![Ancient Remedies for the Ills of Modernity [TGC Podcast Ep. 421] @thegospelcoalition](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9YA8pIuPUA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For centuries, readers have been struck by how modern the book of Ecclesiastes sounds. It diagnoses the human condition with stunning depth and timeless relevance.
In this message recorded at a TGC Nashville regional gathering, Bobby Jamieson argues that by addressing our experiences of the absurd, alienation, and resonance, Ecclesiastes offers fresh pathways to the gospel and equips us to evangelize secular neighbors.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Opening remarks
1:40 – Blaise Pascal's insights on apologetics and evangelism
4:49 – Ecclesiastes and the deep roots of discontents and delights
10:04 – The absurdity of life and the insatiable heart
27:39 – The gifts and gift of life
35:32 – The joys of resonance
41:02 – Christ as the answer to life's absurdity
47:37 – Conclusion and call to faith
———
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For centuries, readers have been struck by how modern the book of Ecclesiastes sounds. It diagnoses the human condition with stunning depth and timeless relevance.
In this message recorded at a TGC Nashville regional gathering, Bobby Jamieson argues that by addressing our experiences of the absurd, alienation, and resonance, Ecclesiastes offers fresh pathways to the gospel and equips us to evangelize secular neighbors.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Opening remarks
1:40 – Blaise Pascal's insights on apologetics and evangelism
4:49 – Ecclesiastes and the deep roots of discontents and delights
10:04 – The absurdity of life and the insatiable heart
27:39 – The gifts and gift of life
35:32 – The joys of resonance
41:02 – Christ as the answer to life's absurdity
47:37 – Conclusion and call to faith
———
🎁 Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together
🎧 Don’t miss an episode of TGC Podcast:
▫ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tgc-podcast/id270128470
▫ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1iE3aJkf8fJ2FVTvJGFd4h
✅ SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/@thegospelcoalition
![Ancient Remedies for the Ills of Modernity [TGC Podcast Ep. 421]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9YA8pIuPUA/mqdefault.jpg "Ancient Remedies for the Ills of Modernity [TGC Podcast Ep. 421]
For centuries, readers have been struck by how modern the book of Ecclesiastes sounds. It diagnoses the human condition with stunning depth and timeless relevance.
In this message recorded at a TGC Nashville regional gathering, Bobby Jamieson argues that by addressing our experiences of the absurd, alienation, and resonance, Ecclesiastes offers fresh pathways to the gospel and equips us to evangelize secular neighbors.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Opening remarks
1:40 – Blaise Pascals insights on apologetics and evangelism
4:49 – Ecclesiastes and the deep roots of discontents and delights
10:04 – The absurdity of life and the insatiable heart
27:39 – The gifts and gift of life
35:32 – The joys of resonance
41:02 – Christ as the answer to lifes absurdity
47:37 – Conclusion and call to faith
———
🎁 Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Lets Build Together: Donate Today at https://tgc.org/together
🎧 Don’t miss an episode of TGC Podcast:
▫ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tgc-podcast/id270128470
▫ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1iE3aJkf8fJ2FVTvJGFd4h
✅ SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thegospelcoalition")
![Worship Is More than a Playlist (with Emily Jensen) [The Deep Dish - Ep. 35]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xGCO6volqo0/mqdefault.jpg "Worship Is More than a Playlist (with Emily Jensen) [The Deep Dish - Ep. 35]
Melissa and Courtney talk with Emily Jensen about how to broaden our understanding of worship to think of it as a response to God’s worth. They discuss how worship is more than singing on Sunday morning, but that corporate worship is an essential part of the worship God desires. They talk about the role that our feelings should play in how we think about worship and how to offer up the mundane moments of our lives to the glory of God.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Exploring Worship Beyond Music in Everyday Life
6:38 – Living a Life of Gratitude and Devotion to the Lord
8:50 – The Purpose and Challenges of Worship Beyond Feelings
20:29 – Worship Through Daily Tasks and Gods Presence in Mundanity
25:35 – Cozy Earths Buy One Give One Sheet Set Offer
26:39 – The Importance of Worshiping God in the Right Way
33:01 – Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth Through Christ
41:43 – Gods Delight in Our Imperfect Offerings
44:19 – The Timeless Power of Worship and Hymns
Resources Mentioned:
Worship (Disciplines of Devotion) by Emily A. Jensen - https://www.amazon.com/Worship-Disciplines-Devotion-Emily-Jensen/dp/B0FTZFL4G2/?tag=thegospcoal-20
“God Moves In a Mysterious Way” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v 8k1pQxT2lI
“Holy Forever” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ngQETNj_bE
“We Rest on Thee” - https://hymnary.org/text/we_rest_on_thee_our_shield_and_our_defen
Related Resources:
A Biblical Theology of Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/a-biblical-theology-of-worship/
Leading Worship Is Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/leading-worship-worship/
Gospel-Shaped Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/series/gospel-shaped-worship/
For more resources, visit our website.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/deep-dish/
———
🎁 Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Lets Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together
📫 SIGN UP for exclusive content and updates for women: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/tgcwomen/#subscribe
🎧 Don’t miss an episode of “The Deep Dish” with Courtney Doctor and Melissa Kruger!
