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Apologetics Canada Conference

THEOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGY

March 7 & 8, 2025

From eyeglasses to smartphones, technology is all around us. It always has been. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine humanity without it. However, recent advancements—especially in Artificial Intelligence (AI)—have connected us to technology in profound ways. With technology that can even mimic humanity, we as followers of Christ must consider what technology is and what role it ought to play in our increasingly digital lives.

Join us this March 7 & 8 for our next Apologetics Canada Conference as we explore a biblical theology of technology.

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Andy Steiger, PhD

President
Apologetics Canada

Dr. Andy Steiger is the founder and president of Apologetics Canada Ministries (AC). He passionately engages pressing issues related to our humanity from a Christian perspective. He has presented at various venues such as Cambridge University on philosophical issues related to Artificial Intelligence, provided ethical guidelines on robotics for the United Nations, and addressed legal concerns over rights of conscience at the World Congress in Philosophy of Law.

Andy has published widely from children’s books to the Supreme Court Law Review.

Between his 20 years of pastoral experience and a PhD from the University of Aberdeen, Andy brings both experience and research to his work.

Andy currently lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with his wife, Nancy, and their two sons. Most weekends you’ll find the Steigers in the mountains or lakes of BC.

Andy Steiger, PhD

President
Apologetics Canada

Dr. Andy Steiger is the founder and president of Apologetics Canada Ministries (AC). He passionately engages pressing issues related to our humanity from a Christian perspective. He has presented at various venues such as Cambridge University on philosophical issues related to Artificial Intelligence, provided ethical guidelines on robotics for the United Nations, and addressed legal concerns over rights of conscience at the World Congress in Philosophy of Law.

Andy has published widely from children’s books to the Supreme Court Law Review.

Between his 20 years of pastoral experience and a PhD from the University of Aberdeen, Andy brings both experience and research to his work.

Andy currently lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with his wife, Nancy, and their two sons. Most weekends you’ll find the Steigers in the mountains or lakes of BC.

ANDY
STEIGER

President
Apologetics Canada

From Eden to Silicon Valley
Will AI Destroy Us?

 
AI technologies have been around for decades but within the last few years they have taken significant leaps forward. We are currently living in a time of rapid technological advancements. New tech has often been embraced with excitement but not lately. Many AI developments have brought fear and concern. Even in the tech industry, we hear voices of caution. In this talk Andy will discuss a theology of technology that will help us navigate our present moment and the future that’s quickly advancing.

From Eden to Silicon Valley
Will AI Destroy Us?

Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

Dr. Gretchen Huizinga is a research fellow and board member of AI and Faith, an organization that brings the wisdom of the world’s great religions to the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. She recently completed a visiting fellowship with the Lanier Theological Library at Yarnton Manor in Oxford, UK, where she continued her research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and Christian theology under Prof. John Lennox. In addition to her academic work, Gretchen is a podcast host for Microsoft Research where she has interviewed more than a hundred scientists and leaders on the latest technological innovations, including recent advances in machine learning and generative AI. Gretchen is an English major at heart (always reading a good book or silently correcting someone’s grammar) but holds master’s degrees in both Mass Communication and Learning Sciences & Human Development, as well as a PhD from the University of Washington with a dissertation titled Righteous AI: The Christian voice in the ethical AI conversation. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and wears better shoes than academia demands, or a podcast warrants.

Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

Dr. Gretchen Huizinga is a research fellow and board member of AI and Faith, an organization that brings the wisdom of the world’s great religions to the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. She recently completed a visiting fellowship with the Lanier Theological Library at Yarnton Manor in Oxford, UK, where she continued her research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and Christian theology under Prof. John Lennox. In addition to her academic work, Gretchen is a podcast host for Microsoft Research where she has interviewed more than a hundred scientists and leaders on the latest technological innovations, including recent advances in machine learning and generative AI. Gretchen is an English major at heart (always reading a good book or silently correcting someone’s grammar) but holds master’s degrees in both Mass Communication and Learning Sciences & Human Development, as well as a PhD from the University of Washington with a dissertation titled Righteous AI: The Christian voice in the ethical AI conversation. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and wears better shoes than academia demands, or a podcast warrants.

GRETCHEN
HUIZINGA

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

From Ethical AI to Righteous AI
Can Artificial Intelligence Be Good?

