Language of God (BioLogos)

Extinction is a familiar idea for almost everyone, but it wasn’t long ago that no one would have thought a species could go out of existence. We explore this history of the human understanding of extinction, and then we go much further back in history, to explore how extinction has played a role in the development of life over hundreds of millions of years leading to our world today.

This is the first episode in a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Evan MacDonald, High Street Music, Northern Points, Nathan King, Babel, Ballian De Moulle, Paradiso Music, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

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 work attempts to feed that desire—and where science and faith live in that discussion.

Explore the Better Conversations Guide.

This episode originally aired on August 29, 2019

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 perspectives of other people and other cultures. McCaulley’s book, Reading While Black lays out the case for a Black Ecclesial interpretive tradition. He shows how asking questions of the text that grow out of the reality of being Black in America, helps to give us a fuller perspective on what the Bible has to say about things like race, governing authorities, and justice. 

This episode was originally aired on Feb 4, 2021.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Jessica Moerman’s scientific research has included the study of stalagmites in Bornean caves and digging up ancient lakes in Africa. Through this work, she and other paleoclimatologists—those who study the climate of the past—have started to piece together the puzzle of how earth’s climate has changed in the past, which helps us to understand how it could change in the future. For Jessica, science has always been a tool for ministry and for understanding God’s creation. That idea has led her to her current role as the CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network where she is able to share her knowledge of science, her passion for ministry and the call to act to bring about a healthy future.

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 BioLogos Forum.

This Lent we’re reading reflections from Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, by Gayle Boss. We’ll end with an interview with Gayle Boss in the last week of Lent. 

The reflections from Wild Hope are grouped into five different weeks, with four creatures in each week, through the season of Lent and four more during Holy Week. Week four is "the Poisoned" and the story is about the olm.

Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss, illustrated by David G. Klein Copyright 2020:  text by Gayle Boss, illustrations by David G. Klein Used by permission of Paraclete Press www.paracletepress.com

The science of evolution has caused friction for many Christians. And science does pose some challenges to the way people have been taught to think about their faith, but those challenges don’t have to lead to a decision to reject faith—or to reject the findings of science. In fact, understanding science can lead to a deeper faith. 

Jim Stump, host of Language of God has a new book coming out—The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to a Deeper Faith. In this series Jim walks through three of the challenges posed by science. 

The challenge of the time explores the long time spans of the earth and the universe and what it means about being a human loved by God in the here and now. Featuring clips from previous conversations with John Walton & Makoto Fujimura.

This is the second of a three part mini-series.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Babel, Nick Petrov, & Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

How should we respond to a problem that seems unsolvable? This is the question we ask in a series about the environmental crisis as we explore the fine line between hope and despair. In this episode we explore some of the wounds to the planet that often go unseen and we realize that the path to hope begins with the acknowledgement that the wounds are deep and troubling. 

This is the first of three episodes in the Creation Groans series. 

Check out the list of related resources from this series here.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Special guest-host Francis Collins discusses the children's mental health epidemic with Jonathan Haidt. Haidt has been studying the causes of the high rates of depression and suicide in children for many years and has found that social media is at the root of the worsening trends. But he doesn’t just have causes in mind. He also has solutions. In this discussion--and in his new book, The Anxious Generation--he proposes solutions to be put into place in the home, in schools, and by governments. He also calls out faith communities, understanding that they can lead the way in reversing the trend of declining mental health of children.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Magnetize Music, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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.

The church has had a complicated relationship with mental health. Research shows that 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a given year and yet 66% of pastors talk about mental health in sermons only once a year or less. In the episode we break down what exactly mental illness and mental health are, what is happening in the brain, and how the church can respond in ways that help us all to be healthier individuals and begin to build a more understanding, empathetic and healthy community. 

This episode was originally aired on December 8, 2022.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Tiny Music, Lift Music, Magnetize Music, Sirus Music, Pink Marble and Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Find Resources on Mental Health

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Though the theory of evolution has revolutionized the biological sciences, bringing the theory into the classroom still causes some fear and trembling—from teachers, students, parents. Last fall we spent some time with a group of people who have been researching how to teach evolution better, in a way that acknowledges the emotional and religious tensions that comes into the classroom and attempts to help students understand the science of evolution while retaining—even bolstering—their faith. In this episode we hear from some of the people putting this work into practice and we hear a few stories of the hardships that are faced when evolution comes to the classroom.

Learn more about the Reconciling Evolution Research Group

Science and the Bible series by Ted Davis

Learn more about Integrate Curriculum

The music in this episode is by Joseph McDade

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

In the fall of 2024 198 countries from around the world came together in Azerbaijan, at COP29, to try and find solutions to the climate crisis. While the policy outcomes were disappointing, the stories of people from around the world were inspiring, even if they include a lot of pain and suffering. These stories help to connect us to our neighbors from around the world and these stories can help to reframe how Christians, especially those in America, can think about their role in the climate crisis and how to respond. 

More in depth reporting on COP29 at Carbon Brief Katharine Hayhoe's Global Weirding Series Christian Climate Observers Program Reformed Journal Article by Colin BioLogos Common Question: Why Should Christians Care for Creation BioLogos Animated Video: Why Should Christians Care for Creation (video) Language of God Podcast Series: Creation Groans

When Kyle Meyaard-Schaap joins a climate march or calls a senator to talk about his concerns about climate change, he sees it as an act of evangelism. His new book Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action tells the story of how he came to understand that acting on climate is necessary and urgent and that it fits within the call to follow Jesus. He tells some of his story here and also talks about parenting, imagination, and the role a pastor can play in bringing about the change we hope to see. 

