The Biblical Mind

Is Evolution a Dirty Word? Muslim Perspectives on Science and Religion (Shoaib Malik) Ep. #197

Is the relationship between Islam and science as well-developed as it is in Christianity? Not even close—but that’s changing. In this episode, Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh, joins Dru Johnson to share the emerging field of Islam and science, focusing on the hot topic of evolution.
Shoaib unpacks the historical development of Islamic engagement with science, tracing it from early encounters with Western scientific frameworks to the present. He explains why the Islamic world lacks infrastructure like textbooks, academic chairs, and journals for the science-religion conversation—and why that’s finally beginning to change.
But what about evolution? Shoaib shares why it remains a highly sensitive subject in Muslim-majority countries (including stories of professors losing jobs over it) and how Muslim views differ from Christian ones, especially around original sin, Adam, and human suffering.
This is an honest, fascinating look at how Muslims are navigating modern science, why cultural and religious taboos persist, and how Shoaib’s work is shaping new conversations at the intersection of Islamic theology and science.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Shoaib Ahmed Malik's Journey03:11 Transition from Engineering to Humanities06:00 Teaching Experience in the UAE09:14 Pursuing Philosophy, Science, and Religion12:18 Publishing and Academic Recognition15:11 Navigating Career Changes and New Opportunities18:29 Exploring Science and Religion Conversations26:43 Navigating Conversations with Students27:29 Understanding Islam: Sunni vs Shia30:19 The Contemporary Muslim World: Sunni and Shia Dynamics31:34 The Intellectual History of Islam35:17 Muslim Perspectives on Science and Religion39:01 Islamization of Science: A Discourse Emerges42:48 The Development of Islamic Science Education44:25 Evolution and Its Reception in the Muslim World48:11 Unique Questions Muslims Ask About Evolution

Can Muslims, Jews, and Christians Talk About Science and Scripture? (Dru Johnson) Ep. #196

What happens when you put 15 scholars—scientists and theologians, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian—in a room to talk about creation? In this episode of The Biblical Mind Podcast, Dr. Dru Johnson shares his experience launching the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project in Oxford.
Far from being a formal academic conference, the gathering focused on “enduring collegial co-learning”—building trust and curiosity across disciplines and faith traditions. The participants explored how evolutionary biology, genetics, astrophysics, and artificial intelligence intersect with theological questions about human uniqueness, creation, and divine action.
Dru explains why religious identity didn’t hinder the conversation—it enriched it, and why the bigger challenge was translating between scientists and theologians. He also shares a fascinating insight on Neanderthals and menopause, and how that single biological feature opens a window into intergenerational care, legacy, and biblical values.
The project raises bold questions: Can we build a biblical philosophy of science? Does Hebraic thought inform scientific methods? And what does it look like to think with Scripture—not just about it—in a scientific age?
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Chapters
00:00 Exploring Creation Theology and Science 02:58 Building Collegial Relationships Among Scholars 05:43 Navigating Interfaith Dialogues 08:52 Understanding Diverse Perspectives on Origins 13:59 The Intersection of Science and Theistic Beliefs 21:40 Christian Views on Human Origins 30:08 Pragmatism and Empiricism in Biblical Thought

Syndicated: Jesus and Jewish Law (Logan Williams and Paul Sloan) Ep. #195

Was the Mosaic Law a burdensome set of rules meant to be broken? Did Jesus overthrow the Torah—or fulfill it? In this special episode of The Biblical Mind Podcast, we revisit the pilot episode of the Jesus and the Jewish Law podcast, hosted by Paul Sloan and Logan Williams. Together, they walk through seven widespread misconceptions about the Law and how these misunderstandings distort our reading of both the Old and New Testaments.
You’ll hear why the Law was never meant to be a ladder to earn salvation, how it was designed to maintain God’s presence among His people, and why ritual purity doesn’t equal sin. They also explore the difference between distinction and exclusion, how the Law does not uniformly obligate all humans, and how Jesus builds on—not breaks—the Torah’s ethical depth.
If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about the sacrificial system, purity laws, Gentile inclusion, or what Jesus really meant in the Sermon on the Mount, this episode offers a clear, accessible, and richly Hebraic guide to reading the Law like Jesus did.
 
