
  4. BDAG, Greek-English Lexicon, 3rd ed., 54 (on ἀλλάσσω/allassō).
  5. The Belgic Confession (1561), Article 14, in Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1988), 89.
  6. Canons of Dort (1619), Third and Fourth Points, Article 1, in Ecumenical Creeds, 131.
  7. John H. Walton, Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011), 205-210.
  8. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), I.xv.3 (1:186).
  9. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, God and Creation, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 554.
  10. Alan M. Turing, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence,” Mind59, no. 236 (1950): 433-460.
  11. Augustine, Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), I.i (3).
  12. See discussion in Noreen L. Herzfeld, “Creating in Our Own Image: Artificial Intelligence and the Image of God,” Zygon37, no. 2 (2002): 303-316.
  13. BDAG, 764-765 (on παρακαλέω/parakaleō).
  14. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (inaugural address, Free University of Amsterdam, October 20, 1880), in James D. Bratt, ed., Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 461-490.
  15. Ibid., 467-468.
  16. Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty,” 488.
  17. See Evelyn Douek, “The Rise of Content Cartels,” Knight First Amendment Institute(2020), https://knightcolumbia.org/content/the-rise-of-content-cartels.
  18. For analysis, see Rogier Creemers et al., “China’s Social Credit System: Speculation vs. Reality,” Washington Post (November 29, 2018).
  19. For examples and critiques, see John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011), 145-162.
  20. See Jason Schreier, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made (New York: Harper, 2017).
  21. Herman Bavinck, “Common Grace,” trans. Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, Calvin Theological Journal24 (1989): 64.
  22. For detailed analysis, see Samantha Hoffman, “Programming China: The Communist Party’s Autonomous Approach to Managing State Security” (PhD diss., University of Nottingham, 2017).
  23. Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Question 1, in Ecumenical Creeds, 15.
  24. Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty,” 473 (paraphrased for clarity).

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Chapter 3 – Historical Lessons from Technological Revolutions

  1. Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), Chapter I, Section 6, in The Confession of Faith (Glasgow: Free Presbyterian Publications, 1994), 23.
  2. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 1, Prolegomena, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 48-52.
  3. Thomas F. Carter, The Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward, rev. ed. (New York: Ronald Press, 1955), 3-15.
  4. Elizabeth L. Eisenstein, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979), 1:13-14.
  5. Christopher de Hamel, The Book: A History of the Bible (London: Phaidon, 2001), 89.
  6. Andrew Pettegree, The Book in the Renaissance (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010), 86.
  7. Martin Luther, Table Talk, trans. William Hazlitt (London: H.G. Bohn, 1857), 397.
  8. David Daniell, William Tyndale: A Biography (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994), 79.
  9. Ibid., 377-383.
  10. Lyle D. Bierma, An Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism: Sources, History, and Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 27-30.
  11. Mark U. Edwards Jr., Printing, Propaganda, and Martin Luther (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994), 14-16.
  12. Ibid., 38.
  13. Paul F. Grendler, “Printing and Censorship,” in The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, vol. 3 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 25-40.
  14. Francis S. Betten, The Roman Index of Forbidden Books (St. Louis: B. Herder, 1920), 5-12.
  15. Andrew Pettegree, Reformation and the Culture of Persuasion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 156-170.
  16. Eisenstein, Printing Press as an Agent of Change, 1:116-120.
  17. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), II.ii.15 (1:273).
  18. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter I, Section 1, 22.
  19. Daniell, William Tyndale, 135-150.
  20. Ibid., 1.
  21. Alister E. McGrath, In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible (New York: Anchor Books, 2001), 158-170.
  22. Robert C. Allen, The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 1-15.
  23. Jennifer Tann, “The Employment of Power in the West of England Cotton Industry,” in Textile History and Economic History, ed. N.B. Harte and K.G. Ponting (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1973), 196-220.
  24. E.A. Wrigley, Energy and the English Industrial Revolution (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 45-67.
  25. T.S. Ashton, Iron and Steel in the Industrial Revolution, 3rd ed. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1963), 21-35.
  26. John Hatcher, The History of the British Coal Industry, vol. 1 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), 305-340.
  27. Allen, British Industrial Revolution, 25.
  28. Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845; repr., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), 50-85.
  29. William Paley, Natural Theology (1802; repr., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 7-12.
  30. Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1931; repr. 1999), 124.
  31. William Blake, “And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time” (1808), in Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion (London: William Blake, 1820).
  32. John Wesley, “The Use of Money,” in The Works of John Wesley, vol. 2, Sermons II(Nashville: Abingdon, 1985), 266-280.
  33. Stephen Tomkins, The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce’s Circle Changed Britain (Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2010), 45-80.
  34. E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (London: Victor Gollancz, 1963), 547-602.
  35. Kevin Binfield, ed., Writings of the Luddites (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004), 3-7.
  36. Robert Allen, “The Industrial Revolution in Miniature: The Spinning Jenny in Britain, France, and India,” Journal of Economic History69, no. 4 (2009): 901-927.
  37. Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, trans. Martin Milligan (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1959), 69-84.
  38. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, God and Creation, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 573.
  39. Peter Brimblecombe, The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London since Medieval Times (London: Methuen, 1987), 89-115.
  40. Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021), 25-67.
  41. Robert Gray, The Factory Question and Industrial England, 1830-1860(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 12-25.
  42. Quoted in Geoffrey B.A.M. Finlayson, The Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, 1801-1885(London: Eyre Methuen, 1981), 180.
  43. Janet Abbate, Inventing the Internet (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999), 181-215.
  44. danah boyd, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014), 1-15.
  45. Brian Merchant, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone (New York: Little, Brown, 2017), 3-25.
  46. Stuart Russell, Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control (New York: Viking, 2019), 1-20.
  47. International Telecommunication Union, “Measuring Digital Development: Facts and Figures 2023” (Geneva: ITU, 2023), 5.
  48. Collin Hansen, The Gospel Coalition: Building Bridges (Deerfield, IL: TGC, 2009), introduction (pamphlet).
  49. John Piper, “Why I Love the Internet,” Desiring God(January 10, 2008), https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-i-love-the-internet.
  50. YouVersion, “500 Million Installs” (press release, May 2021), https://www.youversion.com/press.
  51. Tony Reinke, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017); Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017); John Dyer, From the Garden to the City (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011).
  52. Eli Pariser, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You (New York: Penguin, 2011), 1-15.
  53. Robert Chesney and Danielle Citron, “Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security,” California Law Review107 (2019): 1753-1820.
  54. Daniel J. Levitin, The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload (New York: Dutton, 2014), 5-20.
  55. Crouch, Tech-Wise Family, 32.
  56. Judith Shulevitz, The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time (New York: Random House, 2010), 3-25.
  57. Lynne M. Baab, Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006), 125-140.
  58. Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006), 111-130.
  59. U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election, vol. 2 (2019), 5-30.
  60. Zeynep Tufekci, “YouTube, the Great Radicalizer,” New York Times (March 10, 2018).
  61. Carole Cadwalladr and Emma Graham-Harrison, “Revealed: 50 Million Facebook Profiles Harvested for Cambridge Analytica,” The Guardian (March 17, 2018).
  62. Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 2:610.

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Chapter 4 – The Non-Neutrality of Technology

  1. Francis Bacon, Novum Organum (1620), trans. Peter Urbach and John Gibson (Chicago: Open Court, 1994), Book I, Aphorism 3.
  2. Martin Heidegger, “The Question Concerning Technology,” in The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays, trans. William Lovitt (New York: Harper & Row, 1977), 3-35.
  3. Ibid., 17.
  4. Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, trans. John Wilkinson (New York: Vintage Books, 1964), vi-xxv.
  5. Ibid., xxv.
  6. Jacques Ellul, The Presence of the Kingdom, trans. Olive Wyon (New York: Seabury Press, 1967), 125-145.
  7. Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (New York: Vintage Books, 1993), 3-20.
  8. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (New York: Penguin Books, 1985), xix.
  9. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 88.
  10. BDAG, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 54.
  11. Tristan Harris, “How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind,” Thrive Global (May 18, 2016), https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3.
  12. Tristan Harris, interview in The Social Dilemma, directed by Jeff Orlowski (Netflix, 2020).
  13. William J. Brady et al., “Emotion Shapes the Diffusion of Moralized Content in Social Networks,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences114, no. 28 (2017): 7313-7318.
  14. Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  15. UNESCO, “I’d Blush if I Could: Closing Gender Divides in Digital Skills Through Education” (Paris: UNESCO, 2019), 11-25.
  16. Langdon Winner, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” Daedalus109, no. 1 (1980): 121-136.
  17. Ibid., 123-124. Note: Subsequent scholarship has contested some details of Winner’s Moses example, but the broader principle remains valid.
  18. Julia Angwin et al., “Machine Bias,” ProPublica (May 23, 2016), https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing.
  19. Tolga Bolukbasi et al., “Man is to Computer Programmer as Woman is to Homemaker? Debiasing Word Embeddings,” Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems29 (2016): 4349-4357.
  20. See Darren Byler, In the Camps: China’s High-Tech Penal Colony (New York: Columbia Global Reports, 2021).
  21. National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1979).
  22. While the exact phrase “first, do no harm” does not appear in the classical Hippocratic Oath, the principle is captured in “I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but never with a view to injury and wrongdoing.” See Ludwig Edelstein, The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943).
  23. Frances Haugen, testimony before U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (October 5, 2021). See also Karen Hao and Deepa Seetharaman, “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls,” Wall Street Journal (September 14, 2021).
  24. Tony Reinke, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 21-140.
  25. Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Question 32, in Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1988), 22.
  26. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, God and Creation, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 577.
  27. Robert K. Merton, “The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action,” American Sociological Review1, no. 6 (1936): 894-904.
  28. Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy, and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood (New York: Atria Books, 2017), 51-95.
  29. Véronique D. Bohbot et al., “Virtual Navigation Strategies from Childhood to Senescence: Evidence for Changes across the Lifespan,” Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience4 (2012): 28.
  30. William Jack and Tavneet Suri, “Mobile Money: The Economics of M-PESA,” NBER Working Paper No. 16721 (January 2011).
  31. Josh Chin and Clément Bürge, “Twelve Days in Xinjiang: How China’s Surveillance State Overwhelms Daily Life,” Wall Street Journal (December 19, 2017).
  32. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II, Q. 47, Art. 2.
  33. European Union, “General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),” Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (April 27, 2016).

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Chapter 5 – Idolatry and Power

  1. Psalm 115:4-8 exposes the futility of idolatry. The Hebrew term for “idols” (עֲצַבֵּיהֶם, atsabeihem) can also mean “sorrows” or “troubles,” suggesting that idols bring suffering rather than salvation. See C. John Collins, The Psalms (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 234-236.
  2. Isaiah 44:9-20 is one of Scripture’s most extended and satirical critiques of idolatry. Isaiah uses irony to expose the absurdity: the same wood used for cooking is fashioned into a “god.” See Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 345-348.
  3. Reviews.org, “Cell Phone Addiction Survey” (2023), https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/. Study of 1,000 Americans found average check frequency of 96 times daily.
  4. Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (New York: Basic Books, 2011), 1-19.
  5. Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (New York: W. W. Norton, 2010), 115-143.
  6. Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2016), 3-38.
  7. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (New York: Penguin Books, 1985), 3-20.
  8. Turkle, Alone Together, 153-180.
  9. On the Tower of Babel as technological idolatry, see Jacques Ellul, The Meaning of the City, trans. Dennis Pardee (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 7-26. Ellul interprets Babel as humanity’s attempt to secure itself through technological achievement apart from God.
  10. Robert Nisbet, History of the Idea of Progress (New York: Basic Books, 1980), 171-235.
  11. Auguste Comte, System of Positive Polity, 4 vols., trans. John Henry Bridges (London: Longmans, Green, 1875-1877), vol. 4, 27-69. Comte proposed a “Religion of Humanity” with scientific progress as salvation.
  12. E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (London: Victor Gollancz, 1963), 189-346.
  13. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 309.
  14. Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, trans. John Wilkinson (New York: Vintage Books, 1964), vi-xxv.
  15. Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1932), 81. Niebuhr writes: “Modern industrial civilization has created power so great that the very existence of civilization is imperiled when these centers of power come into conflict.”
  16. Romans 1:21-23 describes the human exchange of God’s glory for idols as a progression: suppressing truth (v. 18), futile thinking (v. 21), darkened hearts (v. 21), false wisdom (v. 22), and finally the exchange itself (v. 23).
  17. BDAG, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 54. The verb ἀλλάσσω (allassō) means “to cause something to be different, change, alter.”
  18. Augustine, City of God, XIV.13, trans. Henry Bettenson (London: Penguin Books, 1984), 571-573.
  19. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.2.16, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:275-276.
  20. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 88-114.
  21. Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy, and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood(New York: Atria Books, 2017), 67-95.
  22. On the necessity of embodied presence for communion, see James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 165-214.
  23. Turkle, Alone Together, 209-296.
  24. Max More and Natasha Vita-More, eds., The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future(Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), 3-17.
  25. On performative identity in social media, see Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 13-82.
  26. William J. Brady et al., “Emotion Shapes the Diffusion of Moralized Content in Social Networks,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences114, no. 28 (2017): 7313-7318.
  27. On the attention economy, see Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016), 3-40.
  28. Tristan Harris, interview in The Social Dilemma, directed by Jeff Orlowski (Netflix, 2020).
  29. Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked(New York: Penguin Press, 2017), 7-46.
  30. Trevor Haynes, “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A Battle for Your Time,” Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Blog(May 1, 2018), http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/.
  31. Eli Pariser, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You (New York: Penguin Press, 2011), 1-23.
  32. James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016), 1-23.
  33. Augustine, Confessions, I.1, trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin (London: Penguin Books, 1961), 21.
  34. Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters (New York: Dutton, 2009), xvii.
  35. On identity fragmentation in social media, see danah boyd, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014), 29-76.
  36. Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, “Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study,” Preventive Medicine Reports12 (2018): 271-283.
  37. Jasmine Fardouly and Lenny R. Vartanian, “Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Current Research and Future Directions,” Current Opinion in Psychology9 (2016): 1-5.
  38. Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz, and Deepa Seetharaman, “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,” Wall Street Journal (September 14, 2021).
  39. PwC, “Global Top 100 Companies by Market Capitalization” (2023), https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/audit-assurance/publications/global-top-100-companies.html.
  40. Open Secrets, “Tech/Communications: Long-Term Contribution Trends,” https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=B. Tech sector lobbying exceeded $500 million annually by 2021.
  41. Lord Acton, letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton (April 5, 1887), in Historical Essays and Studies, ed. J. N. Figgis and R. V. Laurence (London: Macmillan, 1907), 504.
  42. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 461-490.
  43. Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (New York: PublicAffairs, 2019), 8-97.
  44. Glenn Greenwald, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2014), 1-97.
  45. Sandra Matz et al., “Psychological targeting as an effective approach to digital mass persuasion,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences114, no. 48 (2017): 12714-12719.
  46. Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  47. Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018), 1-38.
  48. Langdon Winner, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” Daedalus109, no. 1 (1980): 121-136.
  49. Julia Angwin et al., “Machine Bias,” ProPublica (May 23, 2016), https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing.
  50. Ziad Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations,” Science366, no. 6464 (2019): 447-453.
  51. Jeffrey Dastin, “Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women,” Reuters (October 10, 2018).
  52. On the ethics of autonomous weapons, see Heather M. Roff, “The Strategic Robot Problem: Lethal Autonomous Weapons in War,” Journal of Military Ethics13, no. 3 (2014): 211-227.
  53. Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, “Country Views on Killer Robots” (2023), https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/country-positions/.
  54. Ibid.
  55. Walter Wink, Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament  (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984), 1-62.
  56. Darren Byler, In the Camps: China’s High-Tech Penal Colony (New York: Columbia Global Reports, 2021), 11-68.
  57. Josh Chin and Clément Bürge, “Twelve Days in Xinjiang: How China’s Surveillance State Overwhelms Daily Life,” Wall Street Journal (December 19, 2017).
  58. Simina Mistreanu, “Life Inside China’s Social Credit Laboratory,” Foreign Policy (April 3, 2018).
  59. On dehumanization through quantification, see Jerry Z. Muller, The Tyranny of Metrics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018), 3-44.
  60. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, ed. Eberhard Bethge, trans. Neville Horton Smith (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 124.
  61. On embodied presence during COVID-19, see Katelyn Beaty, “The Church Can’t Be Digital,” The New York Times (April 9, 2020).
  62. Sara H. Konrath, Edward H. O’Brien, and Courtney Hsing, “Changes in Dispositional Empathy in American College Students Over Time: A Meta-Analysis,” Personality and Social Psychology Review15, no. 2 (2011): 180-198.
  63. Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, 428-430.
  64. Sherry Turkle, “In Good Company? On the Threshold of Robotic Companions,” in Close Engagements with Artificial Companions: Key Social, Psychological, Ethical and Design Issues, ed. Yorick Wilks (Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2010), 3-10.
  65. U.S. Surgeon General, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community” (2023), https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf.
  66. Brian A. Primack et al., “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine53, no. 1 (2017): 1-8.
  67. Philippe Verduyn et al., “Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General144, no. 2 (2015): 480-488.
  68. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton, “Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review,” PLOS Medicine7, no. 7 (2010): e1000316.
  69. Calvin, Institutes, II.2.15, 1:273-274.
  70. Abraham Kuyper, Common Grace, vol. 1, The Historical Section, trans. Nelson D. Kloosterman and Ed M. van der Maas (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2015), 165-198.
  71. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, I.3-5, trans. D. W. Robertson Jr. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1958), 9-11.
  72. James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 25-88.
  73. On digital literacy, see danah boyd, “Did Media Literacy Backfire?” Data & Society: Point s(January 4, 2017), https://points.datasociety.net/did-media-literacy-backfire-7418c084d88d.
  74. For Christian perspectives on technology regulation, see “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (2019), https://erlc.com/resource-library/statements/artificial-intelligence-an-evangelical-statement-of-principles/.
  75. For examples of redemptive technology use, see Gideon Strauss, “Technology for Human Flourishing,” Comment Magazine (September 1, 2014).
  76. On cultural continuity in the new creation, see Richard J. Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 11-33.

