Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture
A weekly podcast that offers Christian perspectives on some of the most significant issues facing today's church and culture. In each episode, hosts Scott Rae and Sean McDowell — professors at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology — draw upon biblical wisdom and insights from guest experts as they explore how Christians can thoughtfully and faithfully engage with cultural trends and current events.
Episodes
491 episodes
Medicine’s Wrong Turn? (with Brent Waters)
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? ...
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29:19
Cultural Update: Selecting embryos; AI romantic chatbots; Is sunlight and fresh air a human right?
This week, Scott and guest host Carmen Imes discuss: Can AI romantic chatbots become dangerously addictive? Exploring the emotional and e...
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56:35
Work and the Meaning of Life (with David Bahnsen)
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 Bah...
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35:39
Cultural Update: Is Therapy Causing Childlessness?; Gene Editing Moratorium; Charismatic Christianity's Growth
This week: Therapy Culture & Childlessness – Sean and Scott discuss a New York Times article suggesting that th...
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1:03:50
AI: Prospects and Perils (with Yohan Lee)
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,
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40:46
Answering Your Questions!
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 disci...
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46:57
The State of the Persecuted Church Today (with Brian Orme)
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 ...
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30:17
Cultural Update: Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery; Colorado Gender Laws; A Braindead Pregnant Woman Kept on Life Support; Personalized Gene-Editing
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 wom...
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59:50
Thinking Biblically about Exercise (with David Mathis)
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 ...
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35:25
Cultural Update: Are Young Men Lost?; Physician's Critique of Assisted Suicide; Pornhub's Secrets
This week: Are Young Men Lost or Returning to Faith? A deep dive into seemingly contradictory studies on young men: while many are falling ...
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59:38
Is Empathy a Sin? (with Tim Muehlhoff)
Is empathy being weaponized by Progressives to manipulate Christians into adopting certain ethical and political views? Is empathy a virtue, or merely an emotion that is sometimes a valuable and important means of loving people? There have been...
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59:09
Cultural Update: New Pope, Supreme Court Hears Case on Religious Charter Schools, New Successful Argument Against Transgenderism
This Week's Topics:A New Pope has been chosen by the Catholic Church
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1:01:17
Thinking Biblically About Disability (with Chris Ralston)
Why does God allow disabilities? What is the point of someone's disability? What is disability theology, and what are the implications of this for the church? In what sense will disabilities be healed when we meet the Lord? We’ll answer these q...
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36:26
Cultural Update: The Abortion Pill Harms Women; Dads Are Spending More Time With Their Kids
This week's topics: Abortion Pill Study: A massive study reveals serious health risks linked to the abortion pill mifepristone, with adverse events 22 times highe...
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58:33
Cohabitation: Is it Biblical and Wise?
What does the Bible say, if anything, about living together before marriage? Given that 70% of Americans now cohabit before marriage, and roughly 2/3 believe it will improve the odds of relationship success, what does the data show about how ef...
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38:01
Cultural Update: Was Jesus crucified with nails?; Young men return to church; Are Megachurches Ethical?
Topics this week: Controversy after Christianity Today published an article questioning whether Jesus was crucified with nails. The Supreme Court is debating whether parents can opt their kids out of ...
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1:00:07
The State of the Bible in 2025
How many Americans are engaging the Bible today? And in what ways? How does Bible reading affect giving to charity, life flourishing, and experience with loneliness? Sean and Scott discuss these questions, and more, by analyzing the latest repo...
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44:18
Weekly Cultural Update: Rise of Christian Faith in Women's Basketball, UK Supreme Court Rules on Gender, France Passes a New Law Regarding Sperm Donation, Richard Dawkins Asks, "Who is a Christian?"
Topics this week:Women's Basketball Player Embraces Her Faith
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1:00:14
The Unseen Realm: Analysis of the 10-year expanded edition
Michael Heiser is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars over the past decade. In this video, Sean is joined by Talbot Old Testament professor Charlie Trimm to discuss Heiser’s best-selling book “
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1:07:49
Cultural Update: The Ethics of Dire Wolves; What to Make of Miracles; Are Embryos Property?
Topics this week:An Atlantic article on Elaine Pagels' new book, "Miracles and Wonder." Is she downplaying the ...
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59:52
Apologetics for a New Generation
What should apologetics look like for this generation? What does it mean that apologetics is for everyone, not just specialists? How is the gospel good news, especially for women? We’ll discuss these questions and more with Sean around his new ...
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48:43
Cultural Update: Polygany Reduces Birthrates, Relatives Can Be "Brought Back to Life" Through AI Chatbots, and New Tech Allows for More Control Over Embryo Selection
This week's topics:Polygany Found to Cause Lower Birthrates than MonogamyAI Chatbots can Allow People to Talk with Deceased RelativesNew Tech allows for more Control Over Embryo Selection.Listener Ques...
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1:02:46
Intelligent Design: Dying or Flourishing? (with Doug Axe)
What is the state of the intelligent design movement today? How is it faring in the scientific realm, the church, and in the public? How has the strategy of the ID movement shifted, and what has it learned over the past 20 years? Our guest toda...
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43:21