▫ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-dish/id1794426491
▫ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1DQPjm9wmcZn63RtxrMFGL?si=ryUMMcdeRcWIII3VMX8FVg
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![AI and Ethics: Can AI Promote Truth and the Common Good? [Silicon Spiritualities - Ep. 7]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z-Fn0rmLPMU/mqdefault.jpg "AI and Ethics: Can AI Promote Truth and the Common Good? [Silicon Spiritualities - Ep. 7]
The question isnt simply whether AI is good or bad, but good or bad for whom?
This is a question that shapes this episode with Joshua Baru. Joshua is an AI researcher and data science lead in Nairobi, and he brings a perspective too often missing from Western AI conversations: the perspective of justice, labor, and the common good. In our conversation, he challenges the idea that AI is a neutral tool floating above human realities. Instead, he asks who designs these systems, who benefits from them, and who bears the cost when they go wrong.
We talk about AI in the courtroom, the importance of human accountability, and the hidden labor behind supposedly frictionless tools. Joshua also introduces the idea of digital colonialism: the extraction of data, land, and labor from the global majority for the benefit of powerful corporations elsewhere. It is one of the most illuminating and unsettling conversations in the series.
Again and again, Joshua brings the discussion back to distinctly Christian ground. Christ is sovereign over AI, our deepest problem is not technological but spiritual, and our calling is to love God and love our neighbor even here. Joshua joined me on Silicon Spiritualities to explore what AI reveals about justice, power, and human sin, and how Christians can pursue technological wisdom without losing sight of the people hidden beneath the system.
*Resources Mentioned:*
_The Abolition of Man_ by C. S. Lewis - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652942?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Chronicles of Narnia_ by C. S. Lewis - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061992887?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by Neil Postman - https://www.amazon.com/dp/014303653X?tag=thegospcoal-20
_AI Snake Oil_ by Arvind Narayanan - https://www.amazon.com/dp/069124913X?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Authority_ by Jonathan Leeman - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433587637?tag=thegospcoal-20
00:00 Welcome to Silicon Spiritualities
01:43 Should AI be used in criminal sentencing?
03:02 Why AI justice raises biblical concerns
05:47 Why accountability matters
06:09 Are humans also a black box?
07:33 AI safety, warfare, and judgment
09:34 Why most people still want human judges
10:44 AI as tool, authority, or deity
12:06 AI development from Nairobi
13:25 Six pillars for AI development in Africa
15:04 Kenya and AI adoption
17:21 Bible passages for thinking about AI
18:10 Jesus is sovereign over AI
20:35 Why AI cannot be our hope
24:37 AI and the first commandment
25:58 AI as a mirror of human sin
28:50 AI, neighbor love, and the hidden supply chain
30:43 Data workers and the cost of clean AI
33:14 Advocating for fair work in AI
36:15 Prayer and the AI supply chain
37:23 Should Christians stop using AI tools?
37:59 How to choose safer AI models
40:25 What churches can do
41:53 What is digital colonialism?
43:24 Technology and modern imperialism
47:43 Land, labor, and data
48:50 Carbon offsetting and AI infrastructure
50:25 Data extraction and exploitation
51:19 Can AI help the global majority?
