In this episode, Zac and Larry discuss Larry's observations from the Synod on Synodality in Rome.

• 00:00 Introduction and Conference Reflections
• 05:07 Insights from the Synod on Synodality
• 10:00 Expectations vs. Reality of the Synod
• 15:00 The Role of Laypeople in the Church
• 20:04 Pope Francis and Progressive Catholicism
• 25:04 The Vatican's Approach to American Catholicism
• 29:56 Conclusion and Future Implications
• 32:04 The Eurocentric Nature of the Synod
• 34:51 African Church Perspectives and Concerns
• 37:50 The Disconnect Between the Synod and Global South
• 39:43 Pope Francis and the Challenge of Co-optation
• 42:30 The Nature of Dialogue at the Synod
• 52:22 Hope for the Future of the Church

In this episode, Zac discusses the recent election in the United States, focusing on the failures of the media and the Democratic Party, Trump's broad appeal, polling failures, and the state of conservatism.

Sound Bites

• "I think there's room for optimism."
• "The media's framing backfired spectacularly."
• "We need to have interesting conversations."
• "This is a failure of the Democratic Party."
• "Trump has broad appeal on the issues."
• "Polling failed to capture Trump support."
• "Conservatism is not dead, but in peril."
• "Our hope is never in political salvation."

Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Future Plans 01:24 Media's Role in the Election 11:45 Failures of the Democratic Party 21:28 Trump's Broad Appeal 28:27 Polling Failures and Silent Voters 36:01 Conservatism in Peril 41:12 Hope Beyond Politics

In this conversation, Zac and Andrew discuss Andrew's book (co-written with David Paul Baird and Rev. Michael Ward) entitled 'Popcorn with the Pope.' We delve into specific films on the list, such as 'Au Revoir Les Enfants' and 'Babette's Feast', discussing various themes and ideas from each. Relatedly, we also discuss concerns about the impact of AI on the arts--both from labor and creative perspectives.

Buy the book here: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/popcorn-with-the-pope?gclid=Cj0KCQjwn9y1BhC2ARIsAG5IY-6mWrryeuTxWChVGh8EYliN2em43I0skHdYAQs7o0bh_a4XlMUeKLYaArEoEALw_wcB

00:00 Introduction and Background 05:26 The Vatican Film List and Popcorn with the Pope 17:10 Exploring 'Au Revoir Les Enfants' 24:08 Uncovering the Themes of 'Babette's Feast' 27:50 Babette's Feast and the Vatican Film List 36:09 The Impact of AI on the Entertainment Industry 39:19 The Need to Protect Human Creativity and Dignity 45:10 Protecting Workers' Rights and Copyrights 48:28 The Threat of Cultural and Economic Devastation by AI 50:49 Using the Differentiation from AI as an Evangelism Tool

Today on the show Zac teams up with longtime guest Larry Chapp to talk about why young people are leaving the Church.

It's a great conversation, and to follow more of Larry's work, head to gaudiumetspes22.com.

In this conversation, Zac and Alex discuss the limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on human flourishing. They explore the role of intuition and embodiment in human understanding, and explore a Christian account of the development of understanding via the Sacraments. They also delve into the concept of emergent consciousness and the challenges of reducing the human mind to a material substrate or a product thereof.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:16 Misconceptions and Challenges of AGI 13:51 The Flawed Computational Theory of Mind 21:23 The Unfounded Idea of a Singularity 25:38 The Limitations of Large Language Models 32:04 Intuition and Embodiment in Human Understanding 33:55 The Sacraments and Embodied Experience 37:35 The Importance of Personhood in AI 46:28 The Dangers of Outsourcing Jobs to Robots 53:19 The Cultural and Societal Implications of AI 55:44 For next time: AI in Warfare? Ethical Concerns and Responsible Decision-Making

Books Discussed: Hubert Dreyfuss: What Computers [Still] Can't Do--https://a.co/d/016fuh7L Nick Bostrom: "A Letter from Utopia"--https://nickbostrom.com/utopia Iain McGilchrist: The Master and His Emissary--https://a.co/d/03LzycwX

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In this episode, Zac and Andrew discuss various news articles in the 'Fake News' segment and then dive into a close read of an article by L.M. Sacasas titled 'Secularization Comes for the Religion of Technology.' They explore the concept of secularization and how it applies to the religion of technology, as well as the implications for society.

00:00 Will Barbers Save Civilization? 03:16 Fake News Segment 16:17 Secularization Comes for the Religion of Technology 36:03 Technology as a Religion 37:09 World Fairs and Technological Exhibitions 42:40 Secularization of the Religion of Technology 45:57 The Vacuum of the Religion of Technology 52:20 The Unstable Nature of Technology 57:45 Recommendation: Popcorn with the Pope 59:05 Recommendation: Navalny Documentary

** Secularization Comes for the Religion of Technology by L.M. Sacasas** Fake News Real Item #1 Fake News Real Item #2

Today we're breaking down five Super Bowl commercials, including one that Zac describes as "the worst commercial I have ever seen."

1. Kia EV9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7BJc96lI4
2. Microsoft Copilot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaCVSUbYpVc&ab_channel=Microsoft
3. Temu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Od0aOse1wc&ab_channel=Temu
4. He Gets Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo&ab_channel=HeGetsUs
5. Dove Body Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0D5MU6_0n0&ab_channel=DoveUS