Jesus and Jewish Law Podcast:Apple = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jesus-and-jewish-law/id1791111864
Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/1QCKgVOnEmtfFwRQtWlBSV
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction02:01 Misconceptions About the Law: An Overview05:57 Debunking Misconceptions: The Nature of the Law12:08 Understanding Impurity and Its Implications17:59 The Role of Sacrifice in the Law20:02 Conclusion and Future Topics

ICYMI - Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity (Jangkholam Haokip) Ep. #194

This episode was originally published on November 11, 2022. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners.
Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual salvation and the question of what happens when we die. But as we amplify other Christian voices, we find that the riches of the gospel might stretch far beyond our original conceptions.
In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Jangkholam Haokip, an Indian theologian, author, and former professor. Growing up in Churachandpur, Manipur, in Northeast India, Jangkholam converted to Christianity as a child. Drawing on his experiences with indigenous Indian culture and religion, he had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on Christian theology, including Scripture's portrayal of sin's effects on nature, the value of yet-unheard perspectives, and the way that the gospels can affect the lives of whole communities.
After his long career as a professor at Union Biblical Seminary in India, Jangkholam has founded the Bethesda-Khankho Foundation, which aims to transform indigenous Indian communities through education and poverty outreach. He also contributed to the recent book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity.
For More of Jangkholam Haokip Content:https://jlamboihaokip.wordpress.com/
https://langhamliterature.org/author-bio?author_id=5923
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Show notes:
0:00 Introduction
1:22 Converting to Christianity
5:03 Further education and understanding the gospel
8:51 Individualism in Western Christianity
15:09 Sin and the health of nature
20:10 Tribal Indian thought in the biblical texts and Western theology
25:48 The value of indigenous theology
29:47 Christianity as a help for Indian history, identity, and culture
31:05 On Jangkholam's new book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity

Is God Really Unchanging? Challenging Classical Theism’s View of God (R.T. Mullins) Ep. #193

Is God emotionless and unchanging? Many systematic theologians have long argued that God is completely impassible—meaning He cannot feel, suffer, or be influenced by creation. But is this truly what the Bible teaches?
In this episode, Dr. R.T. Mullins joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to challenge traditional ideas about God’s nature, emotions, and engagement with the world. He explains how philosophy has often shaped theology more than scripture, why systematic theologians ignore biblical descriptions of God’s emotions, and what it actually means to call God all-powerful and all-knowing.
Dru and R.T. explore the hidden assumptions behind classical theism, why ancient theologians rejected the idea that God could suffer, and whether modern theology needs a reset. Mullins also discusses how our view of God shapes how we pray, worship, and think about suffering.
If you’ve ever wondered why theology sometimes feels disconnected from the Bible, or why certain doctrines sound more like philosophy than scripture, this episode will challenge you to rethink how we describe God.
For More of RT Mullin's Content, Check Out His Podcast:https://www.rtmullins.com/podcast
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Chapters:
00:00 Understanding the Doctrine of God03:21 Concepts of God: Models and Attributes06:23 The Role of Scripture in Systematic Theology09:15 Historical Perspectives on God's Attributes12:21 Philosophical Underpinnings of Theological Claims15:12 The Challenge of Defining God's Perfections18:04 Empathy and Knowledge in God's Nature21:13 The Intersection of Philosophy and Scripture24:11 Concluding Thoughts on God's Nature30:53 The Nature of God's Communication33:08 Empathy and the Divine: A Theological Dilemma36:18 Impassibility and the Perfection of God38:45 The Role of Empathy in Hebrew Moral Philosophy41:44 The Disconnect Between Systematic Theology and Biblical Texts45:28 Cultural Perspectives on Biblical Literature47:16 Upcoming Projects: Debates and Collaborative Works