Learn more about Kyle's book, Following Jesus in A Warming World. Check out Evangelical Environmental Network at creationcare.org Check out Young Evangelicals for Climate Action at yecaction.org

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Leslie Wickman first witnessed the expanse and majesty of creation through a telescope as a young child on one of those rare cloudless nights in the Pacific Northwest. She never could have guessed that it would lead her to working on parts of the Hubble telescope, training in space simulations and becoming designated as a corporate astronaut. In the episode, Leslie talks about her path through her many scientific endeavors and the development of her understanding of faith in relation to that science. We discuss the new Webb telescope, the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, the multiverse, and the significance of fine-tuning as a pointer to God. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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.

Kids ask a lot of questions. When those questions come to hard topics about science and faith it can be tempting to dismiss them or brush them off or to think they are too young to engage with the questions. But often this shows children that their questions are not welcome and that their curiosity is dangerous. Lizzie Henderson and Faith Stults both work on developing resources for children to engage in the science and faith conversation and they sit down to talk about ways to encourage questions and creativity so that children can grow up with the tools to explore hard concepts without fear and without the thought that they must choose between faith and science.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support you can go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255.

Music in this episode is by Joseph McDade

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

The science of evolution has caused friction for many Christians. And science does pose some challenges to the way people have been taught to think about their faith, but those challenges don’t have to lead to a decision to reject faith—or to reject the findings of science. In fact, understanding science can lead to a deeper faith. 

Jim Stump, host of Language of God has a new book coming out—The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to a Deeper Faith. In this series Jim walks through three of the challenges posed by science. 

The challenge of pain and suffering is a crucial tension and one that has vexed people for millennia. Without solving the problem, we can at least break it down and see how a world which includes pain and suffering is also a world in which creatures might have the capacity to become morally mature.

Featuring clips from previous conversations with Bethany Sollereder and Simon Conway Morris.

This is the third of a three part mini-series.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes and Ricky Bombino, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 BioLogos Forum.

Over the season of lent we’ve been reading excerpts from Gayle Boss’ Book Wild Hope. In this episode we talk to Gayle about where the book came from and about how the stories of wild and imperiled creatures can help us into the story of Christ and his journey to the cross. 

Find out More about Wild Hope and Gayle's other books.

Thanks to Paraclete Press which gave permission for the experts from Wild Hope throughout lent. www.paracletepress.com

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

For Thanksgiving, we’re bringing you an episode about food. Shauna Niequist is a popular author, speaker, and podcaster and we talked about her book called Bread and Wine. Shauna uses food as a gateway into larger, more existential questions about life, what it means to be human, and the nature of our faith. 

This episode originally aired on July 2, 2020.

Original music in this episode is from Carp.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 of Health, and works closely with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key White House advisor on the national health crisis. He also wrote the bestselling book The Language of God, which led to the creation of BioLogos.

This conversation was originally broadcast live on video on July 12, 2020. 

Watch the “Genesis” music video. Watch the video of this conversation. God and the Pandemic book More BioLogos resources on Coronavirus

Find a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos forum. 

For those of us who have worked at BioLogos or spent any time on our forum, the name Christy Hemphill is quite familiar. As a collaborator on the BioLogos school curriculum project, INTEGRATE, and a long-time moderator on the forum, her work has been a blessing in our community. We realized, however, that still far too few of us have heard the poignant insight and testimony she brings to her work with us. On today’s episode, Christy shares with us her experience as a Bible translator working in a remote community in Mexico, the important work she has done with us on INTEGRATE and the Forum, and how her experience homeschooling her kids has helped her navigate faith with her children. 

Watch the viral video of a cockatoo meowing to kittens.

Read Christy's recommendations for how to approach the difficult subject of origins from a gracious perspective.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

In a recent article in the journal Science, researchers described a process where new genes come about from parts of DNA that were thought to be useless and led to bigger brains in humans. Jim and Colin, along with Dennis Venema, discuss what’s going on and describe some of the basic science that reveals why this discovery is an exciting new development in understanding what it means to be human and how we got to be the way we are. 

Here's the article in Science

Dennis Venema is also the author of a series of BioLogos posts called Evolution Basics, meant as an introduction to the science of evolution. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 into two parts. In this second part of the conversation we dig into the genetic sciences and we talk about some common misconceptions, such as whether race affects athletic abilities and what you can actually find out from genetic ancestry testing. 

Need a refresher on Evolution? Check out Evolution Basics, an introductory series on the BioLogos website.

This episode originally aired on June 25, 2020. 

Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

The way she sees it, when Lori Banks was in line for spiritual gifts, she was given the aptitude for understanding amino acid structures and figuring out how to manipulate microbial systems. The gift has led her to her work in microbiology and virology and teaching others with the goal of easing the pain and suffering of those who are sick. In the episode she tells the story of her journey and then helps us to understand some of the science behind disease, including the COVID vaccines and why they are safe and effective. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

In the last episode of the series we ask several related questions: How does the idea of food as a gift fit with the fact that food is also an economic commodity? How does food play into issues of justice? And how can food, instead of dividing us, bring us together? Finally, we end by discussing what all this means about how we should eat. When we eat with love as our guiding principle, it may not always be simple, but it may be more delicious. 

