Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture - Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae

Latest Episodes:

Medicine’s Wrong Turn? (with Brent Waters) Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Despite medicine’s remarkable advances, has it actually taken a wrong turn and lost something pretty important? What is the dominant worldview of medicine and health care today and how has that affected both patients and health care providers? What are the virtues that should govern health care to get it back on track? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Brent Waters, emeritus professor and founding director of the Stead Center for Ethics and Values at Garrett Evangelical Seminary. Brent will be a plenary speaker at the national conference of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, June 26-28. See cbhd.org/conference for more information.

Guest Bio: Brent Waters is the Emeritus Jerre and Mary Joy Professor of Christian Social Ethics, and Emeritus Director of the Jerre L. and Mary Joy Stead Center for Ethics and Values at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. He came to Garrett in 2001 and retired in 2022.

Waters is the author or co-editor of 11 books, including most recently, Common Callings and Ordinary Virtues: Christian Ethics for Everyday Life.

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Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.
Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically.
To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

Cultural Update: Selecting embryos; AI romantic chatbots; Is sunlight and fresh air a human right? Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

This week, Scott and guest host Carmen Imes discuss:

Can AI romantic chatbots become dangerously addictive? Exploring the emotional and ethical consequences of these pseudo-relationships.
What do couples do with leftover embryos after IVF? A Psychology Today article opens a discussion on grief, responsibility, and the image of God.
New genetic screening allows parents to select embryos based on up to 900 traits—raising urgent questions about modern eugenics and human worth.
A report from The Marshall Project details how some U.S. prisons deprive inmates of sunlight and fresh air.
Honoring the lives and legacies of Jennifer Lyell, a courageous abuse survivor, and Walter Brueggemann, a groundbreaking Old Testament scholar.
Listener Questions: Bible translation preferences, defining God’s sovereignty, and how Christians should think about taxes in light of American history.

Work and the Meaning of Life (with David Bahnsen) Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

How is work connected to one’s purpose and meaning in life? What can churches do to foster a biblical view of work? How do certain lower paying jobs contribute to a person’s sense of purpose? We’ll answer these and more with our guest David Bahnsen around his new book Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life.

David Bahnsen is the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a wealth management firm based in Newport Beach, California. The firm oversees $4 billion in client's assets. He is the author of several books including, Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It, and Mis-Inflation: The Truth About Inflation, Pricing, and the Creation of Wealth.

Cultural Update: Is Therapy Causing Childlessness?; Gene Editing Moratorium; Charismatic Christianity's Growth Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

This week:

Therapy Culture & Childlessness – Sean and Scott discuss a New York Times article suggesting that the rise in childlessness among Millennials and Gen Z may be linked to therapeutic culture and a fear of repeating parental mistakes.
Charismatic Christianity's Growth – A look at why charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity is the fastest-growing Christian movement globally, and what this spiritual hunger reveals about secularism and modern culture.
Gene Editing Moratorium – The hosts unpack a call for a 10-year global ban on heritable human genome editing, highlighting concerns over unintended consequences and ethical boundaries in germline modifications.
Planned Parenthood Closures – With clinics closing across several states, they examine what this trend says about abortion access, cultural shifts, and the growing use of abortion pills over surgical procedures.

AI: Prospects and Perils (with Yohan Lee) Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

How should we think biblically about AI? What are some of the exciting prospects for AI in the future? What should make us nervous about some of the uses of AI that are growing rapidly? We'll discuss these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Yohan Lee, Associate Dean of Technology here at Biola.

Dr. Yohan Lee holds the Promod and Dorcas Haque Endowed Chair of Technology and is Associate Dean of Technology and Professor of Computer Science in the School of Science, Technology and Health at Biola. He has been privileged to serve as a civil scientist (U.S. National Institutes of Health), Principal Investigator (Google AI), Chief Science Officer (Riiid Labs, Inc.), and CEO of his Silicon Valley AI startup (Scaled Entelechy, Inc). He holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and genomics from UCLA.

Answering Your Questions! May 30, 2025

Show notes

We got so many great questions from our listeners and we only have time for 2-3 in the Weekly Cultural Update. We have quite a backlog so we're devoting this episode entirely to your insightful questions. We'll cover things like How do we disciple our children? Was there animal violence before the Fall? What if education reform leaves behind kids that deserve better? What about Israel’s right to the land? We hope you enjoy this episode and that you keep your questions coming!

The State of the Persecuted Church Today (with Brian Orme) May 27, 2025

Show notes

What parts of the world are the most challenging for believers today? How has the relative comfort of American Christianity impacted spiritual growth, compared to communities experiencing persecution? What habits could American Christian adopt to more regularly remember and support our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world? We'll answer these questions and more with our guest, Brian Orme, CEO of Global Christian Relief.

Brian Orme is CEO of Global Christian Relief, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the persecuted church around the world. He founded ChurchLeaders.com, served as Senior Editor at Outreach magazine, and spent over a decade in pastoral ministry—equipping churches for both local and global impact.

Cultural Update: Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery; Colorado Gender Laws; A Braindead Pregnant Woman Kept on Life Support; Personalized Gene-Editing May 23, 2025

Show notes

New federal law targets the removal of deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery online.
Colorado law sparks controversy over parental rights and biblical views on sex and gender.
Georgia hospital keeps a brain-dead woman on life support due to state laws.
The world's first gene-editing treatment used to heal a one-week-old baby.

Thinking Biblically about Exercise (with David Mathis) May 20, 2025

Show notes

Why would a pastor write a theological book on exercise? Would Jesus exercise if he were here bodily today? What does the Bible say about exercise and physical activity? And are Christians sinning if they don't exercise? These are a few of the questions Sean and Scott explore with pastor David Mathis, author of the new book A Little Theology of Exercise.

David is senior teacher and executive editor of desiringGod.org, pastor at Cities Church (Saint Paul), and adjunct professor for Bethlehem College & Seminary (Minneapolis). He is author of ‘Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines.’ His articles and messages are available online at desiringGod.org/mathis. He is married to Megan and father of four children.

Cultural Update: Are Young Men Lost?; Physician's Critique of Assisted Suicide; Pornhub's Secrets May 16, 2025

Show notes

This week:

Are Young Men Lost or Returning to Faith?
A deep dive into seemingly contradictory studies on young men: while many are falling behind in education and mental health, others are returning to church and discovering faith through the Bible, not institutional religion.

The Role of Fathers and Masculinity
Sean and Scott discuss how the absence of fathers, misapplied cultural expectations, and lack of male mentorship contribute to young men's struggles today.

Exposing Pornhub’s Dark Secrets
A disturbing New York Times report reveals internal documents from Pornhub detailing massive amounts of child sexual abuse material and corporate negligence.

What Does It Really Mean to Die with Dignity?
The hosts reflect on a physician’s critique of assisted suicide laws, arguing true dignity comes from care, community, and affirming the worth of the vulnerable—not offering them an early death.

Listener Q&A: Eastern Medicine and Cohabitation
Thoughtful responses to audience questions on the ethical use of alternative medicine (book mentioned) and how to lovingly address adult children who are cohabitating.

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