x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae

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.

religion & spirituality christianity

All Episodes

59:57

Cultural Update: Fertility Rates Drop in the US;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/04/10

Declining U.S. Fertility Rates: Scott and Sean discuss how the U.S. fertility rate has hit a historic low. They explore how economic pressures and a secular worldview that prioritizes personal "settling" over family are driving this decline. Canada’s "Online Harms" Bill (C-63): They examine a new Canadian bill that aims to combat hate but may threaten religious liberty. Concerns are raised about increased penalties for "hate crimes" and how broadly "hate" might be defined by the government. F...

en-us

50:03

The New Pornocracy and Why It Matters

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/04/07

In terms of influence and economic power, the porn industry is one of the largest and most influential industries in the world. A new book has been released which offers a secular critique of the "pornocracy," which means that it is no longer just conservatives proclaiming that porn rewires the brain and normalizes sexual violence. Sean and Scott discuss this disturbing new book and what it means for the church. *Warning: this episode is not for children. ========== Think Biblically: Convers...

en-us

58:27

Cultural Update: The Pope Speaks on War; Supreme...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/04/03

The Pope’s Call for Peace: Scott and Erik analyze Pope Francis’s Palm Sunday homily, where he argued that Jesus cannot be used to justify war. They discuss whether this represents a shift toward pacifism and how it contrasts with the historic Christian "Just War" tradition. Supreme Court & "Talk Therapy": The hosts break down the recent 8-1 SCOTUS decision favoring a Christian therapist in Colorado. They explore why the court viewed the state's ban on conversion "talk therapy" as an uncon...

en-us

30:31

The Jewish Roots of American Liberty (with Stuart...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/31

What is the contribution of Judaism and the Hebrew Bible to Western concept of liberty? How did the Hebrew Bible influence Western concepts of law in particular? And how did the experience of Israel and the main characters in Israel’s history impact the American founders? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest Rabbi Stuart Halpern around his book, The Jewish Roots of American Liberty. Dr. Stuart Halpern is Senior Adviser to the Provost of Yeshiva University and Deputy Dire...

en-us

59:33

Weekly Cultural Update: Paper Drugs in Prisons;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/27

The New Frontier of the Drug War: Hosts Sean McDowell and Scott Ray discuss a terrifying "quantum leap" in the drug trade where synthetic, lab-made drugs are being sprayed onto innocuous items like books and letters to be smuggled into prisons. Public Prayer and Religious Liberty: The hosts examine the implications of thousands of Muslims praying publicly in New York City, balancing the Judeo-Christian roots of religious freedom with the need to maintain the right to disagree with different w...

en-us

44:24

Reading Scripture as a Gift and not a Burden (with...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/24

What are the different gifts we get from being immersed in God’s Word? How do we develop a hunger for Scripture? And why do we so often see reading Scripture as a burden rather than a blessing. We’ll tackle these questions and more with our guest, our Talbot colleague in theology, Dr. Uche Anizor around his new book, The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture. Dr. Uche Anizor is Professor and Chair of the Undergraduate Theology at Talbot. He is the author of eight books, including the...

en-us

59:57

Cultural Update: Is Iran War Ethical?; Rigging March...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/20

This week, Scott and Sean discuss: Just War, Modern Targets: Sean and Scott weigh whether Israel’s targeted killings of Iranian leaders can fit within just war reasoning while warning against pulling Old Testament examples out of context. March Madness, Trust Erodes: A college basketball betting scandal raises the bigger fear that even suspected game-rigging can make fans wonder whether what they’re watching is real. The Sexual Recession: Two new books spark a conversation a...

en-us

59:57

Living in the Shadow of Grief (with Dave Keehn)

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/17

Is it possible to find hope and healing in the shadow of grief? How can we move forward after the loss of a loved one, such as a child, and both trust God and appropriately grieve? In today’s episode, Sean talks with Talbot professor Dr. Dave Keehn, who is the author of a new, heart-wrenching, hopeful, and biblically-based book about processing grief after the premature loss of his son, Adam. Dave Keehn has served for over 30 years in youth ministry in both small and large churches. Aft...

en-us

58:56

Cultural Update: American Support for Israel;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/13

American Support for Israel: Support for Israel among younger evangelicals has dropped significantly, moving from 75% in 2018 to just 34% in 2021. This shift is attributed to younger generations being less tethered to traditional end-times theology than their predecessors. Evil AI and Virtue Ethics: Researchers found that even small coding errors in AI can lead to "blatantly evil" suggestions. This has sparked a resurgence of interest in classical virtue ethics as a way to prioritize characte...

en-us

129:07

Hell in the Bible: Eternal Torment or Annihilation?...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/10

Is hell eternal conscious punishment or does the Bible teach that the wicked will ultimately be destroyed? This is one of the most debated theological questions among Christians today. Today, we have two leading scholars to explore the biblical case for two different views of hell: eternal conscious punishment and conditional immortality (annihilationism). Together they examine key passages from both the Old and New Testaments and covers major texts such as Daniel 12, Matthew 25, Mark 9, Luke...