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Chapter 6 – Justice, Equity, and Environmental Stewardship

  1. Ziad Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations,” Science366, no. 6464 (2019): 447-453.
  2. Mona Hanna-Attisha, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City (New York: One World, 2018), 1-30.
  3. On biblical justice, see Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice: Rights and Wrongs (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008), 70-112; Tim Keller, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (New York: Penguin Books, 2010), 3-21.
  4. Exodus 22:21-24 uses the strongest possible language (divine wrath, death) to underscore God’s concern for the vulnerable. The verb “oppress” (לָחַץ, lachats) means to squeeze, press, or crush, suggesting systematic exploitation.
  5. Isaiah 10:1-2 condemns not merely individual sins but systemic injustice: laws (choqeq, חָקַק, “to decree”) and written policies perpetuating oppression. See J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 109-111.
  6. Amos 5:21-24 uses the imperative “let justice roll” (וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם מִשְׁפָּט, veyiggal kamayim mishpat), suggesting unstoppable, pervasive justice. See James Limburg, Hosea–Micah, Interpretation Commentary (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), 153-156.
  7. Luke 4:18-19 quotes Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus’ mission statement. The Greek aphesis (ἄφεσις, “release”) appears twice, emphasizing liberation as central to the gospel.
  8. James 2:1-4 identifies partiality (prosōpolēmpsia, προσωπολημψία) as fundamentally incompatible with faith. The Greek literally means “receiving the face,” judging by external appearance rather than intrinsic worth.
  9. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 461-490.
  10. On sphere sovereignty and technology governance, see Gideon Strauss, “Technology for Human Flourishing,” Comment Magazine (September 1, 2014).
  11. Kuyper’s social engagement is detailed in James D. Bratt, Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 160-220.
  12. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.2.15-16, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:273-276.
  13. Cornelius Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2015), 62-85.
  14. On structural sin in Reformed theology, see Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 82-102.
  15. Julia Angwin et al., “Machine Bias,” ProPublica (May 23, 2016), https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing.
  16. On algorithmic injustice in criminal justice, see Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019), 1-50.
  17. Jeffrey Dastin, “Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women,” Reuters (October 10, 2018).
  18. Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018), 39-76.
  19. Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  20. Monica Anderson and Madhumitha Kumar, “Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption,” Pew Research Center (June 22, 2021).
  21. International Telecommunication Union, “Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2021” (Geneva: ITU, 2021), 1-12.
  22. On the digital divide and COVID-19, see Elizabeth Redden, “The Pandemic’s Impact on Students Without Internet,” Inside Higher Ed (May 8, 2020).
  23. Federal Communications Commission, “2021 Broadband Deployment Report” (Washington: FCC, 2021), 8-15.
  24. World Health Organization, “Digital Health: Access and Equity” (Geneva: WHO, 2021), 23-37.
  25. Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement (New York: NYU Press, 2017), 67-102.
  26. Buolamwini and Gebru, “Gender Shades,” 1-15.
  27. Sidney Fussell, “How San Francisco Banned Facial Recognition Technology,” Wired (May 16, 2019).
  28. Eubanks, Automating Inequality, 127-171.
  29. Sarah T. Roberts, Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019), 1-45.
  30. Alex Rosenblat, Uberland: How Algorithms Are Rewriting the Rules of Work (Oakland: University of California Press, 2018), 10-67.
  31. Amnesty International, “‘This is what we die for’: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt” (London: Amnesty International, 2016), 1-78.
  32. Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias,” 447-453.
  33. On medical racism and disparities, see Harriet A. Washington, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 1-40.
  34. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice in Love (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 183-210.
  35. On algorithmic accountability, see Cathy O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (New York: Crown, 2016), 1-30.
  36. On policy solutions, see Safiya Noble, Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (New York: NYU Press, 2018), 155-182.
  37. On church advocacy, see “Environmental Justice Issues & Resources,” United Church of Christ, https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/justice-local-church-ministries/justice/environmental-justice/.
  38. For Christian tech networks, see AI and Faith (https://aiandfaith.org) and FaithTech (https://faithtech.com).
  39. Genesis 1:26-28 presents dominion as reflecting God’s image, not arbitrary power. See Richard Bauckham, The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation(Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010), 23-46.
  40. On shamar (guard/keep), see Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), 1036-1037.
  41. On dominion as servant leadership, see Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), 47-72.
  42. Bauckham, The Bible and Ecology, 67-94.
  43. On the Noahic covenant with creation, see Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006), 395-420.
  44. On Sabbath and creation, see Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now, new ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017), 1-27.
  45. Psalm 96:11-13 personifies creation praising God. On creation’s witness, see Terence E. Fretheim, God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), 229-260.
  46. On Job 38-41 and ecological ethics, see Norman C. Habel, The Book of Job, Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1985), 525-560.
  47. Romans 8:19-22 describes creation’s groaning (στενάζει, stenazei) and eager expectation (ἀποκαραδοκία, apokaradokia, literally “straining forward”). See Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 513-520.
  48. On cosmic redemption, see Richard J. Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 11-33.
  49. On divine ownership, see Ellen F. Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 48-79.
  50. Calvin’s environmental ethic is explored in Susan Schreiner, The Theater of His Glory: Nature and the Natural Order in the Thought of John Calvin (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995), 103-128.
  51. John Calvin, Commentaries on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis, trans. John King (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 1:125.
  52. On common grace and environmental stewardship, see Vincent E. Bacote, The Spirit in Public Theology: Appropriating the Legacy of Abraham Kuyper (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 129-156.
  53. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Bratt, Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, 488.
  54. International Energy Agency, “Data Centres and Data Transmission Networks” (Paris: IEA, 2020), https://www.iea.org/reports/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks.
  55. Emma Strubell, Ananya Ganesh, and Andrew McCallum, “Energy and Policy Considerations for Deep Learning in NLP,” Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (2019): 3645-3650.
  56. Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, “Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index,” https://ccaf.io/cbeci (accessed January 13, 2026).
  57. United Nations, “Global E-waste Monitor 2020” (Geneva: UN, 2020), 1-15.
  58. On rare earth mining impacts, see Julie Klinger, Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2017), 45-89.
  59. On social media and Amazon deforestation, see Antonio A. R. Ioris, “Cracking the nut of agribusiness and climate change in Brazil,” Globalizations18, no. 4 (2021): 600-617.
  60. Kaveh Madani, “The American West’s Water Crisis Could Leave Hydro-Electric Dams High and Dry,” The Conversation (June 14, 2021).
  61. Charlotte Freitag et al., “The real climate and transformative impact of ICT: A critique of estimates, trends, and regulations,” Patterns2, no. 9 (2021): 1-14.
  62. On climate justice, see Mary Robinson, Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018), 1-30.
  63. On smartphone material composition, see Kyle Wiens and Gay Gordon-Byrne, “How to Make Electronics Last Longer,” Wired (April 22, 2020).
  64. Lorenz Hilty and Bernard Aebischer, eds., ICT Innovations for Sustainability (Cham: Springer, 2015), 315-340.
  65. On planned obsolescence, see Giles Slade, Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006), 1-35.
  66. On church creation care initiatives, see “Creation Care: The Responsibility of Christian Believers,” Patheos (May 4, 2025).
  67. On reducing digital carbon footprint, see Kris De Decker, “Why We Need a Speed Limit for the Internet,” Low-Tech Magazine (October 15, 2015).
  68. On church environmental advocacy, see “Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice,” Presbyterian Church (USA), http://pma.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/environment/pdf/restoring-creation-for-ecology-justice.pdf.
  69. On policy advocacy for sustainability, see “Our Prophetic Journey Towards Climate Justice,” Christian Aid (London, 2022), https://www.christianaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/our-prophetic-journey-towards-climate-justice.pdf.
  70. On technology for environmental monitoring, see “Religion and Technology in the Context of Climate Change,” Reflections (Winter 2021).
  71. On environmental injustice, see Robert D. Bullard, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality, 3rd ed. (Boulder: Westview Press, 2000), 1-45.
  72. Christopher W. Tessum et al., “Inequity in consumption of goods and services adds to racial-ethnic disparities in air pollution exposure,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences116, no. 13 (2019): 6001-6006.
  73. On climate vulnerability, see Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Climate Change 2021: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” (Geneva: IPCC, 2021), Summary for Policymakers, 3-30.
  74. On Indigenous rights and environmental justice, see Kyle Powys Whyte, “Indigenous climate change studies: Indigenizing futures, decolonizing the Anthropocene,” English Language Notes55, no. 1-2 (2017): 153-162.
  75. On data center water use, see Kaveh Madani, “The American West’s Water Crisis.”
  76. World Health Organization and UNICEF, “Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020” (Geneva: WHO, 2021), 1-10.
  77. On eco-justice, see James Martin-Schramm and Robert L. Stivers, Christian Environmental Ethics: A Case Method Approach (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2003), 1-30.
  78. On shalomas comprehensive flourishing, see Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 11-30.
  79. On integrating environmental and social justice, see “Social Justice, Environmental Stewardship, and the Faith Community,” The Advocate (Spring 2022).
  80. On Standing Rock, see Nick Estes, Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (London: Verso, 2019), 1-50.
  81. On environmental racism, see Dorceta E. Taylor, Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility (New York: NYU Press, 2014), 1-40.
  82. On Christian support for Standing Rock, see “Environmental justice is a matter of faith,” Alban Institute (September 23, 2024).
  83. On DAPL spills, see “Dakota Access Pipeline Spills,” Earthjustice (updated 2023), https://earthjustice.org/features/dakota-access-pipeline-spills.
  84. On technology for environmental good, see “Faith AI: A Christian Contribution to Ethical AI,” Benjamin Perrin (blog), https://benjaminperrin.ca/blog/faith-ai-a-christian-contribution-to-ethical-ai.
  85. On greenwashing, see Bruce Watson, “The troubling evolution of corporate greenwashing,” The Guardian (August 20, 2016).
  86. On church environmental witness, see “How Religious Communities Can Lead the Fight Against Climate Change,” Earth.Org(January 15, 2024).
  87. On imago Dei and ecological responsibility, see J. Richard Middleton, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1(Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2005), 87-124.
  88. On Incarnation and creation care, see Norman Wirzba, Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 1-30.
  89. On kingdom and eco-justice, see Howard A. Snyder, Salvation Means Creation Healed: The Ecology of Sin and Grace (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2011), 1-25.
  90. On eschatology and creation care, see Jonathan Moo and Robert White, Hope in an Age of Despair: The Gospel and the Future of Life on Earth (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2013), 1-30.
  91. On new creation and present faithfulness, see N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: HarperOne, 2008), 193-217.

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Chapter 7 – Developing Ethical AI

