Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

The evidence for the existence of the soul is stronger than many people think. In this episode, Sean interviews JP Moreland about the nature of the soul, how we know the soul is real, and why it matters. This is a bonus episode from the YouTube channel that Sean hosts in partnership with the Talbot Apologetics program. We take live questions from the viewing audience.  JP Moreland is Distinguished...

Eschatology, or the doctrine of the end times, often is portrayed largely speculation, based on difficult to interpret biblical texts and subject to widespread disagreement among theological scholars. Join us for Scott and Sean’s interview with Talbot professor Dr. Mark Saucy, as he explains why eschatology is important, and why a particular view of eschatology is significant for the follower of J...

With religious freedom under assault around the world and increasingly in the United States, it’s critical to go back to the American founding and hear from the founding fathers about how they viewed religious freedom, and why they enshrined it in the first amendment to the Constitution. Join us for this conversation with noted scholar Dr. Daniel Dreisbach about the religious beliefs of the founde...

Sean recently had a radio debate with a popular YouTuber on the question of whether the apostles died as martyrs. Do we have good historical sources for their fates? How does the evidence support the larger case for the resurrection of Jesus? This is a lively but respectful discussion about the founders of the Christian faith.   This is a bonus episode that aired first on Unbelievable? at Premier...

How do we experience God's forgiveness in our own lives? How does unforgiveness sabotage our relationships with others? In this powerful and memorable interview, Ruth Graham shares some of the difficulties of having a father (Billy Graham) who traveled so much and was so busy. With vulnerability, she shares her personal journey to forgiving her father and to experiencing God's love and f...

How should we think theologically about the COVID-19 pandemic? Join Scott and Sean as they interview internationally acclaimed New Testament scholar, NT Wright, as he talks about his new book, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath .  NT Wright is Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews and Senior Researc...

From time-to-time, we'll re-air an important episode that newer listeners may have missed. This episode was originally recorded in October 2017.   In part two of our conversation on race and the church, Sean McDowell and Scott Rae talk with Pastor Chris Brooks about the Black Lives Matter movement, the protests at NFL games and the notion of white privilege. Brooks is pastor of Evangel Minist...

From time-to-time, we'll re-air an important episode that newer listeners may have missed. This episode was originally recorded in October 2017.   Issues around race continue to be front-page news both in the culture at large and in the church. In this episode and the one that follows, Scott Rae and Sean McDowell interview Chris Brooks, pastor of Evangel Ministries, a large and predominantly...

Immigration continues to be one of the most divisive issues, both in the culture at large and in the church. Migration was one of the central concerns of the Bible since the people of God were a people on the move for much of biblical history. Join Sean and Scott for this stimulating discussion with Dr. Daniel Carroll Rodas, on what the Bible has to say about immigration.  Dr. M. Daniel Carroll, R...

The issue of gun violence and gun control is one of the most divisive issues in the US today. Philosopher Mike Austin has written a provocative book that attempts to bridge a cultural divide on this controversial issue. Join Scott and Sean for this stimulating discussion of what the Bible contributes to the issue of gun control, gun ownership and the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution.    Dr. Mike...

Few issues are more difficult and controversial at the same time than the ethical issues around the end of life, particularly assisted suicide. Dealing with the inevitable losses and suffering that come at the end of life are often what motivates a request for assisted suicide. Yet there can be ways of dealing with suffering without eliminating the sufferer. Join Scott and Sean in part two of thei...

Few issues are more difficult and controversial at the same time than the ethical issues around the end of life, particularly assisted suicide. Dealing with the inevitable losses and suffering that come at the end of life are often what motivates a request for assisted suicide. Yet there can be ways of dealing with suffering without eliminating the sufferer. Join Scott and Sean in part one of thei...

How should we assess the accuracy of the gospel record of the life of Jesus, since the conventions of history writing were somewhat different in the ancient world compared to today. In his massive study, Christobiography , NT scholar Craig Keener compares the gospel record to the way ancient biography was written. Keener insists that the gospels should be regarded as historically accurate biograph...