 
In response to fears around the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence, we’ve seen an increase in efforts to ensure that AI is made and used ethically. Most of these efforts, however, are based on a secular humanist worldview that seeks to compel people to behave ethically without transcendent reason or power. The Christian faith, by contrast, maintains that God is the originator, motivator, and sustainer of moral behaviour, and points to a creative notion of goodness that cannot be achieved by human will or effort. In a secularized, AI-centric world, is it wise to de-platform Christianity? In this talk, Gretchen contrasts secular ethics with biblical righteousness and challenges the assumption that humanistic efforts alone will result in safe, ethical, or “good” AI.

From Ethical AI to Righteous AI
Can AI Be Good?

Jay Y. Kim

Lead Pastor
WestGate Church

Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley. He's the author of several books, including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen Listen Speak. Jay hosts the Digital Examen Podcast and is co-host of the Making Space Podcast. His written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Outreach, Relevant, and Mission Alliance. Jay is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife and their two children.

Jay Y. Kim

Lead Pastor
WestGate Church

Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley. He's the author of several books, including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen Listen Speak. Jay hosts the Digital Examen Podcast and is co-host of the Making Space Podcast. His written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Outreach, Relevant, and Mission Alliance. Jay is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife and their two children.

JAY Y.
KIM

Lead Pastor, Author
WestGate Church

From Silicon Valley to Eden
Will AI Save Us?

 
The kingdom of God has been called the upside-down kingdom, where the first are last and the last are first, the poor blessed, and our weakness is strength. As technology at large and AI specifically hurl us with ever-increasing speed toward a future that seems increasingly uncertain, how can followers of Jesus respond in an upside-down way? As the world pins its hopes on the increasing convenience and comforts of an automated, digital world, how might Christians embody what it means to be embodied, modelling the biblical vision of human flourishing for a world gone mad?

From Silicon Valley to Eden
Will AI Save Us?

Sebstian Vaduva, PhD

Serial Entrepreneur
sebastianvaduva.com

Dr. Sebastian Vaduva is a professor, consultant and entrepreneur. He teaches, and writes about ethics, entrepreneurship, and technology.

His main goal is to help people and organizations be their best. He believes that a company's most important assets are its people and ideas. Sebastian is committed to developing them through training, coaching, mentoring, and networking.

He values ethics because he thinks they create long-term success. He envisions a connected global business world based on creativity, communication, collaboration, and character.

Sebstian Vaduva, PhD

Serial Entrepreneur
sebastianvaduva.com

Dr. Sebastian Vaduva is a professor, consultant and entrepreneur. He teaches, and writes about ethics, entrepreneurship, and technology.

His main goal is to help people and organizations be their best. He believes that a company's most important assets are its people and ideas. Sebastian is committed to developing them through training, coaching, mentoring, and networking.

He values ethics because he thinks they create long-term success. He envisions a connected global business world based on creativity, communication, collaboration, and character.

SEBASTIAN
VADUVA

Serial Entrepreneur
sebastianvaduva.com

Surviving the Culture Wars
What the Church Must Learn From Europe’s Failures

 
There once was a time that Canada looked to Europe to see the secular future. Those times have changed. Europe still has its secular holdouts but for the most part, Canada and the United States have now become Europe’s cautionary tale, not of the future but of their past. The culture wars that now grip North America are nothing new to Europe. In many ways, Europe is rebuilding from the ashes of multiple culture wars that have taken their toll on the church. Growing up in Romania during the fall of the communist party, Sebastian knows first-hand Europe’s failures and the difficulty in rebuilding a family, church, and society. In this session, Sebastian will bring a much needed perspective to our current cultural moment.

Surviving the Culture Wars

What the Church Must Learn From Europe’s Failures

Johan Erasmus

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Johan holds degrees in history, philosophy and theology and is currently pursuing a PhD, focussing on race and reconciliation. He is the co-founder of Dialogue Community Church, a multi-cultural church in Pretoria and Betereinders, an NGO focusing on social development and reconciliation in South Africa. The activities of Betereinders have been covered by national and international media and they recently won the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize for Unity, Reconciliation and Justice. Johan is married to Loraine, a film lecturer, and they have two small boys, Louw and Eben.