This is the last episode of a five part mini-series. Learn more about the series and find related resources at biologos.org/the-gift-of-food.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Northern Points, Babel, Magnetize Music, Diverse Music, Titan Sound, Nathan King, Mike Meehan, & Ballian De Moulle courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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). He is adjunct professor of Old Testament at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology (Kingston, Jamaica). From 2011-2014, he served as president of the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association. Richard is the author of A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology and The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1.

If you want to hear more from Richard, you can find the articles he’s written for our website here.

Find a conversation about this episode at the Biologos Forum.

In Dr. Joseph Graves’ recent book, Racism, Not Race: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, he and his co-author build a case that our concept of biological races was brought about because of the racism that was a part of the fabric of our lives, not the other way around, as is often assumed. In a previous series of episodes, Dr Graves helped us to understand the nuances of why race is not a biological concept. In this episode, we build on that, talking about institutional racism, the myth that athletic ability is tied to race, and the church’s inaction, so far, on following the call to love our neighbors and enact justice. 

Listen to episodes 48 and 49 of Language of God to hear Joseph Graves on the genetics of race.

Find books mentioned in this episode:

Race, not Racism by Joseph Graves and Alan Goodman Becoming an Anti Racist Church by Joseph Barndt New Jim Crow by MIchelle Alexander White Too Long by Robert Jones

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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’s directing, the TheoPsych Project which aims to bring theology into contact with the mind sciences by bringing theologians and psychologists together to learn and think and talk with each other.

Justin L. Barrett is the Thrive Professor of Developmental Science and Director of the Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller Theological Seminary. He came to Fuller from the University of Oxford, where he taught and served as senior researcher for Oxford’s Centre for Anthropology and Mind.

This episode is the first in a three part series we’re calling TheoPsych. These episodes were made possible in part by the TheoPsych Project, hosted by Fuller Seminary’s office of Science, Theology, and Religion. Find more information about the TheoPsych Project here.

If you want to hear more from Justin, there’s another resource from him on our website.

Original music in this episode is by Carp.

Find a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

The science of evolution has caused friction for many Christians. And science does pose some challenges to the way people have been taught to think about their faith, but those challenges don’t have to lead to a decision to reject faith—or to reject the findings of science. In fact, understanding science can lead to a deeper faith. 

Jim Stump, host of Language of God has a new book coming out—The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to a Deeper Faith. In this series Jim walks through three of the challenges posed by science. 

The challenge of the Bible asks how we can continue to affirm the Bible as inspired and authoritative if the human authors believed incorrect things about the world. Did God correct their cultural-bound beliefs, or work through them, as God has always worked with imperfect people? 

Richard Middleton joins Jim for the second part of this episode to talk about biblical inspiration from the perspective of a bible scholar, and the episode features clips from a previous episode with Philip Yancey. 

This is the first of a three part mini-series.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

This Lent we’re reading reflections from Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, by Gayle Boss. We’ll end with an interview with Gayle Boss in the last week of Lent. 

The reflections from Wild Hope are grouped into five different weeks, with four creatures in each week, through the season of Lent and four more during Holy Week. Week five is "the Hunted" and the story is about the hawksbill turtle.

Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss, illustrated by David G. Klein Copyright 2020:  text by Gayle Boss, illustrations by David G. Klein Used by permission of Paraclete Press www.paracletepress.com

Joel Chopp and Geoff Fulkerson are the editors of a new book called Science and the Doctrine of Creation: The Approaches of Ten Modern Theologians (InterVarsity Press, 2021). In the episode Geoff, Joel and Jim talk about the doctrine of creation itself before taking a look at four of the ten theologians in the book to see how they have influenced the conversations around faith and science. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Medicine is an amazing gift from God. But there are limits to what medicine can do, and when we forget those limits, we forget that God is acting both when bodies are healed and when bodies deteriorate. Todd Billings shares his depth of thought on healing, medicine and chronic disease, which is informed by his own experiences with cancer. 

Music in this episode by Joseph McDade.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 scholar and he leads us through the book of Job with an eye toward our current situation. Walton walks through three elements of the story of Job that might help us today: rest (our ability to rise above tumultuous circumstances), peace (freedom from our feelings of fear), and coherence (finding order among confusion). The episode was recorded digitally with a live audience and so we were also able to take questions from the audience, which you’ll hear throughout. 

Walton’s Lecture Series on Job 

A list of Walton’s many books

Walton’s Resources from Biologos

Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

Rick Potts has always had an interest in origins. As a kid, exploring the origins of musical instruments and the solar system fascinated him. In high school he stumbled upon the study of human origins; he has not stopped investigating since. Dr. Potts tells Jim stories of excavations in China and southern Kenya and of people encountering the exhibit on Human Origins around the US. Reverberating throughout their conversation is the question, ‘What does it mean to be human?’

Find out more about the Hall of Human Origins on the Smithsonian website.

This episode originally aired on May 30, 2019

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Jim and Colin report on location from Baku, Azerbaijan where they are attending COP29, the United Nations Climate Change conference. In this bonus episode, they briefly describe what COP29 is, why they are there, share a few stories of their own experiences so far and a few clips from interviews gathered from people from around the world. 

Resources:

Christian Climate Observers Programs Bringing Hope and Prayer to COP29 (Article)

Traditional homeschooling and hybrid models have seen a huge uptick in the last couple of years, and, unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge driver of this migration. But the virus and various school and government responses to it are not the only factor causing parents to consider alternative education options. Contentious discussions of which histories and sciences are taught in the classroom continue to cause worry for parents all over the political spectrum. 

