Language of God

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. 

Fuentes teaches anthropology and primatology at Princeton University. His studies have brought him around the world, to cities and to remote jungles. He’s written several books, including his most recent, Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being, a book that came out of his Gifford Lectures. 

This episode was originally aired on December 17th, 2020. 

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

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As the host of his own podcast, No Small Endeavor, Lee C. Camp is well-practiced at conversations that explore what human flourishing could look like. In this conversation, he looks back to his own experiences in which doors were opened to him in his thinking about faith. He tells about his journey from preaching sermons against the theory of evolution to coming to understand that scientific knowledge about the world was not a threat to his faith, even when that knowledge presented new and challenging questions.

Check out Lee Camp's podcast, No Small Endeavor Including this episode about science and faith with Francis Collins

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

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For some technology offers humanity a path into perfection. For others it is the means of our downfall. Somewhere in between there is Joe Vukov. In the episode, Joe helps to explain the pitfalls of both extremes—on one side, the transhumanists (who embrace technology as a way to become more human) and on the other, the neoLuddites (who shun certain kinds of technology)—and begins to clear a path somewhere in the middle. 

Original music in this episode is by Carp.

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Trees are often seen merely as backdrops or immovable scenery. When we start to learn about the physical realities of trees, their names and histories and the ways they interact with the world around them, we start to wonder if we’ve gotten the wrong idea about what trees are. In this episode, Jim and Colin go on a journey to see trees more completely, to see them as living, dynamic creatures. Learning about the scientific reality of trees leads to an enriched understanding of the role trees play as symbols in the Bible and helps eventually for trees to be seen as creatures who praise God.

Additional Resources:

Check out MyTree Calculator, mentioned in the episode.

There were a lot of trees in the bible we didn't have time to talk about in the episode. The BibleProject podcast has a great series on trees in the bible called Tree of Life.

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Kate Boyd has been learning to live out her faith in the messy middle in a culture that rewards picking a side. While her journey didn’t begin with a conflict between science and religion, her story explores the complexities of understanding the Bible in today’s context and anyone who has struggled with issues of science and faith will resonate with this conversation. Kate’s new book, which tells the story of her journey is called An Untidy Faith: Journeying Back to the Joy of Following Jesus. In the episode, Jim and Kate dive into Kate’s story of her realization of the “untidy” nature of faith and how she has come to embrace the messiness without letting go of core beliefs and how this might apply to the science and faith dialogue.

Learn more about Kate and find her book at www.kateboyd.co

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Alister McGrath is one of the iconic voices in the dialogue between science and faith. In this episode, Jim Stump talks to him about two of his more recent books: A Theory of Everything (that Matters) and Narrative Apologetics. The conversation ranges from talking about Einstein’s religious beliefs and how they open a door for exploring the relationship between science and theology, to the importance of storytelling for Christian Apologetics. 

Find out more about his book A Theory of Everything (that Matters)

Find out more about his book Narrative Apologetics

Jim recommends this book Enriching our Vision of Reality: Theology and the Natural Sciences in Dialogue. 

This episode original aired on January 16, 2020

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In a recent article in the journal Science, researchers described a process where new genes come about from parts of DNA that were thought to be useless and led to bigger brains in humans. Jim and Colin, along with Dennis Venema, discuss what’s going on and describe some of the basic science that reveals why this discovery is an exciting new development in understanding what it means to be human and how we got to be the way we are. 

Here's the article in Science

Dennis Venema is also the author of a series of BioLogos posts called Evolution Basics, meant as an introduction to the science of evolution. 

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Anxiety disorders are extremely common. Curtis Chang knows firsthand how anxiety can be extremely disruptive to the healthy and happy lives we all strive for. In this episode Curtis, who is a theologian, host of the Good Faith podcast and executive director of Redeeming Babel, tells the story of his own struggles and the peace he found when he reframed his anxiety as an opportunity to participate in resurrection.  

Additional Resources

Redeeming Babel
Good Faith Podcast (apple podcasts)
Check out Curtis' book: The Anxiety Opportunity
Mental Health Resources Page

If you like this episode you might like our episode on Neuroscience, Mental Health & the Church

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Sally Bingham, the founder of Interfaith Power & Light (IPL), and the Canon of the Environment for the Diocese of California, shares the story of the inception of IPL and discusses the influential role that churches and faith communities can play in the effort to reduce climate change impacts. 

Learn more about Interfaith Power & Light

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In the summer of 2022 Dawn Wright became only the 27th person ever, the fifth woman, and the first Black person to descend into the deepest part of the ocean, a place called Challenger Deep. As a scientist, Dawn has been studying and helping to map the depths of the ocean, but being there in person uncovered a new dimension and deepened her connection with the mysterious underwater world. In the episode, Colin and Dawn talk about the science of mapping, the world of deep sea submersibles, and how finding trash in the most remote places of our planet might spark a renewed sense of stewardship for all of God’s creation. 

Additional Resources

Story Map of Dawn's Challenger Deep Dive
Explore Challenger Deep Map in GIS
Animated video of Alvin Dive

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