Science and Spirituality for the Curious

Send us Fan Mail Do Christians have to believe that the miracle stories in the Bible literally happened in order to be faithful followers of Jesus?  In this thought-provoking episode, Richard Randolph explores one of the most challenging questions at the intersection of science and faith. Drawing on biblical scholarship, theology, and his own spiritual journey, Richard argues that Christians can r...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Science and Spirituality for the Curious , I explore an important question: What happens when we integrate our spiritual lives with our physical lives, rather than treating them as separate dimensions of human existence? My guest is Rev. Dr. Shelly Petz, author of Meet You at Nine , which is available for purchase at Amazon.com . Shelly’s new book chronicles her...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features a panel discussion and review of the controversial new film, The Story of Everything.   Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer is the screenwriter, and he draws heavily from his book, Return of the God Hypothesis .  The film was directed by Eric Esau.  It has had a limited release in U.S. theaters through Fathom Entertainment.     Panelists explored these quest...

Send us Fan Mail Richard Randolph has a fascinating discussion with John Grim, a historian of religions focusing on Indigenous Traditions. During their conversation, John shares his experiences learning from indigenous peoples, including being adopted by Crow people from Montana and invited to participate in their Sun Dance ceremonials. He reflects on what people from other faiths and spiritualiti...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard examines one of the most profound questions in the Christian faith:  Can science explain—or prove—the Resurrection?  Drawing on conversation with physicist-theologian Robert Russell, this episode explores whether scientific cosmology can inform—and deepen—our understanding of resurrection.   Contents This episode begins by noting that there has always been...

Send us Fan Mail John Grimm, and his spouse Mary Evelyn Tucker, are co-founders of the Yale Forum on Ecology and Religion.  Previously they also organized a series of conferences at Harvard University, resulting in a multi-volume series on Religions and Ecology.   Contents:  The conversation begins with John describing the process he and Mary Evelyn used to create the multi-volume collection of es...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard interviews Dr. Brian Swimme, a mathematical cosmologist and evolutionary philosopher, best known for articulating a “universe story” in collaboration with the late cultural historian and theologian Thomas Berry.  Their work integrates contemporary cosmology with spiritual reflection through a story that explores cosmic evolution—from the Big Bang to the em...

Send us Fan Mail To contribute to the SSI year-end challenge match campaign, click here:  https://scienceandspirituality.org/giving-tuesday/    In this episode, Richard interviews Dr. Zeynep Kuleli, a historian of Science and Technology.  They discuss Dr. Kuleli’s research into Sufi spirituality and its implications for the vibrant floriculture in early modern Istanbul.  After their conversation,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard Randolph has a far-ranging conversation on Buddhism, ecology, and Western science with Dr. Stephanie Kaza.  Dr. Kaza is Professor Emerita at the University of Vermont, where she taught Environmental Studies for many years.  She also has lay ordination as a Zen Buddhist.  She has written extensively on religion and ecology, eco-feminism, consumer culture, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard Randolph interviews Olivier Bonnassies, who along with Michel-Yves Bolloré, is co-author of the book, God, The Science, The Evidence, The Dawn of a Revolution.   This book was originally published in France in 2021.  Since its publication, the book has sold more than 400,000 copies.  An English translation has just been published by Palomar Press.   Conten...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard explores how Artificial Intelligence technology might be appropriately used within faith communities, as well as how individual persons might use the technology to enhance their spiritual practices.    Contents  Defining Artificial Intelligence and understanding different levels of AI, from the current state of the technology to projections about what it m...

Send us Fan Mail This episode examines the cultural warfare against science and scientists, with special attention to the severe reductions in federal funding for research proposed by the Trump Administration.  The podcast includes a financial overview of this extraordinary reduction in research funding, as well as an analysis of the risks and consequences the downsizing entails for American socie...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features a conversation with Thomas Oord, a leading Christian theologian in “Open and Relational Theology.”  He is the Director of the Center for Open and Relational Theology and also on the doctoral faculty at Northwind Seminary.      In his theology, Oord proposes that God is not aloof or impassible, but deeply relational—able to influence and be influenced by Creat...

Send us Fan Mail Some have argued that the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a “fourth industrial revolution.”  We still have much to learn about AI and the ultimate scope of its influence.  Yet, this much is already certain, AI will have a profound impact on humanity; perhaps even re-shaping our understanding of what it means to be human.  Since faith and spirituality form an i...

Send us Fan Mail Although we have not yet detected Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI), there’s a very strong probability that ETI does exist in the universe and that it may some day contact us. What would that mean for Earth-based faiths and spiritualities? Would the existence of ETI destroy their viability, leading to their demise? Or, would the discovery of ETI serve to deepen and enhance these...

Send us Fan Mail In the late 1800s, two books were published in the United States, arguing that science and religion were locked in an inevitable zero-sum conflict that would only be resolved when one winner emerged and completely vanquished its opponent.  This viewpoint came to be called the “warfare thesis.”  At the time of their publication, both books were severely criticized by book reviewers...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we will explore an important question in scientific cosmology and spirituality:  Our universe contains a number of physical constants woven into diverse equations that govern physical laws and determine the conditions for life.  Over the years, physicists have marveled at how the values of these physical constants are just right for the emergence of carbon-based l...

Send us Fan Mail Since Ian Barbour’s pioneering work in the mid-1960s, there has been a lively dialogue between spirituality and many scientific disciplines, including physics, biology, neuroscience,  and genetics.  By comparison, there has been relatively little dialogue between spirituality and mathematics.  In this episode, Richard explores this emerging intersection with Dr. Sarah Voss, a math...

Send us Fan Mail Richard discusses the different ways ethics can inform the science and spirituality relationship.  To lay the groundwork for his exploration of ethics in science and spirituality, Richard begins by drawing two very important distinctions:  First, he discusses the distinction between ethics and morality.  Second, he explains the distinction between secular or philosophical ethics v...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, Richard Randolph begins by acknowledging the disastrous misunderstanding prevalent in society that science and spirituality  are somehow locked in a bitter winner-take-all conflict for supremacy.  Against this false myth, Richard asserts that, on the contrary, most religions and spiritualities have historically supported and nurtured science as an important h...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, Richard Randolph does a deep dive into our understanding of spirituality.  He acknowledges that people have different spiritualities.  Yet at the same time, he believes that these diverse spiritualities all share a common core of seven attributes, which are essential for authentic spirituality.  These seven attributes are:  Openness   Being part of something...

Send us Fan Mail Robert J. Russell is a very unique individual and highly qualified in the area of science and spirituality. Now retired, he has a Ph. D. in Physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and he is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. In this interview, Richard Randolph and Robert Russell discuss Christian theodicy--or, The Problem of Evil--and the theological...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard explores the ethical challenges and spiritual questions raised by the new CRISPR technology with Dr. Marnie Gelbart, who is Director of Programs at the Harvard Medical School’s Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue Program (PGED).   Richard began with an overview of CRISPR technology, emphasizing its precision and potential cost-effectiveness.  He emp...

Send us Fan Mail  Richard’s guest for this episode is Dr. Hermina Nedelescu, a neuroscientist at the Scripps Institute.  Hermina is a third-generation scientist from Romania.  Her current research focuses on neural circuits and their role in emotional responses to drug use and sexual abuse.  Hermina is also an Orthodox Christian, currently pursuing her Masters degree at the Center for Theology and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Richard talks with Ted Peters about UFOs as a cultural phenomenon.  A Lutheran theologian, Ted Peters has been a central figure in the long-standing dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians.  He has a long-standing interest in UFOs—now called UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena)—dating back to his childhood.    Although many of us tend to dismiss U...