Our guest today is historian and educator Susan Wise Bauer. A respected and well known name in the homeschooling world, Susan has spent much of her career developing reliable resources and curricula for homeschoolers. She walks us through her own experiences with, emerging trends in, and the biggest issues facing the homeschooling world today. A Christian, Susan also reflects on the reciprocal relationship between devout theistic faith and careful science.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Check out the BioLogos faith & science curriculum, Integrate, here.

Find out more about The Well Trained Mind on their website.

Our guest today, Kyle Van Houtan, has always had a curious mind. From growing up in a military family hopping around coastlines to splitting time between his biology PhD and theology classes while at Duke, Kyle has always been driven to see his faith in light of science and his science in light of faith. As a Christian who is also a scientist, his understanding of the immensity and urgency of climate change demands he understand his call to be a steward of the earth as one to fight against climate disaster; as a scientist who is also a Christian, he feels compelled to foster the Christian virtue of hope in spite of these grim realities. 

Learn about the Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

When faced with something completely new, how will our theology help us to respond? Willie James Jennings helps us to look back into history at a time when colonialist settlers came into contact with new land and new people and found in their theology a justification to bring order to the world they found. Our theology today is built upon the idea that the hollow places of the earth are filled with treasures for our taking, rather than the idea that the earth is a hallowed place that glorifies God in all its treasures. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

For an episode released during Holy Week, it seemed appropriate to have a conversation with the theologian who has written what many consider to be the seminal work on Jesus’ resurrection, The Resurrection of the Son of God. N.T. Wright is a New Testament scholar of high regard and we talk to him about the resurrection: this miraculous, earth shattering event which changed the course of history. We also hear a bit about how he came to be a theologian and writer who has split his time between academia and ministry. 

Find N.T. Wrights free ebook, Preaching the Cross in Dark Times here. 

The music in this episode is by Joseph McDade

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Our best scientific models make it clear that society needs a big change at a global scale in order to limit irreversible damage—what good can individual actions and attitudes do in the face of this immense problem? Today’s guest, Debra Rienstra, argues that the right relationship with the Earth can actually make all the difference and that new worlds of hope are built in hidden refuges amidst the surrounding devastation. Genuine lament and grief help reorient us toward the beauty and majesty of creation. Only once this groundwork has been laid can we truly repent for what we have done—and begin the work of hope for a better future.

Learn more about Debra’s new book

Read April Maskiewicz Cordero’s article on climate conversations

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Sally Bingham, the founder of Interfaith Power & Light (IPL), and the Canon of the Environment for the Diocese of California, shares the story of the inception of IPL and discusses the influential role that churches and faith communities can play in the effort to reduce climate change impacts. 

Learn more about Interfaith Power & Light

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Milmer Martinez Vergara grew up in Colombia and never saw a distinction between science, care for the environment and the faith that was instilled from a young age. His love for science and the ocean brought him on a wild journey from mangrove swamps, to the National Aquarium in Cuba to the oceanside cliffs of California, eventually leading him to a job at Plant with Purpose. In the episode, he talks about his journey and his work with communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, where science can come alongside the needs of the people and together they can find solutions that allow both people and the environment to flourish. 

We recorded this interview in person during the BioLogos Creation Care Summit. Several of the speakers from the summit have been on the podcast before and we’ve had many other great podcast guests talking about creation care. You can find all creation care themed episodes here.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Camille Dungy is a poet, and it is with a poet’s close attention that she reflects on the interactions between humans and the greater-than-human world. In the conversation, Camille talks about how she came to her connection to the greater-than-human world, about the need to include family and home in nature writing and about the definition of a weed and how good cultivation often requires hands-on management. She ends by reading a poem from her collection, Trophic Cascade. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Humans and animals have a lot in common, especially when you look only to biology. When you start looking at things like morality, language, and culture, you start to see that our species is quite an outlier. But to what extent do we see the building blocks of morality in other animals? And what is different about the way we communicate from the way so many other creatures communicate? And what is so special about the culture we have developed? Those are the questions we explore with our guests. 

In this new Language of God mini series—Uniquely Unique—Jim is joined by our producer Colin for a deep dive into these questions and more. The quest? To try to come to a better understanding of what it means to be human, to bear the image of God. Along the way, you’ll hear from a variety of experts from a wide range of disciplines, drawing on biology, history, anthropology, philosophy, theology and more to try to make sense of our human identity.

Check our new animated video series including a video exploring what it means to be human. 

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In this conversation with acclaimed Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Bill Newsome, we hear about his journey to becoming a neuroscientist, how hundreds of millions of neurons enable the fantastic emergence of a unified visual world, and how free will might operate in relation to the seemingly infinite causal chains which bring us all to this moment. Along the way, Dr. Newsome shares his own experiences with science and faith and why biological explanations should not be seen as weapons beating back the claims of Christianity. 

This episode originally aired on May 27, 2021

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Deb Liu, the CEO of Ancestry, and Francis Collins, the previous director of the NIH and leader of the Human Genome project, delve into the fascinating world of genetic science, exploring its implications on our understanding of human identity, ancestry and health. Throughout the conversation they also share stories and reflections on how their Christian faith motivates their work and sheds light on the ethical and moral considerations that arise when navigating the complex world of genetic research and its applications. 