en-us

59:36

Cultural Update: Talarico's Progressive Christianity;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/06

Supreme Court Backs Parental Rights: The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 emergency injunction blocking California's policy that required schools to hide students' gender transitions from their parents, affirming that parents—not the state—hold primary authority in their children's upbringing.Progressive Christianity Enters Texas Politics: James Talarico, a self-described progressive Christian who won the Texas Senate primary, claims to offer a faith-based alternative to the Christian right.Epstein...

en-us

39:36

The Virtues of Capitalism, Part 2 of 2

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/03/03

Should Christians support capitalism? How effective has capitalism been in elevating people out of poverty? In this episode, which is the second part of a two-part series, Sean and Scott lay out the positive case for capitalism (aka, market economics). In the first part of this series, they offer a critique of socialism. In this episode, they advance a moral and biblical case for free markets and they respond to the most common objections. Scott's 2010 book on this subject is called The...

en-us

60:18

Cultural Update: AI Date Cafe; Skincare for Toddlers;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/27

AI Date Cafe: A New York City cafe is offering "tables for one" designed for people to take their AI chatbots on public dates, prompting a discussion on isolation and the value of messy, real-life relationships. The Toddler Skincare Trend: Major brands are now marketing multi-step skincare routines to toddlers and elementary-aged children, raising concerns about the early onset of vanity and appearance-based anxiety. Shifting Gender Narratives: Scott and Sean examine a recent New York T...

en-us

60:05

Why Christians Should Not Be Leftists, Part 1 of 2

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/24

What is Leftism and can it be consistently wed with a Christian worldview? And is Leftism gaining ground in the culture and church? In this episode, Sean and Scott explore these questions and more in their review of the book Why Christians Should Be Leftists by Phil Christman. They carefully define Leftism, look for positives and common ground in the case made by Christman, and then compare Leftism with the biblical, economic, and historical facts. ========== Think Biblically: Conversations ...

en-us

59:16

Cultural Update: The Monetization of Loneliness;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/20

The Monetization of Loneliness: A new study shows that Americans spend more on OnlyFans than on ChatGPT and The New York Times combined, suggesting the platform is monetizing deep-seated cultural loneliness. Manhattan Hospital Ends Youth Gender Treatments: Sean and Scott discuss reports on NYU Langone Health's decision to discontinue its transgender youth medical program following federal funding threats and proposed regulatory changes. Surprising UK Abortion Data: The discussion covers alarm...

en-us

52:16

Finding Freedom in Jesus (with JP Foster)

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/17

What does it mean to experience genuine freedom today? And how can a study of God’s attributes bring that freedom? In this episode, we talk with pastor JP Foster about his new book (co-written with Talbot professor Matt Williams): Finding Freedom in Jesus: The 21 Attributes of Your Identity in Christ. We discuss how understanding God’s character can transform our understanding of who we are, and as a result, leading to relational, spiritual, and emotional freedom. JP Foster serves...

en-us

60:19

Cultural Update: Social Network for Bots; AI...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/13

This week: AI Bots' Social Network: Moltbook platform allows AI agents to interact with each other while humans can only observe, raising questions about whether artificial general intelligence (AGI) is emerging as bots create their own theology, dating profiles, and secret communication systems. NYT Reverses Marijuana Stance: The New York Times published an article admitting many of its earlier predictions about marijuana legalization were wrong, acknowledging unexpected negative conse...

en-us

32:05

Suffering and our Spiritual Lives (with Craig Keener)

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/10

Does God cause our suffering? How is it a privilege to suffer for Christ? And what happens to a person’s faith when experiencing suffering, and how can we have joy in adversity? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest Dr. Craig Keener, around his new book entitled, Suffering: Its Meaning for the Spirit-Filled Life. Dr. Craig S. Keener is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of 37 books with 1.4 million copies ...

en-us

60:48

Cultural Update: $2 Million Gender Medicine Verdict;...

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/06

This week, Scott and Erik Thoennes discuss: $2 Million Gender Medicine Verdict: A New York jury awarded $2 million to a detransitioner who underwent a double mastectomy at age 16, marking a landmark legal decision that could significantly impact gender medicine practices as about 30 similar cases wind through the legal system. The Rise of AI Boyfriends: Women are increasingly using AI companions, raising concerns about artificial intimacy replacing real human relationships and the emoti...

en-us

33:31

A Psychologist Watches "The Chosen" (with Liz Hall)

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture ·

2026/02/03

How would a psychologist view the TV series, The Chosen? What does the portrayal of the characters, namely Jesus, say about how we connect with God? We’ll talk about these questions and more with our guest, Rosemead colleague and psychologist, Dr. Liz Hall, who contributed to a new book, Watching The Chosen. Dr. Liz Hall is Professor of Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. Her research interests include women and work, mothering, sexism, embodiment and meaning-...

en-us

573 results

Similar Podcasts

Jeff Haygood, Pastor

PodPoint

PASTOR ALVARO VALENCIA

Pastor Alvaro Valencia

Grace Life Church CT.

Joseph Levesque

Pleasant View Church

Ted Nance

Christian Heritage Church"s Podcast

PodPoint