Language of God

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. Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.  

In this episode we tell two stories of finding harmony in faith and science. The stories come from Garrett and Amanda, two young people who were deeply connected to young-earth creation—that is, until they started to see some cracks developing in their reasoning which sent them on a journey to discover how to reframe their scientific view of the world while holding closely to their Christian faith. Both found their way through the next phase of their spiritual journey in different ways but their stories help us all to appreciate the humility that is required to change one’s beliefs, and the wisdom that comes from realizing that we can’t know the answers to all of life’s questions.  This episode originally aired on December 12, 2019. Join a conversation about this episode at 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.

Sometimes it seems that the gap between humans and computers is growing increasingly small. But as scientists have worked to develop intelligent computers, they have usually ignored emotions. Rosalind Picard has spent a career developing technology that can read and human emotion and has had a hand in technology that has led to a great deal of human flourishing and even saved lives. But her work has also highlighted the huge gap that still exists between humans and computers, how little we actually know about ourselves, and what amazing creatures we are.  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.

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.

Denis Lamoureux didn’t just stumble unto evolutionary creation, though, as he will tell you, there was a great deal of stumbling on his path to get there. In the first part of the conversation he tells the story of faith to atheism, back to young earth creationism, and finally to evolutionary creationism, and how it was the bible, not science, which led him to where he is today.  His new book, The Bible and Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation, gives 22 different principles for reading the bible. We focus on a few of those in our conversation, including accommodation, inerrancy, and what he calls, the message incident principle, which is that the most important thing about scripture is the spiritual truths held within. These principles have helped Denis, and now his students, to dig deep into scripture, remain committed to Christ, and also to see to see the beauty of biology.  The Bible and Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation. Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.

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.

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.

Deb Haarsma, president of BioLogos, takes a turn in the interviewee’s seat as she tells her own story of an interest in science from a young age and how she was able to hold closely to her faith through her study of physics and a PhD in astronomy. But that doesn’t mean she has everything figured out—she also talks about some of the questions that remain unresolved. Even in the face of uncertainty, it is God’s glory, which she finds in abundance, including in the study of our vast universe, which turns her always back to praise.  Original music in this episode is from Carp. Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.