Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

This week, Scott and Sean discuss: 
America's Historic Crime Drop - The U.S. has experienced its largest homicide rate reduction in 125 years, with all seven categories of violent crime falling below pre-pandemic levels. Baltimore serves as a compelling case study, cutting homicides by nearly 60% through proactive outreach to at-risk individuals and community investment.
The Dark Side of AI - Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has released millions of sexually inappropriate images on X, including disturbing content involving minors. 
Looksmaxxing: Young Men in Crisis - A troubling new trend reveals how young men are obsessing over physical appearance enhancement, often to unhealthy extremes. This movement reflects deeper issues of identity, worth, and the pressure created by social media culture.
China's Demographic Collapse - China's birth rate continues its dramatic decline despite government incentives to encourage childbearing. The discussion explores cultural factors, economic pressures, and what this means for global demographics.
Listener Q&A:
Faith-Based Ministries and Immigration - A listener asks whether Christian ministries serving undocumented immigrants could face legal consequences under potential new enforcement policies. 

==========

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 [email protected].

Why are we committed to a Protestant understanding of Christianity? What is a unique Protestant view of the Bible, the gospel, and the ordinances? In this episode, we talk with Biola professor Fred Sanders about the historical and biblical reasons to be Protestant. We also carefully define what is meant by “Protestant” and respond to common objections such as the claim that Protestantism shifts the locus of authority to the individual and thus leads to fragmentation. 
Dr. Fred Sanders is a systematic theologian who studies and teaches across the entire range of classic Christian doctrine, but with a primary focus on the doctrine of the Trinity. Sanders has taught in Torrey Honors College since 1999, and is an amateur historian of Biola's institutional history. He is co-founder of the annual Los Angeles Theology Conference, and maintains an active internet presence via Twitter and blog. He and his family are members of Grace Evangelical Free Church. 
==========

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 [email protected].

Topics this week: 
Will AI slop take over in 2026? How AI-generated media is breaking our ability to tell what’s real, and why rebuilding trust and virtue matters more than just better tech. 
AI manipulation + Iran protests: How AI can distort protest footage and narratives, making propaganda easier and truth harder to confirm in real time.
Affirmative action after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling: Is affirmative action “dead,” what loopholes might remain, and what recent law school enrollment data suggests.
Supreme Court likely to uphold transgender athlete bans: The conversation covers the legal argumentation, the Idaho and West Virginia cases, and how this may push decisions back to state-level authority. 
Listener Question: Spiritual transformation 

==========

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 [email protected].

With churchgoing in decline in the US, what is the relevance of the church today? What’s the significance of the Bible using the language of family to describe the church? And what do we say to the person who insists that they can have a vibrant spiritual life but don’t need the church? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest colleague in OT, Dr. Carmen Imes, from her new book, Becoming God’s Family. 
Dr. Carmen Imes is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Talbot. She is passionate about helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. She is best known for her books Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019) and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP 2023). Imes has appeared on over 100 podcasts and radio shows and releases weekly "Torah Tuesday" videos on her own YouTube channel. 
==========

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 [email protected].

To kick off 2026, Sean and Scott discuss:
The Top 5 Religious Trends to Watch in 2026
A federal judge's ruling about teachers' rights to inform parents about a child's gender identity.
Arguments for allowing organ donation prior to death
A New York Times feature on near-death experiences
Listener followup on our recent episode about alcohol

==========

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 [email protected].