This week, Scott and Erik Thoennes discuss: $2 Million Gender Medicine Verdict: A New York jury awarded $2 million to a detransitioner who underwent a double mastectomy at age 16, marking a landmark legal decision that could significantly impact gender medicine practices as about 30 similar cases wind through the legal system.The Rise of AI Boyfriends: Women are increasingly using AI companions, raising concerns about artificial intimacy replacing real human relationships and the emotional, psychological, and spiritual implications of forming attachments to digital partners.When Spouses Won't Let Go: A medical ethics dilemma explores the tension between honoring your spouse's wishes to keep a dying loved one on life support and respecting medical guidance when further treatment appears futile.Politics at the Grammys: Celebrities used the Grammy Awards platform to make political statements about immigration and other issues, prompting discussion about whether entertainers should leverage their influence this way and how Christians should respond.Listener Questions: Addressing the balance between Christian liberty and legalism regarding alcohol consumption, plus biblical principles that should guide Christian thinking on immigration enforcement and refugee policy. ==========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. 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.
How would a psychologist view the TV series, The Chosen? What does the portrayal of the characters, namely Jesus, say about how we connect with God? We’ll talk about these questions and more with our guest, Rosemead colleague and psychologist, Dr. Liz Hall, who contributed to a new book, Watching The Chosen. Dr. Liz Hall is Professor of Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. Her research interests include women and work, mothering, sexism, embodiment and meaning-making in suffering. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on these topics. In all of these areas, she strives to bring together psychological research and theological insights. ==========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. 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.
This week: UK Revival Claims Questioned: A new Pew Research study challenges recent claims of spiritual revival among young adults in the UK, suggesting that opt-in surveys may be misleading and random sampling shows Christian identification is actually declining, not increasing.Social Media Child Safety: Social media giants face a landmark legal case regarding child safety, raising important questions about platform accountability and the protection of minors online.Posthumous Sperm Retrieval Ethics: Families of slain Israeli soldiers in Gaza are retrieving sperm from their bodies for posthumous reproduction, sparking complex ethical discussions about consent, grief, and reproductive technology.Harry Potter Generation Politics: The Harry Potter generation is being called to rethink their politics as they mature into adulthood.Keeping Marriage Strong Forever: Listener Q&A addresses keeping marriages strong over decades with advice to never stop working on your relationship and consider having more children.Biblical Response to Tragedy: A nurse in Minnesota asks how to biblically process the tragic events surrounding ICE enforcement, including the death of Alex Pretti. ==========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. 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.
What is like to serve God under the siege of the war in Ukraine? What theological questions are raised as a result of the war, especially about the goodness and sovereignty of God? And how are the churches dealing with the trauma of war? We’ll address these questions and more with our guest Anna, faculty member at Talbot's Kyiv Theological Seminary. ==========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. 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.
This week, Scott and Sean discuss: America's Historic Crime Drop - The U.S. has experienced its largest homicide rate reduction in 125 years, with all seven categories of violent crime falling below pre-pandemic levels. Baltimore serves as a compelling case study, cutting homicides by nearly 60% through proactive outreach to at-risk individuals and community investment.The Dark Side of AI - Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has released millions of sexually inappropriate images on X, including disturbing content involving minors. Looksmaxxing: Young Men in Crisis - A troubling new trend reveals how young men are obsessing over physical appearance enhancement, often to unhealthy extremes. This movement reflects deeper issues of identity, worth, and the pressure created by social media culture.China's Demographic Collapse - China's birth rate continues its dramatic decline despite government incentives to encourage childbearing. The discussion explores cultural factors, economic pressures, and what this means for global demographics.Listener Q&A:Faith-Based Ministries and Immigration - A listener asks whether Christian ministries serving undocumented immigrants could face legal consequences under potential new enforcement policies. ==========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. 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.
Why are we committed to a Protestant understanding of Christianity? What is a unique Protestant view of the Bible, the gospel, and the ordinances? In this episode, we talk with Biola professor Fred Sanders about the historical and biblical reasons to be Protestant. We also carefully define what is meant by “Protestant” and respond to common objections such as the claim that Protestantism shifts the locus of authority to the individual and thus leads to fragmentation. Dr. Fred Sanders is a systematic theologian who studies and teaches across the entire range of classic Christian doctrine, but with a primary focus on the doctrine of the Trinity. Sanders has taught in Torrey Honors College since 1999, and is an amateur historian of Biola's institutional history. He is co-founder of the annual Los Angeles Theology Conference, and maintains an active internet presence via Twitter and blog. He and his family are members of Grace Evangelical Free Church. ==========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. 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.
Topics this week: Will AI slop take over in 2026? How AI-generated media is breaking our ability to tell what’s real, and why rebuilding trust and virtue matters more than just better tech. AI manipulation + Iran protests: How AI can distort protest footage and narratives, making propaganda easier and truth harder to confirm in real time.Affirmative action after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling: Is affirmative action “dead,” what loopholes might remain, and what recent law school enrollment data suggests.Supreme Court likely to uphold transgender athlete bans: The conversation covers the legal argumentation, the Idaho and West Virginia cases, and how this may push decisions back to state-level authority. Listener Question: Spiritual transformation ==========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. 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.
With churchgoing in decline in the US, what is the relevance of the church today? What’s the significance of the Bible using the language of family to describe the church? And what do we say to the person who insists that they can have a vibrant spiritual life but don’t need the church? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest colleague in OT, Dr. Carmen Imes, from her new book, Becoming God’s Family. Dr. Carmen Imes is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Talbot. She is passionate about helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. She is best known for her books Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019) and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP 2023). Imes has appeared on over 100 podcasts and radio shows and releases weekly "Torah Tuesday" videos on her own YouTube channel. ==========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. 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.
To kick off 2026, Sean and Scott discuss:The Top 5 Religious Trends to Watch in 2026A federal judge's ruling about teachers' rights to inform parents about a child's gender identity.Arguments for allowing organ donation prior to deathA New York Times feature on near-death experiencesListener followup on our recent episode about alcohol==========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. 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.