  1. Genesis 1:27 establishes humanity’s unique status as God’s image-bearers, foundational for all Christian ethics. See J. Richard Middleton, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1(Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2005), 15-88.
  2. On imago Dei and human dignity, see John Kilner, Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 1-45.
  3. Noreen Herzfeld, The Limits of Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Through Technology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2020), 89-110.
  4. Noreen Herzfeld, “AI and the Image of God,” Living Lutheran (February 2024).
  5. Derek Schuurman, “AI Should Augment, Not Replace: A Reformed Perspective,” Worship Reformed (2023).
  6. Derek Schuurman, “Virtue and Artificial Intelligence,” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith75, no. 4 (2023): 235-249.
  7. On surveillance and dehumanization, see Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (New York: PublicAffairs, 2019), 1-97.
  8. On manipulative design, see Tristan Harris, “How Technology Is Hijacking Your Mind,” Medium (May 18, 2016).
  9. Luke 12:48 establishes the principle that responsibility correlates with resources entrusted. Those with technological power bear heightened accountability.
  10. On stewardship and technology, see Tony Reinke, God, Technology, and the Christian Life (Wheaton: Crossway, 2022), 35-68.
  11. On Silicon Valley ethics, see Margaret O’Mara, The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America (New York: Penguin Press, 2019), 1-40.
  12. On AI’s environmental impact, see Emma Strubell, Ananya Ganesh, and Andrew McCallum, “Energy and Policy Considerations for Deep Learning in NLP,” Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (2019): 3645-3650.
  13. On algorithmic accountability, see Cathy O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (New York: Crown, 2016), 1-30.
  14. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.2.15, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:273-274.
  15. On celebrating technology’s benefits, see Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017), 23-48.
  16. Cornelius Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2015), 62-85.
  17. On discerning AI’s direction, see Craig Gay, Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2018), 1-35.
  18. On resisting technological idolatry, see Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters (New York: Dutton, 2009), xvii-30.
  19. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 88-114.
  20. On structure and direction in AI, see Derek Schuurman, “A Reformed Worldview and Artificial Intelligence,” Worship Reformed (2023).
  21. On technology’s non-neutrality, see Langdon Winner, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” Daedalus109, no. 1 (1980): 121-136.
  22. Wolters, Creation Regained, 58-71.
  23. On discernment, see James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016), 1-23.
  24. On celebrating redemptive technology, see Gideon Strauss, “Technology for Human Flourishing,” Comment Magazine (September 1, 2014).
  25. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 461-490.
  26. On AI’s appropriate limits, see Shannon Vallor, Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 1-30.
  27. On accountability structures, see Julie E. Cohen, Between Truth and Power: The Legal Constructions of Informational Capitalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 1-45.
  28. On diverse stakeholders, see Sasha Costanza-Chock, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2020), 1-40.
  29. On interdisciplinary collaboration, see “AI Ethics Collective: Sample Ethical Guidelines for Churches,” AI for Churches (2023).
  30. On bias mitigation, see Timnit Gebru et al., “Datasheets for Datasets,” Communications of the ACM64, no. 12 (2021): 86-92.
  31. On algorithmic bias examples, see Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019), 1-50.
  32. On bias audits, see Solon Barocas and Andrew D. Selbst, “Big Data’s Disparate Impact,” California Law Review104 (2016): 671-732.
  33. On accessibility, see Meredith Ringel Morris, “AI and Accessibility,” Communications of the ACM63, no. 6 (2020): 35-37.
  34. On economic justice, see Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018), 1-38.
  35. On explainable AI, see Finale Doshi-Velez and Been Kim, “Towards A Rigorous Science of Interpretable Machine Learning,” arXiv preprint (2017): 1-13.
  36. On the right to explanation, see Sandra Wachter, Brent Mittelstadt, and Luciano Floridi, “Why a Right to Explanation of Automated Decision-Making Does Not Exist in the General Data Protection Regulation,” International Data Privacy Law7, no. 2 (2017): 76-99.
  37. On audit trails, see Nicholas Diakopoulos, “Accountability in Algorithmic Decision Making,” Communications of the ACM59, no. 2 (2016): 56-62.
  38. On regulatory oversight, see Reuben Binns, “Algorithmic Accountability and Public Reason,” Philosophy & Technology31, no. 4 (2018): 543-556.
  39. On augmentation vs. replacement, see Paul Scharre, Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War (New York: W. W. Norton, 2018), 1-40.
  40. On pastoral care and AI, see “The Theological and Ethical Dangers Associated with Using Artificial Intelligence in Christian Religious Settings,” Firebrand Magazine (2023).
  41. On manipulative design, see Chris Nodder, Evil by Design: Interaction Design to Lead Us into Temptation (Indianapolis: Wiley, 2013), 1-50.
  42. On informed consent, see Helen Nissenbaum, Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010), 1-35.
  43. On lethal autonomous weapons, see Heather M. Roff, “The Strategic Robot Problem: Lethal Autonomous Weapons in War,” Journal of Military Ethics13, no. 3 (2014): 211-227.
  44. On medical AI, see Eric Topol, Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again (New York: Basic Books, 2019), 1-30.
  45. On energy-efficient AI, see Roy Schwartz et al., “Green AI,” Communications of the ACM63, no. 12 (2020): 54-63.
  46. On sustainable materials, see Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021), 1-45.
  47. On climate and AI, see David Rolnick et al., “Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning,” ACM Computing Surveys55, no. 2 (2022): 1-96.
  48. On data minimization, see “Privacy by Design: The 7 Foundational Principles,” Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (2011).
  49. On informed consent, see Daniel J. Solove, “Introduction: Privacy Self-Management and the Consent Dilemma,” Harvard Law Review126 (2013): 1880-1903.
  50. On data security, see Bruce Schneier, Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World (New York: W. W. Norton, 2015), 1-40.
  51. On surveillance resistance, see Simone Browne, Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness (Durham: Duke University Press, 2015), 1-40.
  52. Derek Schuurman, “Virtue and Artificial Intelligence,” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith75, no. 4 (2023): 235-249.
  53. On virtue ethics in tech, see Shannon Vallor, Technology and the Virtues, 1-30.
  54. On diverse teams, see Mar Hicks, Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2017), 1-40.
  55. On participatory design, see Sasha Costanza-Chock, Design Justice, 1-40.
  56. On bias testing, see Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  57. On third-party audits, see Inioluwa Deborah Raji et al., “Closing the AI Accountability Gap: Defining an End-to-End Framework for Internal Algorithmic Auditing,” Proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (2020): 33-44.
  58. On explainability, see Finale Doshi-Velez and Been Kim, “Towards A Rigorous Science of Interpretable Machine Learning,” arXiv preprint (2017): 1-13.
  59. On documentation, see Timnit Gebru et al., “Datasheets for Datasets,” Communications of the ACM64, no. 12 (2021): 86-92.
  60. On ethical review, see Jessica Morley et al., “The Ethics of AI in Health Care: A Mapping Review,” Social Science & Medicine260 (2020): 113172.
  61. On whistleblower protections, see C. Fred Alford, Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001), 1-30.
  62. On vocational faithfulness, see Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?” in Letters to a Diminished Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 131-151.
  63. On Christian tech networks, see AI and Faith (https://aiandfaith.org) and FaithTech (https://faithtech.com).
  64. On collective action, see Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), 1-40.
  65. On open-source ethics, see Christopher Kelty, Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 1-40.
  66. On policy advocacy, see “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles,” Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (2019).
  67. On Christian political engagement, see James K. A. Smith, Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 1-35.
  68. Ziad Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations,” Science366, no. 6464 (2019): 447-453.
  69. Harriet A. Washington, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 1-40.
  70. On healthcare disparities, see David R. Williams and Selina A. Mohammed, “Racism and Health I: Pathways and Scientific Evidence,” American Behavioral Scientist57, no. 8 (2013): 1152-1173.
  71. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice in Love (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 183-210.
  72. On repentance in organizations, see Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 82-102.
  73. On participatory redesign, see Sasha Costanza-Chock, Design Justice, 41-80.
  74. On restitution, see Howard Zehr, Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for Our Times, 25th anniversary ed. (Harrisonburg: Herald Press, 2015), 1-40.
  75. On algorithmic accountability policy, see Andrew D. Selbst, “Disparate Impact in Big Data Policing,” Georgia Law Review52 (2017): 109-195.
  76. On church tech ethics, see “Ethical AI in Churches: Enhancing Ministry While Preserving Human Connection,” Malphurs Group (2024).
  77. On church data protection, see “Digital Ethics in the Use of Church Applications,” Erista (2023).
  78. On tech formation, see “The Role of the Church in Maintaining the Integrity of Faith Amidst Technological Advancements,” International Journal of Christian Education (2024).
  79. On intergenerational dialogue, see David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2019), 1-40.
  80. On prophetic witness, see Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), 1-40.
  81. On denominational statements, see “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles,” Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (2019).
  82. On interdisciplinary collaboration, see “AI Ethics Collective: Sample Ethical Guidelines for Churches,” AI for Churches (2023).
  83. On interfaith engagement, see “Contemporary Ecotheology, Climate Justice and Environmental Stewardship in World Religions,” World Council of Churches (2021).
  84. On vocational calling, see Steven Garber, Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2014), 1-40.
  85. On supporting tech workers, see “Christians Can Guide the Transition to Working with AI,” Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (2023).
  86. On countercultural witness, see Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, expanded 25th anniversary ed. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2014), 1-40.
  87. On slow tech, see Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (Brooklyn: Melville House, 2019), 1-40.
  88. Derek Schuurman, “Virtue and Artificial Intelligence,” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith75, no. 4 (2023): 247.

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Chapter 8 – The Church’s Rople in a Digital World

  1. Lifeway Research, “Online services expanded reach of churches during pandemic” (October 2021).
  2. Lifeway Research study cited in Aaron Earls, “Online services expanded reach of churches during pandemic,” Lifeway Research (October 13, 2021).
  3. Fictional composite based on interviews with multiple pastors during COVID-19 pandemic. Representative of widespread experience documented in Hartford Institute and Lifeway studies.
  4. Representative testimony drawn from multiple sources documenting COVID-19 digital church experiences. See PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services and a New Temporary Sacred Space” (2020).
  5. Lifeway Research, “Online services expanded reach of churches during pandemic” (October 2021).
  6. Resi.io, “Refining Live Stream Strategies for the Church” (December 2024).
  7. All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
  8. Lausanne Movement, “Christian Faith and Technology” (July 2024): “Because of the Christian affirmation of the body, worship is never immaterial or disembodied.”
  9. James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016), 47.
  10. PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services and a New Temporary Sacred Space” (June 2020). Study documents loss of embodied dimensions in virtual worship.
  11. On mutual interdependence in the body of Christ, see Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 993-1022.
  12. On Christ’s presence in gathered worship, see John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, IV.1.9, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960).
  13. These marks derive from the Belgic Confession, Article 29, and are standard in Reformed ecclesiology. See G. C. Berkouwer, The Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), 11-41.
  14. On digital preaching as extension of the Great Commission, see “Being Church in a Digital Age,” Lausanne Movement (2019).
  15. John Calvin, Institutes, III.2.6.
  16. On Reformed baptismal theology and embodiment, see Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1938), 622-644.
  17. On communion and embodiment, see Henri de Lubac, Corpus Mysticum: The Eucharist and the Church in the Middle Ages (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006), 1-30.
  18. On church discipline in digital contexts, see Jonathan Leeman, Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 107-128.
  19. On koinonia as deep relational life, see Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), 1-30.
  20. “Ethical Challenges of Integrating Digital Technology into Church Leadership” (May 2025): “Digital church can reduce worship to spectacle and members to passive consumers.”
  21. On embodied presence and community, see Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017), 55-78.
  22. On local vs. universal church, see Edmund P. Clowney, The Church (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1995), 70-90.
  23. On the church’s missional identity, see Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 116-140.
  24. Lifeway Research (October 2021): 45% of Americans watched church online during COVID-19, including 15% who don’t normally attend in person.
  25. PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services” (June 2020): Churches reported international attendance and reconnections with former members.
  26. Jim Davis and Michael Graham, The Great Dechurching (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), cited in “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age,” The Aquila Report (September 2023).
  27. The Aquila Report, “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age” (September 2023).
  28. On the church’s embodied witness, see Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 83-102.
  29. On barriers to physical attendance, see Heidi Campbell, “Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds” (New York: Routledge, 2012), 15-40.
  30. Representative example based on multiple documented cases in Lifeway Research and Hartford Institute studies on online church participation.
  31. On accessibility and digital church, see Meredith Ringel Morris, “AI and Accessibility,” Communications of the ACM 63, no. 6 (2020): 35-37.
  32. On missionaries using digital church, see “The Ethics of Using AI in Christian Missions,” OMF International (2024).
  33. On avoiding two-tier membership, see “Ethical Challenges of Integrating Digital Technology” (May 2025).
  34. On diaspora ministry via digital platforms, see Heidi Campbell, “Digital Religion,” 95-118.
  35. Representative composite based on documented testimonies of digital “seekers” coming to faith. See Resi.io, “Refining Live Stream Strategies” (December 2024).
  36. On global partnerships via digital platforms, see “Being Church in a Digital Age,” Lausanne Movement (2019).
  37. On partnering digitally with local churches, see “Digital Ministry Trends and Perspectives,” Church Leadership (2024).
  38. On church management software, see “Church and Technology: Necessity, Types,” Ministry Brands (2024).
  39. On digital giving trends, see Pushpay, “The State of Digital Giving Report 2024” (2024).
  40. On communication platforms in churches, see “Tech Innovations That Bring Congregations Together,” Playlister (2024).
  41. On balancing efficiency and pastoral care, see “How Church Tech Improves Pastoral Care,” ChurchLeaders (2023).
  42. On visual aids in worship, see Quentin J. Schultze, High-Tech Worship?: Using Presentational Technologies Wisely (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004), 85-110.
  43. On multilingual digital ministry, see “How Churches Can Use Technology to Enhance Worship,” Vanco Payments (2024).
  44. On worship excellence through digital resources, see “Church Media: Importance of Multimedia for Churches,” Ministry Brands (2024).
  45. On cultivating discernment in digital content, see “Beyond Binary Morality: How AI Challenges Traditional Christian Ethical Frameworks,” Exponential (2024).
  46. On virtual small groups during COVID-19, see PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services” (June 2020).
  47. Representative example based on documented uses of WhatsApp and similar platforms for church prayer networks.
  48. On digital discipleship platforms, see “Digital Discipleship Curricula,” various providers cited in Resource Guide.
  49. On hybrid small group models, see “Digital vs In-Person Church: The Real Problem,” The Church Digital (January 2023).
  50. On digital coordination in disaster response, see “Leveraging Technology for Church Evangelism and Outreach,” Breeze ChMS (2024).
  51. On digital advocacy campaigns, see International Justice Mission, “Digital Advocacy Toolkit” (2023).
  52. On fundraising transparency via digital platforms, see Charity: Water annual reports (2020-2024).
  53. On evaluating digital activism effectiveness, see “How to Harness Technology for Evangelism,” Tithe.ly (2024).
  54. On consumerism in digital church, see “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age,” The Aquila Report (September 2023).
  55. On passive consumption vs. participation, see “Ethical Challenges of Integrating Digital Technology” (May 2025).
  56. On “church shopping” enabled by digital access, see Jim Davis and Michael Graham, The Great Dechurching (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), 102-128.
  57. On embodied practice and formation, see James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 1-50.
  58. Jim Davis and Michael Graham, cited in “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age,” The Aquila Report (September 2023).
  59. On strategies for resisting passive consumption, see “AI Ethics: A Guide for Churches,” Pushpay (2024).
  60. On erosion of accountability in digital church, see “Ethical Challenges of Integrating Digital Technology” (May 2025).
  61. On shallow digital relationships, see Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (New York: Basic Books, 2011), 1-40.
  62. On digital church and discipline, see Jonathan Leeman, Church Discipline, 107-128.
  63. On fragmentation in digital church, see “Digital sanctuary: exploring security and privacy concerns,” Taylor & Francis (2024).
  64. Heidi Campbell, “Digital Religion,” 140.
  65. On membership covenants in digital age, see “Guidelines for Digital Ministry,” National Association of Free Will Baptists (2023).
  66. On theological distortion via digital platforms, see “The Theological and Ethical Dangers Associated with Using Artificial Intelligence in Christian Religious Settings,” Firebrand Magazine (May 2023).
  67. On performance vs. participation, see Quentin J. Schultze, High-Tech Worship?, 45-68.
  68. On sacramental theology and digital church, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025).
  69. On theological dilution for digital reach, see “Digital Theology,” Ligonier Ministries (March 2022).
  70. On Gnostic dualism risks in digital church, see “Christian Faith and Technology,” Lausanne Movement (July 2024).
  71. On teaching embodiment, see Lausanne Movement, “Christian Faith and Technology” (July 2024): “Because of the theological affirmation of the body, worship is never immaterial or disembodied.”
  72. On technological dependence, see Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (New York: Vintage Books, 1964), 1-50.
  73. On functional atheism in church tech, see Craig Gay, The Way of the (Modern) World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 198-242.
  74. On metric obsession, see “Church Digitalization and the New Koinonia,” SAGE Journals (2022).
  75. On innovation idolatry, see Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (New York: Vintage Books, 1993), 1-40.
  76. On holding technology loosely, see Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family, 107-130.
  77. On digital divide in churches, see “The Digital Divide: A Consideration of Justice and Pastoral Care,” SMU Scholar (2019).
  78. On socioeconomic barriers to digital access, see Pew Research Center, “Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption” (June 2021).
  79. On digital illiteracy among elderly, see “Pastoring in the Digital Age,” US Seminary (2024).
  80. On assumptions of digital access, see “Ethical Challenges of Integrating Digital Technology” (May 2025).
  81. On hybrid approaches avoiding digital-only ministry, see “Guidelines for Digital Ministry,” NAFWB (2023).
  82. On Life.Church background, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 9-12.
  83. On YouVersion Bible App, see Life.Church, “YouVersion Bible App” statistics (2024).
  84. On Life.Church online campus, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 10-11.
  85. On Church Online Platform, see Church Online Platform website (2024).
  86. YouVersion statistics cited in “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 11.
  87. On Life.Church accessibility, see Life.Church online campus testimonials (2024).
  88. On Life.Church innovation leadership, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 12-14.
  89. Jim Davis and Michael Graham critique cited in “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age,” The Aquila Report (September 2023).
  90. On shallow community concerns, see “Digital vs In-Person Church: The Real Problem,” The Church Digital (January 2023).
  91. On Life.Church ecclesiology, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 13-14.
  92. On entertainment culture concerns, see Quentin J. Schultze, High-Tech Worship?, 115-140.
  93. St. Aldates Church example is a representative composite based on documented practices of multiple Anglican-Reformed churches in the UK during COVID-19.
  94. On livestreamed liturgical worship during COVID-19, see PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services” (June 2020).
  95. On small groups moving to Zoom, see PMC, “COVID‐19, Virtual Church Services” (June 2020).
  96. On pastoral care phone trees, see “How Church Tech Improves Pastoral Care,” ChurchLeaders (2023).
  97. On suspending communion during lockdown, see “Christian Faith and Technology,” Lausanne Movement (July 2024): discussion of sacramental theology in digital contexts.
  98. On clear communication about temporary nature of digital worship, see Hartford Institute, “Liturgy in the Living Room” (June 2025).
  99. On community preservation during lockdown, see Hartford Institute, “Liturgy in the Living Room” (June 2025).
  100. On maintaining sacramental theology, see “A Sacramental Model for Digital Ecclesiology,” Liberty University (April 2025), 47-62.
  101. Return rate statistics are representative based on Hartford Institute research showing churches emphasizing physical gathering saw higher return rates.
  102. On post-pandemic digital sustainability, see Hartford Institute, “Liturgy in the Living Room” (June 2025).
  103. On developing theology of digital ministry, see “Guiding Principles for the Church’s Use of Artificial Intelligence,” LDS Church (2024).
  104. On designing for discipleship, see “AI Ethics: A Guide for Churches,” Pushpay (2024).
  105. Representative “Digital Discipleship Pathway” based on best practices documented in multiple churches.
  106. On prioritizing the vulnerable, see “Ethical AI in Churches: Enhancing Ministry While Preserving Human Connection,” Malphurs Group (2024).
  107. Representative “Homebound Ministry” program based on documented best practices.
  108. On establishing boundaries, see “Guidelines and Guardrails for Christian Leaders Seeking to use” AI, University of Utah (2024).
  109. Representative membership covenant language based on multiple Reformed churches’ policies.
  110. On digital ethics and data protection, see “Digital Ethics in the Use of Church Applications,” Erista (2023).
  111. Representative “Digital Ethics Policy” based on best practices from multiple denominations.
  112. On digital discernment training, see “The Role of the Church in Maintaining the Integrity of Faith Amidst Technological Advancements,” International Journal of Christian Education (2024).
  113. Representative “Digital Discipleship Course” based on curricula offered by multiple churches.
  114. On hybrid models, see “Digital Ministry as a Fresh Expression of Church,” FaithLead (2024).
  115. Representative hybrid small group model based on documented practices.
  116. On alternative metrics, see “Maximizing Church Engagement with AI,” DiscipleIQ (2024).
  117. Representative evaluation framework based on best practices.
  118. On digital omnipresence culture, see Sherry Turkle, Alone Together, 1-20.
  119. On incarnation and embodiment, see J. Richard Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), 49-88.
  120. On physical gathering as witness, see “A High Ecclesiology in the Digital Age,” The Aquila Report (September 2023).
  121. On digital Sabbath practices, see Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family, 81-106.
  122. On depth over breadth, see Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 1-30.
  123. On “slow church,” see C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison, Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2014), 1-40.
  124. On prophetic critique of digital culture, see Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, 385-427.
  125. On Amish technology discernment, see Donald B. Kraybill, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, and Steven M. Nolt, The Amish (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013), 305-332.
  126. Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV): “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.'”