Johan Erasmus

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Johan holds degrees in history, philosophy and theology and is currently pursuing a PhD, focussing on race and reconciliation. He is the co-founder of Dialogue Community Church, a multi-cultural church in Pretoria and Betereinders, an NGO focusing on social development and reconciliation in South Africa. The activities of Betereinders have been covered by national and international media and they recently won the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize for Unity, Reconciliation and Justice. Johan is married to Loraine, a film lecturer, and they have two small boys, Louw and Eben.

JOHAN
ERASMUS

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Race or Grace?
Why North America Should Stop Exporting Activism and Start Importing Reconciliation

 
Historically the fight against racism, in many parts of the world, was driven by the church. William Wilberforce struggled against slavery and many years later Martin Luther King Jr. picked up the mantle in the civil rights era. Over in South Africa people like Desmond Tutu and Albert Luthuli led the fight against Apartheid and stressed the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. Although these men are separated by centuries and nationalities they held one thing in common, a deeply committed Christian faith.

In the last decade the fight against racism has been taken up by different manifestations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Thinkers of this movement like Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo are providing the language for a new generation of activists and for the first time racism is not being framed in theological language, but rather in secular terms.

In South Africa we are still reeling from our racist past and in many places the racial tension is not far from the surface. It is in this climate that these different racial ideologies are playing out and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Race or Grace?

Why North America Should Stop Exporting Activism and Start Importing Reconciliation

Moses Chirusha

CEO
Ufanuzi

Moses Chirusha is a visionary entrepreneur and technologist with a deep commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to address challenges faced by communities in Africa, particularly in education, agriculture, and the financial sector. Born into a family of 12 Children, Moses’ parents worked as church planters and subsistence farmers in the Congo. From an early age Moses loved God and technology. He founded his tech company Ufanuzi at the remarkable age of 15, with a mission to make technology accessible and ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, has the tools and opportunity to succeed.

After observing the severe food shortages subsistence farmers face in Malawi, Moses founded Fruitful Mart, a distribution company that supports subsistence farmers by helping them access high-end markets via an e-commerce platform, and providing essential training, technology, and microloans for farmers. His work extends beyond just creating a marketplace; he also envisions using artificial intelligence to equip farmers with the knowledge they need to improve their yields and livelihoods.

Moses’s work is rooted in a deep love for Africa. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Moses has been involved in discussions and collaborations with other young leaders across the continent like the Young African Leadership Initiative, Intercontinental Youth Connect, Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in Africa, etc focusing on projects that aim to inspire young people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Moses Chirusha

CEO
Ufanuzi

Moses Chirusha is a visionary entrepreneur and technologist with a deep commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to address challenges faced by communities in Africa, particularly in education, agriculture, and the financial sector. Born into a family of 12 Children, Moses’ parents worked as church planters and subsistence farmers in the Congo. From an early age Moses loved God and technology. He founded his tech company Ufanuzi at the remarkable age of 15, with a mission to make technology accessible and ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, has the tools and opportunity to succeed.

After observing the severe food shortages subsistence farmers face in Malawi, Moses founded Fruitful Mart, a distribution company that supports subsistence farmers by helping them access high-end markets via an e-commerce platform, and providing essential training, technology, and microloans for farmers. His work extends beyond just creating a marketplace; he also envisions using artificial intelligence to equip farmers with the knowledge they need to improve their yields and livelihoods.

Moses’s work is rooted in a deep love for Africa. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Moses has been involved in discussions and collaborations with other young leaders across the continent like the Young African Leadership Initiative, Intercontinental Youth Connect, Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in Africa, etc focusing on projects that aim to inspire young people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

MOSES
CHIRUSHA

CEO
Ufanuzi

Out of Poverty
My Journey of Faith, Technology, and Transformation in Africa

 
Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moses Chirusha experienced firsthand the struggles of poverty and the lack of opportunities. Yet, through his Christian faith, unwavering determination, and belief in the power of technology, he embarked on a journey that would not only transform his life but also the lives of countless others in his community.

In this inspiring talk, Moses shares his personal story of rising from humble beginnings to becoming a Christian leader leveraging technology for social good. He will explore how his faith has been the cornerstone of his journey, guiding him through adversity and shaping a vision for transformation across Africa.

Moses will discuss how initiatives like Fruitful Mart and Ufanuzi are not just about providing market access or technological tools but about creating pathways to survival and purpose. By aligning his work with biblical principles of stewardship, justice, and compassion, Moses demonstrates how technology can be a force for transformation in the hands of those driven by a love for God and their community.

Out of Poverty

My Journey of Faith, Technology, and Transformation in Africa

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Mike Butler, PhD

Quantum Physicist

Dr. Michael Butler is passionate about learning and teaching. He has always had a strong interest in discovering how the world around him works. Michael holds degrees in physics and computer science. He has completed his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan, investigating an area of physics known as quantum gravity.

The intersection between faith and science is what drew Michael to apologetics. He hopes that through apologetics the Church will have thought provoking conversations about science and how we view the world.

When Michael is not studying he enjoys working on computers and electronics, getting out into the backcountry for hiking and camping, and photographing the night sky.

Mike Butler, PhD

Quantum Physicist

Dr. Michael Butler is passionate about learning and teaching. He has always had a strong interest in discovering how the world around him works. Michael holds degrees in physics and computer science. He has completed his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan, investigating an area of physics known as quantum gravity.

The intersection between faith and science is what drew Michael to apologetics. He hopes that through apologetics the Church will have thought provoking conversations about science and how we view the world.

When Michael is not studying he enjoys working on computers and electronics, getting out into the backcountry for hiking and camping, and photographing the night sky.

MIKE
BUTLER

Quantum Physicist
Apologetics Canada

Interview with a Quantum Physicist
Cutting Edge Christianity in a World of Science

[coming soon]

Interview with a Quantum Physicist

Cutting Edge Christianity in a World of Science

Johan Erasmus

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Johan holds degrees in history, philosophy and theology and is currently pursuing a PhD, focussing on race and reconciliation. He is the co-founder of Dialogue Community Church, a multi-cultural church in Pretoria and Betereinders, an NGO focusing on social development and reconciliation in South Africa. The activities of Betereinders have been covered by national and international media and they recently won the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize for Unity, Reconciliation and Justice. Johan is married to Loraine, a film lecturer, and they have two small boys, Louw and Eben.

Johan Erasmus

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Johan holds degrees in history, philosophy and theology and is currently pursuing a PhD, focussing on race and reconciliation. He is the co-founder of Dialogue Community Church, a multi-cultural church in Pretoria and Betereinders, an NGO focusing on social development and reconciliation in South Africa. The activities of Betereinders have been covered by national and international media and they recently won the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize for Unity, Reconciliation and Justice. Johan is married to Loraine, a film lecturer, and they have two small boys, Louw and Eben.

JOHAN
ERASMUS

Co-Founder
Betereinders

Age of Rage
Resentment Engineering and the Breakdown of Race Relations

In these last days we are seeing blacks against whites, republicans against democrats, feminists against masculists and many other groups equally convinced of the reality of their oppression and the righteousness of their anger. Despite the irreligiousness of the West we are seeing congregants going on collective witch-hunts and publicly hanging sinners for all to see. On a daily basis something is going viral and someone is being cancelled. All of this is happening in a time when we are more connected than we've ever been and yet we are strangely very divided. How did the world get this mad this quickly and how do we escape this vortex of rage?

Age of Rage

Resentment Engineering and the Breakdown of Race Relations

Quentin Genuis, MD

Emergency Care Physician

Dr. Quentin Genuis is an Emergency Physician and Bioethicist in Vancouver. He holds a Master of Letters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, with a research focus in bioethics. His research and writing interests include the autonomy debates, end-of-life care, compassion, human dignity, and theological anthropology. He also likes smokey Scottish whiskey, Russian literature, poetry, hot sauce, and slack-lining. He loves his wife, Kalyn, and their three children: Lila, Rowan, and Elias.

Quentin Genuis, MD

Emergency Care Physician

Dr. Quentin Genuis is an Emergency Physician and Bioethicist in Vancouver. He holds a Master of Letters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, with a research focus in bioethics. His research and writing interests include the autonomy debates, end-of-life care, compassion, human dignity, and theological anthropology. He also likes smokey Scottish whiskey, Russian literature, poetry, hot sauce, and slack-lining. He loves his wife, Kalyn, and their three children: Lila, Rowan, and Elias.

QUENTIN
GENUIS

Emergency Care Physician
Apologetics Canada

Addiction, Freedom, and the Life of the Church

Addiction is a crisis of our time, with devastating consequences to our society and within our churches. This talk engages the question of what addiction is, when considered from a Christian worldview. We will also discuss ways that Christian communities can be places where addiction is healed through a cooperative effort of the affected person, communities of friendship, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Addiction, Freedom, and the Life of the Church

Ewan Goligher, MD, PhD

Critical Care Physician

Dr. Ewan Goligher is a physician-scientist practicing intensive care medicine. He writes and speaks on faith, science, suffering, ethics, and conscience.

Ewan is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He earned his MD at the University of British Columbia and a PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto. He trained in internal medicine and critical care medicine.

His research program studies lung function and respiratory muscle function in patients with acute respiratory failure, and he is heavily involved in clinical trials testing new treatments for respiratory failure. He is author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. His research has been published in a leading scientific journals in medicine and in his subspecialty of intensive care medicine.

He is involved in efforts to advocate against the practice of euthanasia (also known as medical aid-in-dying) and for the protection of conscience in healthcare. He writes and speaks on these issues for both academic and lay audiences.

When not writing, analyzing data, or looking after patients, Ewan is likely to be found sailing on Georgian Bay, Ontario. He and his wife Rachel have four children and one dog and live in Toronto. He attends Christ Church Toronto.

Ewan Goligher, MD, PhD

Critical Care Physician

Dr. Ewan Goligher is a physician-scientist practicing intensive care medicine. He writes and speaks on faith, science, suffering, ethics, and conscience.

Ewan is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He earned his MD at the University of British Columbia and a PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto. He trained in internal medicine and critical care medicine.

His research program studies lung function and respiratory muscle function in patients with acute respiratory failure, and he is heavily involved in clinical trials testing new treatments for respiratory failure. He is author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. His research has been published in a leading scientific journals in medicine and in his subspecialty of intensive care medicine.

He is involved in efforts to advocate against the practice of euthanasia (also known as medical aid-in-dying) and for the protection of conscience in healthcare. He writes and speaks on these issues for both academic and lay audiences.

When not writing, analyzing data, or looking after patients, Ewan is likely to be found sailing on Georgian Bay, Ontario. He and his wife Rachel have four children and one dog and live in Toronto. He attends Christ Church Toronto.

EWAN
GOLIGHER

Intensive Care Physician
Apologetics Canada

How Should We Then Die?
A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death

"My times are in thy hands."

As more people accept the practice of physician-assisted death, Christians must decide whether to embrace or oppose it. Is it ethical for physicians to assist patients in hastening their own death? Should Christians who are facing death accept the offer of an assisted death?

In this session, physician Ewan Goligher draws from general revelation and Scripture to persuade and equip Christians to oppose physician-assisted death. Euthanasia presumes what it is like to be dead. But for Christians, death is not the end. Christ Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality through the gospel.

How Should We Then Die?

A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death

Phil Hills

Regional Director
ACSI Western Canada

Phil has served ACSI Western Canada as Regional Director for 19 years. During the early years of his career in education, he worked as a teacher in the public system of BC. Later served as a principal of a Christian school in Chilliwack, BC. Phil believed passionately in the transforming power of Christ-saturated education and has devoted his life to equipping people to prepare the World for the return of Jesus.

Phil Hills

Regional Director
ACSI Western Canada

Phil has served ACSI Western Canada as Regional Director for 19 years. During the early years of his career in education, he worked as a teacher in the public system of BC. Later served as a principal of a Christian school in Chilliwack, BC. Phil believed passionately in the transforming power of Christ-saturated education and has devoted his life to equipping people to prepare the World for the return of Jesus.

PHIL
HILLS

Regional Director
ACSI Western Canada

The Multiverse and the Theory That Explains it All
Reaching the Minds and Hearts of our Students Through Meta Modernism

 
When Phil began his career there was a lot of talk about our students being a product of the post-modern age. That is not longer true. Today’s students live in a virtual multiverse. Because of this they believe many ideas are true, but what distinguishes them from their relativistic elders is that they also believe some things are true for everyone at all times. Come to this session to understand how they can hold to these contradictions. Discover their deepest desires in this world. More than this, learn how to use this emerging worldview as a powerful springboard to gospel centred thinking and living.

The Multiverse and the Theory That Explains it All

Reaching the Minds and Hearts of our Students Through Meta Modernism

Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

Dr. Gretchen Huizinga is a research fellow and board member of AI and Faith, an organization that brings the wisdom of the world’s great religions to the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. She recently completed a visiting fellowship with the Lanier Theological Library at Yarnton Manor in Oxford, UK, where she continued her research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and Christian theology under Prof. John Lennox. In addition to her academic work, Gretchen is a podcast host for Microsoft Research where she has interviewed more than a hundred scientists and leaders on the latest technological innovations, including recent advances in machine learning and generative AI. Gretchen is an English major at heart (always reading a good book or silently correcting someone’s grammar) but holds master’s degrees in both Mass Communication and Learning Sciences & Human Development, as well as a PhD from the University of Washington with a dissertation titled Righteous AI: The Christian voice in the ethical AI conversation. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and wears better shoes than academia demands, or a podcast warrants.

Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

Dr. Gretchen Huizinga is a research fellow and board member of AI and Faith, an organization that brings the wisdom of the world’s great religions to the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. She recently completed a visiting fellowship with the Lanier Theological Library at Yarnton Manor in Oxford, UK, where she continued her research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and Christian theology under Prof. John Lennox. In addition to her academic work, Gretchen is a podcast host for Microsoft Research where she has interviewed more than a hundred scientists and leaders on the latest technological innovations, including recent advances in machine learning and generative AI. Gretchen is an English major at heart (always reading a good book or silently correcting someone’s grammar) but holds master’s degrees in both Mass Communication and Learning Sciences & Human Development, as well as a PhD from the University of Washington with a dissertation titled Righteous AI: The Christian voice in the ethical AI conversation. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and wears better shoes than academia demands, or a podcast warrants.

GRETCHEN
HUIZINGA

Research Fellow
AI and Faith

To GPT or Not to GPT

 
In this session Gretchen will address common ethical concerns about generative AI chatbots and offer a theological framework on if, when, and where to use it in real life applications.

To GPT or Not to GPT

Jay Y. Kim

Lead Pastor
WestGate Church

Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley. He's the author of several books, including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen Listen Speak. Jay hosts the Digital Examen Podcast and is co-host of the Making Space Podcast. His written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Outreach, Relevant, and Mission Alliance. Jay is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife and their two children.

Jay Y. Kim

Lead Pastor
WestGate Church

Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley. He's the author of several books, including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen Listen Speak. Jay hosts the Digital Examen Podcast and is co-host of the Making Space Podcast. His written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Outreach, Relevant, and Mission Alliance. Jay is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife and their two children.

JAY Y.
KIM

Lead Pastor, Author
WestGate Church

How to Do Real Church in an Artificial Age

 
In the digital age, do we still need real people, places, and things? Is virtual reality actually real? Going to church is one thing but what does it mean to be the church? Does the difference matter? In this breakout session we'll explore the biblical vision for the church and consider the ecclesiological challenges and opportunities church leaders face in the digital age.

How to Do Real Church in an Artificial Age

Steve Kim

Alberta Director
Apologetics Canada

Steve is a follower of Christ with a heart for apologetics which he views as the "intellectual care of the soul." In his early 20s, he experienced a faith crisis due to intellectual undernourishment. Through this experience, he has come to see apologetics as the “intellectual care of the soul” and now feels a personal burden to walk with others who may be struggling with doubt and/or seeking sincerely. Steve holds a diploma in Worship Arts and a BA in Biblical Studies from Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC. He has completed a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics through Biola University in La Mirada, CA. He began his PhD studies through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, exploring any proper limits of human enhancement through a dialogue between Friedrich Nietzsche and G. K. Chesterton.

A native of Korea, Steve now lives in the Edmonton area with his wife, Sharina, and two children, Maya and Tavin. His guilty pleasure includes eating instant ramen noodles late at night and watching YouTube videos on North Korea. (What is Kim Jong-Un up to this time?)

Steve Kim

Alberta Director
Apologetics Canada

Steve is a follower of Christ with a heart for apologetics which he views as the "intellectual care of the soul." In his early 20s, he experienced a faith crisis due to intellectual undernourishment. Through this experience, he has come to see apologetics as the “intellectual care of the soul” and now feels a personal burden to walk with others who may be struggling with doubt and/or seeking sincerely. Steve holds a diploma in Worship Arts and a BA in Biblical Studies from Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC. He has completed a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics through Biola University in La Mirada, CA. He began his PhD studies through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, exploring any proper limits of human enhancement through a dialogue between Friedrich Nietzsche and G. K. Chesterton.

A native of Korea, Steve now lives in the Edmonton area with his wife, Sharina, and two children, Maya and Tavin. His guilty pleasure includes eating instant ramen noodles late at night and watching YouTube videos on North Korea. (What is Kim Jong-Un up to this time?)

STEVE
KIM

Alberta Director
Apologetics Canada

Are People Just Language Models?

 
From Siri to ChatGPT, conversational AI tools are on the rise. This ability for software to mimic human behaviour is casting doubts on our own humanity. If the rise of macroevolutionary view of living things resulted in a view of humans as "just" another species of animals, the rise of AI is making us wonder whether humans are "just" language models. What is a language model? What are the ethical implications if we are no more than algorithm working through meat machine?

Join Steve and explore this critical question of our humanity.

Are People Just Language Models?

More coming soon...

SCHEDULE

Friday, March 7

5:30 PM

Registration begins. Any remaining tickets available for purchase.

6:30 PM

Doors open.

7:00 PM

Main Session 1

From Eden to Silicon Valley
Will AI Destroy Us?

 
AI technologies have been around for decades but within the last few years they have taken significant leaps forward. We are currently living in a time of rapid technological advancements. New tech has often been embraced with excitement but not lately. For many AI developments have brought fear and concern. Even in the tech industry, we hear voices of caution. In this talk Andy will discuss a theology of technology that will help us navigate our present moment and the future that’s quickly advancing.

From Eden to Silicon Valley: Will AI Destroy Us? - Andy Steiger

From Ethical AI to Righteous AI
Can Artificial Intelligence Be Good?

 
In response to fears around the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence, we’ve seen an increase in efforts to ensure that AI is made and used ethically. Most of these efforts, however, are based on a secular humanist worldview that seeks to compel people to behave ethically without transcendent reason or power. The Christian faith, by contrast, maintains that God is the originator, motivator, and sustainer of moral behaviour, and points to a creative notion of goodness that cannot be achieved by human will or effort. In a secularized, AI-centric world, is it wise to de-platform Christianity? In this talk, Gretchen contrasts secular ethics with biblical righteousness and challenges the assumption that humanistic efforts alone will result in safe, ethical, or “good” AI.

From Ethical AI to Righteous AI: Can AI Be Good? - Gretchen Huizinga

From Silicon Valley to Eden
Will AI Save Us?

 
The kingdom of God has been called the upside-down kingdom, where the first are last and the last are first, the poor blessed, and our weakness is strength. As technology at large and AI specifically hurl us with ever-increasing speed toward a future that seems increasingly uncertain, how can followers of Jesus respond in an upside-down way? As the world pins its hopes on the increasing convenience and comforts of an automated, digital world, how might Christians embody what it means to be embodied, modelling the biblical vision of human flourishing for a world gone mad?

From Silicon Valley to Eden: Will AI Save Us? - Jay Y. Kim

9:00 PM

Break

9:20 PM

Panel Q&A with Andy, Gretchen, and Jay
(Moderated by Steve Kim)

10:00 PM

Conference ends for the night.

Saturday, March 8

7:30 AM

Doors open.

8:00 AM

Main Session 2

Surviving the Culture Wars
What the Church Must Learn From Europe’s Failures

 
There once was a time that Canada looked to Europe to see the secular future. Those times have changed. Europe still has its secular holdouts but for the most part, Canada and the United States have now become Europe’s cautionary tale, not of the future but of their past. The culture wars that now grip North America are nothing new to Europe. In many ways, Europe is rebuilding from the ashes of multiple culture wars that have taken their toll on the church. Growing up in Romania during the fall of the communist party, Sebastian knows first-hand Europe’s failures and the difficulty in rebuilding a family, church, and society. In this session, Sebastian will bring a much needed perspective to our current cultural moment.

Surviving the Culture Wars: What the Church Must Learn From Europe's Failures - Sebastian Vaduva

Race or Grace?
Why North America Should Stop Exporting Activism and Start Importing Reconciliation

 
Historically the fight against racism, in many parts of the world, was driven by the church. William Wilberforce struggled against slavery and many years later Martin Luther King Jr. picked up the mantle in the civil rights era. Over in South Africa people like Desmond Tutu and Albert Luthuli led the fight against Apartheid and stressed the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. Although these men are separated by centuries and nationalities they held one thing in common, a deeply committed Christian faith.

