When Brian McLaren got a call from his editor asking if he’d like to travel to the Galapagos Islands and write about it it took all of a few seconds to agree. The book he wrote is called the Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey. In this episode Jim Stump talks to him about the book and about a theology that is informed by wild places and the scientific knowledge that helps us understand those places. Brian McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. He is a former English p...
Apr 16, 2020•58 min
With an overwhelming amount of news about the coronavirus coming out daily, we thought it would be best to go all the way to the top, with updates on the coronavirus from the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins. Francis Collins is also the founder of BioLogos and a committed Christian. In this conversation with Jim Stump, he answers questions from listeners about the current scientific knowledge of the virus and talks about how he views the pandemic through the lens of...
Apr 09, 2020•51 min
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to our identities as Christians. We believe that Christ died for our sins and that he will come again one day. But we live in the times of social distancing, with Easter services that will happen remotely, with Easter hymns sung in our living rooms instead of in chapels. In this special episode, Jim reflects on what the resurrection—along with the suffering and death that precede it—means in this time of uncertainty and fear, in this time of ...
Apr 02, 2020•27 min
In this episode, Jim Stump is joined by author, speaker, and professor Sean McDowell. They talk about how apologetics has changed from his father’s original work a generation ago and how to reach those leaving the church today. But their conversation centers around the science of evolution and whether Christians should accept it. They don’t necessarily see eye to eye on this topic, so what follows is a hearty discussion about where those disagreements come from. Sean McDowell is an Associate Pro...
Mar 26, 2020•49 min
It’s not every day that we come face to face with science in such a drastic way as we have with the coronavirus, sweeping through our communities and upending our routines. Many of us feel a great deal of anxiety and worry and we want to respond to some of that by reaching into the science with three interviews from scientists in the fields of microbiology, biochemistry, and infectious disease, all of them speaking from the Christian perspective. Ben McFarland teaches biochemistry and chemistry ...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist. And she’s a Christian. You may have noticed that climate change is not a topic that is often brought into the church because it often seems to divide people more than bring them together. But Katharine wants to change that. Her science doesn’t come in spite of her faith but because of it. She sits down with Jim Stump to talk specifically about some of the common misconceptions about climate change, the science of how we know about past climate changes, an...
Mar 12, 2020•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, Jim Stump is joined by Professor Emeritus of Biology at Point Loma Nazarene University, Darrel Falk. Darrel reminisces about some of his experiences with the early genetic sciences as well as his role in the beginnings of BioLogos as an organization. They then dive into human identity, and how cooperation has had a role in shaping our genetic makeup. Darrel Falk served as BioLogos’ president from 2010-2012. He recently wrote The Fool and the Heretic with Todd Wood. He is also th...
Mar 05, 2020•45 min
Kutter Callaway started leading youth ministry in Theater 5 with the big screen as a backdrop. Film, music, and art have always been one of his main entries into spirituality and led him to his position as Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Seminary. In this episode, Jim Stump and Kutter Calloway discuss how art and pop-culture have become an underlying meta-narrative for our culture and lens through which we understand our spirituality. They ask the question, how should a Chr...
Feb 27, 2020•45 min
In a small laboratory, a participant sits with electrodes attached to her brow and a heart rate monitor humming in the background as she considers a time in her life when someone did wrong to her. This is a glimpse into a study of forgiveness. The results of a study like this teach us a lot about what forgiveness is and how it works. And although it is a scientific endeavor, it has direct effects on our spiritual lives. Jim Stump sat down with Charlotte vanOyen-Witvliet, a psychologist from Hope...
Feb 13, 2020•57 min
From marriage and parenting to managing life in a world of social media, relationships are very central to our lives, and in some cases to our happiness and wellbeing. So what happens when problems arise in these huge aspects of our lives? In this episode, Jim Stump is joined by clinical psychologist Mari Clements whose work focuses on helping real people in real relationships with real problems. The conversation focuses on how the tools of psychology can be useful for working through some of th...
