A common refrain at BioLogos is “you don’t have to choose,” and usually it is in the context of the Bible and science. Esau McCaulley, assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, was presented with a different choice, one between the Bible and racial justice. But this too is a false dichotomy. The Bible is a good place to turn in times of confusion or questioning, but whether it is science or issues of injustice, it is important that a reading of the Bible be informed by the perspec...
Feb 04, 2021•59 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...
Jan 28, 2021•57 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...
Jan 14, 2021•37 min
The question, what does it mean to be human, demands answers from many fields of study. Agustín Fuentes has looked to anthropology for answers to this question but the answers he has found speak to something that is bigger than science. He proposes that one of the things that make us human is our ability to believe. Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Northern Points courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. Join a conversation about this episode on the BioL...
Dec 17, 2020•58 min
Sometimes it seems that the gap between humans and computers is growing increasingly small. But as scientists have worked to develop intelligent computers, they have usually ignored emotions. Rosalind Picard has spent a career developing technology that can read and human emotion and has had a hand in technology that has led to a great deal of human flourishing and even saved lives. But her work has also highlighted the huge gap that still exists between humans and computers, how little we actua...
Dec 10, 2020•48 min
There is a dilemma that has plagued philosophers and theologians for centuries. It goes like this: how could it be true that God is all powerful and all loving, and yet there is still evil in the world? If God is powerful and loving, wouldn’t the evil be stopped? Thomas Jay Oord has written about one solution to this problem in his book God Can’t. While the title is surprising and might make some people nervous, his view may not be so shocking once you hear him explain some of the finer points. ...
Dec 03, 2020•57 min
Julia Wattacheril is a hepatologist—a liver doctor—but in April she found herself walking into her first shift working with COVID patients during the peak of the pandemic in New York City. She describes what she and many other health care workers experienced during the peak of the pandemic and what they continue to experience as they care for those hit the hardest by COVID 19. In this episode, Julia tells the story of a fellow doctor who died by suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, are wor...
Nov 19, 2020•56 min
Denis Lamoureux didn’t just stumble unto evolutionary creation, though, as he will tell you, there was a great deal of stumbling on his path to get there. In the first part of the conversation he tells the story of faith to atheism, back to young earth creationism, and finally to evolutionary creationism, and how it was the bible, not science, which led him to where he is today. His new book, The Bible and Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation, gives 22 different principles for reading t...
Nov 12, 2020•56 min
Alister McGrath joins Jim Stump to talk about his book Born to Wonder. McGrath describes his early conversion to Christianity as feeling like he walked through a doorway—his new found faith gave him a fresh perspective when looking at the world. But instead of being content with standing just inside the doorway, he found that there was a whole world worth exploring. After many decades of deep exploration he has come away with a higher tolerance for uncertainty, even in the midst of all the knowl...
Oct 29, 2020•44 min
David grew up exploring the natural places where there were few people but his love for nature led him back to people and to a deep desire to understand why we have the ideas that we have about the world. His training in both philosophy and biology has given him an ability to explore these questions from many different angles. In the episode, David tells of his circuitous journey, from childhood to his current career, and how his scientific view of the world and his spiritual view of the world w...
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr
Deb Haarsma, president of BioLogos, takes a turn in the interviewee’s seat as she tells her own story of an interest in science from a young age and how she was able to hold closely to her faith through her study of physics and a PhD in astronomy. But that doesn’t mean she has everything figured out—she also talks about some of the questions that remain unresolved. Even in the face of uncertainty, it is God’s glory, which she finds in abundance, including in the study of our vast universe, which...
Oct 15, 2020•49 min
Both science and the Christian faith share a commitment to humility. Each also provides us with a perspective of the world which we believe to be true. How then do we hold onto these things we believe to be true and be open to the fact that we can’t know everything? In this episode we explore that tension, looking into the deeper meaning of humility in the realms of both science and faith. Thanks to our guests in exploring these ideas: psychologist, Charlotte vanOyen-Witvliet; theologian and poe...
Oct 08, 2020•40 min
Justin Brierley has been the host of the Unbelievable? Radio Show and Podcast for almost 15 years and in doing so has been a part of conversations with Christians and non-Christians wrestling with questions of faith, and yet he has found his faith not only intact but sharpened. We talk to him about his experience on the show and about how his own beliefs have grown, changed, and continue to be formed. Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum....
Oct 01, 2020•52 min
Elaine Howard Ecklund is a sociologist who has devoted her career to understanding the attitudes and perceptions that scientists and religious people have toward each other. What she has found does not always match what would be expected. We talk about some of what she has learned over her years of research on this topic and talk about her new book, Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values The Move Us Beyond Fear . Elaine Howard Ecklund is a Professor of Sociology at Rice Unive...
Sep 24, 2020•49 min
In this episode, Jim Stump is joined by Tim Mackie, one of the founders of BibleProject. Tim’s transformation from West-coast skateboarder, to Bible student, to video producer may seem surprising, but his unorthodox journey to faith has given him a unique perspective and passion for the Bible. Tim discusses the history of the Bible, explores the context in which it was written, and demonstrates what it looks like to bring the Bible into relevance for the people of today. Tim Mackie is a writer a...
Sep 17, 2020•53 min
Prayer is a central tenet to the Christian faith. In this episode we explore the intersection of science and faith when it comes to prayer. Can the effectiveness be prayer be tested with scientific studies? How does prayer affect us physically and what happens in our brain when we pray? And what is the role of prayer during a worldwide pandemic? The first part of this episode is from episode 8 which aired on May 2nd, 2019 Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum....
