Podcast

Weekly Cultural Update: Paper Drugs in Prisons; Public Muslim Prayer; The Catholic Church and Social Justice; Meta and Youtube Lawsuit

The New Frontier of the Drug War: Hosts Sean McDowell and Scott Ray discuss a terrifying "quantum leap" in the drug trade where synthetic, lab-made drugs are being sprayed onto innocuous items like books and letters to be smuggled into prisons.

Public Prayer and Religious Liberty: The hosts examine the implications of thousands of Muslims praying publicly in New York City, balancing the Judeo-Christian roots of religious freedom with the need to maintain the right to disagree with different worldviews.

A Shift in Catholic Priorities?: Sean and Scott examine an Atlantic article suggesting the U.S. Catholic Church is pivoting from abortion to immigration as its most urgent issue, reflecting a broader trend in leadership messaging toward social justice and migrant care.

Meta and Youtube Negligence Lawsuit: he hosts break down a recent case where Meta and YouTube were found negligent for using addictive design features that caused mental health distress to young users.

Listener Question: Just War Theory and Iran: Following up on last week's discussion, the hosts discuss whether a war with Iran could be considered "Just War," noting that while Iran is an imminent threat to Israel, it is not currently one to the U.S. unless it acquires nuclear weapons.

Listener Question: Biblical Perspectives on Cremation: In response to a listener's question, Scott and Sean discuss the theological precedents for burial over cremation, answering whether or not that's a barrier to funeral attendance.

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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.  

Books

Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture

In a culture whose needs and obstacles to faith are continuously shifting, Christians are wise to ask themselves: How do we share and defend the gospel with relevance for today? Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture is a practical how-to guide for conveying and upholding the Christian faith in our contemporary cultural …more
AUTHOR, SPEAKER & BIOLA APOLOGETICS PROFESSOR
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview.

Where Is Sean?

Upcoming Event
Annual Fundraising Banquet - Bible2School - 4/7/26
Lancaster, PA
April 7, 2026
Services - Shoreline Church - 4/11-12/26
San Clemente, CA
April 11, 2026