Feb 06, 2020•48 min
Science helps us to explain many things in the natural world. When it comes to psychology, it may even be able to help us understand why we think, behave, and believe the way that we do. Sometimes people fear these explanations, and even psychology itself, because of the perceived potential to be used to explain away their belief in God. Experimental psychologist Justin Barrett joins Jim Stump in this episode to discuss why he believes in the opposite. He also tells all about the new project he’...
Jan 30, 2020•46 min
April Maskiewicz Cordero joins Jim Stump and BioLogos’ Resources Editor, Kathryn Applegate, to discuss what it’s like to teach college biology at a Christian college. She touches on her personal experience with the climate of conflict between science and religion, and how that helps her to meet her students where they are. She shares some stories of students that give her hope and touches on her research that looks at teaching controversial issues like climate change and evolution to Christian s...
Jan 23, 2020•55 min
Alister McGrath is one of the iconic voices in the dialogue between science and faith. After receiving his doctorate in biological sciences from Oxford University he decided to pursue theology with the same gusto that he approaches all of his intellectual work. Today, he brings his wisdom on these topics that is backed up by multiple doctoral degrees, many books on the subject, and several decades thinking, teaching, and writing about science and faith. Jim Stump talks to him about two of his re...
Jan 16, 2020•48 min
In this episode we tell two stories of finding harmony in faith and science. The stories come from Garrett and Amanda, two young people who were deeply connected to young-earth creation—that is, until they started to see some cracks developing in their reasoning which sent them on a journey to discover how to reframe their scientific view of the world while holding closely to their Christian faith. Both found their way through the next phase of their spiritual journey in different ways but their...
Dec 12, 2019•44 min
This is Part 2 of our dialogue with Reasons to Believe For many years BioLogos and Reasons to Believe have been having a dialogue about faith and science. The two organizations agree about the scientific conclusions on the ancient age of the Earth, but disagree on the science of evolution. But we have built a fruitful relationship together. In the second half of our live dialogue, Hugh Ross and Deb Haarsma talk about how a background in astrophysics led them to their current work as leaders of C...
Dec 05, 2019•53 min
This is Part 1 of our dialogue with Reasons to Believe. For many years BioLogos and Reasons to Believe have been having a dialogue about faith and science. The two organizations agree about the scientific conclusions on the ancient age of the Earth, but disagree on the science of evolution. But we have built a fruitful relationship together. In the first half of our live dialogue, Fuz Rana and Darrel Falk talk about how this relationship developed and then discuss how they have come to such diff...
Dec 05, 2019•56 min
Mike McHargue, aka Science Mike, is the cofounder of The Liturgists podcast and host of the podcast Ask Science Mike . In this episode he shares the story of his own faith journey, which involves leaving the church and eventually finding his way back after a mystical experience. Since then, he has made an effort through his podcast and writing to help others going through faith transitions. In this episode, Jim and Mike discuss the trends of faith transitions in the United States and how science...
Nov 21, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Theology is a tool we use to better understand God. But how does it work? How do we know when a theological claim is true? Jim asks these questions to professional theologian Oliver Crisp. Oliver’s search for theological truths has led him think and write about topics like Adam and Eve, sin, and the fall and he talks to us about how other disciplines, including science, have informed this theological work. Oliver Crisp is professor of analytic theology at University of St Andrews in Scotland.He ...
Nov 14, 2019•44 min
Jim Stump is joined by BioLogos president Deb Haarsma to talk about one of the perennial science and faith topics—Adam & Eve. They lay out some of the different perspectives on Adam & Eve and also some of the problems that come along with each perspective, bringing in science where it’s appropriate but also finding that science won’t lead us to definitive answers on many of the questions that arise. Because this is a complex topic with many different perspectives, we asked several expert...
Nov 07, 2019•51 min
Jim Stump and Templeton Award winning physicist, Marcelo Gleiser dive into the ocean of the unknown, discussing the nature of science and how we know what we know. Since he was a child, Gleiser has been fascinated by the biggest questions about life and existence. Those questions led him to physics and cosmology and he has spent a significant part of his career communicating science to the general public. While Gleiser considers himself a religious agnostic, he has consistently pushed back again...