How should we assess the accuracy of the gospel record of the life of Jesus, since the conventions of history writing were somewhat different in the ancient world compared to today. In his massive study, Christobiography , NT scholar Craig Keener compares the gospel record to the way ancient biography was written. Keener insists that the gospels should be regarded as historically accurate biograph...

Twenty-five years ago, the Oklahoma City bombing became the worst act of terrorism on American soil. Yet out of this horrible tragedy, a story has emerged of remarkable redemption and reconciliation. Sean and Scott interview Jeanne Bishop, the author of a new book that chronicles the road to reconciliation of two unlikely fathers: Bill McVeigh (father of Timothy McVeigh) and Bud Welch (father of o...

God is moving powerfully among the Jewish community in Israel. From the perspective of a Bible professor in Israel, Dr. Mishkin shares how the Jewish Messianic movement in Israel is growing and thriving. He shares his personal story of coming to the Christian faith, his assessment of Jewish-Christian relations, and how to lovingly talk about Jesus with Jews.  David Mishkin serves on the faculty of...

One of the most destructive departures from biblical teaching spreading around the world today is what is known as the “prosperity gospel.” Scott and Sean interview pastor Costi Hinn, nephew of the well-known televangelist and proponent of the prosperity gospel, Benny Hinn. Join us for an inside look at the prosperity gospel from someone who has been on the inside and has re-examined it, and left...

While leading a recent student trip to Berkeley, Sean gave a pre-evangelistic message on the UC Berkeley campus. His approach was to give four reasons why a thought spiritual quest should begin with Christianity. And then he took live questions from students on a range of ethical, scientific, and theological issues. Enjoy this bonus episode of the Think Biblically podcast.    Our apologies for the...

According to David Platt, we live in a culture with values in deep conflict with the gospel. What does it mean to live out the Christian faith in such a world? In this interview about his book Counter Culture: Following Christ in an Anti-Christian Age , Sean interviews Dr. Platt about how Christians can lovingly and truthfully approach some of the toughest issues today including poverty, sex traff...

For over a decade, Justin Brierley has been hosting the popular radio show Unbelievable? , which is a program that features discussions between Christians and non-Christians. In this interview, Justin shares some of the insights he has learned about how to communicate gospel truth effectively in our increasingly secular world. And he shares some of the reasons he is still a Christian after all the...

If the Bible seems complicated to you, you’re in good company, and this conversation with Steve Green will help. In his new book, This Beautiful Book , Green lays out with clarity and simplicity, the big storyline of the Bible. Join us for this discussion of “this beautiful book.”  Steve Green is president of Hobby Lobby and co-founder of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.    Read a transcr...

In this episode, Sean and Craig Hazen discuss some of the most challenging questions about Christian faith. They discussed this together at Yorba Linda Friends Church. Join them as they give succinct and clear answers to these important questions.  Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2020/answering-the-toughest-questions   ========== Think Biblically:...

Where does the time go?, we frequently lament. Time is fixed for all of us yet around the world and historically there have been many different views of time, that emerge out of the worldview of the day. Best selling author and speaker Os Guinness reflects on our views of time and how a Christian worldview impacts how we view our time. Join us for this insightful conversation around his new book,...

New developments in biotechnology promise breakthroughs that could improve people’s lives, but also threaten to enhance human beings and alter human nature. Biochemist Fazale (Fuz) Rana opens a window to the new world of human enhancement technologies and the movement of transhumanism (transcending human nature) in this stimulating conversation.  Biochemist Dr. Fazale (Fuz) Rana writes and speaks...

Becket Cook has a remarkable story of transformation by the gospel. Before becoming a Christian, he lived as a gay man in Hollywood as a successful set designer. His life centered around celebrity-filled Hollywood parties and he traveled to society hot-spots around the world — until a chance encounter with a pastor at an LA coffee shop one morning changed everything. Sean interviews Becket about h...