Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

Topics this week:  Will AI slop take over in 2026? How AI-generated media is breaking our ability to tell what’s real, and why rebuilding trust and virtue matters more than just better tech.  AI manipulation + Iran protests : How AI can distort protest footage and narratives, making propaganda easier and truth harder to confirm in real time. Affirmative action after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling :...

With churchgoing in decline in the US, what is the relevance of the church today? What’s the significance of the Bible using the language of family to describe the church? And what do we say to the person who insists that they can have a vibrant spiritual life but don’t need the church? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest colleague in OT, Dr. Carmen Imes, from her new book, Becomi...

To kick off 2026, Sean and Scott discuss: The Top 5 Religious Trends to Watch in 2026 A federal judge's ruling about teachers' rights to inform parents about a child's gender identity. Arguments for allowing organ donation prior to death A New York Times feature on near-death experiences Listener followup on our recent episode about alcohol ========== Think Biblically: Conversations...

What is alternative medicine? What does the Bible have to say about it? What is the connection between one’s faith and one’s health? We'll answer these questions and more with our guest, Ohio State University Professor Dr. Donal O'Mathuna, around his book, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook .  Dr. Donal O'Mathuna, a native of Ireland, is Professor in the College of Nursing...

What does the Bible say about the use of alcohol? How is alcohol both God’s gift and a curse at the same time? What does the use of wine in the Eucharist say about acceptability for other uses? We’ll address these questions and more with our guest Dr. John Anthony Dunne around his book The Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine .  Dr. John Anthony Dunne is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Bethel S...

America has a religious landscape unlike any other country on earth. But it is rapidly changing. In this episode, we interview Ryan Burge, a leading demographer on religious trends in America. We discuss the present state and future of evangelicalism. And we explore the growth and status of other religious groups such as Jews, Muslims, Latter-day Saints, Black Protestants, Secularism, and more. Fi...

Stories this week: A woman in Japan “ marries ” an AI chatbot, raising serious questions about the nature of marriage, human relationships, and how emerging technologies blur the line between real and artificial intimacy.  An Atlantic article suggests physics may be reaching the limits of reductionism, as living systems exhibit emergence, self-organization, and information that can’t be explained...

It is not an understatement to say that AI has revolutionized virtually every aspect of human life. What should characterize a Christian posture towards AI? Should we be concerned? Optimistic? How do we think biblically about it the emergence of new AI technology? In this unique episode, Sean is joined by three Biola/Talbot professors who are experts in their fields and in AI: Yohan Lee , Associat...

Stories this week:  Marijuana and youth health: New medical studies show legalization has coincided with a sharp rise in adolescent ER visits, including severe physical and psychiatric effects, raising ethical and biblical concerns about bodily stewardship.  Australia’s social media ban: Australia enacted the world’s first nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16 , shifting re...

Who was Dr. C. Everett Koop and why is his life so significant? How did he become so passionate about abortion? How did he navigate bioethical controversies during his tenure as Surgeon General under President Ronald Reagan? We’ll discuss these questions and more with our guest and Dr. Koop’s biographer, Dr. Nigel Cameron.  Biographer Nigel Cameron is President Emeritus of the Center for Policy on...

This week:  “Jesus Bots” & AI Spirituality: Sean and Scott discuss a New York Times piece on religious chatbots , raising concerns about me-centered faith, shallow “AI Jesus” advice, and how tech may distort spiritual formation. UC San Diego’s Education Crisis: A Wall Street Journal editorial reveals that 1 in 12 UCSD freshmen can’t perform middle-school math , prompting a conversation about g...

Is Biola University staying true to its biblical mission? In this candid episode of the Think Biblically podcast, Biola University President Dr. Barry H. Corey joins hosts Dr. Sean McDowell, associate professor of Christian apologetics, and Dr. Scott Rae, senior advisor to the president for university mission and professor of philosophy and Christian ethics, for a conversation about the pressures...

