Resource Roundup
Some things I have found helpful recently: on AI, Rest, HS girls, and TikTok
“Spiritual Preparation for the AI Era (with Andy Crouch)” - I always appreciate Andy Crouch’s wise insights. In this episode of the Good Faith podcast, he discusses how we can be spiritually prepared for the coming AI Era. May our churches and youth groups produce disciples able to think discerningly about these issues!
“Italians Are Teaching Me About Rest” - Kirsten Powers, who recently moved to Italy from the USA, has been writing a lot about how Americans do life in ways that are frankly unhealthy and unsustainable. In this piece, she offers how her perspective on rest has been changing since she moved overseas. If you’re someone who likes to think deeply about the Biblical teaching on rest, this one can help you see how culture has shaped your view on rest and productivity.
“Leading High School Girls” - I recently discovered the His Glory, Her Good, a podcast by Lifeway designed for women serving in youth ministry (yay!). This is a good episode to think through how you work with your volunteers who serve with high school girls… or even a good one to share with those volunteers!
“Inside the TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people” - Last year, unsealed documents from a lawsuit involving Instagram revealed that Instagram has knowingly been addicting teens to its platform for profit, despite knowing it’s also been causing harm to teens.1 Now, TikTok is having its day, as an internal investigation and previously redacted portions of a lawsuit reveal some of its inner workings, including the finding that some teens are being rewarded for stripping on the platform. “Even more troubling was that TikTok executives were acutely aware of the potential harm the app can cause teens, but appeared unconcerned.”
Check out Chris Martin’s excellent take here: “Instagram Addicted Your Teenager Because She’s Worth $270 to Them”