ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Welcome to Episode 86 of the RT Dialogue. Thank you for joining us on this journey and tuning into this episode.
I (Rhett) have been looking forward to this conversation for a long time with my good friend John Dyer, who is Vice President for Enrollment Services and Educational Technologies/Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, author, and coder/deep thinker on technology and our relationship to it, -- that's how I would describe him in many ways -- but most importantly he is not only one of the smartest people I know, but he is a really thoughtful and loving friend.
I first met John via Twitter back in 2008 when my family and I first moved to Dallas from Los Angeles (remember those days of connecting on Twitter?). We connected over a lot of shared interests, mostly our curiosity and engagement around the intersection of theology/technology. We were part of a group of other like minded people who started gathering regular online and in person to discuss this topic, and we quickly started hosting events like #churchtechcamp, and eventually John and I partnered up to lead parenting workshops at the intersection of technology and psychology for churches.
John is the author of From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology (and it's updated version), People of the Screen: How Evangelicals Created the Digital Bible and How it Shapes Their Reading of Scripture, Ecclesiology for a Digital Church: Theological Reflections on a New Normal, et cetera.
He is also the creator and translator of the Y'all version of the bible (not many of my friends have translated the entire bible!). You can check out some of his other projects as well, like Best Commentaries.
I think this gives you a feel for what type of thinker John is, and why I thought it was so important to have him on the podcast to talk about technology, AI, and how that is impacting us, our relationships, and more specifically how we should be thinking about it as therapists. I also appreciate how John thoughtfully engages the integration of all of this with the Christian faith.
I know you will enjoy this episode, and it's important topic that we are going to be dealing with more and more in our therapy rooms and personal lives.
Mentioned in the Episode
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam
About RT Dialogue
Welcome to RT Dialogue with co-hosts Lance Ahl and Rhett Smith, LMFT. This podcast is about making connections, building community, and learning and practicing the model of Restoration Therapy together. Each episode features conversations with Restoration Therapy practitioners, leaders, and friends of the RT community about how the model shapes therapy, coaching, leadership, and everyday relationships.
Episode links and resources:
You can find all links mentioned in each episode on our Spotify and Substack pages.
Connect with the hosts: Rhett Smith and Lance Ahl
Learn more about: Restoration Therapy
Listen and subscribe on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack.
