An Anabaptist Take on Technology, AI, and the Self
From Anabaptist Theological Perspectives by Jerry Eicher
March 21, 2026 · 27 min · Season 1 · Episode 1
About this episode
Jerry Eicher reflects on the implications of technology and AI on human flourishing and spiritual authority, drawing from Paul Kingsnorth’s critique.
Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives reflects on Paul Kingsnorth’s Against the Machine and explores how our technologically driven, AI-dominated world undermines human flourishing and spiritual authority. Eicher examines Kingsnorth’s critique of the Reformation’s role in empowering the autonomous self and warns that unchecked technological and social trends threaten the very freedom they promise.The episode covers contemporary examples (including media confusion around the Iran–Israel conflict), the limits and abuses of parental, church, and governmental authority, and practical Anabaptist responses: cultivating non-negotiable places of submission, relearning how to yield the will to God, and restoring basic institutions that teach restraint. No external guests are featured; this is a focused theological and practical reflection from Eicher.Key points: the machine’s spiritual danger, why piecemeal tech critiques fail, the need for formative authority structures in personal life, and how Scripture and disciplined community practice can reorient individuals to God’s will amid accelerating technological change.
People in this episode
Host: Jerry Eicher
Topics covered
- technology
- AI
- human flourishing
- spiritual authority
- Anabaptist responses
- autonomous self
- authority structures
Keywords
- technology
- AI
- human flourishing
- spiritual authority
- Anabaptist
- autonomous self
- authority
- submission
- community practice
- restraint
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Against the Machine
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