Francis Collins, a prominent geneticist and former NIH director, discusses his dual identity as a scientist and evangelical Christian. He shares his struggles to convince skeptical American Christians of the importance of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation highlights the growing polarization within the evangelical church and the troubling decline in trust towards science. Collins calls for a return to foundational truths while addressing the ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic selection and the profound challenges of suffering.

A couple of inter-connected news stories set us off this week. First, the prominent DNA ancestry company 23andMe is teetering on the brink of collapse and considering selling off its database of 15m people’s genomes. Can someone else own your DNA, and what are the risks if genomes are passed around the economy as any other product? Next, a US start-up has apparently used UK volunteers’ genomic data to pursue its plans to offer couples the chance to screen their embryos for intelligence, beauty, and maybe more, all for a chunky sum of course. So-called ‘liberal eugenics’ is popular in some corners of philosophy and is leaking out into the real world too. Is there really anything wrong with trying to ensure the embryo you end up carrying to term has the best genes possible? What kind of laws or regulations should there be around parents selecting for intelligence, beauty, height or even sex in their own children? And what does a Christian vision for parenthood and the raising of children look like, if it’s not this hyper-controlled and commodified version sold to us by the liberal eugenicists? Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe? - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/09/23andme-dna-data-privacy-sale/680057/ US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ’ – https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/18/us-startup-charging-couples-to-screen-embryos-for-iq Our previous episode on pre-natal screening - https://www.johnwyatt.com/prenatal-screening-1/ Our previous episode on genetics, featuring an interview with geneticist Melody Redman - https://www.johnwyatt.com/genetics/ • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Near death experiences are gaining serious scientific interest, as researchers explore what happens to the brain in life-threatening situations. Historical insights reveal their evolution since the 1740s, and personal testimonies shed light on common experiences during these encounters. The podcast discusses the intersection of NDEs with Christian beliefs and the implications for understanding the afterlife. It also delves into the conflict between materialism and spirituality, urging listeners to reflect on deeper faith beyond mere proof.

Pregnant women today are offered a battery of tests and screening for their unborn child, looking for an ever-increasing range of conditions and risks. But is the onward march of technology in this sphere always an unmitigated good thing? With abortion for a disability legal in the UK up to term, women are being given terrible choices previous generations never faced: give birth to a child who probably has a life-limiting or even fatal condition, or end the pregnancy early. In this episode we dig further into the complex ethics of prenatal screening and explore what the Christian tradition makes of seeking to understand the future, and the different arguments for and against aborting children we know will be disabled. • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

This week we speak with church pastor and author Ed Shaw about John’s book on friendship, and in particular how it intersects with those who are same-sex attracted like him. How has the church unintentionally colluded with the sexual revolution in prioritising and idealising marriage, relegating friendship in the process? Why is it so important for celibate, single leaders like Ed to cultivate and sustain an array of deep friendships in church? And how can we ensure this is being done sensibly and accountably, avoiding the potential for abuse and harm that we’ve seen in so many recent evangelical scandals? Ed is also ministry director of Living Out - https://www.livingout.org/ • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Yoga and mindfulness are everywhere in popular Western culture: in school PE lessons, in company retreats, prescribed by doctors, and even sometimes endorsed by churches. Are these harmless or even quasi-Christian practices we can all enjoy, or pagan-derived movements which believers should steer clear of? And is there such a thing as ‘Christian meditation’ we should all be leaning into instead? Richard Foster – Celebration of Discipline https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/spiritual-growth/the-spiritual-disciplines/celebration-of-discipline/ John Mark Comer – Practising the Way https://www.practicingtheway.org/ • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Harrowing testimony from healthcare staff at the UK’s national covid inquiry has reminded us of the horrendous sacrifices made by doctors and nurses during the pandemic, just a few years ago. And yet the inquiry has drawn hardly any media attention, with most of us happy to move on with our lives and never think about those long months in lockdown again. But is this a wise, or even a Christian, way of dealing with trauma in the past? And is covid even something in the past anyway, with new variants spiking and some public health experts baffled at our society’s ‘capitulation’ in the face of a resurgent virus? What damage may be being done to us as we wilfully ignore covid, and should Christians be among those trying to draw more people’s attention? Some of our previous episodes on covid: • Covid reconsidered 1:Pandemic amnesia, ‘Stay at home, Protect the NHS, Save lives’, lingering Long Covid, and 13.47 billion vaccine doses https://www.johnwyatt.com/covid-reconsidered-1/ • Covid reconsidered 2: Empty Nightingale hospitals, difficult triage decisions, a failure of Christian leadership, and reconsidering lockdown https://www.johnwyatt.com/covid-reconsidered-2/ • The origins of covid: Gain of function research, zoonosis, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and truth over tribe https://www.johnwyatt.com/origins-of-covid/ • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

The new British government has been crystal clear that in their view, the National Health Service – a state-run socialised system which is quasi-worshipped by most Britons – is in long-term crisis. Services from family doctors to cancer treatment to A&E in hospitals are struggling and failing to hit targets, and constantly underfunded. In this episode we discuss the reasons why healthcare services across the developing world and especially in the UK are buckling under the pressures of keeping our older and sicker populations healthy. Is the fabled ‘free at the point of use’ taxpayer-funded NHS really the best system to be facing the challenges of the 21st century? Will modern technology from overseas inevitably begin to take over, and will that be a good thing? And should we be enthusiastic about the new class of anti-obesity medication which seems to be having remarkable success in tackling the chronic conditions which bedevil Western societies and cripple our healthcare services? Or is the idea we can make people more virtuous and less addicted simply by mass prescribing new pills a foolish delusion? Our previous episode going into more depth on Ozempic and the new GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs can be found here: https://www.premier.plus/matters-of-life-and-death/podcasts/episodes/new-obesity-drugs-the-morality-of-food-and-has-neuroscience-killed-off-free-will • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com

Daniel Maughan, a Christian psychiatrist specializing in psychosis, shares insights on the rising mental health issues post-COVID and the challenges within our healthcare systems. He discusses how faith influences his practice and the need for empathy in mental health treatment. Daniel questions societal stigma surrounding mental health and explores how churches can support mental resilience without medicalizing normal emotions. Through this lens, he advocates for a balanced approach to medication and emphasizes the importance of community support in healing.

The discussion delves into the rising trend of euthanasia tourism in the US as more states liberalize assisted suicide laws. It examines the emotional toll on families witnessing loved ones suffer and the generational divide on autonomy. The troubling role of online guidance in this debate is scrutinized alongside new political pushes in the UK. Ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals are also addressed, especially for those of faith contemplating their roles in a changing landscape.