Language of God

After many years working at the very top levels of science and medicine, pursuing knowledge that would lead to better and healthier lives for so many people, Francis Collins started to see an erosion of trust in science, as well as across social and political landscapes. That led him to start wondering about what leads people to trust—in facts, in ideas, in institutions—and to wonder about the nature of truth itself. His new book, A Road to Wisdom: Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust is the result. It is a book that speaks to the deep divisions in society and calls us all to humility and wisdom as we do the work to find common ground.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Nick Petrov, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

The title of Brian McLaren’s new book, Life After Doom, might at first be imposing…that word, “doom" looms large, but there is also life. McLaren has been looking into the face of the climate crisis and has, himself, felt the sense of doom that many people describe when they look into the future. McLaren does not dismiss the seriousness of the problems, nor is he paralyzed by it, but instead imagines the kind of life that is worth living no matter what kind of future will meet us. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Ricky Bombino, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Are you a pastor, ministry leader, or layperson interested in helping the Church engage in creation care and climate change? BioLogos wants to hear from you! We're looking for participants in some upcoming focus groups. Those selected to participate will receive a $25-Amazon gift card as a thank you. See details HERE. 

It is hard to care for, protect, or even to mourn those we have no relationship with. We try to develop a relationship with a few creatures that are still among us, even if they are imperiled, to better know and love our world. And we end with a last few thorns…should we attempt to bring back extinct species and how should we think about the future of our own species?

This is episode three of a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes, Trending Music, Babel, Immersive Music, Full Frontal Audio, and Cosmo Lawson, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

We look to present times to see how extinctions are actually happening and what we know about them and we explore the work of biological conservation to protect species. Then we return to the question of how to feel about extinction, comparing modern day and historical extinctions and adding a few more layers to the question.

This is episode two of a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Remember the Future, Ricky Bombino, Northern Points, Simon Stevens, Oakvale of Albion, and Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Extinction is a familiar idea for almost everyone, but it wasn’t long ago that no one would have thought a species could go out of existence. We explore this history of the human understanding of extinction, and then we go much further back in history, to explore how extinction has played a role in the development of life over hundreds of millions of years leading to our world today.

This is the first episode in a three-part series. 

About the series: Extinction might seem to be a pretty simple idea: a species goes out of existence. But a deeper exploration reveals all kinds of thorny questions. What is a species anyway? Is extinction a natural part of the development of life that leads to new life or is it something that should be mourned and stopped? What will happen to our own species? These are only a few of the questions we follow on a journey of creatures here and gone.

Learn more about the series and about our guests here. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Evan MacDonald, High Street Music, Northern Points, Nathan King, Babel, Ballian De Moulle, Paradiso Music, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

The story of evolution is often centered around genes and randomness. More and more, scientists are finding that culture is also a driver of evolution. When we explore how humans have both emerged from an evolutionary process and contribute to it, we begin to understand ourselves differently. This new understanding will ultimately lead us to a deeper relationship with God.

In this episode, we follow researchers who set out to explore four different ways in which culture and evolution interact and how they might inform our theological ideas about what it means to be human and how we relate to God: Play, Imagination, Morality, and Purpose. Thanks to our guests: Michael Burdett, Andrew Jackson, Vicki Lorrimar, Nathan Lyons, and Megan Loumagne Ulishney. (See their bios)

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Vesper Tapes, Babel, Northern Points, and Nick Petrov, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

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When the wind is just right, on a small beach in Titusville, Florida, horseshoe crabs crawl out of the water and onto the beach to lay their eggs. Jim and Colin joined up with two marine biologists—Bob Sluka who works with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization and Margaret Miller, a coral biologist who works with SECORE International—and three A Rocha interns to survey the horseshoe crabs. That experience began an exploration into paying attention to many of the creatures that surround us, extending hospitality, and learning from the creatures, even from the ocean itself, about how we might better worship the creator of it all. 

This episode was originally aired on April 27, 2023

Additional Resources:

Learn about A Rocha
Do your own nurdle hunt
Atlantic Article about Synthetic alternatives to LAL
Radiolab Episode about Horseshoe Crabs

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The climate crisis often leads people to feelings of grief, despair, and fear. With the of help faith leaders, climate activists, artists and teachers from around the world we explore some of the emotions that result from an awareness of the climate crisis. And consider how naming and accepting the grief and sorrow that many people are feeling can also be a path toward hope.

Featured guests: Heather McTeer Toney, Marinel Ubaldo, Madeleine Jubilee Saito, Dr. Malinda Berry, Hannah Malcolm, Robynn Bliss, and Lowell Bliss. And thanks to Nangula Kathindi and Christopher Douglas Huriwai for their recorded testimonials, used in the episode. Check out the link here to find more resources from these guests. 

Check out more BioLogos resources on creation care and the environment here.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Ballian De Moulle, Robert Meunier, Kyle Booth, Sirus Music, Justin Breame, & MS Elyas, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc. 

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The church has had a complicated relationship with mental health. Research shows that 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a given year and yet 66% of pastors talk about mental health in sermons only once a year or less. In the episode we break down what exactly mental illness and mental health are, what is happening in the brain, and how the church can respond in ways that help us all to be healthier individuals and begin to build a more understanding, empathetic and healthy community. 

This episode was originally aired on December 8, 2022.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Tiny Music, Lift Music, Magnetize Music, Sirus Music, Pink Marble and Vesper Tapes, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Find Resources on Mental Health

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Camille Dungy is a poet, and it is with a poet’s close attention that she reflects on the interactions between humans and the greater-than-human world. In the conversation, Camille talks about how she came to her connection to the greater-than-human world, about the need to include family and home in nature writing and about the definition of a weed and how good cultivation often requires hands-on management. She ends by reading a poem from her collection, Trophic Cascade. 

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

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