Recorded

Theo of Golden may be the most unlikely breakout bestseller of all time. So far, the book has sold around 4 million copies, has been on The New York Times bestseller list since February, and is on its way to becoming a major motion picture involving Tom Hanks.
Nobody saw this one coming.
When Allen Levi self-published Theo, it was joining more than 2.6 million other self-published titles that year. The odds of anyone (other than his friends and family) reading it were miniscule—the average self-published book sells around 250 copies over its lifetime.
So why did Allen, who was then 67 years old, bother to join them?
Well, he wasn’t going to—until his best friends encouraged begged him do it.
Who are these friends? And how can we grow friendships like this, where we know each other well, love each other deeply, and encourage each other to use our gifts to love God and neighbor?

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If we have learned anything from our last two technological waves—smart phones and social media—then we know one thing: Those who are probably going to be most harmed by AI are our kids.

AI is already taking over their education. It’s trying to build emotional relationships with them. And it might take away their jobs. But our theology tells us AI does not surprise or alarm God. He is sovereign over this too. So how can we calmly and clearly see what is happening and then protect, guide, and prepare our children?

Join Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra as she sorts out fears, finds the facts, and proposes a faithful way to parent in the age of AI.

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Gen Z is the most secular generation on record—the least likely to believe in God, go to church, or have a religious affiliation. One reason for this is their parents—Gen Z is also the generation least likely to have grown up in church, attended Sunday school, or prayed over a meal with their family.
But Gen Z hasn’t been hostile to the faith. They’re not protesting Christian speakers or telling stories of how Christianity hurt them. Instead, they’ve been largely apathetic.
Until now.
This past fall, we began hearing from campus ministry staff about packed-out gatherings, rapidly growing Bible studies, and unexpected numbers of conversions.
“When we hear the gospel—that somebody loved us even when we were wretched and sinful—that's what really draws our attention,” one University of Illinois Chicago student told me. “That's what really drew me in. And I feel like that's what's going on with Gen Z as well.” 

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Can you trust AI?
Mike Graham, program director for TGC’s Keller Center, decided to find out. He asked seven major AI platforms seven basic questions about the gospel. Since AI platforms largely rely on the same technology and draw from the same body of information, he figured the answers would be similar.
He was wrong.
Not only were the answers different, but only two platforms nudged a searcher toward Christianity.
In this episode of Recorded, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra asks Mike, Keith Plummer, and Gavin Ortlund what the experiment revealed, why it matters, and whether Christians should be concerned.

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Thirteen years ago, pastor Alton Hardy planted a church in an underresourced African American community near Birmingham, Alabama. Alton worried about the crime, poverty, and lack of education he saw around him. But more than that, he worried about families.
And most of all, he worried about fathers.
In 2023, the CDC recorded that 70 percent of African American babies were born to single mothers. Overall, 40 percent of all births in the United States are now to unmarried moms, a number that doubled between 1980 and 2010.
Alton got to work, preaching the gospel, teaching God’s design for our lives, and calling young black men to become strong leaders of their churches, homes, and communities.
I can’t tell you he's witnessing a wholesale revival. But Alton’s church is growing. And for the first time in decades, couples with baby strollers are walking the sidewalks in his community.
This is the story of how the gospel can change a life, a family, and a neighborhood. But it’s also a story that can change the way you think about your parents, your kids, and why God loves you.

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