Oct 24, 2019•54 min
The question of faith and science has often been posed in only one direction—how does faith affect science? As Christians, this question is more comfortable because it plants our religious beliefs in the center, keeping them untouched. But what about when the question is flipped—when science affects faith? Rick Lindroth joins producer Colin Hoogerwerf to describe how this latter question has played an important role in his life. They also discuss the dangerous reality of insect collapse and the ...
Oct 17, 2019•45 min
In this bonus episode, Language of God Producer Colin Hoogerwerf brings a short reflection on finding hope in the outdoors. Find more articles and resources about caring for creation at biologos.org or join a discussion about this episode at the BioLogos Forum , A good place to start is Why Should Christians Care for Creation?...
Oct 10, 2019•11 min
On today’s episode, Lynette Strickland joins Jim and producer Colin Hoogerwerf to ruminate on her love for creation. Lynette shares how her childhood curiosity in the natural world grew into a passion for doing science, why variation in a species could help it adapt to changing environments, and how studying beetles has helped her understand God’s creation. Lynette Strickland is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute PreD...
Oct 03, 2019•43 min
Growing up in the church, Aaron Niequist never imagined he would experience a faith crisis—until he did. On this episode, he recalls this time of doubt and what helped him through it. Aaron and Jim also discuss reviving liturgy and the seeing faith in light of the Kingdom of Heaven. Aaron Niequist is a liturgist, writer, and pastor. After growing up in a Plymouth Brethren community, he led worship at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI and Willow Creek Church in Barrington, IL. Recently, he has...
Sep 26, 2019•47 min
Biblical interpretation is all about asking questions—How did Ancient Israel understand the book of Genesis? How much context do we, as modern readers, need to discover the intended meaning of the text? Does the text hold the answers to the questions we are asking? Jim and guest host Rebecca McLaughlin discuss these thorny questions with biblical scholar John Walton and explore the answers his work offers them. John Walton is a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. He received an M.A. i...
Sep 19, 2019•51 min
Fossils open a window deep into the history of the earth. Through that window we learn about how whales evolved from four-legged creatures to the aquatic animals we know today, we learn about our own species and where we came from, and we learn more about God who made it all. Language of God producer, Colin Hoogerwerf, journeys into the world of fossils alongside paleontologist Ryan Bebej to explore some of these stories. Guest geologist and paleontologist Ralph Stearley introduces us to some of...
Sep 12, 2019•47 min
The roaring current of stubborn partisan standoffs challenges us to cement ourselves in our views; dialogue erodes as we ditch the public conversation to wrap ourselves in the self-affirming comfort of our isolated belief nooks. Among the most well-acquainted with this phenomenon is On Being host Krista Tippett, who worked as a journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin. But she sees something else as well: a hunger for honest conversation. In this episode, Jim talks with Krista about how her wo...
Aug 29, 2019•53 min
It is all too easy to fall into the myopic assumption that our faith words are universal, that everyone has a shared understanding of what these words mean. But often this is not the case. Many times our sacred words—words like grace, mercy, wisdom—are painted with different hues on other peoples’ interpretive palates. Author Jonathan Merritt joins Jim on this episode of Language of God to discuss this decay of common meaning—and how to revive it. Jonathan Merritt is a contributing writer for Th...
Aug 22, 2019•50 min
Our habits shape us in ways we often neglect, guiding the majority of our thoughts and actions. Pastor John Ortberg argues that when these save us from spending unnecessary energy on menial tasks, they are good. Trouble brews, however, when sin creeps in. In this episode, John talks about the forgotten practice of spiritual disciplines, how biological predispositions affect human character, and the formative role philosopher Dallas Willard has played on his own life. John Ortberg is the Senior P...
Aug 15, 2019•48 min
In Season 2 of Language of God we’re going to hold faithfully to the truths of Christianity, while we explore the realities of this world, up to the limits of what we can know. Our guests include pastor John Ortberg, host of the On Being radio show Krista Tippett, writer and journalist Jonathan Merritt, biblical scholar John Walton, and many others. Episodes coming soon!
Jul 30, 2019•2 min
