Jason Thacker's Blog, page 3

ChatGPT and Christian Ethics

As with most technologies, advanced AI systems like ChatGPT bring a host of benefits and pitfalls, given that technology is not just merely a tool we use but is something that is deeply shaping our perception of the world. It is easy to think that we simply use technology as a tool for good or bad, but in reality it is altering how we understand God, ourselves as human beings, and the world around us—including our neighbors.

While this particular tool is still relatively novel, we can already...

3 top technology issues to watch in 2023

Since 2020, I have sought to write about some of the top technology issues to be aware of and how we as Christians can address them in light of the Christian moral tradition rooted in the love of God and love of neighbor. There have been a couple prevailing themes over the years centered on the ways that technology is shaping us as people—namely our understanding of ourselves and those around us—and how we as a society are to think through the power it holds in our lives.

Already, it seems 20...

Handling Political Divisions in a Digital Age

Church leadership can be challenging in a digital world with political and cultural divisions. But pastors can foster healthy trust as they grow churches.

One of the symptoms of a post-truth, tech-dependent society is misinformation. But what is misinformation, exactly? Simply put, misinformation refers to a very broad category of false or misleading information that is often spread unintentionally or sometimes without awareness of the false claims.

“Misinformation” is often a term that po...

Two ways to make digital activism better

According to Pew Research Center, 80% of Americans say social media platforms are effective for raising public awareness about political or social issues, and over half have also been civically engaged on social media in recent years. Social media can be a powerful tool when harnessed with wisdom as we seek to influence change and address grave issues of injustice throughout our world. 

But for all of the positive change that these tools can help facilitate, one of the temptations in this age...

How to Lead Others in a Digital Age

Nearly every week, I hear from pastors, ministry leaders, or parents about the ethical challenges they face as they encourage those under their care to love God and love neighbor (Matt. 22:37–39). Many of these questions center on the digital advances of our day—especially social media.

As we enter another year, here are three truths to equip yourself and your people to wisely follow Jesus in a digital age.

1. The Christian ethic is more than sufficient for our day.

We tend to believe w...

Explainer: The FDA expands abortion pill access in local pharmacies

On Jan. 3, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a regulatory change that allows pharmacy chains and local pharmacies to distribute the first of the two-stage abortion pill regiment known as Mifepristone.

Why does this matter?
This change will have devastating and widespread effects on preborn children, their mothers, our communities, and likely many pharmacists in abortion-friendly states.

First, there are the obvious and deep concerns about ending the lives of the preborn and grav...

Roundup of Top Conversations from 2022

I started the Digital Public Square podcast back in April 2020 with hopes of helping Christians think wisely about the ways that technology intersects with ethics and the public square. As I often say on the podcast, technology is not really a different set of ethical issues to navigate as much as it is a central element to all of life given how we now live in a digital age. 

2022 was a banner year for the podcast as we welcomed over 5,000 unique listeners, published our centennial episode ba...

The Value of Friendship in the Digital Age

Social media and technology companies make countless promises every day that seem too good to be true. These promises include staying connected with loved ones, forging and maintaining friendships across long distances, or even the possibility of finding true love online. So much of our social internet is dependent on these promises of deeper and richer community, even as these same platforms and devices tend to isolate us from one another and sew division in our communities. While these issues ...

The ethics of online gambling and sports betting

In recent years, there has been an explosion of online gambling especially related to sports. Whether professional sports like football, soccer, and basketball or collegiate sports including the upcoming college football bowl season, many of us are inundated with countless advertisements about making a quick buck or even betting on our team to win it all. Most of these ads are tailored to our favorite teams, often using images from high-profile games with the allure of “instant bonuses,” free cr...

Discerning what’s true in a digital age

We live in an unprecedented age of information, more than we can even begin to comprehend, right at our fingertips. The internet was once seen as an instrument that allowed the average person access to near limitless information, instead of limiting these things to certain elite groups, as was the practice in past generations. But as we know all too well today, one of the unintended downsides of this widespread availability of information is the breakdown of trust throughout society in what we h...