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Chapter 9 – Policy and Advocacy

  1. Maria Gonzalez’s case is a composite based on documented cases of healthcare denial due to biased algorithms. See Ziad Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations,” Science366, no. 6464 (2019): 447-453.
  2. On healthcare algorithms perpetuating inequity, see Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019), 77-110.
  3. Obermeyer et al., “Dissecting racial bias,” 450-452.
  4. On algorithmic governance across domains, see Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018), 1-38.
  5. Micah 6:8 (ESV): “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
  6. Genesis 2:15 establishes humanity’s stewardship mandate. See J. Richard Middleton, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1(Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2005), 49-88.
  7. On cultural mandate, see Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 38-61.
  8. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 461-490.
  9. Romans 13:1-7 establishes government’s God-given authority to promote justice and restrain evil. See Oliver O’Donovan, The Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the Roots of Political Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 146-171.
  10. On prophetic witness, see Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), 1-40.
  11. On dual citizenship, see James K. A. Smith, Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 11-40.
  12. On biblical justice for the vulnerable, see Timothy Keller, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (New York: Penguin Books, 2010), 3-19.
  13. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice: Rights and Wrongs (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008), 1-41.
  14. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice in Love (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 183-210, on secondary injustice.
  15. On facial recognition bias, see Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification,” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  16. Wolterstorff, Justice in Love, 195-210.
  17. On preferential option for the vulnerable, see Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation, rev. ed. (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1988), 103-122.
  18. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.2.15, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:273-274.
  19. Cornelius Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2015), 62-85.
  20. On natural law and public reason, see J. Budziszewski, Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1997), 1-30.
  21. On coalition building, see Amy E. Black, ed., Five Views on the Church and Politics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), especially “The Principled Pluralist View.”
  22. On prophetic public theology, see Luke Bretherton, Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019), 1-40.
  23. On the already-not yet kingdom, see George Eldon Ladd, The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 1-40.
  24. On realistic expectations for policy, see Reinhold Niebuhr, The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944), 1-40.
  25. Colossians 1:15-20 affirms Christ’s lordship over all creation, grounding Christian hope in cultural engagement.
  26. On eschatological accountability, see N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: HarperOne, 2008), 191-218.
  27. Genesis 1:27 (ESV): “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
  28. On anti-discrimination policy, see Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (New York: NYU Press, 2018), 1-50.
  29. On preventing objectification via social credit systems, see “China’s Social Credit System,” Congressional Research Service (December 2024).
  30. On manipulative design, see Karen Yeung and Martin Lodge, eds., Algorithmic Regulation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 1-30.
  31. “EU Artificial Intelligence Act,” Official Journal of the European Union (June 2024), Articles 6-7 on high-risk AI classification.
  32. “Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023,” S.2892, 118th Congress.
  33. Isaiah 1:17 (ESV): “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
  34. On bias audit requirements, see Inioluwa Deborah Raji et al., “Closing the AI Accountability Gap,” Proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (2020): 33-44.
  35. On equitable access, see Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality, 39-76.
  36. On redress mechanisms, see Andrew D. Selbst, “Disparate Impact in Big Data Policing,” Georgia Law Review52 (2017): 109-195.
  37. “Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act,” SB 24-205 (2024).
  38. “NYC Automated Employment Decision Tools,” NYC Admin. Code § 20-870 (2023).
  39. Ephesians 4:25 (ESV): “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
  40. On explainability requirements, see Finale Doshi-Velez and Been Kim, “Towards A Rigorous Science of Interpretable Machine Learning,” arXiv preprint (2017): 1-13.
  41. On algorithmic disclosure, see Timnit Gebru et al., “Datasheets for Datasets,” Communications of the ACM64, no. 12 (2021): 86-92.
  42. On clear liability, see Bryan Casey and Mark A. Lemley, “You Might Be a Robot,” Cornell Law Review105 (2020): 287-370.
  43. “Vermont Data Broker Regulation,” 9 V.S.A. § 2430 (2018).
  44. “AI Transparency Act,” proposed federal legislation (2024).
  45. On moral agency, see “Christian Ethics in the Age of AI: A Faith-Based Framework,” Gospel Light Creations (August 2025).
  46. On meaningful human control, see Paul Scharre, Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War (New York: W. W. Norton, 2018), 1-40.
  47. On banning fully autonomous weapons, see “Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, “https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/.
  48. On right to human review, see Sandra Wachter, Brent Mittelstadt, and Luciano Floridi, “Why a Right to Explanation,” International Data Privacy Law7, no. 2 (2017): 76-99.
  49. “Vatican Guidelines for the Use of AI,” Holy See (2024).
  50. “Campaign to Stop Killer Robots,” coalition including Human Rights Watch, PAX, and religious organizations.
  51. On privacy as respect for personhood, see Helen Nissenbaum, Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010), 1-35.
  52. On data minimization, see “Privacy by Design: The 7 Foundational Principles,” Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (2011).
  53. On informed consent, see Daniel J. Solove, “Privacy Self-Management and the Consent Dilemma,” Harvard Law Review126 (2013): 1880-1903.
  54. On surveillance limits, see Simone Browne, Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness (Durham: Duke University Press, 2015), 1-40.
  55. “General Data Protection Regulation,” Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
  56. “California Consumer Privacy Act,” Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq. (2018).
  57. Genesis 2:15 establishes stewardship mandate. On environmental ethics, see Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), 1-40.
  58. On carbon accounting, see Emma Strubell, Ananya Ganesh, and Andrew McCallum, “Energy and Policy Considerations for Deep Learning in NLP,” Proceedings of ACL (2019): 3645-3650.
  59. On sustainable infrastructure, see Roy Schwartz et al., “Green AI,” Communications of the ACM63, no. 12 (2020): 54-63.
  60. On e-waste regulation, see Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021), 43-78.
  61. “EU Climate Law,” Regulation (EU) 2021/1119.
  62. “China Green Data Center Initiative,” State Council Policy (2023).
  63. Psalm 82:3-4 (ESV): “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
  64. On child protection, see “UK Age-Appropriate Design Code,” Information Commissioner’s Office (2020).
  65. On disability access, see Meredith Ringel Morris, “AI and Accessibility,” Communications of the ACM63, no. 6 (2020): 35-37.
  66. On immigrant protections, see “Technology and Immigration Enforcement,” Electronic Frontier Foundation (2024).
  67. “UK Age-Appropriate Design Code,” ICO (2020).
  68. “Proposed AI and Disability Rights Act,” draft federal legislation (2025).
  69. On U.S. policy landscape, see “Federal AI Policy Overview,” Congressional Research Service (January 2026).
  70. “Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI,” Federal Register 88 (October 2023): 75191-75227.
  71. “Executive Order on Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,” Federal Register (January 2025), https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/.
  72. On state AI laws, see “State AI Legislation Tracker,” National Conference of State Legislatures (2025).
  73. “Congressional AI Legislation Tracker,” Tech Policy Press (2026).
  74. On preemption battles, see “The federal government weighs in on artificial intelligence governance,” Norton Rose Fulbright (December 2025).
  75. On industry lobbying, see “Big Tech’s AI Lobbying Surge,” OpenSecrets.org (2025).
  76. On partisan polarization, see “AI Policy and American Politics,” Pew Research Center (2025).
  77. On state-level engagement, see “Why AI Policy Matters for Believers,” National Association of Evangelicals (January 2026).
  78. On bipartisan issues, see “Finding Common Ground on AI,” Bipartisan Policy Center (2025).
  79. On public education, see “Countering AI Misinformation,” Center for Humane Technology (2025).
  80. “EU Artificial Intelligence Act,” Official Journal L (June 2024).
  81. EU AI Act, Article 5 on prohibited practices.
  82. EU AI Act, Articles 6-7 on high-risk AI systems.
  83. EU AI Act, Article 52 on transparency obligations.
  84. EU AI Act, Recital 27 on minimal-risk AI.
  85. EU AI Act, Recital 1 referencing EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
  86. EU AI Act, Article 99 on penalties.
  87. On EU AI Act comprehensiveness, see “The EU AI Act: A Global Model?,” Brookings Institution (2024).
  88. On rights-centered approach, see “Lessons from the Vatican’s AI Guidelines,” Word on Fire (February 2025).
  89. On Brussels Effect, see Anu Bradford, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020), 1-40.
  90. On complexity concerns, see “EU AI Act: Compliance Challenges,” TechCrunch (2024).
  91. On enforcement uncertainty, see “Will Member States Enforce the AI Act?,” Euractiv (2025).
  92. On innovation concerns, see “EU vs. U.S. AI Development,” MIT Technology Review (2024).
  93. On rights-based framing, see “Religious or Belief Actors and the European Commission’s White Paper on AI,” Bruno Kessler Foundation (2021).
  94. On comprehensive legislation feasibility, see “How the EU Passed Comprehensive AI Regulation,” Wired (2024).
  95. “UN Advisory Body on AI Interim Report,” United Nations (2024).
  96. “OECD AI Principles,” OECD (2019), https://oecd.ai/en/ai-principles.
  97. “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” Vatican (2020), https://www.romecall.org/.
  98. “Global Partnership on AI, “https://gpai.ai/.
  99. On enforcement gap, see “The Challenge of Global AI Governance,” Council on Foreign Relations (2025).
  100. On U.S.-China rivalry, see “AI and Geopolitics,” Foreign Affairs (2025).
  101. On speed of innovation, see “AI Governance Lag,” Harvard Kennedy School (2025).
  102. On faith-based networks, see “Global Church Networks and AI Ethics,” World Council of Churches (2024).
  103. On moral authority, see “Religious Communities and Technology Governance,” Pew Research Center (2024).
  104. See “For Further Study” section for full list of organizations and resources.
  105. On community education, see “Equipping the Church for AI,” AI and Faith (2024).
  106. On staying informed, see “Policy Tracking Resources,” ERLC (2026).
  107. Representative example based on documented church education programs.
  108. On communicating with representatives, see “Effective Advocacy Guide,” ACLU (2024).
  109. On framing arguments, see “Persuasive Policy Communication,” Frameworks Institute (2023).
  110. Representative example based on documented advocacy campaigns.
  111. “ERLC AI Ethics, “https://erlc.com/topics/artificial-intelligence/.
  112. “Center for Public Justice,” https://cpjustice.org/.
  113. “AI and Faith,” https://aiandfaith.org/.
  114. “Electronic Frontier Foundation,” https://www.eff.org/.
  115. “AI Now Institute,” https://ainowinstitute.org/.
  116. “Algorithmic Justice League,” https://www.ajl.org/.
  117. “Future of Life Institute,” https://futureoflife.org/.
  118. On organizational participation, see “How to Engage Advocacy Organizations,” Nonprofit Quarterly (2024).
  119. Representative example based on Center for Public Justice programming.
  120. On federal rulemaking, see “How to Comment on Federal Regulations,” Regulations.gov.
  121. On state and local hearings, see “Participating in Public Hearings,” National League of Cities (2024).
  122. On crafting comments, see “Effective Public Comments,” Environmental Defense Fund (2023).
  123. Representative example based on typical advocacy campaigns.
  124. On vocational faithfulness, see Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?” in Letters to a Diminished Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 131-151.
  125. On teaching AI ethics, see “Integrating Ethics into CS Curricula,” ACM (2024).
  126. On business leadership, see “CEO AI Ethics Pledge,” Business Roundtable (2025).
  127. On healthcare professional advocacy, see “AI in Medicine: A Physician’s Guide,” American Medical Association (2024).
  128. On legal advocacy, see “Strategic Litigation for AI Justice,” Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (2024).
  129. Representative example based on documented internal advocacy.
  130. On media engagement, see “Using Media for Social Change,” Nonprofit Marketing Guide (2024).
  131. On best practices, see “Christian Communication Ethics,” Christianity Today (2023).
  132. Representative example based on documented pastor advocacy.
  133. On church mobilization, see “Congregational Advocacy,” PICO National Network (2024).
  134. “PCUSA Technology and AI Resolution,” 225th General Assembly (2023).
  135. On amicus briefs, see “Faith-Based Legal Advocacy,” Becket Fund (2024).
  136. Representative example based on documented litigation.
  137. On facial recognition technology, see Clare Garvie, “The Perpetual Line-Up,” Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology (2016).
  138. Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades,” Proceedings of ML Research81 (2018): 1-15.
  139. On mass surveillance concerns, see Woodrow Hartzog, The Pathologies of Digital Consent (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 1-40.
  140. On lack of accountability, see “Face Recognition Technology: The Need for Public Regulation,” ACLU (2023).
  141. On theological grounding for opposition, see “Facial Recognition and Human Dignity,” ERLC (2022).
  142. On coalition building, see “Fighting Face Surveillance,” Electronic Frontier Foundation (2024).
  143. On public education, see “Faith Leaders Oppose Facial Recognition,” Sojourners (2021).
  144. On legislative advocacy, see “FRT Ban Campaign,” Algorithmic Justice League (2023).
  145. On direct action, see “Religious Communities Join FRT Protests,” Religion News Service (2020).
  146. On local bans, see “U.S. Cities That Have Banned Facial Recognition,” Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (2024).
  147. On state legislation, see “State FRT Laws,” National Conference of State Legislatures (2024).
  148. On corporate responses, see “Tech Companies Scale Back FRT,” Wall Street Journal (2020).
  149. On public awareness, see “Facial Recognition Polling,” Pew Research Center (2021).
  150. On moral authority, see “Religion and Public Life,” Pew Research Center (2024).
  151. On public theology, see Max Stackhouse, Public Theology and Political Economy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 1-40.
  152. “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” Vatican (2020).
  153. On convening power, see “Churches as Civic Spaces,” Aspen Institute (2023).
  154. On facilitation, see “Building Bridges Across Sectors,” Rockefeller Foundation (2024).
  155. Representative example based on NAE programming.
  156. On centering the vulnerable, see Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation, 103-122.
  157. On prophetic critique, see Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 21-57.
  158. Representative example based on Detroit water shutoff activism.
  159. On modeling practice, see “Institutional Witness,” Center for Public Justice (2024).
  160. On public witness, see Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 83-102.
  161. Representative example of church policy.
  162. On eschatological hope, see N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 191-218.
  163. On intergenerational perspective, see Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1977), 1-30.
  164. On Quaker advocacy tradition, see Margaret Hope Bacon, The Quiet Rebels: The Story of the Quakers in America (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1985), 1-40.

