Beyond Babel: Building Faithfully in the Age of AI with Derek C. Schuurman

Camden Bucey speaks with Derek C. Schuurman, professor and chair of computer science at Calvin University, about Christian wisdom in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing upon Shaping a Digital World, Schuurman explains why technology is never neutral: people shape their tools, and those tools in turn reshape habits, institutions, and communities.

The conversation sets contemporary AI within the biblical story of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Bucey and Schuurman contrast Christian hope with technicism—the belief that technology can solve humanity’s deepest problems and build a technological heaven on earth. They also discuss human nature, transhumanism, responsible design, Christian higher education, autonomous weapons, and the need to keep human moral judgment and accountability in the loop.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 03:41 Derek C. Schuurman’s path from engineering to Christian higher education
• 08:29 Technology, cultural change, and the need for wisdom
• 11:45 Technology is not neutral
• 14:36 How tools reshape people and societies
• 18:08 Reading technology through creation, fall, redemption, and new creation
• 20:18 Two cities, two loves, and the biblical story
• 22:22 Babel, idolatry, and the temptation to build heaven on earth
• 23:21 Technicism and the promises of Silicon Valley
• 26:52 Transhumanism and a Christian account of humanity
• 29:14 Practical frameworks for responsible technological design
• 30:36 Dooyeweerd’s non-reductionistic view of creation
• 33:19 Eight norms for faithful design
• 37:34 Integrating Christian faith throughout education
• 41:21 Liberal arts, AI, and well-rounded technical formation
• 42:29 AI, labor, and the human calling to work
• 43:42 Autonomous systems, accountability, and just-war questions
• 45:55 Why moral judgment requires a human in the loop
• 49:12 Faithful presence and wise Christian vocation
• 51:41 Resources for engineers, designers, pastors, and parents
• 53:24 Calvin University’s “Wisdom in the Age of AI” conference
• 55:36 Conclusion

• Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology
• A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers
• Wisdom in the Age of AI Conference, Calvin University, October 8–10, 2026
• Magnifica Humanitas
• Episode resources

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit