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.Chapters00:00 Introduction03:41 Derek C. Schuurman’s path from engineering to Christian higher education08:29 Technology, cultural change, and the need for wisdom11:45 Technology is not neutral14:36 How tools reshape people and societies18:08 Reading technology through creation, fall, redemption, and new creation20:18 Two cities, two loves, and the biblical story22:22 Babel, idolatry, and the temptation to build heaven on earth23:21 Technicism and the promises of Silicon Valley26:52 Transhumanism and a Christian account of humanity29:14 Practical frameworks for responsible technological design30:36 Dooyeweerd’s non-reductionistic view of creation33:19 Eight norms for faithful design37:34 Integrating Christian faith throughout education41:21 Liberal arts, AI, and well-rounded technical formation42:29 AI, labor, and the human calling to work43:42 Autonomous systems, accountability, and just-war questions45:55 Why moral judgment requires a human in the loop49:12 Faithful presence and wise Christian vocation51:41 Resources for engineers, designers, pastors, and parents53:24 Calvin University’s “Wisdom in the Age of AI” conference55:36 ConclusionResourcesShaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer TechnologyA Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and DesignersWisdom in the Age of AI Conference, Calvin University, October 8–10, 2026Magnifica HumanitasEpisode resources