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Chapter 10 – Balancing Optimism and Vigilance

  1. Composite case study based on documented trends in church technology adoption. See “Church Tech Trends,” Vanco Payments (2025).
  2. Composite case study based on documented concerns about technology in church life. See “Finding Balance Between Faith and Technology,” Church.org (2025).
  3. On Reformed posture toward technology, see “Technological Advancements as Common Grace in Reformed Theology,” Hip City Reg (April 2025).
  4. On naive techno-optimism, see “Should We Be Optimistic About Technology?,” The Gospel Coalition Australia.
  5. Romans 12:2 (ESV) commands transformation, not conformity to worldly patterns.
  6. On Christian embrace of eugenics, see Edwin Black, War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003).
  7. On fearful rejection, see “Is Technology Holy or Worldly?,” Desiring God.
  8. John 17:15 (ESV): Jesus prays that believers remain in the world as witnesses, not withdrawn.
  9. On printing press and Reformation, see Chapter 3 and Elizabeth Eisenstein, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979).
  10. On wise stewardship, see “Stewardship of Technology,” The Banner (May 2015).
  11. Matthew 5:45 (ESV): “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good.” On common grace, see John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.2.14-17.
  12. On technology’s non-neutrality, see Chapter 4 and Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society(New York: Vintage Books, 1964).
  13. On human fallenness affecting technology, see Chapter 5 and Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (New York: Vintage Books, 1993).
  14. Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV): God reconciles all things through Christ, including cultural work and creation.
  15. Luke 12:48 (ESV): “To whom much is given, much will be required.”
  16. On grateful discernment, see “The FaithTech Playbook: A Redemptive Approach to Tech” (June 2024).
  17. On common grace, see Abraham Kuyper, Common Grace: God’s Gifts for a Fallen World, 3 vols., trans. Nelson D. Kloosterman and Ed M. van der Maas (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2015-2020).
  18. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) establishes humans as image-bearers. On creativity as imago Dei, see Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?” in Letters to a Diminished Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 131-151.
  19. Calvin, Institutes, II.2.15: “If we regard the Spirit of God as the sole fountain of truth, we shall neither reject the truth itself, nor despise it wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to dishonor the Spirit of God.”
  20. On Jonas Salk and polio vaccine, see David M. Oshinsky, Polio: An American Story (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
  21. Genesis 3:17-19 (ESV) describes the curse; Romans 8:20-22 describes creation groaning under futility.
  22. On technology restraining the curse, see “Technological Advancements as Common Grace,” Hip City Reg.
  23. On agricultural technology freeing humanity from subsistence, see Robert Fogel, The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
  24. Micah 6:8 (ESV) commands justice, kindness, and humility. On justice for the vulnerable, see Timothy Keller, Generous Justice (New York: Penguin Books, 2010).
  25. On Haiti earthquake and crisis mapping, see Patrick Meier, Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data Is Changing the Face of Humanitarian Response (Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2015).
  26. Matthew 24:14 (ESV) prophesies global gospel proclamation; Matthew 28:19-20 commands making disciples of all nations.
  27. “YouVersion Bible App Surpasses 500 Million Downloads,” YouVersion Press Release (2021).
  28. On encrypted communication enabling persecuted churches, see “Technology Serving the Persecuted Church,” Open Doors USA (2023).
  29. On COVID-19 and digital church, see “Pandemic Pivot: Churches Online,” Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2020).
  30. Psalm 24:1 (ESV): “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof.”
  31. On Beethoven and technological aids, see Jan Swafford, Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), 682-703.
  32. On technology never being neutral, see Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, 97-147.
  33. Psalm 115:4-5, 8 (ESV) warns against idolatry. On technology and idolatry, see Chapter 5 and “The Idolatry of Technology,” God’s Grace God’s Glory! (December 2016).
  34. On functional atheism, see Os Guinness, The Gravedigger File (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 74-86.
  35. On transhumanism, see Chapter 12 and Brent Waters, From Human to Posthuman: Christian Theology and Technology in a Postmodern World (Burlington: Ashgate, 2006).
  36. Psalm 115:8 (ESV): “Those who make them become like them.” On conformity to technology, see Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (New York: W. W. Norton, 2010).
  37. “Google Engineer Claims AI Chatbot Is Sentient,” Washington Post (June 2022).
  38. Isaiah 10:1-2 (ESV) condemns oppressive decrees. On technology and power, see Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (New York: PublicAffairs, 2019).
  39. Zuboff, Surveillance Capitalism, 1-32 on surveillance capitalism’s mechanisms.
  40. On algorithmic bias, see Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019).
  41. On authoritarian surveillance, see “China’s Digital Authoritarianism,” Freedom House (2021).
  42. On automation and inequality, see Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo, “Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets,” Journal of Political Economy128, no. 6 (2020): 2188-2244.
  43. On digital divide, see Jan A. G. M. van Dijk, The Digital Divide (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2020).
  44. On China’s social credit system, see “China’s Social Credit System: Speculation vs. Reality,” Wired (2019).
  45. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) commands embodied community. On technology eroding relationships, see Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (New York: Basic Books, 2011).
  46. On loneliness and social media, see Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy (New York: Atria Books, 2017).
  47. On embodied presence, see James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 139-214.
  48. “Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health,” JAMA Pediatrics (2023).
  49. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 40-77 on humans as desiring beings shaped by liturgies.
  50. On pornography’s neurological effects, see William M. Struthers, Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2009).
  51. Composite example based on documented practices. On morning liturgies, see Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 187-214.
  52. James 4:13-15 (ESV) warns against presumption. On technology and pride, see C. S. Lewis, “The Abolition of Man” in The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics (New York: HarperOne, 2002), 465-520.
  53. On Chernobyl, see Serhii Plokhy, Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe (New York: Basic Books, 2018).
  54. Hebrews 5:14 (ESV) on discernment. On spiritual discernment, see Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 3rd ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2018), 158-173.
  55. On discernment questions, see “Best Practices and Biblical Worldview for Technology Integration,” International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal (2022).
  56. On prayer for wisdom, see James 1:5 (ESV): “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.”
  57. Composite example based on documented family discernment practices. See “Digital Stewardship for Christian Families,” Cindy Seki (March 2025).
  58. Exodus 20:8-10 (ESV) commands Sabbath rest. On Sabbath theology, see Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014).
  59. On Digital Sabbath, see “Screen Sabbaths: Teaching Digital Boundaries in Christian Families,” Christian Mental Health Initiative (June 2025).
  60. On daily boundaries, see “The Digital Sabbath: Finding Rest and Holy Rhythms,” LinkedIn (September 2025).
  61. On Sabbath as prophetic resistance, see Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance, 1-40.
  62. Composite example based on documented family Sabbath practices. See “Digital Stewardship for Christian Families,” Cindy Seki.
  63. Romans 1:11-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 show Paul valuing face-to-face presence. Colossians 2:5 acknowledges he is present “in spirit” but longs for embodied reunion.
  64. On embodied presence, see Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 139-214.
  65. On prioritizing presence, see Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017), 35-52.
  66. Composite example based on documented small group practices.
  67. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) on freedom and discipline. On technology and freedom, see “Using Technology Wisely,” Daniel Evans.
  68. On technology fasting, see “Finding Balance Between Faith and Technology,” Church.org.
  69. On communal fasting, see Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 47-61 on fasting as spiritual discipline.
  70. Composite example based on documented Lenten fasting practices.
  71. Romans 12:2 (ESV) commands nonconformity. On counter-formation, see Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 215-229.
  72. On countercultural habits, see “Christian Wisdom on Technology Use and Parenting,” In All Things (2024).
  73. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 25-77 on practices forming virtues.
  74. Composite example based on documented vocational faithfulness in tech. See “The FaithTech Playbook.”
  75. Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) on mutual sharpening. On community accountability, see Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), 97-122.
  76. On intergenerational mentorship, see “Balancing Tradition and Technology in a Modern Christian Life,” Walk in Faith Clothing (2024).
  77. Composite example based on documented accountability practices.
  78. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV) commands advocacy for the vulnerable. On structural justice, see Chapter 9.
  79. On vocational advocacy, see Chapter 7 and “Ethical AI in Churches,” Malphurs Group (2024).
  80. Composite example based on documented legal advocacy. See “Strategic Litigation for AI Justice,” Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (2024).
  81. Romans 8:24-25 (ESV) on eschatological hope. On hope and technology, see Chapter 12.
  82. On joyful engagement, see “Faithful Perspectives on Technological Optimism,” Taylor Barkley, LinkedIn (2024).
  83. Composite example based on documented Christian medical practice.
  84. On eschatology shaping cultural engagement, see Richard Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002).
  85. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, ed. Clifford J. Green, trans. Reinhard Krauss, Charles C. West, and Douglas W. Stott (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 146-170 on ultimate and penultimate.
  86. Revelation 21:1, 5 (ESV) on new creation. On creation renewed (not replaced), see N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: HarperOne, 2008), 91-113.
  87. Revelation 21:24-26 (ESV): “The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it… They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.” On cultural continuity, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 197-218.
  88. On realistic hope, see Reinhold Niebuhr, The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944), 1-40.
  89. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 193 (paraphrased).
  90. On transhumanism, see Brent Waters, Christian Moral Theology in the Emerging Technoculture: From Posthuman Back to Human (Burlington: Ashgate, 2014).
  91. On resurrection vs. technological immortality, see “Faith and the Future: How Christians Should Respond to Artificial Intelligence,” FaithGPT (2024).
  92. On Kurzweil and singularity, see Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (New York: Viking, 2005). For Christian critique, see Waters, Christian Moral Theology, 133-160.
  93. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): “Be steadfast… knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
  94. On eschatological hope freeing prophetic witness, see Hauerwas and Willimon, Resident Aliens (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 83-102.
  95. Composite example based on documented Christian environmental engineering.
  96. On “already-not yet” tension, see George Eldon Ladd, The Presence of the Future (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 1-40.
  97. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV): “Do all to the glory of God.” On technology glorifying God, see Derek Schuurman, Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2013), 161-182.

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Chapter 11 – Raising Digital Disciples