Why We Struggle to Read the Bible—And How to Fix It (Alex Goodwin) Ep. #192

What if the way we format and structure the Bible is actually making it harder to read? In this episode, Alex Goodwin joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to discuss how chapter breaks, verse numbers, and footnotes—while useful for study—can actually disrupt the natural flow of Scripture.
Alex shares his journey from marketing to Bible publishing, how his first exposure to serious theology transformed his faith, and why modern Bible formatting has fundamentally changed how people engage with Scripture. He and Dru explore how early Christians and Jews experienced the Bible (hint: it wasn’t through personal quiet times with a study Bible), why reading big sections matters, and how removing unnecessary “additives” can help us better understand the biblical story.
This episode also tackles the difference between Bible literacy and Bible fluency, the power of listening to Scripture, and why engaging the Bible in community leads to richer understanding. If you’ve ever struggled with Bible reading, this conversation will challenge and inspire you to rethink how you interact with Scripture.
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Chapters
00:00 From Marketing to Ministry: A Journey of Faith 04:47 The Impact of Formatting on Bible Reading 09:10 Bible Sales vs Bible Literacy 13:21 The Bible Reset 17:34 Listening vs. Reading: Engaging with Scripture in New Ways 20:41 Pursuing Biblical Fluency 27:08 The Concept of a Bible Reset 31:25 Reevaluating Church Practices 36:52 Engaging with Scripture in Community 40:55 The Role of the Congregation in Biblical Literacy

Faith, Politics, and Media: Rethinking Christian Political Involvement (Kaitlyn Schiess) Ep. #191

Are we mistaking media consumption for political engagement? In this episode, Kaitlyn Schiess joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to challenge the way Christians think about politics, faith, and media. She explains why binge-watching C-SPAN or endlessly scrolling Twitter doesn’t make us politically engaged—but actually forms us into people less capable of real advocacy.
Dru and Kaitlyn discuss the modern obsession with national politics, why Christians ignore their local communities, and how the church provides a model of meaningful engagement. Instead of trying to "change the world" through social media outrage, Kaitlyn argues that real political involvement means knowing your neighbors, understanding local government, and prioritizing embodied relationships.
They also explore the role of Christian media consumption, asking whether 24-hour news, partisan social feeds, and political influencers have become a form of secular discipleship. How can Christians discern which voices are trustworthy? And how can the church offer a healthier alternative?
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Kaitlyn Schiess' Content https://www.holypost.com/https://www.facebook.com/kaitlyn.schiesshttps://www.instagram.com/kaitlynschiesshttps://twitter.com/KaitlynSchiess
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Chapters
00:00 Misunderstandings in Political Engagement03:45 The Impact of 24-Hour News Cycle07:13 Agency and Exhaustion in Political Involvement09:46 Local vs. National Political Engagement13:52 The Role of Community and Church16:17 Listening to Trustworthy Voices25:02 Understanding Local Politics Through Community Engagement26:14 The Importance of Recognizing Underlying Narratives28:18 The Challenge of Political Discourse in Faith Communities31:09 The Role of Stories in Shaping Political Beliefs34:44 Navigating Conspiracy Theories in Faith Contexts37:12 The Need for Meaningful Conversations in Churches40:00 The Impact of Media Consumption on Relationships41:51 Reality TV and Its Moral Implications

From the Five Percent Nation to Biblical Scholar: CHT Fellow Hakeem Bradley Ep. #190