Why is it that Christians tend to focus on the brokenness of creation rather than its goodness? What if we shifted our attention to highlighting that God made the world to be our home, and as a result, focused on loving the world? Sean and Tim Muehlhoff discuss the proper balance we can find between recognizing the sinfulness and goodness of the world and what this means for discipleship and evang...

While God has made us to be ambitious, there can be a deep spiritual cost for striving to be better than others. Miroslav Volf is one of the leading public theologians. In this episode, based on his book " The Cost of Ambition ," Dr. Volf explains how the teachings of Jesus and Paul offer a means for how we can aim for excellence without being plagued by our own sense of inferiority.  Mi...

Loneliness & Misinformation: Sean and Rick unpack new research linking rising loneliness, especially among young adults, to increased susceptibility to conspiracy theories and online misinformation, emphasizing the need for real community and diverse conversation partners. Tesla’s ‘Robot Army’: They discuss Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to deploy one million humanoid robots, raising concerns abou...

What are the main tenets of the sexual revolution and who are some of the main victims? How do the debates over gender connect to the overall sexual revolution? Who are some of the main victims of the sexual revolution? What is the view of the body in gender ideology and how is that different from a Christian view of the body? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Jennifer Mors...

Abortion access after Dobbs: Sean and Scott unpack a New York Times editorial on how telehealth and the abortion pill have reshaped the landscape, debate concerns about safety and framing, and address misleading claims around emergency care.  Rising antisemitism: The hosts analyze the resurgence of antisemitism across the political spectrum—including Tucker Carlson platforming Nick Fuentes—and dis...

How can we unlock our talent, treasure, and time for the kingdom? Ruslan KD is a highly successful YouTuber, entrepreneur, and rapper. He has a new book out called " Godly Ambition. " He and Sean discuss his journey to faith and how to develop a platform for Christ without falling into many dangerous traps of our social media age.  Ruslan KD, a hip-hop artist, content creator, and entrep...

NYC’s New Mayor: Sean and Scott discuss the election of progressive Muslim democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor—exploring socialism’s renewed appeal, the moral framework behind market economies, and biblical principles of work, property, and caring for the poor Surrogacy in Crisis: Troubling trends in the surrogacy industry—lack of oversight, exploitation of low-income...

Tim Tebow is known for being a Heismann Trophy winner and an NFL quarterback. But he also spearheads one of the most influential anti-trafficking organizations today. He has a new book out, Look Again , in which he talks about the importance of understanding human value and caring for the vulnerable amongst us. Sean and Tim have a fun, intense, and impactful conversation.  ========== Think Biblica...

Relational Discontent: Sean and Rick discuss a New York Times  piece on growing unhappiness in modern relationships, exploring how dating apps and individualism have replaced duty and community with self-focused fulfillment. They contrast fleeting “happiness” with the deeper pursuit of meaning. Gambling and Sports: They unpack the NBA betting scandal and the rise of legalized gambling in America,...

Is there a way to reconcile differences in the body of Christ over the role of women in the church and the home? In some ways, this issue is tearing the church apart, and our guest on this episode has a unique proposal of how the church can move forward with unity on this topic amidst significant differences. Professor Gregg Allison is the author of a new book, Complementarity and he is here to ta...

We have so many great questions that come in each week and only have time for a handful of them on our Weekly Cultural Update. So we’re devoting this entire episode to your questions. This time the questions deal with the following:  Is there a biblical mandate to vote? Should we use gene editing to cure Down syndrome? Where does national identity fit with our allegiance to God’s Kingdom? Does God...

What are some of the aspects of the human body that point to the design of God?; For example, how does the function of your eyes, lungs and even the function of your individual cells point to God as an intelligent designer? How does religious observance affect a person’s physical and mental health? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Rick Zimmerman, a physician and an infecti...

Scott is joined by guest co-host Erik Thoennes to discuss: Hostage Return in Gaza : Celebrating the return of all surviving Israeli hostages and discussing the theological and political complexities of the Israel–Gaza peace accord.  Faith and Gen Z: Exploring new data showing a rise in Christian faith among Gen Z —even as suicide rates among the same generation reach record highs—and how both tren...