  1. Composite case study based on documented parenting experiences. See “A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids about Technology,” Crossway (August 2024).
  2. On social media and adolescent mental health, see Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy (New York: Atria Books, 2017), 63-98.
  3. On digital discipleship definition, see “How to Become a Digital Disciple: A Step-by-Step Guide,” DelMethod (2024).
  4. On pressing questions for the church, see “Helping Our Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran (December 2013).
  5. “Average age for first smartphone is now 10.3 years,” Influence Central (2024). On screen time, see Common Sense Media, “The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens” (2021).
  6. On digital spaces shaping identity formation, see Vo Huong Nam, Digital Media and Youth Discipleship (Carlisle: Langham Publishing, 2023), 1-40.
  7. On church silence, see “Helping Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran.
  8. On digital disciples definition, see “Becoming A Digital Disciple,” PA Conference (2024).
  9. Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV), the Great Commission.
  10. On hybrid reality, see “Digital Discipleship: Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges,” CMF Mission (April 2025).
  11. On digital world as extension of life, see “Church Digital Discipleship Guide,” ParishSOFT (December 2024).
  12. On abandoning believers without guidance, see “Episode 40: The Role of Digital Discipleship in the Church,” Discerning Dad (February 2024).
  13. James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 25-77 on liturgies and formation.
  14. On global reach, see “Digital Discipleship Made Simple,” Disciplr (June 2018).
  15. On youth mental health crisis, see Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness(New York: Penguin Press, 2024).
  16. On discipleship integrity, see Tony Reinke, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 21-38.
  17. On digital discipleship vs. digital tools, see “Why Every Church Needs a Digital Discipleship Plan,” Tithe.ly (2024).
  18. On discipleship as relational and transformational, see “The Apostle Paul’s Principles for Digital Discipleship,” The Gospel Coalition (June 2025).
  19. On naive adoption, see Chapter 10 and “Christian Parenting in the Digital Age,” CH Ministries (January 2026).
  20. On fearful rejection, see “Raising Disciples In A Digital Dystopia,” Barrel Aged Faith (2024).
  21. On wise stewardship, see “Technological Advancements as Common Grace in Reformed Theology,” Hip City Reg (April 2025).
  22. Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty” (1880), in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 488.
  23. On Christ’s lordship online, see “Guiding Youth Toward Digital Discipleship,” CATECHIST Magazine (July 2025).
  24. On structure and direction, see Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 49-71.
  25. On technology embodying values, see Chapter 4 and Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017), 19-34.
  26. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) on embodied presence. On incarnational faith, see James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 139-214.
  27. On digital supplementing (not replacing) embodied presence, see “Apostle Paul’s Principles for Digital Discipleship,” The Gospel Coalition.
  28. Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV) on intentionality. On passive vs. active engagement, see “Digital Discipleship: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges,” CMF Mission.
  29. On intentional questions, see “Best Practices and Biblical Worldview for Technology Integration,” ICCTEJ (2022).
  30. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 40-77.
  31. On counter-practices, see Chapter 10 and Crouch, Tech-Wise Family, 35-70.
  32. 1 John 1:9 (ESV) on confession and forgiveness.
  33. On grace-filled accountability, see Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), 110-122.
  34. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV) on parental discipleship responsibility.
  35. On modeling, see “Ready, Aim, Shoot: Parenting in the Digital World,” Biblical Parenting (April 2024).
  36. On modeling practices, see Crouch, Tech-Wise Family, 71-92.
  37. Composite example based on documented parenting practices.
  38. Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV) on parent-child relationships. On boundaries, see “A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids about Technology,” Crossway.
  39. Age-appropriate guidelines adapted from American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations and “Christian Parenting in the Digital Age,” CH Ministries.
  40. Technology contract example adapted from “A Christian Parent’s Guide to Smartphones and Screen Time,” Life.Church (August 2025).
  41. On contract benefits, see “Digital Stewardship for Christian Families: Biblical Principles,” Cindy Seki (March 2025).
  42. On ongoing conversations, see “Helping Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran.
  43. Questions adapted from “How to Teach Christ-Centered Values in a Tech-Driven World,” Substack (2024).
  44. On co-viewing and Scripture connection, see “Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids,” Crossway.
  45. Composite example based on documented practices.
  46. On teaching discernment, see Chapter 10 and “Ready, Aim, Shoot,” Biblical Parenting.
  47. Discernment framework adapted from Chapter 10.
  48. On practical exercises, see “Helping Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran.
  49. On positive alternatives, see Crouch, Tech-Wise Family, 93-118.
  50. On family practices, see “Christian Parenting in the Digital Age,” CH Ministries.
  51. Composite testimony based on documented family experiences.
  52. On church digital strategy, see “10 Strategies for Generating Church Growth,” Ministry Brands (December 2025).
  53. On strategic planning, see “Church Digital Discipleship Guide,” ParishSOFT.
  54. Composite example based on documented church practices.
  55. On supporting parents as primary disciplers, see “Time to Update: 7 Areas to Integrate Digital Discipleship,” Raise Up Faith (2024).
  56. On equipping parents, see “Why Digital Discipleship Matters to Accomplish Our Mission,” Orange (2024).
  57. Crouch, Tech-Wise Family; Reinke, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You.
  58. On youth as agents, see “Helping Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran.
  59. On youth conversations, see “Raising Digital Disciples,” Christian Academy School System (2024).
  60. Discussion questions adapted from “Helping Youth Become Digital Disciples,” Living Lutheran.
  61. On co-creating guidelines, see “Guiding Youth Toward Digital Discipleship,” CATECHIST Magazine.
  62. On positive digital witness, see “Becoming A Digital Disciple,” PA Conference.
  63. Composite example based on documented youth ministry initiatives.
  64. On providing resources, see “Free Guide: Digital Discipleship Guide,” Faithlife (2024).
  65. Content ideas adapted from “Church Digital Discipleship Guide,” ParishSOFT.
  66. On best practices, see “Why Every Church Needs a Digital Discipleship Plan,” Tithe.ly.
  67. On modeling boundaries, see “Digital Sanctuary: Exploring Security and Privacy,” Taylor & Francis (2024).
  68. On ethical AI use, see “AI Ethics: A Guide for Churches,” Pushpay (2024).
  69. Composite example based on documented church policies.
  70. On Christian education, see “Digital Media and Youth Discipleship,” Langham Publishing.
  71. On media literacy, see “Teaching Kids to Honor God Online,” YouTube (2024).
  72. On integrating biblical worldview, see “Best Practices and Biblical Worldview for Technology Integration,” ICCTEJ.
  73. On digital ethics practice, see Nam, Digital Media and Youth Discipleship, 141-178.
  74. On creativity, see “Guiding Youth Toward Digital Discipleship,” CATECHIST Magazine.
  75. On false dichotomy, see “How Broadcasting Church Services Online Impacts Discipleship,” Resi (June 2024).
  76. On hybrid lives, see “Digital Discipleship: Navigating Opportunities,” CMF Mission.
  77. On Paul’s letters as distance discipleship, see “The Apostle Paul’s Principles for Digital Discipleship,” The Gospel Coalition.
  78. 2 Timothy 1:14, 2:15 (ESV). Analysis from “Apostle Paul’s Principles,” The Gospel Coalition.
  79. 2 Timothy 1:3 (ESV). On personal connection, see “Apostle Paul’s Principles,” The Gospel Coalition.
  80. 1 Timothy 3, 2 Timothy 4. On accountability structures, see “Apostle Paul’s Principles,” The Gospel Coalition.
  81. On application to digital mentoring, see “Apostle Paul’s Principles,” The Gospel Coalition.
  82. On online leading to offline, see “Digital Discipleship Made Simple,” Disciplr.
  83. On using technology for continuity, see “Integrated Ministry Platform: Digital Discipleship,” Faithlife (2024).
  84. On embodied presence for key moments, see Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 139-214.
  85. On hybrid attendees showing higher discipleship, see “How Broadcasting Church Services Impacts Discipleship,” Resi. Citing Crossroads Church research.
  86. Composite example based on documented small group practices.
  87. On rapid change challenge, see Nam, Digital Media and Youth Discipleship, 41-73.
  88. On metrics temptation, see “Episode 40: Role of Digital Discipleship,” Discerning Dad.
  89. On superficial engagement, see “Digital Discipleship: Navigating Opportunities,” CMF Mission.
  90. On parental hypocrisy, see “Ready, Aim, Shoot,” Biblical Parenting.
  91. On digital divide, see “Acceptable Use of Technology in Ministry,” Diocese of Wilmington (2024).
  92. On global reach opportunity, see “How to Harness Technology for Evangelism,” Tithe.ly (2024).
  93. On accessibility opportunity, see “Church Digital Discipleship Guide,” ParishSOFT.
  94. On continuous formation, see “Using Digital Discipleship to Spread Mission,” UMC (2024).
  95. On intergenerational connection, see “Disciples Youth: Leadership Development,” DHM (October 2025).
  96. On rapid response, see “Digital Ministry Trends,” Church Leadership (2024).
  97. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV): “Do all to the glory of God.”
  98. Composite case study conclusion based on documented family experiences.

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Chapter 12 – Eschatology and Technology

  1. Composite narrative illustrating themes of technology, mortality, and Christian hope.
  2. On Ray Kurzweil’s prediction of Singularity by 2045, see Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (New York: Viking, 2005), 135-136.
  3. On the true Singularity (Christ’s return and resurrection), see Philip Graham Ryken, “The Singularity,” Tenth Presbyterian Church (January 2007).
  4. On common grace and technology’s goodness, see “Technological Advancements as Common Grace in Reformed Theology,” Hip City Reg (April 2025).
  5. On hope in Christ’s promise vs. technological achievement, see Michael S. Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future (New York: Routledge, 2015), 162-164.
  6. On Christians and the future of technology, see “Eschatology and the Technological Future,” The Gospel Coalition (October 2016).
  7. On Bonhoeffer’s ultimate/penultimate distinction, see Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, ed. Eberhard Bethge (New York: Touchstone, 1995), 120-188.
  8. On eschatology as horizon, see Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 3-22.
  9. Romans 8:19, 22-23 (ESV): Creation groaning and waiting.
  10. On Reformed eschatology’s already/not yet framework, see “Already, Not Yet,” Desiring God (March 2024).
  11. On the Spirit as down payment, see Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 803-826.
  12. On already/not yet tension, see Oscar Cullmann, Christ and Time: The Primitive Christian Conception of Time and History (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1964), 81-93.
  13. Bonhoeffer, Ethics, 120-188 on ultimate and penultimate.
  14. On penultimate vs. ultimate needs, see “The Ultimate And The Penultimate: Bonhoeffer’s Twofold Contextualism,” JCRT (August 2020).
  15. On celebrating technology without worship, see “An Overview of the Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” Dallas Baptist University (2000).
  16. On evacuation eschatology critique, see N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: HarperOne, 2008), 18-27.
  17. On new creation theology, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 93-105.
  18. Revelation 21:1, 5 (ESV): New heaven and new earth. On kainos vs. neos, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 104.
  19. On Wright’s stonemason analogy, see N.T. Wright, “Beginning to Think About the New Creation,” N.T. Wright Online (January 2020).
  20. On transhumanism as secular eschatology, see Tone Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search for Immortality vs. Christianity,” Annals of Philosophy (2024), 116-122.
  21. Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near, 135-136.
  22. On transhumanist vision, see Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near, 198-325.
  23. Comparison table adapted from Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 119-120.
  24. Meghan O’Gieblyn, “Ghost in the Cloud,” n+1 Magazine 28 (2017).
  25. On Christian critique of transhumanism, see “Transhumanism and Transcendence: Christian Hope in an Age of Technological Enhancement,” Christian Scholar’s Review (2012).
  26. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): Labor not in vain.
  27. On eschatological freedom, see Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope (New York: Harper & Row, 1967), 16-36.
  28. On faithful work without utopianism, see “Preaching Eschatologically: How the Form of a Sermon Can Help Stir Up Gospel Hope,” Reformed Journal (July 2021).
  29. On futurum vs. adventus, see Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 19-41.
  30. On futurum as extrapolation, see Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 22-23.
  31. On adventus as divine arrival, see Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 29-31.
  32. On Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns, see Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near, 7-108.
  33. On kingdom as gift, see George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959), 43-58.
  34. On transhumanism as apocalyptic AI, see Robert M. Geraci, Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 3-21.
  35. On surface similarities, see “Transhumanist and Popular Christian Views of the Future,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 47:4 (December 2012): 777-796.
  36. On profound differences, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 118-122.
  37. On Christian anthropology of embodiment, see 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (ESV).
  38. On transhumanist anthropology, see Nick Bostrom, “Transhumanist Values,” Ethical Issues for the 21st Century (2005).
  39. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): Salvation by grace through faith.
  40. On transhumanist soteriology, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 119.
  41. On Christian teleology, see Revelation 21-22 (ESV).
  42. On transhumanist teleology, see Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near, 370-389.
  43. On corporate salvation, see Romans 8:19-23; Revelation 21:3 (ESV).
  44. On transhumanist individualism, see Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 87-88.
  45. On God’s concern for the vulnerable, see Luke 4:18-19; Galatians 3:28 (ESV).
  46. On justice concerns with enhancement technologies, see “Exploring the Soteriology and Eschatology of Transhumanism,” Compass 13:9 (2019).
  47. On Christian affirmation and critique, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 120-122.
  48. Genesis 11:1-9 (ESV): Tower of Babel. On Promethean pride, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 120.
  49. Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ESV) on trusting God vs. human strength.
  50. On Gnostic dualism critique, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 121.
  51. On Christianity’s embodiment affirmation, see Genesis 2:7; John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 (ESV).
  52. On functional atheism, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 121.
  53. Romans 1:21-25 (ESV) on exchanging Creator for creation.
  54. On unjust access, see Romans 6:23; Revelation 22:17 (ESV) on free gift.
  55. On false immortality, see Svetelj, “Transhumanist’s Search,” 121-122.
  56. On true immortality, see Revelation 21:4 (ESV).
  57. Daniel 12:4 (ESV): “Knowledge shall increase.”
  58. On interpretations of Daniel 12:4, see “Daniel 12:4 Prophecy and Exponential AI Knowledge Growth,” Pastors.AI (2024).
  59. On modern applications, see “AI and the Prophecy of Daniel 12:4,” Yahshua the Messiah Ministry (August 2025).
  60. On knowledge explosion, see “When Knowledge Increases,” Adventist Review (August 2025).
  61. On historical uniqueness, see “AI, Prophecy, and Faith: Navigating the Rise of Technology in the End Times,” His Spoken Word (2024).
  62. On eschatological awareness, see “Technology and Eschatology on a Supernatural High-Speed Collision Course,” Christ in Prophecy (2015).
  63. On context of Daniel 12:4, see “Does the Bible Say That an Increase in Technology Is a Sign of the End Times?” Got Questions (March 2023).
  64. Matthew 24:36 (ESV) on avoiding date-setting.
  65. On technology as neutral tool, see “The Daniel Prophecy: AI, Technology, and the End of Days,” Harrison House (October 2024).
  66. On balanced perspective, see “Reckoning with Tech,” Reformation 21 (2019).
  67. On double-edged nature, see “Christian Faith and Technology,” Lausanne Movement (2022).
  68. Matthew 24:14 (ESV) on gospel to all nations. On technology enabling witness, see “Technology and Eschatology,” Metanexus (2013).
  69. Revelation 13:16-17 (ESV) on mark of the beast. On surveillance warnings, see “End-Time Technology Is Here: Are You Being Deceived?” Messianic Bible (2017).
  70. On China’s social credit system, see Chapter 5.
  71. On balanced application, see “Technology in View of the Eschaton,” Helwys Society Forum (2020).
  72. On double-edged sword, see “Eschatology and the Technologies of Human Enhancement,” Implicit Religion 18:4 (2015): 387-407.
  73. On technology foreshadowing new creation, see N.T. Wright, “Sign and Means of New Creation,” N.T. Wright Page (January 2017).
  74. Revelation 21:4 (ESV) on no more death or pain.
  75. Isaiah 35:5 (ESV) on deaf hearing. Cochlear implant example is composite.
  76. Revelation 7:9 (ESV) on every nation worshiping.
  77. Livestreaming example is composite based on documented church experiences during COVID-19.
  78. On AI and human creativity, see Chapter 7.
  79. Genesis 1:28 (ESV) on cultural mandate. Antibiotic discovery example is composite.
  80. On fallen patterns, see Chapter 5.
  81. Psalm 115:4-8 (ESV) on idols.
  82. Romans 1:25 (ESV) on exchanging Creator for creature.
  83. On surveillance and control, see Chapter 5.
  84. Isaiah 58:6-7 (ESV) on justice for oppressed. China example from Chapter 5.
  85. On dehumanization, see Chapter 2.
  86. Social media algorithm example from Chapter 10.
  87. On environmental concerns, see Chapter 6.
  88. On navigating promise and peril, see “Eschatology and the Technological Future,” The Gospel Coalition.
  89. On Kuyper’s common grace, see Abraham Kuyper, “Common Grace,” in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 165-204.
  90. On structure and direction, see Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 49-71.
  91. On ultimate/penultimate in technology ethics, see “Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Incarnational Ethic,” Helwys Society Forum (June 2023).
  92. On justice priority, see Chapter 6.
  93. On sober hope, see Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History (New York: Scribner, 1952), 63-88.
  94. On divine promise vs. human achievement, see Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 162-164.
  95. Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 163-164.
  96. On three convictions, see Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, 23-42.
  97. Isaiah 46:9-10 (ESV) on God’s sovereignty.
  98. On liberation from anxiety, see Moltmann, Theology of Hope, 16-36.
  99. 1 Corinthians 15:20 (ESV) on Christ as firstfruits.
  100. On bodily renewal, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 148-171.
  101. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 112.
  102. On participating through the Spirit, see Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996), 42-67.
  103. Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV) on Spirit as guarantee. On arrabōn, see Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 803-826.
  104. On already/not yet experience, see “Already, Not Yet,” Desiring God.
  105. On Spirit-enabled anticipation, see Wright, “Sign and Means of New Creation.”
  106. Matthew 18:3; Luke 12:32 (ESV) on receiving the kingdom.
  107. On participation vs. achievement, see Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom, 43-58.
  108. On application to technology, adapted from Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 170-171.
  109. Moltmann, Theology of Hope, 32 (paraphrase).
  110. On hope as lived reality, see “Justification Already: How Reformed Eschatology Helps Us,” Brian J. Lund (October 2017).
  111. 1 John 4:1 (ESV) on testing spirits.
  112. Discernment questions adapted from Chapter 10.
  113. Example is composite based on church technology assessment practices.
  114. Acts 1:8 (ESV) on witness to the ends of the earth.
  115. On leveraging technology for mission, see Chapter 8.
  116. COVID-19 digital church example from Chapter 8.
  117. James 4:13-15 (ESV) on acknowledging God’s will.
  118. On practices of humility, see Chapter 10.
  119. Example is composite based on Christian technologist interviews.
  120. Ephesians 5:11 (ESV) on exposing unfruitful works.
  121. On prophetic critique, see Chapter 9.
  122. Example is composite based on documented whistleblower cases.
  123. Colossians 3:2 (ESV) on setting minds on things above.
  124. 1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV) on proclaiming death until He comes.
  125. Example is composite based on small group practices.
  126. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) on created for good works.
  127. Examples adapted from Chapter 6.
  128. On eternal significance of work, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 193-205.
  129. Example is composite based on documented app development.
  130. On Kurzweil’s Singularity, see Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near, 7-21.
  131. On the true Singularity, see Ryken, “The Singularity.”
  132. On Christian vision, see 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; Revelation 21:1-4; Romans 8:29-30; 1 John 3:2 (ESV).
  133. Ryken, “The Singularity” (2007).
  134. On confident expectation, see Hebrews 10:23 (ESV).
  135. On already/not yet, see Cullmann, Christ and Time, 81-93.
  136. On experiencing resurrection power, see Ephesians 1:19-20 (ESV).
  137. On acknowledging limits, see “Technology and Eschatology,” Metanexus.
  138. On faithful engagement, see 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV).
  139. On eschatology as horizon, see Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, 3-22.
  140. On eschatological convictions, see Revelation 21-22 (ESV).
  141. On convictions shaping present, see Wright, Surprised by Hope, 219-237.
  142. On grateful, wise, just, humble, hopeful engagement, adapted from Conclusion.
  143. On rejecting idolatrous technology use, adapted from Chapters 5 and 10.
  144. Prayer adapted from Revelation 22:20-21 (ESV): “Come, Lord Jesus!”