In the last decade the fight against racism has been taken up by different manifestations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Thinkers of this movement like Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo are providing the language for a new generation of activists and for the first time racism is not being framed in theological language, but rather in secular terms.

In South Africa we are still reeling from our racist past and in many places the racial tension is not far from the surface. It is in this climate that these different racial ideologies are playing out and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Race or Grace?: Why North America Should Stop Exporting Activism and Start Importing Reconciliation - Johan Erasmus

10:15 AM

Break

10:40 AM

Choose from one of the following sessions:

Interview with a Quantum Physicist: Cutting Edge Christianity in a World of Science
Mike Butler, PhD in conversation with Andy Steiger, PhD

Age of Rage: Resentment Engineering and the Breakdown of Race Relations
Johan Erasmus

Addiction, Freedom, and the Life of the Church
Quentin Genuis, MD

How Should We Then Die?: A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death
Ewan Goligher, MD, PhD

The Multiverse and the Theory That Explains It All: Reaching the Minds and hearts of Our Students Through Meta Modernism
Phil Hills

To GPT or Not to GPT
Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

How to do Real Church in an Artificial Age
Jay Y. Kim

Are People Just Language Models?
Steve Kim

More coming soon...

Breakout Session 1
(Choose a topic of interest)

11:20 AM

Lunch
(Food truck will be available on-site)

12:25 PM

Choose from one of the following sessions:

Interview with a Quantum Physicist: Cutting Edge Christianity in a World of Science
Mike Butler, PhD in conversation with Andy Steiger, PhD

Age of Rage: Resentment Engineering and the Breakdown of Race Relations
Johan Erasmus

Addiction, Freedom, and the Life of the Church
Quentin Genuis, MD

How Should We Then Die?: A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death
Ewan Goligher, MD, PhD

The Multiverse and the Theory That Explains It All: Reaching the Minds and hearts of Our Students Through Meta Modernism
Phil Hills

To GPT or Not to GPT
Gretchen Huizinga, PhD

How to do Real Church in an Artificial Age
Jay Y. Kim

Are People Just Language Models?
Steve Kim

More coming soon...

Breakout Session 2
(Choose a topic of interest)

1:05 PM

Break

1:20 PM

Main Session 3

Out of Poverty
My Journey of Faith, Technology, and Transformation in Africa

 
Growing up in a challenging environment in Africa, Moses Chirusha experienced firsthand the struggles of poverty and the lack of opportunities. Yet, through faith, determination, and an unwavering belief in the power of technology, he embarked on a journey that would not only transform his own life but also the lives of countless others in his community.

In this inspiring talk, Moses shares his personal story of rising from humble beginnings to becoming a leader in leveraging technology for social good. He will explore how his faith has been the cornerstone of his journey, guiding him through adversity and shaping his vision for empowering subsistence farmers and young people across Africa.

Moses will discuss how initiatives like Fruitful Mart and Ufanuzi are not just about providing market access or technological tools but about creating pathways to significance and purpose for those who have been marginalized. By aligning his work with biblical principles of stewardship, justice, and compassion, Moses demonstrates how technology can be a force for transformation in the hands of those driven by faith and love for their community.Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moses Chirusha experienced firsthand the struggles of poverty and the lack of opportunities. Yet, through his Christian faith, unwavering determination, and belief in the power of technology, he embarked on a journey that would not only transform his life but also the lives of countless others in his community.

In this inspiring talk, Moses shares his personal story of rising from humble beginnings to becoming a Christian leader leveraging technology for social good. He will explore how his faith has been the cornerstone of his journey, guiding him through adversity and shaping a vision for transformation across Africa.

Moses will discuss how initiatives like Fruitful Mart and Ufanuzi are not just about providing market access or technological tools but about creating pathways to survival and purpose. By aligning his work with biblical principles of stewardship, justice, and compassion, Moses demonstrates how technology can be a force for transformation in the hands of those driven by a love for God and their community.

Out of Poverty: My Journey of Faith, Technology, and Transformation in Africa - Moses Chirusha

2:00 PM

Conference ends.

VENUE

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32040 DOWNES RD, ABBOTSFORD, BC

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