{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Religion","slug":"new-books-in-religion-42803","podcast_index_feed_id":42803,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT9789987066","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/cfd5d93c-dddb-11e8-b346-7779d85ce4c2/image/b4c82d0e99e73663f8e58e455f382564.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":2719,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T18:21:23.231818+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-religion-42803"},"episode":{"title":"John Longhurst, \"Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? A Journalist Reports on Faith\" (CMU Press, 2024)","slug":"john-longhurst-can-robots-love-god-and-be-saved-a-journalist-reports-on-faith-cmu-press-2024","published_at":"2026-06-15T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-religion-42803/john-longhurst-can-robots-love-god-and-be-saved-a-journalist-reports-on-faith-cmu-press-2024","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-religion-42803","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK2642903123.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK2642903123.mp3","summary":"One of the things that stood out in my conversation with John Longhurst about his book Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? A Journalist Reports on Faith (CMU Press, 2024) was his seriousness about journalism itself. Longhurst understands the journalist's vocation not as providing definitive answers but as asking good questions, paying close attention, and engaging thoughtfully with the people and events that shape our world. Our discussion focused on a theme that runs throughout the book: if religion's enduring strength lies not in providing final answers but in sustaining meaningful questions, then what sustains belief amid suffering, doubt, and uncertainty? Longhurst's work suggests that faith often emerges not from certainty but from ongoing engagement with life's deepest mysteries. Rather than offering simple conclusions, Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? invites readers into conversations about faith, technology, culture, politics, and everyday life. It reminds us that religious questions remain central to how many people understand themselves and the world around them. In an age increasingly shaped by AI and our histories, these questions may become even more important, not less so. My thanks to John Longhurst for joining me on the New Books Network and for sharing insights drawn from a lifetime of careful observation, thoughtful reporting, and persistent questioning. Amisah Bakuri (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research examines the intersections of religion, sexuality, gender, and migration, particularly within African diasporic communities in the Netherlands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https:/…","meta_description":"One of the things that stood out in my conversation with John Longhurst about his book Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? A Journalist Reports on Faith (CM…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2583,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-religion-42803/episodes/john-longhurst-can-robots-love-god-and-be-saved-a-journalist-reports-on-faith-cmu-press-2024/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-religion-42803/john-longhurst-can-robots-love-god-and-be-saved-a-journalist-reports-on-faith-cmu-press-2024.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}