![69. Fatima Cody Stanford | Care & Disparity]()
March 4, 2021
Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford has seen the effects of how healthcare is provided differently across the population, both in her work and in her own experiences as a patient in the healthcare system. One outcome of the disparities in healthcare—the mistrust of the healthcare system—is now hindering the ability to get vaccinations to many of those who are at risk. We talk about the causes and some possible solutions and look at how some of the same issues play out in the treatment of obesity—the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States.
In the episode, Dr. Stanford mentions an event she will be speaking at, a collaboration of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Faith Based Cancer Disparities Network. Here is a link to the event: https://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/events/covid-19-community-education/
Learn more about the Black Women's Health Study
Read the article Beyond Tuskegee—Vaccine Distrust and Everyday Racism (in the New England Journal of Medicine)
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
February 25, 2021
The way she sees it, when Lori Banks was in line for spiritual gifts, she was given the aptitude for understanding amino acid structures and figuring out how to manipulate microbial systems. The gift has led her to her work in microbiology and virology and teaching others with the goal of easing the pain and suffering of those who are sick. In the episode she tells the story of her journey and then helps us to understand some of the science behind disease, including the COVID vaccines and why they are safe and effective.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
February 18, 2021
There is probably no one who has done more scientific work on the genetics of race than Dr. Joseph L Graves. Dr. Graves has been writing, thinking, and doing research on this topic for almost 30 years. In the midst of a national uprising of anger and frustration at the continued systemic racism in this country and around the world, this conversation probes the scientific reality that there is no genetic basis for race and addresses some common misconceptions as well.
We split our conversation up into two parts. In this second part of the conversation we dig into the genetic sciences and we talk about some common misconceptions, such as whether race affects athletic abilities and what you can actually find out from genetic ancestry testing.
Need a refresher on Evolution? Check out Evolution Basics, an introductory series on the BioLogos website.
This episode originally aired on June 25, 2020.
Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.
![48. Joseph Graves | The Genetics of Race (Part 1)]()
February 11, 2021
There is probably no one who has done more scientific work on the genetics of race than Dr. Joseph L Graves. Dr. Graves has been writing, thinking, and doing research on this topic for almost 30 years. After a year which included a national uprising of anger and frustration at the continued systemic racism in this country and around the world, this conversation probes the scientific reality that there is no genetic basis for race and addresses some common misconceptions as well.
We split our conversation up into two parts. In this first part Dr. Graves tells the story of his journey through higher education, which was not without hardships. Then, as a precursor to talking about the genetics, we discuss some basics of evolution and what it even means to be a species or a subspecies.
Need a refresher on Evolution? Check out Evolution Basics, an introductory series on the BioLogos website.
This episode originally aired on June 25, 2020.
Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.
February 4, 2021
A common refrain at BioLogos is “you don’t have to choose,” and usually it is in the context of the Bible and science. Esau McCaulley, assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, was presented with a different choice, one between the Bible and racial justice. But this too is a false dichotomy.
The Bible is a good place to turn in times of confusion or questioning, but whether it is science or issues of injustice, it is important that a reading of the Bible be informed by the perspectives of other people and other cultures. McCaulley’s new book, Reading While Black lays out the case for a Black Ecclesial interpretive tradition. He shows how asking questions of the text that grow out of the reality of being Black in America, helps to give us a fuller perspective on what the Bible has to say about things like race, governing authorities, and justice.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
![32. Charlotte vanOyen-Witvliet | Forward in Forgiveness]()
January 28, 2021
In a small laboratory, a participant sits with electrodes attached to her brow and a heart rate monitor humming in the background as she considers a time in her life when someone did wrong to her. This is a glimpse into a study of forgiveness. The results of a study like this teach us a lot about what forgiveness is and how it works. And although it is a scientific endeavor, it has direct effects on our spiritual lives.
Jim Stump sat down with Charlotte vanOyen-Witvliet, a psychologist from Hope College who has run studies like this, to learn about what forgiveness is, the increased health benefits of forgiveness and how this psychological pursuit can be fruitful toward a theological and spiritual journey.
This episode originally aired on February 14th, 2020
Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.
Music in this episode is by Joseph McDade
Charlotte mentions the suicide hotline in this episode. If you're thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support you can go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255.
January 14, 2021
In this episode we tell two stories of finding harmony in faith and science. The stories come from Garrett and Amanda, two young people who were deeply connected to young-earth creation—that is, until they started to see some cracks developing in their reasoning which sent them on a journey to discover how to reframe their scientific view of the world while holding closely to their Christian faith. Both found their way through the next phase of their spiritual journey in different ways but their stories help us all to appreciate the humility that is required to change one’s beliefs, and the wisdom that comes from realizing that we can’t know the answers to all of life’s questions.
This episode originally aired on December 12, 2019.
Join a conversation about this episode at the BioLogos Forum.
December 17, 2020
The question, what does it mean to be human, demands answers from many fields of study. Agustín Fuentes has looked to anthropology for answers to this question but the answers he has found speak to something that is bigger than science. He proposes that one of the things that make us human is our ability to believe.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
December 10, 2020
Sometimes it seems that the gap between humans and computers is growing increasingly small. But as scientists have worked to develop intelligent computers, they have usually ignored emotions. Rosalind Picard has spent a career developing technology that can read and human emotion and has had a hand in technology that has led to a great deal of human flourishing and even saved lives. But her work has also highlighted the huge gap that still exists between humans and computers, how little we actually know about ourselves, and what amazing creatures we are.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
December 3, 2020
There is a dilemma that has plagued philosophers and theologians for centuries. It goes like this: how could it be true that God is all powerful and all loving, and yet there is still evil in the world? If God is powerful and loving, wouldn’t the evil be stopped? Thomas Jay Oord has written about one solution to this problem in his book God Can’t. While the title is surprising and might make some people nervous, his view may not be so shocking once you hear him explain some of the finer points. In doing so, this conversation intersects with science, miracles, and ultimately with God’s place in our world and our lives.
Join a conversation about this episode on the BioLogos Forum.