Sep 03, 2020•59 min
Our last conversation with Katharine Hayhoe aired in early March, the same week as the United States declared a state of emergency because of COVID-19. We’re bringing part of that conversation back in this episode, along with an update on how we might think about climate change in a post-COVID world, without falling into despair. Katharine Hayhoe is the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law in the Department of Political Science , a director of the Climate Center , ...
Aug 20, 2020•58 min
Today we revisit one of our favorite early episodes. From Praveen’s childhood, growing up in a Hindu family, to his later conversion to Christianity and his entry into science, he has gained great insight into the science and faith conversation. With grace and humility, Praveen shares some of that insight as he considers what it means to be made in the image of God in light of our understanding of evolution and DNA. He has long felt the importance of fostering healthy dialogue among Christians a...
Aug 06, 2020•49 min
Philip Yancey returns to the podcast to dig deeper into his many years spent traveling and writing with Dr. Paul Brand and learning about the marvel of the human body. What we can learn from the human body—about the importance of pain, about healing and unity—can also be applied to the body of Christ. In doing so, we find relevance with many of today’s issues including the coronavirus and the need for the church to find unity among racial tensions. Philip Yancey , author of books like Disappoint...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, what should be the Christian response? Bible scholar N.T. Wright and BioLogos founder Francis Collins, two influential Christian figures and long-time friends, ponder this question and more. N.T. Wright is a globally renowned New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian, and Anglican bishop. He is considered to be one of the most respected theologians and Christian apologists in the world. Francis Collins is the Director of the National Institutes ...
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Shauna Niequist brings her passion for food and her Christian experience to a conversation about how food connects us to the created world and to each other and how our spiritual lives might be nourished around the table. Shauna is a popular author, speaker, podcaster. Her most recent book is Present Over Perfect, which came out in 2016. The interview was originally streamed live on June 29th. Original music in this episode is from Carp . You can find a link to a conversation about this episode ...
Jul 02, 2020•56 min
There is probably no one who has done more scientific work on the genetics of race than Dr. Joseph L Graves. Dr. Graves has been writing, thinking, and doing research on this topic for almost 30 years. In the midst of a national uprising of anger and frustration at the continued systemic racism in this country and around the world, this conversation probes the scientific reality that there is no genetic basis for race and addresses some common misconceptions as well. We split our conversation up...
Jun 25, 2020•40 min
There is probably no one who has done more scientific work on the genetics of race than Dr. Joseph L Graves. Dr. Graves has been writing, thinking, and doing research on this topic for almost 30 years. In the midst of a national uprising of anger and frustration at the continued systemic racism in this country and around the world, this conversation probes the scientific reality that there is no genetic basis for race and addresses some common misconceptions as well. We split our conversation up...
Jun 25, 2020•42 min
Last time we talked to Lynette Strickland, she told us all about the work that she was doing to show that tortoise beetles, which vary greatly in their appearances, are actually one species. We play some of that conversation but then we catch up with Lynette to press further into the beauty and importance of diversity within a species. And it’s a short step from talking about beetles to talking about humans. Lynette tells some of her own stories that highlight the ways that science as a discipli...
Jun 18, 2020•51 min
We find ourselves three months into a global pandemic, and one week into a movement of nationwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd. For this episode Jim Stump, vice president of BioLogos and host of the podcast, and Deb Haarsma, president of BioLogos, take a moment to talk about where we are, where the church and science can fit in, and how the work of BioLogos might have a role in moving forward. The Prayer episode mentioned in this episode is Episode 8 and can be found in the ...
Jun 04, 2020•46 min
Leading evangelical thinker Tim Keller joins Francis Collins, who heads our country’s biomedical research, in a conversation that includes updates on the latest COVID-19 research, a discussion on the value of human life and what it means to care for the most vulnerable among us, where God is during a pandemic, and much more. Check out the livestream video ! NIH Director’s Blog Article Francis Collins Templeton Prize Announcement Tim Keller articles at BioLogos Francis Collins articles at BioLogo...
May 21, 2020•1 hr
In the episode, Jim talks with Bishop Claude Alexander about his growing up in the south with parents esteemed in the medical field--his mother was the first black psychiatrist in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas and his father was family practitioner who was assigned to Martin Luther King, Jr. whenever he was in Mississippi--and about the role of science in racial reconciliation in America today. Claude provides some pastoral and poignant notes of hope at the end of the episode. Bishop Claude...
May 14, 2020•42 min
We were made in the image of God, but what does that really mean? Whom does that apply to? What does that call us to? The Bible is very central to understanding the answers to these questions, as is cultural context. In this episode, biblical worldview professor, Richard Middleton joins Jim Stump in an attempt to answer some of the questions about human identity through both of those lenses. Richard Middleton is Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Northeastern Seminary (Rochester, NY...
May 07, 2020•52 min
Many of us find rest and comfort in having good health, secure jobs, and a vibrant community. Of course we do. But what happens when that is taken away, like it was for Job? Some of us, while stuck in our homes during the coronavirus pandemic, may have started to ask some questions about the way the world works and how God could let this kind of a thing happen. Well, we’re not the first to ask those questions and the book of Job is about someone doing just that. John Walton is an Old Testament s...
Apr 30, 2020•59 min
Water is mysterious. It is cleansing, it is dangerous, and it is life-giving. In our everyday life we can tend to overlook just how fascinating and important water is. Water is interesting both scientifically and biblically, so it’s only fitting that we explore it. And in this episode we do just that. Because this is a complex topic, we asked several experts to join us in this episode. You’ll hear from Kent Frens, Jenni Brandon, Sandra Postel, and Ben McFarland who each talk about water through ...
Apr 23, 2020•44 min