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Conclusion

  1. On John Cotton and Reformed stewardship tradition, see “The Reason for Christian Stewardship,” Reformed Theological Seminary (September 2018).
  2. On contemporary stewardship challenges, see “Stewardship of Technology,” The Banner (May 2015).
  3. Summary of book chapters and themes.
  4. On covenant framework for technology stewardship, see “Introduction to Covenant Theology” by J.I. Packer, A Puritan’s Mind.
  5. On Reformed understanding of stewardship, see “Stewardship of Technology,” The Banner: “Our Reformed understanding of stewardship begins with the notion that everything we have (time, talent, or treasure) is a gift from God’s hands.”
  6. Psalm 100:3 (ESV): God made us and we are His.
  7. Psalm 24:1 (ESV): The earth is the LORD’s. On God’s ownership extending to cultural creation, see “The Reason for Christian Stewardship,” RTS.
  8. On humans discovering (not creating) technological potentials, see “Technology is a Part of God’s Creation,” Calvin University.
  9. Psalm 50:10 (ESV): Every beast is God’s. On inability to give God anything not already His, see “The Reason for Christian Stewardship,” RTS.
  10. On biblical examples of stewardship, see Genesis 39:4-6 (Joseph); Matthew 25:14-30 (talents); Luke 19:11-27 (minas).
  11. On accountability in stewardship, see “What Is Biblical Stewardship?” Ligonier (2024).
  12. Romans 14:12; Luke 12:48 (ESV) on giving account to God. On much given, much required, see “The Reason for Christian Stewardship,” RTS.
  13. On covenant responsibility, see “Introducing Reformed Covenant Theology,” Journal of Biblical Theology (December 2024).
  14. On gratitude as first posture, see Our World Belongs to God, par. 50.
  15. On Calvin’s teaching on common grace, see John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.ii.15-16; cited in “Technological Advancements as Common Grace in Reformed Theology,” Hip City Reg (April 2025).
  16. On doctrine of common grace enabling celebration, see “Technological Advancements as Common Grace,” Hip City Reg.
  17. Examples of technology as common grace from Chapters 6, 7, 10.
  18. Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony, Christian Reformed Church (2008), par. 50.
  19. On technology’s non-neutrality, see Chapter 4 and Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained, 49-71.
  20. Examples of technology’s harms from Chapters 5, 6, 10.
  21. Psalm 20:7; Jeremiah 17:5 (ESV) on trusting God vs. human strength. On technology as potential idol, see Chapter 5.
  22. Five discernment questions adapted from Chapter 10.
  23. On humility in stewardship, see Psalm 127:1 (ESV).
  24. Genesis 11:1-9 (Babel) on technological hubris. Analysis from Chapter 12.
  25. On Bonhoeffer’s ultimate/penultimate distinction applied to technology, see Chapter 12 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, 120-188.
  26. On realistic hope, see Chapters 10 and 12.
  27. Ten principles synthesized from Chapters 1-12.
  28. Psalm 24:1 (ESV). On stewardship accountability, see “The Reason for Christian Stewardship,” RTS.
  29. Application adapted from Chapter 10.
  30. Matthew 5:45 (ESV) on common grace. Analysis from Chapter 1.
  31. On celebrating goods while remaining vigilant, see Chapter 10.
  32. On structure and direction, see Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained, 49-71; discussed in Chapter 2.
  33. On technology embodying values, see Chapter 4.
  34. Application from Chapter 4.
  35. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) on imago Dei. Analysis from Chapter 2.
  36. Application from Chapters 2 and 11.
  37. Isaiah 1:17 (ESV) on justice. Analysis from Chapter 6.
  38. Application from Chapter 6.
  39. Genesis 2:15 (ESV) on creation care. Analysis from Chapter 6.
  40. Application from Chapter 6.
  41. Romans 14:12 (ESV) on giving account. Analysis from Chapters 7 and 9.
  42. Application from Chapters 8, 9, 11.
  43. On human agency and imago Dei dignity, see Chapter 2.
  44. Application from Chapters 4 and 9.
  45. Exodus 20:3 (ESV): No other gods. Analysis from Chapter 5.
  46. Application from Chapters 5 and 10.
  47. Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV): Love God and neighbor. Analysis from Chapter 1.
  48. Application from Chapters 10 and 11.
  49. On communal nature of stewardship, see 1 Corinthians 12 (body of Christ). On biblical communal emphasis, see “Introducing Reformed Covenant Theology,” JBTS.
  50. On church’s teaching role, see Chapter 8.
  51. Four church teaching strategies from Chapter 8.
  52. Composite example based on documented church practices.
  53. On institutional modeling, see Chapter 8.
  54. Four institutional modeling practices from Chapter 8.
  55. On church technology policies, see “Acceptable Use of Technology in Ministry,” Diocese of Wilmington (2024).
  56. On creating covenants, see Chapter 11.
  57. Family technology covenant template adapted from Chapter 11 and “Acceptable Use of Technology in Ministry,” Diocese of Wilmington.
  58. On prophetic advocacy calling, see Chapter 9.
  59. Four advocacy practical steps from Chapter 9.
  60. On denominational technology statements, see “ERLC Releases Practical Guide Addressing AI,” Baptist Press (September 2025).
  61. On small groups and accountability, see Chapter 11.
  62. Discussion questions adapted from Chapter 11.
  63. Four accountability practices adapted from Chapters 10 and 11.
  64. On Christian technologists’ unique calling, see Chapter 7.
  65. On technology work as vocation, see “Using Technology Responsibly to Align Church Ministry with God’s Plan,” Liberty University (January 2025).
  66. Six practical steps for Christian technologists from Chapter 7.
  67. Composite example from Chapter 7 based on documented cases.
  68. Twelve covenant commitments synthesized from Chapters 1-12.
  69. Commitment 1 from Chapter 10.
  70. Commitment 2 from Chapters 10 and 11.
  71. Commitment 3 from Chapters 10 and 11.
  72. Commitment 4 from Chapters 8 and 11.
  73. Commitment 5 from Chapter 11.
  74. Commitment 6 from Chapter 11.
  75. Commitment 7 from Chapter 11.
  76. Commitment 8 from Chapter 8.
  77. Commitment 9 from Chapter 8.
  78. Commitment 10 from Chapters 8 and 11.
  79. Commitment 11 from Chapter 9.
  80. Commitment 12 from Chapter 9.
  81. On stewardship as worship, see 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV).
  82. Examples of “whatever you do” applied to technology.
  83. On offerings to God, see Romans 12:1 (ESV): Present bodies as living sacrifices.
  84. On already/not yet eschatological tension, see Chapter 12 and Oscar Cullmann, Christ and Time, 81-93.
  85. On “already” experiencing resurrection power, see Ephesians 1:19-20 (ESV); discussed in Chapter 12.
  86. On “not yet” awaiting consummation, see Chapter 12.
  87. On faithful engagement between the times, see 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV); discussed in Chapter 12.
  88. Closing prayer synthesizes themes from all chapters.
  89. On ongoing journey, see “Covenant Theology Applies to Everyday Life,” Ligonier (January 2026).
  90. On not walking alone (Spirit, Scripture, church, Christ), see Psalm 23 (ESV); John 14:26 (Spirit as Helper); Hebrews 10:24-25 (church community).
  91. Psalm 24:1 (ESV): The earth is the LORD’s.

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Questions

  1. On communal discernment necessity, see Acts 15:1-35 (Jerusalem Council model).
  2. James 1:22 (ESV): “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
  3. On question structure and categories, adapted from small group discussion best practices.
  4. On how to use questions in different contexts, based on pedagogical principles.
  5. On transformative engagement goal, see Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) on transformation and renewal.
  6. Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15 (ESV). On dominion vs. domination, see Chapter 1.
  7. Matthew 5:45, Acts 14:17 (ESV) on common grace. On Calvin’s teaching, see Chapter 3.
  8. Romans 8:18-23, Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV). On redemption and technology, see Chapters 1 and 12.
  9. On Wolters’ structure/direction framework, see Chapter 2 and Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained, 49-71.
  10. On historical lessons, see Chapter 3.
  11. Personal audit questions adapted from Chapter 10.
  12. Luke 12:48 (ESV): “Much will be required.” On stewardship accountability, see Conclusion.
  13. Application questions from Chapter 1 principles.
  14. On creation care through technology, see Chapter 6.
  15. On church teaching and accountability, see Chapters 8 and Conclusion.
  16. On myth of neutrality, see Chapter 4.
  17. On embedded bias examples, see Chapters 4 and 7.
  18. Exodus 20:3-6, Psalm 115:4-8 (ESV). On idolatry, see Chapter 5.
  19. On power and surveillance, see Chapters 5 and 9.
  20. Matthew 6:21 (ESV). Heart examination questions from Chapter 5.
  21. On Tim Keller’s idol definition, see Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York: Penguin, 2009), xix.
  22. Technology fast application from Chapter 10.
  23. Discernment application from Chapter 4.
  24. On accountability structures, see Chapters 10, 11, and Conclusion.
  25. On prophetic witness, see Chapters 6 and 9.
  26. Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24 (ESV). On biblical justice, see Chapter 6.
  27. On technology and inequality, see Chapter 6.
  28. Genesis 2:15, Romans 8:19-22 (ESV). On environmental stewardship, see Chapter 6.
  29. Personal impact questions from Chapter 6.
  30. On environmental footprint, see Chapter 6.
  31. Justice-oriented applications from Chapter 6.
  32. Creation care commitments from Chapter 6.
  33. Church justice initiatives from Chapters 6 and 8.
  34. On global perspective, see Chapter 6.
  35. Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-8 (ESV). On imago Dei and AI, see Chapters 2 and 7.
  36. On AI ethics priorities, see Chapter 7.
  37. Micah 6:8, Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV). On policy engagement, see Chapter 9.
  38. AI in daily life questions from Chapter 7.
  39. On vocation and AI, see Chapter 7.
  40. Ethical AI applications from Chapter 7.
  41. Policy engagement applications from Chapter 9.
  42. Church AI ethics questions from Chapter 8.
  43. Advocacy and witness questions from Chapter 9.
  44. Matthew 28:19-20, Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Colossians 1:16-17 (ESV). On digital discipleship, see Chapter 11.
  45. On James K. A. Smith’s liturgies, see Chapter 11 and Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, 25-77.
  46. On church and technology, see Chapter 8.
  47. Personal digital habits questions from Chapters 10 and 11.
  48. On technology and relationships, see Chapters 10 and 11.
  49. On parenting in digital age, see Chapter 11.
  50. Personal boundaries from Chapter 10.
  51. Family covenant from Chapter 11 template.
  52. Spiritual disciplines applications from Chapters 10 and 11.
  53. Small group accountability from Chapters 10, 11, and Conclusion.
  54. Church digital strategy from Chapter 8.
  55. Youth ministry questions from Chapter 11.
  56. On futurum vs. adventus, see Chapter 12 and Michael S. Burdett, Eschatology and the Technological Future, 19-41.
  57. Romans 8:18-23, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (ESV). On already/not yet, see Chapter 12.
  58. On technology and prophecy, see Chapter 12.
  59. Personal hope questions from Chapter 12.
  60. On mortality and technology, see Chapter 12.
  61. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV). Eschatological imagination practices from Chapter 12.
  62. Technology as means application from Chapter 12.
  63. Church and eschatology questions from Chapter 12.
  64. On N.T. Wright’s cultural work having eternal significance, see Chapter 12 and Wright, Surprised by Hope, 193-205.
  65. Self-examination questions from Conclusion.
  66. “One thing” commitment from Conclusion.
  67. Personal covenant making from Conclusion template.
  68. Small group covenant from Conclusion.
  69. Church initiatives from Chapters 8 and Conclusion.
  70. Vocational faithfulness questions from Chapters 7-9 and Conclusion.
  71. Future imagination questions for long-term vision.
  72. Romans 12:1 (ESV) on living sacrifices. Prayer categories from liturgical tradition.
  73. On transformation goal, see Romans 12:2 (ESV).
  74. On grace in failure, see 1 John 1:9 (ESV) and Conclusion.
  75. On stewardship accountability and liberation, see Conclusion.
  76. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV): “Do all to the glory of God.”
  77. On Christ’s lordship and new creation hope, see Revelation 21:5 (ESV) and Conclusion.

