Matters of Life and Death Premier Unbelievable?

This week we interview the writer Andy Crouch on a question which has been everywhere in recent months: are smartphones damaging our children? A growing number of writers and thinkers are arguing that our digital technology, most notably social media and smartphones, are responsible for rocketing rates of mental illness and epidemics of bullying among young people. Andy has written three recent books exploring how Christian families can put in place good habits around tech and screens, and explains his convictions around how to keep tech in its proper place. How can we ensure the key formational environments of home, school and church are centred around spiritually healthy interpersonal relationships and not lost to endless scrolling? Or is a radical neo-Luddism both unattainable and needlessly ostracising for our children?
• Find out more about Andy and how to get hold of his books here https://andy-crouch.com/
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

In the first half of this episode we explore new research into public opinion around polygenic embryo screening. This technology allows people undergoing IVF to see what genes each potential embryo has and then choose to reimplant the one with the ‘best’ genetic make-up. But is it wise or healthy for parents to be able to effectively choose their child’s hair colour, height, psychological attributes or propensity for certain diseases? What do ordinary Americans in a survey think of this possibility, and how much would they pay to be able to exercise this kind of power of their own children?
Then we look at a news story in Britain, about the multi-billion pound bill the National Health Service now pays in compensation to parents whose children were brain damaged during birth. Is this a worrying sign of how poor NHS maternity care can be, or simply a sad reminder that pregnancy and labour remain complex and risky medical procedures? And are the law courts the best avenue for parents of disabled children to pursue both justice and the money necessary to provide lifelong care?
• Public Attitudes, Interests, and Concerns Regarding Polygenic Embryo Screening https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818674
• The Guardian’s story about the NHS’s bill for baby brain injury payouts https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/26/nhs-england-spent-41bn-over-11-years-settling-lawsuits-over-brain-damaged-babies
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

We in the UK have been startled by the sudden announcement from the prime minister that our general election, due at the end of the year, would actually be held in six weeks’ time in early July. In this episode we reflect on why Christians are so politically engaged in Britain, with research suggesting they are much more likely to vote, join a party, and campaign than the general public. Why has modern Christianity become so thoroughly pro-democracy, even as our secular states veer further and further from Christian values? Do we need a more robust theology of politics and government in response to the many 21st century countries challenging its supremacy? And is modern technology, in particular AI, threatening the foundations we need to make democracy work?
• Tim has written more about research into how British Christians vote and why in his Substack newsletter here: https://tswyatt.substack.com/p/the-bible-and-the-ballot-box
• AI and epistemic risk paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4805026
• The Evangelical Alliance survey of Christians and politics https://www.eauk.org/general-election/thinking-faithfully-about-politics
• Research by the Theos thinktank on a similar topic https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/research/2024/05/15/religion-counts-do-the-religious-vote
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Diagnosis rates for autism have been steadily rising for decades now, and as the condition has become more prevalent there has been a growing debate within the community and wider society about what autism is. Some prefer to talk about neurodiversity rather than think of it as a developmental condition, and others go as far as calling it a superpower. How should we as Christians engage in this important conversation? And should we be concerned by research efforts underway to identify an ‘autistic gene’ or pre-natal test for autism, which could be used to try and select or abort the condition away? This week we discuss these questions and more with Erin Burnett, a theologian and author who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as an adult and has researched and written on the intersection between autism and the church.
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Science fiction has long been fascinated by the idea of humans becoming friends with computers. And the dream of an always-on digital companion you can talk to day or night is closer than ever before, thanks to advances in AI software in recent years. But research into one of the leading AI companion companies and its users has flagged concerns among those who are spending hours a day chatting to their personal AI friends. Is developing this kind of pseudo-intimate relationship with a computer helpful or harmful?
We also discuss the latest developments in the Mike Pilavachi/Soul Survivor abuse scandal, now that high profile Christian worship leaders and pastors such as Matt Redman and Tim Hughes have revealed they are among Pilavachi’s victims. How should we think about their revelations, and could they have done more to blow the whistle on their mentor much earlier?
If you need help or to talk to someone about your own experiences, you can contact Safe Spaces if you live in England or Wales: https://safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk/
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

What would contact with intelligent aliens mean for humanity? Will doctors ever be able to cure depression with a drug? Can we bestow personhood on animals?
Nick Spencer, senior fellow at the religion and society think tank Theos, is the author of the recent book Playing God: Science, religion and the future of humanity. The book explores eight controversial questions thrown up by advances in science, including AI, aliens, gene editing, the science of immortality, animal personhood, the treatment of mental health, mass vaccination and unborn children. In this episode we unpack some of Nick’s argument in the book and think about how Christianity might be able to speak into some of these topics we will all be wrestling with throughout the rest of the 21st century.
Find out more about the book here: https://spckpublishing.co.uk/playing-god
• Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173
• If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com
• For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com