Cultural Update: Selecting embryos; AI romantic chatbots; Is sunlight and fresh air a human right?

Carmen Imes, Scott Rae — June 13, 2025

This week, Scott and guest host Carmen Imes discuss:

Can AI romantic chatbots become dangerously addictive? Exploring the emotional and ethical consequences of these pseudo-relationships.
What do couples do with leftover embryos after IVF? A Psychology Today article opens a discussion on grief, responsibility, and the image of God.
New genetic screening allows parents to select embryos based on up to 900 traits—raising urgent questions about modern eugenics and human worth.
A report from The Marshall Project details how some U.S. prisons deprive inmates of sunlight and fresh air.
Honoring the lives and legacies of Jennifer Lyell, a courageous abuse survivor, and Walter Brueggemann, a groundbreaking Old Testament scholar.
Listener Questions: Bible translation preferences, defining God’s sovereignty, and how Christians should think about taxes in light of American history.

Episode Transcript

Transcript coming soon.

Scott Rae

Scott Rae is professor of Christian ethics and dean of the faculty at Talbot School of Theology. A noted Christian scholar and ethicist, Scott is the author of such books as Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics; Business for the Common Good; and Beyond Integrity: A Judeo-Christian Approach to Business Ethics. He has a Ph.D. and M.A. in social ethics from the University of Southern California, a Th.M. in Old Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a B.A.S. in economics from Southern Methodist University. He has served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles, including a term as president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2015. Along with Sean McDowell (Ph.D.), Scott co-hosts the Think Biblically podcast at Biola University.

Carmen Imes

Dr. Carmen Imes brings to Biola a passion for helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. Since the release of her book, Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019), Imes has appeared on more than 40 podcasts and radio shows and launched her own YouTube channel where she releases weekly "Torah Tuesday" videos. She is a guest blogger for Christianity Today, The Political Theology Network, and The Well (InterVarsity's blog for women in the academy and professions). Imes is also a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. She previously served as professor of Old Testament and program coordinator for Bible and Theology at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Before earning her Ph.D. from Wheaton College, Carmen and her husband served as missionaries in the Philippines with SIM International, reaching out to ethnic minorities. Imes loves introducing students to the rich insights of the global church.

Cultural Update: Selecting embryos; AI romantic chatbots; Is sunlight and fresh air a human right?

Episode Transcript

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