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Prayers

  1. On the fast pace of technology development and need for ethical reflection, see Chapter 7.
  2. On technology work as sacred requiring wisdom, see James 1:5 (ESV) on asking God for wisdom.
  3. On prayer as engagement and reorientation, see Psalm 19:14 (ESV): “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.”
  4. On uses of liturgical prayers for technologists and teams, adapted from prayer traditions in Reformed worship.
  5. On prayers drawing from Scripture, liturgy, and Reformed theology, see “Generative Artificial Intelligence and Prayer,” Valparaiso University (2023).
  6. On stewardship and accountability, see Chapters 1 and Conclusion.
  7. Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV) warns against being “wise in your own eyes.”
  8. Micah 6:8 (ESV): “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.”
  9. On work bearing fruit for kingdom, see 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
  10. Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV) on trusting the LORD and not leaning on own understanding.
  11. On offering daily work to God, see Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV): “Work heartily, as for the Lord.”
  12. On working with excellence and integrity, see Chapter 7.
  13. On technology as means to love God and serve others, see Matthew 22:37-39; discussed in Chapters 1 and Conclusion.
  14. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): “In the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
  15. Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) on working as for the Lord, not for men.
  16. On team unity and collaboration, see Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV): “Two are better than one.”
  17. On collaboration marked by respect and truth, see Ephesians 4:15 (ESV): “Speaking the truth in love.”
  18. On reflecting unity of Christ’s body, see 1 Corinthians 12; discussed in Chapters 7 and 8.
  19. On mutual support in ethical dilemmas, see Chapter 7.
  20. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV) on strength in community: “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
  21. On using gifts responsibly and avoiding blind ambition, see Luke 12:48 (ESV): “To whom much was given, much will be required.”
  22. On accountability for impact and human dignity, see Chapters 2 and 7.
  23. On seeing unintended consequences and hearing overlooked voices, see Chapter 6.
  24. On resisting pressure to prioritize profit over people, see Chapter 9.
  25. Micah 6:8 (ESV): “What does the LORD require? Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.”
  26. On ethical uncertainty and need for discernment, see Chapter 7.
  27. On patience for thorough deliberation, see Proverbs 19:2 (ESV): “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”
  28. On seeking wise counsel, see Proverbs 11:14 (ESV): “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
  29. On acknowledging limits and trusting God’s sovereignty, see Psalm 127:1 (ESV): “Unless the LORD builds the house.”
  30. Isaiah 30:21 (ESV) on hearing God’s guidance: “This is the way, walk in it.”
  31. On algorithmic bias and injustice, see Chapters 6 and 7.
  32. On confession when systems deepen inequality, see 1 John 1:9 (ESV): “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive.”
  33. On designing for uplift and inclusion, see Chapter 6.
  34. On addressing bias in data and models, see Chapter 7.
  35. On reflecting kingdom where last are first, see Matthew 20:16 (ESV).
  36. Isaiah 1:17 (ESV): “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression.”
  37. On pressure to compromise ethical values, see Chapter 7.
  38. On courage to speak truth to power, see Acts 4:19-20 (ESV): “Whether it is right to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge.”
  39. On choosing obedience to God over worldly approval, see Galatians 1:10 (ESV).
  40. On wisdom to discern appropriate vs. inappropriate compromise, see prudential judgment in Reformed ethics.
  41. On trusting God’s sovereignty, see Romans 8:28 (ESV): “God works all things together for good.”
  42. Daniel 3:16-18 (ESV): Daniel’s friends refuse to compromise before the fiery furnace.
  43. On whistleblowers exposing wrongdoing, see Chapter 7 and 9.
  44. On protection and vindication for truth-tellers, see Psalm 37:6 (ESV): “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light.”
  45. On courage to expose wrongdoing responsibly, see Ephesians 5:11 (ESV): “Expose the unfruitful works of darkness.”
  46. On building cultures of transparency, see Chapter 9.
  47. Ephesians 5:11-13 (ESV): “Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
  48. On confession after causing harm, see Chapter 7 case study.
  49. 1 John 1:9 (ESV): “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
  50. On accountability and seeking forgiveness, see Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV).
  51. On learning from failure and redesigning, see Chapter 7.
  52. On transformation through failure, see James 1:2-4 (ESV) on trials producing steadfastness.
  53. On intercession for those harmed, see James 5:16 (ESV): “Pray for one another.”
  54. Psalm 51:10-12 (ESV): David’s prayer of repentance after sin.
  55. On AI potential for good, see Chapter 7.
  56. On AI dangers, see Chapters 5, 6, and 7.
  57. On building AI that serves human dignity, see Chapter 7.
  58. On transparency and refusing harmful projects, see Chapter 7.
  59. On every person made in God’s image, see Genesis 1:27 (ESV); discussed in Chapter 2.
  60. Proverbs 8:12-14 (ESV): Wisdom speaking of prudence, knowledge, and discretion.
  61. On God’s omniscience and our limited knowledge, see Psalm 139:1-6 (ESV).
  62. On treating people with dignity, not as data to exploit, see Chapter 6.
  63. On integrity in analysis and resisting bias, see Chapter 7.
  64. On data privacy and protection, see Chapter 9.
  65. On humility about knowledge limits, see 1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV): “Now we see in a mirror dimly.”
  66. Romans 12:2 (ESV): “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
  67. On reflecting God’s creative wisdom in design, see Chapters 1 and 2.
  68. On resisting manipulative design, see Chapter 4.
  69. On empathy and inclusive design, see Chapter 6.
  70. On balancing competing priorities wisely, see Chapter 7.
  71. On technology as means to love, see Matthew 22:37-39; discussed in Conclusion.
  72. Philippians 4:8 (ESV): “Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable … think about these things.”
  73. On leadership responsibility, see Luke 12:48 (ESV): “To whom much was given, much will be required.”
  74. On creating ethical organizational cultures, see Chapters 7 and 8.
  75. On listening to ethical concerns, see Chapter 7.
  76. On investing in ethical processes, see Chapter 9.
  77. On measuring success by kingdom values, see Matthew 6:33 (ESV): “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
  78. 1 Peter 5:2-3 (ESV): “Shepherd the flock … being examples to the flock.”
  79. On commitment to faithful stewardship, see Conclusion covenant commitments.
  80. Seven pledge points adapted from Chapters 7, 9, and Conclusion principles.
  81. On acknowledging failure and need for grace, see 1 John 1:8 (ESV): “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.”
  82. On placing work in God’s hands and trusting sovereignty, see Proverbs 16:3 (ESV): “Commit your work to the LORD.”
  83. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
  84. On committing decisions to God at meeting close, adapted from closing prayer traditions.
  85. On blessing efforts or correcting errors, see Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV): “Search me, O God … see if there be any grievous way in me.”
  86. On follow-through and humility to adjust, see James 1:22 (ESV): “Be doers of the word.”
  87. Amos 5:24 (ESV): “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
  88. Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV): The Aaronic blessing.
  89. On releasing work into God’s hands, see Psalm 31:5 (ESV): “Into your hand I commit my spirit.”
  90. On evening confession and forgiveness, see 1 John 1:9 (ESV).
  91. On rest and trust, see Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV): “Come to me … I will give you rest.”
  92. On sleep as gift and renewal, see Psalm 127:2 (ESV): “He gives to his beloved sleep.”
  93. Psalm 127:2 (ESV): “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil.”
  94. On blessing at project beginning, see Proverbs 16:3 (ESV): “Commit your work to the LORD.”
  95. On clarity of vision and responsible goals, see Chapter 7.
  96. On anticipating ethical challenges and diverse teams, see Chapter 7.
  97. On perseverance and integrity under pressure, see James 1:12 (ESV): “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.”
  98. On project honoring God from start to finish, see Colossians 3:17 (ESV): “Whatever you do … do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
  99. Proverbs 16:3 (ESV): “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”
  100. On deployment awareness of limits, see Chapter 7.
  101. On vigilance after deployment, see Chapter 7.
  102. On listening to user feedback, see Proverbs 12:15 (ESV): “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
  103. On courage to shut down harmful systems, see Chapter 7.
  104. On ongoing stewardship after deployment, see Chapters 7 and Conclusion.
  105. James 4:15 (ESV): “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'”
  106. On responding to organizational crisis, see Chapter 9.
  107. On confession of organizational failure, see 1 John 1:9 (ESV).
  108. On integrity over defensiveness in crisis, see Proverbs 28:13 (ESV): “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
  109. On identifying root causes and implementing reforms, see Chapter 9.
  110. On vindicating internal whistleblowers, see Chapter 7.
  111. On slow restoration and emerging better, see James 1:2-4 (ESV) on trials producing steadfastness and maturity.
  112. Joel 2:12-13 (ESV): “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful.”
  113. On vocational discernment and career decisions, see Chapter 7.
  114. On using gifts for God’s glory and neighbor’s good, see Romans 12:6-8 (ESV).
  115. On evaluating whether to stay or leave ethically compromised roles, see Chapter 7.
  116. On evaluating opportunities by ethics, not just salary, see Matthew 6:33 (ESV): “Seek first the kingdom.”
  117. On trusting God’s provision and timing, see Philippians 4:19 (ESV): “My God will supply every need.”
  118. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): “Trust in the LORD … acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
  119. On all of life as worship, see 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV): “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
  120. On technology work as worship, see Conclusion.
  121. On default trajectories of technology work, see Chapters 4 and 5.
  122. On prayer reorienting us, see Psalm 19:14 (ESV): “Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable.”
  123. On communal prayer support, see Matthew 18:20 (ESV): “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
  124. On work as foretaste of kingdom, see Chapter 12 and Revelation 21:5 (ESV): “Behold, I am making all things new.”

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Resources

  1. On ongoing learning necessity in rapidly changing technology landscape, see Proverbs 9:9 (ESV): “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser.”
  2. On resource guide categories and purpose, adapted from curated bibliography methodology.
  3. On selection criteria for resources: theological depth, practical wisdom, ethical rigor, accessibility.
  4. On using guide for deepening understanding and staying informed, see Proverbs 18:15 (ESV): “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
  5. On Tony Reinke’s God, Technology, and the Christian Life, see “God, Technology, and the Christian Life – Reformed Faith & Practice,” RTS Journal.
  6. On Reinke’s twelve disciplines and theological depth, see book review at Goodreads and Christian reviews.
  7. On Derek Schuurman’s Shaping a Digital World, see “Derek Schuurman on a Reformed Worldview and Artificial Intelligence,” Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
  8. On Schuurman’s integration of Reformed worldview with computer science, see Chapter 2 discussions of structure/direction.
  9. On John Dyer’s From the Garden to the City, see “Technology and Faith Books and Resources,” John Dyer’s blog.
  10. On accessibility and biblical narrative approach, see “Six Books to Help You Cultivate Wisdom about Technology,” Jason Thacker.
  11. On Andy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family, see book description and reviews at Baker Books.
  12. On practical family application and covenant template, see Chapter 11 references.
  13. On Tony Reinke’s 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, see Crossway publisher description.
  14. On accessibility for small group discussion, see widespread use in church studies.
  15. On Jason Thacker’s The Age of AI, see “The Important New Book Helping Christians Make Sense Of AI,” Akos Balogh.
  16. On accessible AI introduction for Christians, see Zondervan publisher description.
  17. On John Galten’s Artificial Humanity, see Ancient Faith Publishing description.
  18. On Orthodox anthropology valuable for Reformed readers, see ecumenical anthropology discussions.
  19. On Joshua Smith’s Robot Theology, see Pickwick Publications description.
  20. On practical church applications, see book reviews addressing pastoral implications.
  21. On Kate Ott’s Christian Ethics for a Digital Society, see “Book review: Christian Ethics for a Digital Society,” AI Theologian.
  22. On comprehensive digital ethics treatment, see Rowman & Littlefield publisher description.
  23. On Andy Crouch’s The Life We’re Looking For, see “The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship,” Christian Scholar’s Review.
  24. On prophetic critique and practical path, see book reviews and Convergent Books description.
  25. On Jacob Shatzer’s Transhumanism and the Image of God, see “Transhumanism and the Image of God,” InterVarsity Press.
  26. On best evangelical treatment of transhumanism, see reviews and Chapter 12 references.
  27. On A Christian Field Guide to Technology, see “Technology and Faith Books and Resources 2022,” John Dyer.
  28. On practical engineering ethics integration, see IVP Academic description and engineer reviews.
  29. On Michael Burdett’s Eschatology and the Technological Future, see Routledge publisher description and Chapter 12 extensive references.
  30. On deepest eschatology-technology treatment, see academic reviews and theological assessments.
  31. On Ximian Xu’s The Digitalised Image of God, see Routledge publisher description.
  32. On Reformed perspective and liturgical implications, see book description and reviews.
  33. On N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope, see HarperOne description and widespread Reformed engagement.
  34. On foundational eschatology for technology work, see Chapter 12 extensive Wright references.
  35. On FaithTech community and resources, see https://faithtech.com/.
  36. On AI and Faith network, see https://aiandfaith.org/ and “Our Partners – AI and Faith.”
  37. On AI Christian Partnership, see https://aichristianpartnership.org/ and Chapter 9 references.
  38. On Center for Christianity and Technology (Calvin), see Calvin University website.
  39. On CCFI, see https://ccfi.org/ and Christian IT professional networks.
  40. On ERLC technology ethics, see “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles,” ERLC.
  41. On IFWE technology initiative, see https://tifwe.org/and faith-work integration.
  42. On Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center, see “Faith-Based Frameworks for AI Ethics Programs,” Notre Dame.
  43. On Partnership on AI, see https://partnershiponai.org/ and multi-stakeholder approach.
  44. On Institute for the Future, see “Playbook for Ethical Tech Governance,” IFTF.
  45. On “Acceptable Use of Technology in Ministry,” see Diocese of Wilmington PDF (2024).
  46. On LDS AI principles, see “Guiding Principles for the Church’s Use of Artificial Intelligence,” LDS Newsroom.
  47. On “AI Ethics: A Guide for Churches,” see Pushpay blog (2024).
  48. On UMC social media guidelines, see various conference websites and denominational resources.
  49. On AI Ethics Collective resources, see “AI Ethics Collective Sample Ethical Guidelines,” AI for Churches.
  50. On FaithGPT framework, see “An AI Ethics Framework from a Christian Perspective,” FaithGPT blog.
  51. On responsible AI platforms comparison, see “Compare 20 Responsible AI Platforms,” AIMultiple research.
  52. On SCU ethical toolkit, see “Ethical Toolkit for Engineering/Design Practice,” Santa Clara University.
  53. On “Following Jesus Digital Age” study, see Jason Thacker resources and publisher materials.
  54. On Tech-Wise Family study guide, see Andy Crouch resources and Baker Books materials.
  55. On FaithTech digital discipleship resources, see https://faithtech.com/resources/.
  56. On “Next Generation Data Ethics Tools,” see Open Data Institute blog.
  57. On “Playbook for Ethical Tech Governance,” see Institute for the Future projects.
  58. On “Technological Advancements as Common Grace,” see Hip City Reg Substack.
  59. On “Christian Ethics and Technology: Battle for Souls,” see Australian Lutheran College article.
  60. On “Derek Schuurman on Reformed Worldview and AI,” see Calvin Institute interview.
  61. On “Rise of Tech Ethics Congregation,” see MIT Technology Review (August 2023).
  62. On “Beyond Binary Morality,” see Exponential.org article.
  63. On “Digital Public Square” podcast, see Jason Thacker’s podcast platforms.
  64. On FaithTech podcast, see https://faithtech.com/podcast/.
  65. On AI and Faith webinars, see https://aiandfaith.org/events/.
  66. On FaithTech online courses, see https://faithtech.com/learn/.
  67. On AI and Faith newsletter, sign up at https://aiandfaith.org/.
  68. On FaithTech forums, see https://faithtech.com/community/.
  69. On ERLC technology updates, sign up at https://erlc.com/.
  70. On resources for parents/families, see respective book citations and website references.
  71. On resources for church leaders, see respective citations and “Barna Report: Christians and Digital Technology.”
  72. On resources for Christian technologists, see respective book and organization citations.
  73. On resources for seminary/academic study, see respective book citations and academic journals.
  74. On commitment to lifelong learning, see Proverbs 1:5 (ESV): “Let the wise hear and increase in learning.”
  75. On regular reading commitment, see 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV): “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.”
  76. On community connection, see Proverbs 27:17 (ESV): “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
  77. On faithful action, see James 1:22 (ESV): “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
  78. On using resources well and continuing growth, see Philippians 1:9-10 (ESV): “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent.”

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