• Is Empathy a Sin?

  with Tim Muehlhoff

  Sean McDowell, Tim Muehlhoff — May 13, 2025

  Is empathy being weaponized by Progressives to manipulate Christians into adopting certain ethical and political views? Is empathy a virtue, or...

• Cultural Update: New Pope, Supreme Court Hears Case on Religious Charter Schools, New Successful Argument Against Transgenderism

  Sean McDowell, Thaddeus Williams — May 09, 2025

  This Week's Topics: A New Pope has been chosen by the Catholic Church The Supreme Court hears a case about government funding for a Catholic...

• Thinking Biblically About Disability

  with Chris Ralston

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — May 06, 2025

  Why does God allow disabilities? What is the point of someone's disability? What is disability theology, and what are the implications of this for...

• Cultural Update: The Abortion Pill Harms Women; Dads Are Spending More Time With Their Kids

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — May 02, 2025

  This week's topics: Abortion Pill Study: A massive study reveals serious health risks linked to the abortion pill mifepristone, with adverse events...

• Cohabitation: Is it Biblical and Wise?

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 29, 2025

  What does the Bible say, if anything, about living together before marriage? Given that 70% of Americans now cohabit before marriage, and roughly...

• Cultural Update: Was Jesus crucified with nails?; Young men return to church; Are Megachurches Ethical?

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 25, 2025

  Topics this week: Controversy after Christianity Today published an article questioning whether Jesus was crucified with nails. The Supreme Court...

• The State of the Bible in 2025

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 22, 2025

  How many Americans are engaging the Bible today? And in what ways? How does Bible reading affect giving to charity, life flourishing, and...

• Weekly Cultural Update: Rise of Christian Faith in Women's Basketball, UK Supreme Court Rules on Gender, France Passes a New Law Regarding Sperm Donation, Richard Dawkins Asks, "Who is a Christian?"

  Scott Rae, Erik Thoennes — April 18, 2025

  Topics this week: Women's Basketball Player Embraces Her Faith The UK Supreme Court Rules on Gender France's Law on Anonymous Sperm and Egg...

• The Unseen Realm: Analysis of the 10-year expanded edition

  Sean McDowell, Charlie Trimm — April 15, 2025

  Michael Heiser is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars over the past decade. In this video, Sean is joined by Talbot Old Testament...

• Cultural Update: The Ethics of Dire Wolves; What to Make of Miracles; Are Embryos Property?

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 11, 2025

  Topics this week: An Atlantic article on Elaine Pagels' new book, "Miracles and Wonder." Is she downplaying the supernatural? This episode dives...

• Apologetics for a New Generation

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 08, 2025

  What should apologetics look like for this generation? What does it mean that apologetics is for everyone, not just specialists? How is the gospel...

• Cultural Update: Polygany Reduces Birthrates, Relatives Can Be "Brought Back to Life" Through AI Chatbots, and New Tech Allows for More Control Over Embryo Selection

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 04, 2025

  This week's topics: Polygany Found to Cause Lower Birthrates than Monogamy AI Chatbots can Allow People to Talk with Deceased Relatives New Tech...

• Intelligent Design: Dying or Flourishing?

  with Doug Axe

  Douglas Axe, Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — April 01, 2025

  What is the state of the intelligent design movement today? How is it faring in the scientific realm, the church, and in the public? How has the...

• Cultural Update: Ethics of Embryo Research; Christianity in Silicon Valley; Vigilante Justice

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — March 28, 2025

  This week's topics: The Ethics of Embryo Research: The abortion debate is shifting toward the status and treatment of embryos—especially in light...

• The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Christopher Brooks, Tim Muehlhoff, Scott Rae — March 25, 2025

  What is the enduring legacy of MLK?, why has the culture neglected the theological basis for his civil rights work?, what assumptions to white and...

• Cultural Update: Why is Dating Dying in Younger Generations? Porn is Becoming More Popular than Real Relationships, The App Store Enables New Age Restrictions on Downloading Certain Apps, An Australian Blood Donor Saves Thousands!

  Scott Rae, Erik Thoennes — March 21, 2025

  Decline of Romantic Relationships Among Young People – Dating among high school and college students is decreasing due to emotional intimacy...

• Can Christians Identify as Gay? (with Preston Sprinkle)

  Sean McDowell, Preston Sprinkle — March 18, 2025

  Should Christians identify as gay? Is this a secondary issue that should not divide Christians, or is more at stake? Sean and Preston Sprinkle...

• Cultural Update: Sociogenomics; New Study on Gender Affirming Surgery; Future of Faith in America

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — March 14, 2025

  This week, Sean and Scott discuss: New Study on Gender Affirming Surgery – A major peer-reviewed study finds increased psychological distress...

• Christians and Preferred Pronouns: Is it Biblical? (with Preston Sprinkle)

  Sean McDowell, Preston Sprinkle — March 11, 2025

  Should Christians use preferred pronouns? Is it wise and biblically permissible, or not? While Sean has had this discussion before on the Think...

• Cultural Update: Maine Continues to Fight Over Transgender Athletes, Delaware Considering a Bill to Recognize First Cousin Marriage, Is America Becoming a Theocracy? A Bill That Challenges Religious Liberty

  Sean McDowell, Thaddeus Williams — March 07, 2025

  Maine Continues to Fight over Transgender Athletes A Bill to Recognise First Cousin Marriage Is America Becoming a Theocracy? A Bill in Washington...

• The State of Near-Death Experiences

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — March 04, 2025

  How strong is the evidence for near-death experiences? How has the field of study changed over the past 50 years since doctors, academics, and...

• Cultural Update: Humanoid Robots Enter the Workforce, Medically Assisted Suicide Can Be Scheduled, Christianity's Growth in America, and Planned Parenthood Allegations

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — February 28, 2025

  Humanoid Robots in the Workforce . AI-powered robots are becoming more common for tasks like stacking and sorting, though their abilities remain...

• Fallout of the Trans Revolution

  with Katie McCoy

  Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — February 25, 2025

  What are the sociological effects for women from trans ideology? How do we think biblically given our confused cultural moment about sex, gender,...

• Cultural Update: Limits of Online Free Speech; TikToking Democracy to Death

  Timothy Pickavance, Scott Rae — February 21, 2025

  In this episode, Scott Rae and guest co-host Dr. Tim Pickavance tackle key cultural issues through a biblical lens: Are Traditional Wedding Vows...

• Understanding Messianic Movements Today

  with Mitch Glaser

  Mitch Glaser, Sean McDowell, Scott Rae — February 18, 2025

  What is the state of Christian efforts to reach out to their Jewish friends and neighbors? What are the biggest barriers Jews have to considering...

About the Podcast

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a weekly podcast that offers Christian perspectives on some of the most significant issues facing today's church and culture. In each episode, hosts Scott Rae and Sean McDowell — professors at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology — draw upon biblical wisdom and insights from guest experts as they explore how Christians can thoughtfully and faithfully engage with cultural trends and current events.

Contact Us

To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

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