Featured Issues
Pope Leo XIV: AI And Humans As Machines
Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), is very long (more than 42,300 words). Although he deals with multiple issues, the central purpose of the document, however, is to challenge the unregulated development of artificial intelligence, which is of great interest to me. “Too often the debate over AI presents two extremes. Technological pessimists speak as if modernity itself were a mistake. Technocrats and transhumanists greet every computational advance as a step toward transcendence. One side would smash the machines; the other would surrender to them.”
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About IIP
James P. Eckman (Jim) is President Emeritus and Professor in Bible and History at Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska. He has been at Grace since 1983. He holds the following degrees:
- B.S., Millersville University of Pennsylvania (1969)
- M.A., Lehigh University (1973)
- Th.M. (with honor), Dallas Theological Seminary (1983)
- Ph.D., University of Nebraska–Lincoln (1989)
He has also completed additional postgraduate work at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He received the Charles A. Nash Award in Historical Theology while at Dallas Seminary. [Read More]
Featured Issues
The Narrative Of American History
This weekend we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is indeed the founding document of our nation. This anniversary reminds us of the importance of history and a proper understanding of that history. How Americans view their history is important, for that narrative is what is taught in our schools and informs how we view current issues in their historical perspective. Until fairly recently, there was a consensus among most Americans about that narrative. No longer. There are at least two competing narratives that dominate America’s educational curriculums and the various media outlets (e.g., cable television, the social media, and political commentary)
The Entertainment Culture And A Culture Of Despair
Joshua Chatraw of the Keller Center has made a series of observations about the relationship between entertainment and the growing culture of despair quite visible now within American civilization. He gives focus to three stages
Bible Study Podcast
Matthew 25:31-26:32 Jesus teaches about who enters the kingdom and the events leading up to His crucifixion unfold.
Culture & Wordview
The Narrative Of American History This weekend we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is indeed the founding document of our nation. This anniversary reminds us of the importance of history and a proper understanding of that history. How Americans view their history is important, for that narrative is what is taught in our schools and informs how we view current issues in their historical perspective. Until fairly recently, there was a consensus among most Americans about that narrative. No longer. There are at least two competing narratives that dominate America’s educational curriculums and the various media outlets (e.g., cable television, the social media, and political commentary)
Ethics
Ethical Considerations In Egg Freezing New York Times reporter Emma Goldberg recently posted a fascinating article on the growing practice of egg freezing among women in the US. She put her report in the context of women who seek to improve themselves and who seek to slow the reproductive clock: “There is always a market for products, from skin care to weight loss, promising to ease the angst of womanhood. Efforts to slow down the reproductive clock are no different. The business of egg extraction is thriving, among the privileged group of people who can access it.”