The episode was recorded in front of a live audience in San Francisco in late April 2023. 

Additional Resources

All of Us Research Program Take Back Your Power by Deb Liu Ancestry.com

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This Lent we’re reading reflections from Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, by Gayle Boss. We’ll end with an interview with Gayle Boss in the last week of Lent. 

The reflections from Wild Hope are grouped into five different weeks, with four creatures in each week, through the season of Lent and four more during Holy Week. Week two is "the Sick" and the story is about the Indiana bat.

Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss, illustrated by David G. Klein Copyright 2020:  text by Gayle Boss, illustrations by David G. Klein Used by permission of Paraclete Press www.paracletepress.com

Ever since he was a kid, Jeff Hardin has been fascinated by the natural world. His long standing avenue for connecting with creation has been science, whether old nature documentary series like Wild Kingdom or exploring the early development of nematode worms in his lab in Wisconsin. Jeff's work as a scientist, exploring the intricate details of life’s origin, has only enriched his wonder toward the God who created it all, an awe which feeds back into his teaching and research. 

Find out more about Jeff’s lab’s research on the website.

Read Jeff’s article on cloning and genome editing.

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Molly Worthen is a historian by training and wrote the book, Apostles of Reason, which explores the history of evangelicalism in America. When she wrote the book about 10 years ago, she approached the topic as an outsider, identifying as an agnostic. Then in 2022, she rather surprisingly found herself getting baptized at the front of a large evangelical Southern Baptist megachurch.

In the conversation she tells the story of her conversion and questions she asked, including questions about miracles, science, and what it means to be intellectually engaged and also believe in the resurrection of Christ. 

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on February 21, 2024. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

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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 College who has run studies like this, to learn about what forgiveness is, the increased health benefits of forgiveness and how this psychological pursuit can be fruitful toward a theological and spiritual journey. 

This episode originally aired on February 14th, 2020

Music in this episode is by Joseph McDade

Charlotte mentions the suicide hotline in this episode. If you're thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support you can go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255.

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As the host of his own podcast, No Small Endeavor, Lee C. Camp is well-practiced at conversations that explore what human flourishing could look like. In this conversation, he looks back to his own experiences in which doors were opened to him in his thinking about faith. He tells about his journey from preaching sermons against the theory of evolution to coming to understand that scientific knowledge about the world was not a threat to his faith, even when that knowledge presented new and challenging questions.

Check out Lee Camp's podcast, No Small Endeavor Including this episode about science and faith with Francis Collins

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

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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 were developed in a way that made them inseparable. Then Jim and David talk about cultural evolution and how the ideas interplay with the current landscape of faith and science in the United States.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Hans Madueme is a Young-Earth Creationist. In this conversation, the goal was not to come to an agreement about the age of the earth but instead to understand one another better, find common ground, and explore the points of disagreement with curiosity and friendliness. Hans explains his views of where the Bible has a clear message and where he sees the limits of science in explaining things that contradict those messages.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound  courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Every human bears the image of God, and in God’s good future there will be a great diversity of people from all nations and tribes. But we don’t always live as if that were the case. Dr. Jemar Tisby joins us to talk about the church’s complicity in racism and what we can do about it. Jemar Tisby is the author of The Color of Compromise, a New York Times bestseller, and How to Fight Racism, as well as the recently published How to Fight Racism Young Reader’s Edition. He’s also the co-founder of The Witness: a Black Christian Collective and co-host of the podcast, Pass the Mic. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Sy Garte didn’t have the kind of upbringing that would typically lead one to preaching sermons. His parents were members of the communist party, materialists, and atheists. But as he started studying science he found some things that started him wondering about this idea that science can answer every question. His wondering opened the doorway, and he walked through, eventually encountering Jesus Christ and finding that his study and practice of science could go hand in hand with being a follower of Christ. 

Sy Garte's Youtube Channel

Sy Garte's Website

Sy Garte's Book

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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 Disappointment with God, The Jesus I Never Knew, and What’s So Amazing About Grace, is one of the best selling Christian authors alive today. His most recent book is an updated collaboration with Dr Brand called Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image. Yancey lives in Colorado as a freelance writer and avid hiker. 

Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image

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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 Alexander is the senior pastor for The Park Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

Alister McGrath is one of the iconic voices in the dialogue between science and faith. In this episode, Jim Stump talks to him about two of his more recent books: A Theory of Everything (that Matters) and Narrative Apologetics. The conversation ranges from talking about Einstein’s religious beliefs and how they open a door for exploring the relationship between science and theology, to the importance of storytelling for Christian Apologetics. 

Find out more about his book A Theory of Everything (that Matters)

Find out more about his book Narrative Apologetics

Jim recommends this book Enriching our Vision of Reality: Theology and the Natural Sciences in Dialogue. 

This episode original aired on January 16, 2020

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After many years working at the very top levels of science and medicine, pursuing knowledge that would lead to better and healthier lives for so many people, Francis Collins started to see an erosion of trust in science, as well as across social and political landscapes. That led him to start wondering about what leads people to trust—in facts, in ideas, in institutions—and to wonder about the nature of truth itself. His new book, A Road to Wisdom: Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust is the result. It is a book that speaks to the deep divisions in society and calls us all to humility and wisdom as we do the work to find common ground.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Nick Petrov, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford has seen the effects of how healthcare is provided differently across the population, both in her work and in her own experiences as a patient in the healthcare system. One outcome of the disparities in healthcare—the mistrust of the healthcare system—is now hindering the ability to get vaccinations to many of those who are at risk. We talk about the causes and some possible solutions and look at how some of the same issues play out in the treatment of obesity—the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States.

