We're surrounded by technology every day.

From smartphones to self-driving cars to vaccines, human innovation permeates every facet of our lives,

both for good and for ill.

And when it comes to tech, we often ask the question, what does it look like to use technology for the glory of God?

And yet there's an even deeper question that we all too often fail to ask.

What are God's purposes for our technology?

In our interview today, writer, journalist, and tech optimist Tony Ranky and I discuss

what the Bible has to say

about human innovation and the things that we create. And spoiler, it's more than you think.

We also discuss why Christians are so often attracted to tech dystopianism, the future of AI,

Facebook's new metaverse, and more. Tony works as a senior writer for

desiring God and as the author of a number of books, including 12 ways your phone is changing

you, and most recently, God, Technology, and the Christian Life from Crossway. Let's get started.

Well, Tony, thank you so much for joining me again on the Crossway podcast.

Yeah, I'm happy to be here, Matt.

Thanks for having me.

So anyone who knows you, Tony, maybe heard our previous interview or has read any of your books or articles,

dozens of articles you've written, would know that you have an interest, a keen interest in technology and the way that it is present in our lives, shaping our lives for good and ill.

And I want to get into a lot of those themes here today.

But before we jump into that, it's interesting to learn a little bit about your family's

connection to new technology,

the rise of new technologies, and going back quite some time even to your grandfather, I wonder

...