Liberal Arts that Liberate: A New Edition of Desiring the Kingdom for a New Context

James K. A. Smith's Desiring the Kingdom has been widely acclaimed and used in a variety of educational settings since its publication in 2009. In a new second edition this fall, Smith rearticulates his core argument that human beings are lovers shaped by liturgies for our shifting world. The context has changed dramatically: the dominant "liturgies" shaping desire today are algorithmic feeds, streaming platforms, and AI interfaces–all enacting the desire complex of neoliberalism. This panel explores how Smith's framework meets this moment. Does the concept of embodied habit formation need rethinking when so much formation happens through disembodied digital practices? And in such a landscape, can a liberal arts education still be liberating?