54:22 AI as a democratizing force
55:44 AI snake oil and technosolutionism
57:41 What AI developers need to hear
1:01:04 The inefficient habit Joshua is keeping
1:03:08 What AI reveals about Joshua’s heart
1:07:10 Closing invitation
———————
PREORDER The AI Apocalypse: A Survival Guide for Humanity, featuring Ridenour, Watkin, Brett McCracken, and many others, such as Ben Sasse and Alan Noble - https://store.thegospelcoalition.org/product/9781956593211/the-ai-apocalypse-paperback
JOIN the conversation on Discord, along with other Silicon Spiritualities listeners - https://discord.gg/6FDsErApG8
Help The Gospel Coalition renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel: Donate today - https://www.tgc.org/together
#ai #formation #ethics #technology #christianity #altools #christianformation")
![New Resources Help You See God by Connecting Scripture (with Ben Gladd) [Gospelbound Ep. 185]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zVmVinx1PnU/mqdefault.jpg "New Resources Help You See God by Connecting Scripture (with Ben Gladd) [Gospelbound Ep. 185]
Different preachers get excited about different aspects of the sermon. Some collect and deploy excellent illustrations. Others just nail the application week after week. Others can really reach your heart.
What really fires me up are the connections between the Old and New Testaments, the way God’s plan of redemption unfolds in familiar and new ways from Genesis to Revelation. So you know I’d be excited about an excellent new resource, the CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament, edited by G. K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd. This study Bible includes a robust cross reference system that will help you see Old Testament quotations, allusions, and parallels within the New Testament so you can see all 66 books as a unified story from God. You’ll also find book introductions, study note commentary, articles, charts, and infographics.
*In This Episode*
00:00:00 – Why continuity between Old and New Testament wording matters
00:00:41 – Introducing the CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament
00:01:53 – Ben Gladd and the mission of the Carson Center
00:04:06 – Why another study Bible?
00:07:06 – Green and blue fonts: changing the reading experience
00:08:24 – Quotations, allusions, and the “connective tissue” of Scripture
00:11:06 – Why Old Testament allusions matter for Bible study
00:12:46 – John 6, grumbling, and Israel in the wilderness
00:13:46 – Mark 1, John the Baptist, and the burning bush
00:15:41 – “Fishers of men” and Jeremiah 16
00:18:55 – Reading Revelation through Old Testament “emojis”
00:22:07 – John 1:1, Genesis 1:1, and Christology
00:27:47 – How the apostles read the Old Testament
00:31:19 – Guardrails for identifying legitimate allusions
00:35:36 – Do English translations obscure biblical connections?
00:42:27 – How pastors can use the study Bible in sermon preparation
00:44:19 – Why pastors should use the Old Testament for illustrations
00:48:31 – The Carson Center’s Concise Bible Commentary
00:53:44 – Learning from Don Carson and G. K. Beale
01:00:11 – Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
01:00:44 – Biblical Theology Briefing podcast
01:02:34 – A future Connecting Scripture Old Testament
01:05:19 – Closing
*Resources Mentioned*
_CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament_ edited by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd - https://www.amazon.com/Connecting-Single-Column-Cross-Reference-Color-Coded-Introductions/dp/B0DT886X8M/?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Keep Watch for Biblical Allusions_ by Ben Gladd - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/watch-biblical-allusions/
_ESV Study Bible_ - https://www.amazon.com/ESV-Study-Bible-Bibles-Crossway/dp/1433502410?tag=thegospcoal-20
_CSB Study Bible_ - https://www.amazon.com/Study-Bible-Hardcover-Bibles-Holman/dp/1433648091?tag=thegospcoal-20
_NIV Study Bible_ - https://www.amazon.com/Study-Revised-Hardcover-Letter-Comfort/dp/0310448948?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Concise Bible Commentary_ from the Carson Center and Crossway - https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Bible-Commentary-One-Hardcover/dp/143359935X?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament_ edited by G. K. Beale, D. A. Carson, Benjamin L. Gladd, and Andrew David Naselli - https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-New-Testament-Use-Old/dp/1540960048?tag=thegospcoal-20
_New Studies in Biblical Theology series_ - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKPQKTF5?binding=hardcover&ref saga_sdp_cft_dsk?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Pillar New Testament Commentary series_ - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C5LRPVC?binding=hardcover&ref saga_sdp_cft_dsk?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Biblical Theology Briefing Podcast_ with Ben Gladd and Matthew Harmon - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carson-center-podcast/id1748880310
— — —
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https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound
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🎧 Don’t miss an episode of Gospelbound with Collin Hansen
▫ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gospelbound/id1499898207
▫ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kRYr5FTKr5ru1N7MR65Br
✅ SUBSCRIBE:
▫ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegospelcoalition
▫ TGC Updates: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/newsletters")
