Episode notes
In the 1800s, there was a prominent movement of Christians who believed that if you took medicine, you were actively showing a lack of faith in God. Today, we have tech companies trying to figure out how to implant computer chips into our brains so we can merge with AI and escape death entirely. How do we navigate the space between rejecting science completely and using technology to play God?
In this solo episode, I am exploring the boundaries between healing, science, and the future. I start by sharing a personal story from my college ministry days about a miraculous healing, but then I ask a bigger question: are spiritual gifts just momentary magic tricks, or do they reveal God's actual plan for human flourishing?
We take a look at the "Faith Cure" movement of the 19th century and contrast it with John Wesley's holistic approach to medicine and compassion. We also trace history back to Basil of Caesarea, who built the first true hospital, and examine how early Christians ran into plagues to care for the sick while others fled. Finally, I tackle the modern frontier of Artificial Intelligence. While using AI to detect cancer perfectly aligns with God's desire for healing, where do we draw the line with transhumanism and technologies like Neuralink that seek to redefine what it means to be human?