Episodios

  • The unintended consequences of sperm donation

    The unintended consequences of sperm donation
    Jul 24 2024
    A recent Netflix documentary, The Man With A 1000 Kids, has shone a light on the often under-discussed topic of sperm donation. It exposes a Dutch man as a prolific and deceptive sperm donor who compulsively fathers children around the world via donated sperm. While an extreme case, it raises important questions about the ethics of bringing children into the world via sperm (or indeed egg) donation. Do we pay enough heed to the feelings and challenges faced by donor-conceived children in our understandable urge to help infertile couples have their miracle baby? Is donating sperm really any different to any other kind of organ donation, or should Christians oppose this kind of reproductive technology? We also consider new research on the enormous numbers of frozen embryos generated via IVF treatment which we in the UK are stockpiling without any clear idea of who or what we think they are, let alone what we will do with them. • Who Am I, the book about donor-conceived children https://www.cmf.org.uk/resources/publications/content/?context=article&id=2159 • 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
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    50 m
  • Neo-Luddism and the ‘myth’ of progress: Should Christians be pro or anti technology?

    Neo-Luddism and the ‘myth’ of progress: Should Christians be pro or anti technology?
    Jul 17 2024
    In recent weeks we have discussed how to keep modern technology at arms-length (smartphones in the home) and our excitement at how humans may be about to untap God’s blessing in creation through technology (the solar energy revolution). Today we ask the question: can we really hold these positions simultaneously? Can we be neo-Luddites when it comes to smartphones and yet boosters when it comes to solar panels? What should an authentically Christian posture to technology be? Generally positive, cautiously hostile, or is it all just a neutral tool to be used for good or ill depending on who is using it? Is humanity accelerating – thanks to our modern mastery of creation – towards God’s ultimate plan to reconcile all things, or is ‘progress’ little more than a pseudo-Christian comforting myth we tell ourselves?
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    34 m
  • Energy abundance: Is the coming solar power revolution a blessing from God?

    Energy abundance: Is the coming solar power revolution a blessing from God?
    Jul 10 2024
    Even sober-minded experts are getting excited about solar power. Respectable estimates suggest the price of energy derived from sunlight will continue to drop spectacularly as the number of panels installed worldwide continues to explode exponentially. In the relatively near future we may move into an era of energy abundance, where we have not just decarbonised our existing energy sources but are also able to cheaply generate ten or even a hundred times more energy. How should Christians feel about a future society with green, clean energy ‘too cheap to meter’? Can we see in this potential bounty God’s extravagant blessing, as we bring forth from his creation huge amounts of resources to tackle poverty, water shortages, climate change and more? Or is this a secular example of an ‘over-realised eschatology’, and foolishness in believing that once again sinful humans can bring about heaven on earth? • The Economist: 'The exponential growth of solar power will change the world' https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/20/the-exponential-growth-of-solar-power-will-change-the-world • Matt Yglesias: 'The case for more energy' https://www.slowboring.com/p/energy-abundance • 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
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    56 m
  • Julian Assange, whistleblowers, and the Christian case for journalism

    Julian Assange, whistleblowers, and the Christian case for journalism
    Jul 3 2024
    The controversial hacker and activist (and maybe journalist?) Julian Assange was suddenly freed for five years in a British jail last month, after he reached a surprise deal with the US authorities over classified military files he published online more than ten years ago. Some see this as a victory for free speech and crusading journalism, but others would decry Assange as an irresponsible blowhard and Russian stooge. Is Assange a journalist, and if not how should we define and understand that profession? Is there a specifically Christian case for publishing leaked secret documents? Should we be alarmed at democratic governments using the courts to pursue those who pry into their darker corners? • 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
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    48 m
  • Physics and the gospel: Richard Cheetham on how churches can embrace science once more

    Physics and the gospel: Richard Cheetham on how churches can embrace science once more
    Jun 26 2024
    Despite reams of research debunking the myth and countless examples of pioneering Christian researchers, many people still believe intuitively that somehow science and religion are in constant conflict. There are even those within the church who, perhaps subconsciously, buy into a narrative that what happens in labs around the world has no relevance for believers. This week we interview Richard Cheetham, a recently retired Church of England bishop, about his lifelong love of science, how it intersected with his own faith, and his passion to inspire more Christian leaders to engage with science in all its truth-seeking, God-curious, theologically challenging glory. • 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
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    57 m
  • Dependence: Should Christians embrace ‘being a burden’ on others as we get old?

    Dependence: Should Christians embrace ‘being a burden’ on others as we get old?
    Jun 19 2024
    Tim’s been away this last week on holiday so we’re bringing you an episode from the Matters of Life and Death vault today. There is a looming ‘demographic timebomb’ – a growing mass of elderly and increasingly chronically ill people in many developed nations, expected to place huge strain on public resources. The policy debates around this issue often emphasise the importance of not ‘being a burden’ on others, with some even suggesting there could be a ‘duty to die’ by assisted suicide for those who become old and infirm. Why does our contemporary culture have such a horror of the idea of becoming dependent on our families or the state? And what does the Christian story have to say about the value of dependence versus autonomy, especially as we near the final seasons of our lives? Secular society is leaning towards technology to solve this problem. But can the smart home or robotics really save us from having to care for our elders ourselves? And if this isn’t the whole answer, what does the church have to bring to the table? • 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
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    59 m
  • Are smartphones damaging our children? with Andy Crouch

    Are smartphones damaging our children? with Andy Crouch
    Jun 12 2024
    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
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    57 m
  • How much is too much to genetically screen your children?

    How much is too much to genetically screen your children?
    Jun 5 2024
    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
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    1 h y 3 m