What if the Bible isn’t meant to be neatly packaged and easily explained? In this episode, CHT Fellow Hakeem Bradley joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to discuss how engaging scripture means leaning into tension rather than eliminating it. He explains why asking better questions leads to deeper understanding and why forcing Jesus into every Old Testament passage can sometimes do more harm than good.
Bradley also shares his personal story—growing up in the Five Percent Nation, a movement that sees the Black man as divine, and how a surprising mentorship relationship led him to faith in Jesus. His journey from deep skepticism to biblical scholarship gives him a unique perspective on how to approach scripture without assumptions or shortcuts.
The conversation explores how biblical authors thought, why Jesus himself had to read scripture in context, and how reading the Bible as a tension-filled conversation—rather than a collection of easy answers—can reshape faith and theology.
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Hakeem Bradley's Contenthttps://hakeembradley.substack.com/
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Chapters:00:00 Introduction 02:08 Navigating Questions on Creation and Biblical Interpretation 06:01 The Role of Tension in Understanding Scripture 10:01 Hakeem's Journey from Five Percenter to Follower of Jesus 18:31 The Importance of the Old Testament in Understanding Jesus 22:15 Personal Journeys in Biblical Understanding 23:11 The Challenge of Connecting Old Testament to Jesus 25:50 Understanding Biblical Texts on Their Own Terms 29:31 The Role of the Bible Project in Modern Scholarship 33:34 Exploring the Catholic Epistles and Their Significance 38:47 Intertextual Connections in Biblical Texts

The Contemporary Worship Music Pipeline, or "Where Did The Psalms Go?" (Marc Jolicoeur) Ep. #189

Who decides what worship songs we sing in church? It turns out, worship music is a massive industry, and the way songs make it from a Nashville songwriting room to a Sunday morning service might surprise you.
In this episode, Marc Jolicoeur joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to break down the business of contemporary worship music (CWM). He explains how four major megachurches dominate the industry, why most modern worship songs are written by teams of professionals rather than individual artists, and how CCLI licensing and copyright structures shape what gets sung in churches.
But is this market-driven approach shaping worship in unhealthy ways? Dru and Marc discuss whether the emotional tone of worship music has shifted, why lament and imprecatory psalms are almost absent from today’s songs, and whether churches should return to singing scripture itself.
Is the worship music we sing today more about marketing than theology? And what would happen if the Psalms were reintroduced into Sunday services?
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Marc Jolicoeur's Content https://marcjolicoeur.substack.com/podcast
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction00:27 The Landscape of Worship Music04:25 The Role of Songwriters and Publishing10:35 Market Penetration of Worship Songs16:33 The Influence of Megachurches on Worship Music21:11 The Evolution of Christian Music25:48 Worship Music vs. Performance Music28:38 The Role of Ritual in Worship31:28 Psalms and Their Relevance in Modern Worship35:29 Lament in Worship Music45:16 The Challenge of Lament in Worship49:55 Navigating Worship Leadership and Emotional Contexts54:44 Imprecatory Psalms and Modern Worship01:00:47 The Role of Specificity in Worship Lyrics

Listening to the Bible: Why Scripture Was Meant to Be Heard (Dru Johnson) Ep. #188

Most of us read the Bible with our eyes—but what if we’re missing something essential by not listening to it? In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson challenges the modern tendency to engage Scripture primarily as a written text, arguing that the Bible was designed to be heard. From the Torah readings of Moses to the public proclamation of Paul's letters, Scripture has always been an aural experience—one meant to be absorbed in community rather than private, silent reading.
Dr. Johnson explains why listening changes how we understand Scripture, uncovering literary structures like repetition, parallelism, and chiasms that are far easier to hear than to see. He also explores the cognitive science behind reading vs. listening, showing why oral engagement helps us retain and interpret biblical texts more deeply.
Could reclaiming the practice of hearing Scripture together revolutionize the way we experience the Bible? This episode dives into why the church should return to communal listening, what ancient Jewish and Christian traditions teach us, and how modern worship services might be reshaped by putting Scripture at the center—not just as a text to analyze, but as a living word to hear.
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Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:03 The Natural Habitat of Scripture 04:15 Hear and Obey in Hebrew - The Shema 09:05 Active Listening and Vigorous Discussion 10:17 Listening vs. Reading: A New Perspective