How did we get the specific books of Bible that we hold in our hands today? Who decided and on what basis? How was the New Testament originally formed? How can we have confidence we have the right books today? These are just a few of the questions Scott discusses with our guest, Dr. Michael Kruger, one of the leading contemporary NT scholars who specializing in the formation of the NT canon. Dr. Michael Kruger is an internationally known New Testament scholar, President and Samuel C. Patterson P...
Nov 02, 2023•34 min•Ep. 294
How should we think about what has come to be called “gender ideology?” How does gender ideology actually look a lot like a religion? What is the view of truth that underlies the gender ideology discussion? We’ll answer these questions and a lot more with our guest Joel Berry, co-author of The Babylon Bee Guide To Gender . Joel Berry is a writer for the Babylon Bee , a satire news site and author of several books including The Babylon Bee Guide to Wokeness and The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress. ...
Oct 26, 2023•34 min•Ep. 294
What would happen if an agnostic committed to thinking about God for a year? In this episode, Sean and Scott discuss the recent book " My Year with God ," by Danish psychologist and Humanist of the Year Dr. Svend Brinkmann. They discuss positive takeaways from the book and some areas of disagreement about the intersection of science and faith, evidence for the soul, and how to go on a spiritual quest. This is an episode you won't want to miss. Read a transcript of this episode at https://www.bio...
Oct 19, 2023•46 min•Ep. 293
What on earth is going on in Israel this week? How is it affecting the Messianic Christians in Israel? What is being done to assist victims of the violence occuring there? There is new meaning today for the Psalmist's desire to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Join Scott as he discusses the war in Israel with Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries. Dr. Mitch Glaser is President of Chosen People Ministries and was instrumental in launching the Charles Feinberg Center for Messianic ...
Oct 12, 2023•41 min•Ep. 292
Can we actually discover the real Jesus? Could the disciples have remembered the teachings of Jesus when they wrote the Gospels decades later? Sean and Scott welcome Dr. Craig Blomberg, a leading New Testament scholar, to discuss how Jesus scholarship has developed over the past few decades and some remarkable new trends. Dr. Craig Blomberg is professor Emeritus of New Testament at Denver Seminary. He is the author or editor of over 20 books on the historical Jesus including Jesus the Purifier: ...
Oct 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 291
What is the state of the current debate over the morality and legality of pornography? Is porn really harmful? Can pro-porn and anti-porn groups find common ground? In this episode, Sean and Scott discuss these questions and the recent book " The Pornography Wars " by sociologist Kelsy Burke. They also offer some practical advice for parents and church workers to help young people think biblically about sex and pornography. Read a transcript of this episode at https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-b...
Sep 28, 2023•57 min•Ep. 290
Is the criminal justice system in the US broken? If so, what would it take to fix it? Are there parts of the justice system that are actually unjust? Join Scott and Sean as they discuss these questions and more with attorney Matthew Martens around his new book Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal . Matthew Martens is a long time attorney, has seen both sides of the criminal justice system. He has worked both as a federal prosecutor (9 years) and as a criminal defense attorney (12 yea...
Sep 21, 2023•33 min•Ep. 289
Is religious freedom the first and most fundamental freedom in a culture? Or is the claim for religious freedom simply code for various forms of bigotry? What is the state of free speech and the freedom to dissent on college campuses today. Join Scott as he discusses these questions and more with Princeton Professor Robert George. Robert George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He has served as chairman of the U...
Sep 14, 2023•43 min•Ep. 288
What does it mean that we must "lose our religion" in order to regain the integrity of the gospel message? What must the church do to regain its faithfulness to the way of Jesus in our polarized culture. Join Scott and Sean as they discuss these questions and more with Russell Moore, Editor in Chief of Christianity Today, and one of the most insightful commentators on the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary culture. Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity Today and is the a...
Sep 07, 2023•37 min•Ep. 287
What is the condition of the global church in places where persecution is commonplace? What are the countries where this persecution is the worst? What are some of the stories of the heroic followers of Jesus that in the past and are currently enduring persecution for their faith? We’ll answer these question and more with our guest, Johnnie Moore, a former member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and author of the New Book of Christian Martyrs . Join Scott for this insightf...