Learn more about the Black Women's Health Study

Read the article Beyond Tuskegee—Vaccine Distrust and Everyday Racism (in the New England Journal of Medicine)

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We look to present times to see how extinctions are actually happening and what we know about them and we explore the work of biological conservation to protect species. Then we return to the question of how to feel about extinction, comparing modern day and historical extinctions and adding a few more layers to the question.

This is episode two of a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Remember the Future, Ricky Bombino, Northern Points, Simon Stevens, Oakvale of Albion, and Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Talking about any hard topic—science and faith included—requires first recognizing the person on the other end of the conversation. That’s what David Brooks set out to do and is the result of his most recent book, How to Know a Person, The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. He draws on neuroscience in order to understand how to see and be seen by others, but ultimately this is a habit that must be formed by practice and it is one that will help us all to have better conversations and relationships. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Babel, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

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At first glance, biblical genealogies appear to straightforward family trees, the kinds we see on ancestry.com that map out the precise relationships between parents and offspring, tracing back as far as we can go. But is that how the genealogies in the Bible are supposed to be read? It turns out there’s a lot more going on in the genealogies than just that straightforward accounting. Bible scholar, Richard Middleton, shares with us some of the historical context that helps us to see the genealogies as another part of the story of God’s creation. 

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In a world of increasing division, Mónica Guzmán offers advice for approaching conversation with curiosity. When we attempt to understand those who we disagree with, instead of merely attempting to change their beliefs, we are able to see people more fully and to even learn more about our own beliefs and ideas. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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His characters on VeggieTales are arguably among the most recognizable voices in the evangelical world. As a co-creator and writer on the show, many of us came to know Phil Vischer primarily through his wacky characters. More recently, however, Phil has taken on a new role in the evangelical community as a thoughtful voice and host of the Holy Post Podcast. Phil has not been afraid to breach controversial subjects, and as a result has been subject to some controversy himself. Yet Phil’s dedication to a truth-seeking and faith centered evangelicalism is an inspiring, and perhaps challenging, model for us all.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Each February, on the podcast, we make a point of increasing our comprehension about issues of race in America from within the BioLogos mission of exploring God’s word and God’s world. As Dr. David Anderson points out, conversation is an important step toward comprehension. Dr. Anderson tells his own story of how he came to be a pastor of a large multi-cultural church and bridge builder, and how he has integrated science and scientists into that work.

Dr. David Anderson's books Praying for Scientists video

Music in this episode by Joseph McDade.

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Being a good neighbor in a wide and complicated world can be challenging. Emily Smith has attempted to share her scientific knowledge with the hopes that it can contribute to neighborliness and even help to identify those who are most in need of the caring that can come from medical help. 

Emily is known to many as the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist. Her work as an epidemiologist is to study how disease and illness affects populations, specifically those who don’t have access to many resources. In the episode, she talks about epidemiology and about the pushback that came from her attempts to share information during the COVID pandemic. And she talks about her new book, The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger About Loving Our Neighbors.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Babel, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

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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 Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He speaks at churches, universities and conferences throughout the United States and abroad. He is the co-host for his own podcast, Think Biblically, and has authored numerous books.

Original music in this episode is from Carp.

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There are a range of ways that people have thought about original sin, Adam and Eve, and the spread of sin throughout the world. Scientific knowledge, including the science of human evolution has contributed to that conversation but science has not identified a correct position. Loren Haarsma lays out several different approaches in his book When Did Sin Begin and talks with us in the episode about those approaches and the benefits and theological challenges of each approach.

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Denis Alexander has been writing about science and religion for over 40 years. That work eventually led him to found the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. He tells of his scientific career and his faith upbringing, which brings to light some differences in the relationship between science and religion in the United Kingdom and the United States. He also discusses the topic of scientific determinism which has been the focus of some of his more recent work and ends with some advice to young Christians pursuing a career in the sciences. 

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Read Stump's Travel Log to keep up with Jim's adventures during his sabbatical.

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 poet, Padraig Ó Tuama; biologist, Steve Roels; and evolutionary biologist, Sarah Bodbyl Roels. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

The giant Pacific octopus and humans have been evolving separately for more than 500 million years, but still, we have a few things in common. We explore what this means about octopuses, what it means about humans, and what it tells us about the Creator of All Things. As we dive into the science of octopus cognition and behavior we find the questions get more and more interesting. To help us sort through it, we are joined by Sy Montgomery (author of Soul of an Octopus and Secrets of the Octopus) who introduced us to two giant Pacific octopuses at the New England Aquarium. 

Thanks to the New England Aquarium for hosting our visit. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Evan MacDonald, Mattijs Muller, Titan Sound, Klimenko Music, Ricky Bombino, Sirius Music, Northern Points, and Paradiso Music courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

Anxiety disorders are extremely common. Curtis Chang knows firsthand how anxiety can be extremely disruptive to the healthy and happy lives we all strive for. In this episode Curtis, who is a theologian, host of the Good Faith podcast and executive director of Redeeming Babel, tells the story of his own struggles and the peace he found when he reframed his anxiety as an opportunity to participate in resurrection.  

