Welcome back, Pilgrim. Here’s what’s happened in town since you’ve been away…
Welcome back to the Reformer Newsletter, where we can take a dive into various projects and activities from around web3 and across the Christian community. You have joined this network to contribute to our collective mission of building for Christ’s Kingdom, and we will use this newsletter as a platform to enable that.
In this ReformersNFT community we hold that technological breakthroughs, societal advances, and even core functions of human reason are powerful tools to help us understand the Goodness, Truth, and Beauty of the Gospel and more effectively spread it to the ends of the earth. We maintain this belief in contrast to the powers of this world which have pursued a path of self-defeating rationalism over the past centuries. Thinkers dismissed religious belief and spiritual convictions as archaic and declared the only source of knowledge is instead human reason.
Passing this philosophy through our paradox detectors will uncover an obvious fallacy: we cannot prove the dependability of human reason and the quality of our logic using our own reason and logic. If I were making homemade yard sticks, I could not use the length of my first yard stick to prove that my second yard stick was exactly 36 inches- they could both be wrong. I would need an outside “standard yard stick” to base all judgements and measurements. Unfortunately for rationalism, that leads sceptics back to the unacceptable Source of all Truth; and unfortunately for society, that means we need to put up with the mental gymnastics required for rationalism to deny that Source. The infinite multiverse, “we all live in a simulation”, and even “I believe Science is real” are all hypothetical assertions which fabricate a non-personal entity which can stand as the “outside trusted agent,” all without acknowledging a Higher Power to whom we owe our allegiance, praise, and our lives.
Our exploration of technology does not supersede our devotion to tradition. We know that the two threads mutually enhance each other. Therefore this Advent Season as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth and look forward to His return, let us remember those are real events in our past and future. The web3 space is filled with thinkers and pundits who deal in the ethereal and the almost-real, but the Christmas story is both true and a foundational basis of all Truth. The Mysteries of the Incarnation, Birth, Death and Resurrection of Jesus escape our logic, but that does not mean they are half truths or “meta” realities. It just means in our current fallen state we cannot grasp the mechanics of how an all-powerful God could come to earth, born of a virgin, fully man yet fully God, and live among us.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7
Around Web3
As professing followers of Christ operating in the world of forward-looking technology development, we sit on a strange fault line. Some of the greatest thinkers in the tech space operate with a hopelessly dreary outlook of humanity and a foolishly utopian outlook of how technology can save us from ourselves. One thinker who does not fall into those twin traps is James Poulos, author of the book Human, Forever which will be published on the bitcoin blockchain. Check out the link above, or listen to two great podcast episodes linked below to get a taste.
Peter Zeihan on Tech, Capital, and the Workforce: This one is not strictly web3-related, but Peter is a fascinating commentator on global events and geopolitics. He releases short YouTube videos 3-5 times per week with a refreshing focus on how new technologies and government policies have real-world outcomes when they get beyond the hype cycles and marketing ploys. In this episode he outlines how the “tech bubble” burst (felt so acutely in the crypto world) has real world implications for innovation and creation. Hot take— he outlines how the current pain in valuations and the tech labor market can lead to a more decentralized future.
Lessons from Bitcoin Beach: This one is a fascinating real-world case study that is going to challenge a lot of preconceived notions. What might the elusive mass adoption look like? It’s possible that the answer already exists. Check out the experiences gleaned from in-the-wild operation of a community using Lightning Network payments.
Vitalik has Some Thoughts about AI Coding: He’s not very impressed. A fun look at the progress, or lack of progress, in code applications of AI tools. This is a hot topic, make sure to argue kindly on Discord!
The Reformers is a community of Christ followers who want to continuously explore new tools which can extend the reach of His Kingdom. If you want to lean in and support that mission, check out a Reformers NFT, become a patron of the community, get news and updates to start building with us, and help us run this race with endurance.