Aug 31, 2023•31 min•Ep. 286
What does it mean to say that someone is deconstructing their faith? Can that be a good thing, or is it the first step in someone eventually abandoning their faith? How do you help someone to re-examine their faith in a constructive way? Join us as Scott interviews his co-host Sean McDowell and his co-author Dr. John Marriott, of the new book, Set Adrift . Dr. John Marriott serves at Biola University as the Research and Program Coordinator for the Biola University Center for Christian Thought an...
Aug 24, 2023•48 min•Ep. 284
What’s is God’s design for our work? Is it more than simply a paycheck? What does it mean to work unto the Lord? What are the lies about work that we’ve believed and how can we exchange them for the truth of Scripture about work? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest Helen Mitchell, author of The Work Exchange . Helen Mitchell is Assistant Professor of Leadership and Ethics in the Crowell School of Business at Biola University. She also directs the Talbot Center for Faith, Work an...
Aug 17, 2023•32 min•Ep. 285
What are conspiracy theories and why are Christians so drawn to them? How widespread are conspiracy theories in the church? What does it mean to think biblically about conspiracy theories? In this episode, we talk with philosopher Mike Austin about the recent book he co-edited QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross . Dr Mike Austin is a Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University. He teaches, writes, and speaks about topics in ethics, family, sports, religion and spirituality, and technology, bu...
Aug 10, 2023•34 min•Ep. 283
What is meant by the term toxic masculinity? Where does it come from and is it, as some critics assert, “baked into Christian theology?” What is the “masculine mold” that the culture and the church tend to encourage? And most importantly, what does Christlike masculinity look like? We’ll answer these questions and more Sean and Scott discuss the currently controversial subject of toxic masculinity. This episode is also available as a video on Biola's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/etGOROtk_PI...
Aug 03, 2023•38 min•Ep. 282
What would happen if a leading lawyer examined some of the biggest religions in the world? How would Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormonism, and other religions fare when put on trial? Our guest today, Mark Lanier, is a trial lawyer who was named on the list of Best Lawyers in America for 9 consecutive years. He is the author of Religions on Trial . We discuss how his legal training prepares him to discover truth and his assessment of various world religions. Mark Lanier is consistently recognized...
Jul 27, 2023•29 min•Ep. 281
Can the miracles of Jesus be explained as magic? Since magic is forbidden in the Bible, can a Christian be a magician? What are some principles we can learn from the practice of magic to help be more discerning in our age of fake news? These are just a few of the questions we explore with our guest, Joshua Ng, a practicing magician, member of the academy of magical arts, and student in the MA Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology. Follow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/...
Jul 20, 2023•39 min•Ep. 280
Why would a megachurch pastor leave his faith? What questions are raised through his journey that we need to address, and how can we better love people who deconstruct and ultimately deconvert? In this episode, Sean and Scott discuss a book called Goodbye Jesus by former megachurch pastor, now Humanist, Tim Sledge. This episode is also available as a video on Biola's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/y5W6X3nYhjk Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2...
Jul 13, 2023•45 min•Ep. 279
Is the message of the gospel and the Kingdom inherently political messages? If so, what does that mean? How is the Christian message both politically and culturally subversive and submissive to government at the same time? What does it mean for the church to be subversive in today’s polarized culture? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest Patrick Schreiner, and his new book, Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World . Patrick Schreiner is the Director of the Re...
Jul 06, 2023•31 min•Ep. 278
Why does the church reflect the polarization of the culture at large? What is the future of Christian higher education? Why is formal theological education sometimes seen as irrelevant by the church? Sean and Scott will answer these questions and more with our guest, new Talbot dean Dr. Ed Stetzer. Dr. Ed Stetzer is the new dean of Talbot School of Theology, starting in July, 2023. Dr. Stetzer hosts a weekly radio program, Ed Stetzer Live, the Church Leaders Podcast, speaks widely on areas of Ch...
Jun 29, 2023•46 min•Ep. 277
What’s the best way to read the Old Testament? Should we even engage the OT since it’s hard to understand? Dr. Dominick Hernández is a professor of the Old Testament and the author of a new book Engaging the Old Testament. We discuss some bizarre passages in the Old Testament and offer some practical tips for reading the OT well. Dr. Dominick Hernández currently serves as an Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Dominick completed his P...