Additional Resources

Redeeming Babel Good Faith Podcast (apple podcasts) Check out Curtis' book: The Anxiety Opportunity Mental Health Resources Page

If you like this episode you might like our episode on Neuroscience, Mental Health & the Church

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Kate Boyd has been learning to live out her faith in the messy middle in a culture that rewards picking a side. While her journey didn’t begin with a conflict between science and religion, her story explores the complexities of understanding the Bible in today’s context and anyone who has struggled with issues of science and faith will resonate with this conversation. Kate’s new book, which tells the story of her journey is called An Untidy Faith: Journeying Back to the Joy of Following Jesus. In the episode, Jim and Kate dive into Kate’s story of her realization of the “untidy” nature of faith and how she has come to embrace the messiness without letting go of core beliefs and how this might apply to the science and faith dialogue.

Learn more about Kate and find her book at www.kateboyd.co

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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 Christian participate in this culture of media and technology and art? Kutter proposes that rather than cutting ourselves off from the world, we engage and participate, being aware of where God is present and active.

This episode was made possible in part by the TheoPsych Project, hosted by Fuller Seminary’s office of Science, Theology, and Religion. 

Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

Francis Collins and Phil Vischer sit down to talk about science and faith and the new BioLogos Integrate curriculum.

Learn more about BioLogos Integrate.

Watch the promo video for Integrate.

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A bonus clip from an interview with Aminah Al-Attas Bradford for our series The Gift of Food.

Hope has sometimes been made out to be something we possess, something we hold like a shield to protect us from pain. But Norman wants to recast hope as something we do, and most importantly, as something that is animated by love. He talks through some of the different textures of hope to bring out more of its richness so that it might better form us through times of crisis.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Simon Stevens  courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

BioLogos is searching for our next President. Is it you? 

Many have tried to understand why there is suffering in the world. Bethany Sollereder has been working on this topic for many years, and though she hasn’t come up with a perfect answer, her new book, Why is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition, does provide a new way of contemplating this perennial question. The book allows readers to make their own choices, to see how theological decisions might bring a person to a certain set of beliefs about why there is suffering and how to deal with it. In the second half of the episode, Bethany has a chance to choose her own adventure through the conversation. 

Lost in a World of Maps (article)

Why is there Suffering? (book)

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Dan Kuebler got his undergraduate degree in English—it was not until his senior year that he joined his first lab and fell in love with biology. He joins Jim on this episode to discuss what fascinated him about science, and how his subsequent career as a biology professor has impacted his faith as a Catholic believer. The conversation covers his experience as a graduate student at University of California Berkeley, later work on science and faith (exemplified by The Evolution Controversy, which Dan co-authored with Thomas Fowler), and the impact all this has on his approach to science and faith education as Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.

Read the article Dan coauthored with Dennis Venema here.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

With the rollout of several different COVID-19 vaccines and the prominence of anti-vaxx groups, gracious conversations between opposing sides are increasingly difficult to initiate. Yet when our family members and friends voice doubts about a vaccine’s safety or effectiveness, these are the exact conversations needed to bridge that divide. Our two guests on today’s episode, Curtis Chang and David French, offer eminently approachable places to start. Two well-known voices in the conservative Christian arena, Curtis and David are passionate about having informed and empathetic discussions around vaccination. Whether you have doubts about the vaccine or are trying to find common ground where you and your family members or friends can broach these difficult topics, this conversation is a great place to start. 

Curtis Chang is not only a consulting professor in innovation and organization at Duke Divinity School but also founder and head of Consulting Within Reach, a firm which aims to help nonprofits implement best practices to more effectively achieve their goals. David French is a former lawyer and current writer. He was a fellow at the National Review Institute and staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019. Currently, he serves as senior editor of The Dispatch. Curtis and David collaborated on a series of videos addressing common concerns Christians have around the vaccine called Christians and the Vaccine. For more on this resource, check the link below. 

Check out the videos mentioned in the episode at Christians and the Vaccine homepage.

Read David French's newsletter.

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A reflection on what it means to cultivate joy even if you don't feel very merry. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, Vesper Tapes and Glory House, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. Renditions of In the Bleak Midwinter and Happy Xmas by Jim Stump. The short clip from COP29 is the voice of Juan Carlos Gomez, Panama’s special representative for climate change.

The title of Brian McLaren’s new book, Life After Doom, might at first be imposing…that word, “doom" looms large, but there is also life. McLaren has been looking into the face of the climate crisis and has, himself, felt the sense of doom that many people describe when they look into the future. McLaren does not dismiss the seriousness of the problems, nor is he paralyzed by it, but instead imagines the kind of life that is worth living no matter what kind of future will meet us. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Ricky Bombino, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Are you a pastor, ministry leader, or layperson interested in helping the Church engage in creation care and climate change? BioLogos wants to hear from you! We're looking for participants in some upcoming focus groups. Those selected to participate will receive a $25-Amazon gift card as a thank you. See details HERE. 

Reading the news these days can make it seem like the world is coming to an end. And reading scientific journals, especially regarding climate, biodiversity loss and other environmental issues, can give a similar feeling. Jonathan Moo is a professor of New Testament and environmental studies and he helps break down how Christians might respond to the bleak picture that is sometimes painted of the world. He helps us to look specifically to the biblical account of end times to understand how to put this in perspective with our own times. We find not only darkness in a conversation about apocalypse but hope and the need for a more radical faithfulness. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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 recent books: A Theory of Everything (that Matters) and Narrative Apologetics. The conversation ranges from talking about Einstein’s religious beliefs and how they open a door for exploring the relationship between science and theology to the importance of storytelling for Christian Apologetics. 

