

Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture
Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 30, 2023 • 53min
Responding to Pro-Choice Arguments
What are the toughest and most common arguments for pro-choice? And how can thoughtful Christians respond? In this podcast, which is also available as video on the Biola YouTube channel, Sean and Scott respond to 12 pro-choice arguments. They bring clarity on the underlying issues beneath the pro-choice position and also offer some practical talking points for engaging others thoughtfully and graciously.Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/responding-to-pro-choice-arguments. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Mar 24, 2023 • 28min
The Bible and Cultural Critique (with Christopher Watkin)
How does the Bible guide us in applying its truths to our culture? Of course the Bible applies to our individual lives, but the Bible is also a rich resource for critique of any culture. Join Scott and Sean with their guest, British philosopher Chris Watkin for a fascinating journey through the major theological emphases in Scripture and how they apply to various aspects of contemporary culture. This is theology articulated like you’ve never heard it before!Christopher Watkin is Associate Professor of French Studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He describes his work as “I make sense of how people make sense of the world.” He is author of several books, including, From Plato to Postmodernism: The Story of Western Culture through Philosophy, Literature and Art, Thinking Through Creation: Genesis 1-2 as Tools of Cultural Critique, and Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and CultureRead a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/the-bible-and-cultural-critique. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

6 snips
Mar 16, 2023 • 30min
Biblical Critical Theory— An Oxymoron?? (with Christopher Watkin)
What is a critical theory? Aren’t various critical theories used widely in the academy and the culture to deconstruct Christian faith? Is there something to be learned from various critical theories in the way the critique culture? How does the Bible engage in cultural critique and provide resources for doing so? This is not just an academic discussion but one that has ripple effects throughout the general culture. Join Scott and Sean for this illuminating discussion with British philosopher Chris Watkin. Christopher Watkin is Associate Professor of French Studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He describes his work as “I make sense of how people make sense of the world.” He is author of several books, including, From Plato to Postmodernism: The Story of Western Culture through Philosophy, Literature and Art, Thinking Through Creation: Genesis 1-2 as Tools of Cultural Critique, and Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/biblical-critical-theory-an-oxymoron. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Mar 9, 2023 • 38min
Current Issues at the Edges of Life
What are most current and pressing ethical issues in the field of bioethics? How is euthanasia being practiced in Canada? What are the new horizons in surrogacy? What is the state of the law concerning IVF in the US? Join Scott and Sean for this stimulating discussion of the most current issues especially some of the “out there” new horizons in bioethics.Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/current-issues-at-the-edges-of-life. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Mar 2, 2023 • 35min
Video Game Theology (with Drew Dixon)
What does it mean to think biblically about video games? How much and what kinds of video games should Christians play? Bottom line, what is a theology of video games? Our guest today, Drew Dixon, author of Know Thy Gamer: A Parent’s Guide to Video Games, is going to help us think through these questions and more.Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/video-game-theology. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Feb 27, 2023 • 41min
Knowledge for the Love of God (with Tim Pickavance)
What does it mean to have knowledge of God—is it similar to knowledge in the sciences, etc.? Is there a dichotomy between faith in God and knowledge of God? How does our knowledge of God connect with our spiritual lives being a matter of the heart? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Tim Pickavance, author of Knowledge for the Love of God, and interim Dean of Talbot.This episode is also available as a video at https://youtu.be/8wD0YgsUZb0.Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/knowledge-for-the-love-of-god. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

5 snips
Feb 16, 2023 • 31min
Untrustworthy — Our Cultural Knowledge Crisis (with Bonnie Kristian)
We have a flood of information available today that we’ve never had before—what is doing to our brains? To our culture? To our ability to have civil conversations about hard issues? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, journalist Bonnie Kristian.Bonnie is the author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). As a journalist, she writes opinion pieces on foreign policy, religion, electoral politics, and more. Her column, "The Lesser Kingdom," appears in print and online at Christianity Today. Her work has been published at outlets including The New York Times, The Week, USA Today, CNN, Politico, Reason, and The Daily Beast. Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/untrustworthy-our-cultural-knowledge-crisis. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Feb 13, 2023 • 49min
[BONUS] The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (with Carl Trueman)
What best explains the development of the Sexual Revolution? According to Carl Trueman, there are three key components: technology, politics, and ideas. In this interview, Sean and Dr. Trueman discuss his latest book – The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self – which focuses on key thinkers that helped pave the way for the Sexual Revolution. This interview was first recorded on Sean's YouTube channel, which is in partnership with the Talbot Apologetics program.Dr. Carl Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is an esteemed church historian and previously served as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and Public Life at Princeton University. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including The Creedal Imperative; Luther on the Christian Life; and Histories and Fallacies. Trueman is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/bonus-the-rise-and-triumph-of-the-modern-self. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

5 snips
Feb 9, 2023 • 30min
Confronting Spiritual Abuse (with Michael Kruger)
What is spiritual abuse and how common is it? How should Christians handle spiritual abuse in the church? Our guest today, Dr. Michael Kruger, has written a new book called Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church. We talk with him about how to best understand and address spiritual abuse in the church and wider Christian community.Michael J. Kruger is president of Reformed Theological Seminary's Charlotte, North Carolina, campus, where he also serves as professor of New Testament. He was president of the Evangelical Society in 2019. He is the author of multiple books including Surviving Religion 101 (2021) and Christianity at the Crossroads (2018).Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/confronting-spiritual-abuse. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.

Feb 2, 2023 • 48min
The State of Christian Philosophy Today (with Greg Ganssle)
What is the current state of Christian philosophy in the secular university and the culture more generally? Is Christian philosophy considered an oxymoron? Or has belief in God enjoyed a renewal in academic settings, and if so, what accounts for that? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest , our philosophy colleague Dr. Greg Ganssle. We’ll also talk about how Talbot’s MA Program in Philosophy, 30 years going as of 2023, has tried to advance the state of Christian philosophy in the academy and the culture.Greg Ganssle is Professor of Philosophy at Talbot. He earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Rhode Island in 1990. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from Syracuse University in 1995, where his dissertation on God's relation to time won a Syracuse University Dissertation Award. In addition to publishing nearly three dozen articles, chapters and reviews, Greg has edited two books, God and Time: Four Views (IVP, 2001) and God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (Oxford, 2002 – with David M. Woodruff). Greg is also the author of Our Deepest Desires: How the Christian Story Fulfills Human Aspirations (IVP, 2017), Thinking about God: First Steps in Philosophy (IVP, 2004) and A Reasonable God: Engaging the New Face of Atheism (Baylor University Press, 2009). Greg was part-time lecturer in the philosophy department at Yale for nine years and a senior fellow at the Rivendell Institute at Yale. Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/the-state-of-christian-philosophy-today. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. 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.