Jun 22, 2023•45 min•Ep. 276
Has evangelicalism increasingly "othered" certain groups such as liberals, blacks, gays, feminists, and progressives? Is the evangelical movement in crisis and needs transforming? In this episode, Sean and Scott discuss a recent book by Isaac Sharp called The Other Evangelicals. They discuss his Sharp's thesis about the exclusive nature of evangelicalism and the battle over the definition of "evangelical." This episode is also available as a video on Biola's YouTube: https://youtu.be/lhrQAxsbNSk...
Jun 15, 2023•51 min•Ep. 275
What is the evidence, outside the Bible, that Jesus existed and was who He said He was? What is the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? How was Jesus unique among other religious founders? And how do we know that the gospels are reliable records of first century history? Sean and Scott will answer these questions and many more as we discuss his new book, Evidence for Jesus . Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/the-best-evidence-for-jesus ==...
Jun 08, 2023•48 min•Ep. 274
How can Christians best respond to pride month? While this is a big question, Sean shares a bonus episode of a conversation he had a few months ago with a lesbian YouTuber to encourage and equip you. We hope you enjoy this conversation and will consider reaching out, during Pride Month, to have a similar conversation with someone who sees the world differently than you. Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/bonus-christians-and-pride-month ======...
Jun 05, 2023•55 min
Have we been looking in the wrong place–politics and religion–when we should be looking to a sport to save us? In this (fun) episode, Sean and Scott discuss a recent book called How Basketball Can Save the World , by NYU professor David Hollander. They discuss certain life principles that can be garnered from basketball and assess the idea of whether or not basketball can save us. This episode is also available as a video on Biola's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/eF6TdBW_Hus Read a transcript...
Jun 01, 2023•44 min•Ep. 273
In our polarized culture, how do we hold our convictions with conviction, but also with kindness, so that our style doesn’t alienate people who might be open to a conversation about things that matter? In this joint podcast with the Winsome Conviction Project at Biola, Scott and WCP co-director, Dr. Tim Muehlhoff interview Dr. Russell Moore about his journey in this important area. Join Scott and Tim for this insightful interview with Dr. Moore. Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity T...
May 25, 2023•47 min•Ep. 272
What is a biblical approach to history? While we often discuss contemporary cultural issues on this podcast, this episode we talk about how to think biblically about history itself by exploring what biblical principles approach how we think about the past. Our guest is Dr. Vern Poythress, author of Redeeming Our Thinking about History . Vern S. Poythress, Ph.D. Harvard University, is Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Biblical Interpretation, and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theolog...
May 18, 2023•33 min•Ep. 271
What is an evangelical? What does that term describe? Is it a movement that is contrary to the way of Jesus presented in the Bible? Has evangelical faith become too politicized? How should we understand Jesus’ saying that His Kingdom is not of this world? Join Scott and Sean for this important conversation, discussing the book Jesus v. Evangelicals by Constantine Campbell. This episode is also available as a video on Biola University's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/QE71cQ79i9U Read a transcr...
May 12, 2023•45 min•Ep. 270
What are the biggest barriers to faith in the urban setting? What are the most common counterfeit worldviews that are contending for the hearts and minds of people in the inner city? And how can Christians of all backgrounds partner with and learn from those doing apologetics in the city? These are just a few of the questions we explore with our guest, Chris Brooks, author of Urban Apologetics and grad of our Biola MA Apologetics program . Chris Brooks is the senior pastor of Woodside Bible Chur...
May 09, 2023•34 min•Ep. 269
What is the difference between sex and gender? What does the Bible tell us about sex and gender? How is that different from the dominant narrative of our culture? How should Christians relate to those in the midst of gender dysphoria? Join us as we answer these questions and more with our guest, Abagail Favale and her new book, The Genesis of Gender . Dr. Abigail Favale is a writer and professor in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. She has an academic backgro...
Apr 27, 2023•29 min•Ep. 268
What happens to people when they start to wonder “is this is all there is to life?” Os Guinness calls that a signal of transcendence, but what exactly does that mean? How do the life stories of people like C.S. Lewis, G.K Chesterton, and Malcom Muggeridge provide examples of these small openings in the windows of the transcendent? Join us as answer these questions and more with our guest, Os Guinness, and his new book, Signals of Transcendence: Listening to the Promptings of Life . Os Guinness i...
Apr 20, 2023•31 min•Ep. 267
