Rise of antisemitism, America's AI backlash & the heart problem underneath it all | Ep. 70

Rise of antisemitism, America's AI backlash & the heart problem underneath it all | Ep. 70

From Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories by Denison Ministries

May 21, 2026 · 33 min · Season 1 · Episode 70

About this episode

The episode discusses the rise of antisemitism and the growing backlash against AI, exploring the deeper cultural and spiritual issues at play.

In this week’s Brief: Micah Tomasella and Dr. Ryan Denison tackle two pressing cultural conversations — and find a deeper spiritual thread connecting them both. First, they dig into a troubling trend: antisemitism is no longer lurking in the shadows. Drawing from pieces in The Free Press and Axios, they examine how weakly sourced accusations against Israel are quietly reviving ancient hatred in modern form, and how open threats against Jewish lawmakers are becoming disturbingly casual. They explore the historical and scriptural dimensions of why this hatred tends to rise in times of cultural pain — and why Christians should be paying close attention. Then Ryan unpacks a Wall Street Journal report showing that Americans' negative feelings about AI may be growing even faster than the technology itself. From graduation speeches getting booed to massive data centers reshaping rural America, they talk honestly about the anxiety AI is stirring — and what our reaction to it reveals about our hearts. The through-line? Whether it's antisemitism, AI, or any headline grabbing our attention, the deeper issue is the same: a culture losing its grip on truth, dignity, and trust in God. The…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Ryan Denison

Guest: Micah Tomasella

Topics covered

  • antisemitism
  • AI backlash
  • cultural conversations
  • spiritual implications
  • truth and dignity
  • trust in God

Keywords

  • antisemitism
  • AI
  • cultural pain
  • truth
  • dignity
  • trust in God
  • spiritual thread

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Free Press, Axios, Wall Street Journal

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