Talbot School of Theology at Biola University / Sean McDowell & Scott Rae | March 20, 2026

Cultural Update: Is Iran War Ethical?; Rigging March Madness; Sexual Recession

This week, Scott and Sean discuss: 

Just War, Modern Targets: Sean and Scott weigh whether Israel’s targeted killings of Iranian leaders can fit within just war reasoning while warning against pulling Old Testament examples out of context. 

March Madness, Trust Erodes: A college basketball betting scandal raises the bigger fear that even suspected game-rigging can make fans wonder whether what they’re watching is real. 

The Sexual Recession: Two new books spark a conversation about why fewer people are having sex, with the deeper issue framed as loneliness, screen-shaped isolation, and collapsing relational confidence. 

UK Abortion Alarm: The final segment takes up a proposed UK bill that they say would remove penalties for self-induced abortion at any stage of pregnancy, prompting a blunt moral critique.  


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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.  

Sean McDowell, Ph.D. is a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, best-selling author, popular speaker, part-time high school teacher, and the Resident Scholar for Summit Ministries, California. Follow him on Twitter: @sean_mcdowell