Thanks to Tyndale Publishing for helping to set up our interview with Alister McGrath. 

Find out more about his book A Theory of Everything (that Matters)

Find out more about his book Narrative Apologetics

Jim recommends this book: Enriching our Vision of Reality: Theology and the Natural Sciences in Dialogue. 

Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.

Throughout the pandemic, COVID-19 related news and public thought has often centered around the countries we reside in. Our guest today, Father Nicanor Austriaco, invites us to peer beyond our own situations to see how the rest of the world is dealing with the disease. Father Nicanor shares with Jim how his home country, the Philippines, is handling the tumultuous time as well as what it’s like to be both a Catholic priest and a molecular biologist during a pandemic.

Learn more about Father Nicanor's project on St. Thomas Aquinas and evolution here.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

Janet Kellogg Ray is a Christian science educator and author. In the episode, she shares her personal journey of reconciling her faith with the science of evolution and discusses the challenges faced by Christians in accepting scientific evidence. She explores the connection between the denial of evolution, climate change, and COVID vaccines, highlighting the cultural and political factors that contribute to science denial within religious communities. Janet emphasizes the importance of science literacy and understanding the nature of science in order to build trust and engage in meaningful conversations about faith and science.

Learn more about Janet Kellogg Ray and see her books here.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Pink Marble, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

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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 knowledge and wisdom he has found.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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. In doing so, this conversation intersects with science, miracles, and ultimately with God’s place in our world and our lives. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

In the long history of searching for what makes humans special we have repeatedly caused great harm to our neighbors, both human and non-human. In fact, it seems that one of the things that makes our species unique is our ability to cause such destruction. The search for human uniqueness can lead to a kind of thinking that devalues everything non-human. When ‘human’ is defined too narrowly, that can leave some humans out. In the first part of this episode we look at how ideas of race have caused us to treat a large portion of our population as less than human. Then we look at how human-centric thinking has had a detrimental effect on our planet.

In this new Language of God mini series—Uniquely Unique—Jim is joined by our producer Colin for a deep dive into these questions and more. The quest? To try to come to a better understanding of what it means to be human, to bear the image of God. Along the way, you’ll hear from a variety of experts from a wide range of disciplines, drawing on biology, history, anthropology, philosophy, theology and more to try to make sense of our human identity.

Check our new animated video series including a video exploring what it means to be human. 

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

How should we respond to a problem that seems unsolvable? This is the question we ask in a series about the environmental crisis as we explore the fine line between hope and despair. In this episode we allow ourselves to fully contemplate the woundedness of the planet and we reach into the Christian practice of lament as a way to find hope in the midst of the suffering we see around us. The episode ends with a guided lament liturgy. 

This is the second of three episodes in the Creation Groans series. 

Check out the list of related resources from this series here.

Liturgy music is by Brian Mulder. (Spotify)

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the climate emergency has reached a “code red”. New research also shows that over 50% of Americans agree that climate change is happening and demands urgent action. So why does it seem like so little is being done? Internationally renowned climate scientist, professor and author Katharine Hayhoe returns to the show and tells us what keeps her hopeful despite the dire situation we find ourselves in. She also tells us about her forthcoming book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, which expands on why she’s hopeful. Katharine is also an ardent Christian and she shares with Jim the biblical foundation for climate action.

Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

It is hard to care for, protect, or even to mourn those we have no relationship with. We try to develop a relationship with a few creatures that are still among us, even if they are imperiled, to better know and love our world. And we end with a last few thorns…should we attempt to bring back extinct species and how should we think about the future of our own species?

This is episode three of a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes, Trending Music, Babel, Immersive Music, Full Frontal Audio, and Cosmo Lawson, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Before we can understand the interactions of science, religion, philosophy we must first know what each is. In their new book, Biology, Religion and Philosophy: An Introduction, our guests Dennis Venema—an evolutionary biologist—and Michael Peterson—a philosopher—work to define these disciplines before diving into the ways in which they inform each other, support each other, and ultimately help us to understand the world we live in and to better know God, the creator and sustainer of all things. 

You can buy Michael and Dennis's new book here.

Read Evolution Basics articles by Dennis Venema on our website.

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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 poet, Padraig Ó Tuama; biologist, Steve Roels; and evolutionary biologist, Sarah Bodbyl Roels. 

This episode originally aired on October 8, 2020.

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Andy Gosler is an ethno-ornithologist, studying the relationships between people and birds. We talk about what that means and the importance of knowing the names of the living creatures around us, as we walk through an ancient hay meadow on a gray day in Oxfordshire, UK.

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Jimmy Lin calls himself a scientific doxologist. The science part of that title describes his work to find cures and treatments for cancer and rare diseases and he talks about the real progress that has been made to that end. But for him, the science is merely his path toward doxology, the praise of God, and in this way, his work becomes a kind of hymn of praise. 

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This Lent we’re reading reflections from Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, by Gayle Boss. We’ll end with an interview with Gayle Boss in the last week of Lent. 

The reflections from Wild Hope are grouped into five different weeks, with four creatures in each week, through the season of Lent and four more during Holy Week. Week one is "Tthe Hungry" and the story is about the red knot.

Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss, illustrated by David G. Klein Copyright 2020:  text by Gayle Boss, illustrations by David G. Klein Used by permission of Paraclete Press www.paracletepress.com