Cultural update: Australia's Social Media Ban; Marijuana and Youth Health; Study on Charlie Kirk Death

Stories this week: Marijuana and youth health: New medical studies show legalization has coincided with a sharp rise in adolescent ER visits, including severe physical and psychiatric effects, raising ethical and biblical concerns about bodily stewardship. Australia’s social media ban: Australia enacted the world’s first nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, shifting responsibility to tech companies and sparking debate over protection versus government overreach. Charlie Kirk and spiritual response: A Barna study finds Kirk’s death prompted more spiritual than political action, particularly among Gen Z and practicing Christians, suggesting deeper spiritual currents at work. AI and academic integrity: A major AI conference discovered that over 20% of peer reviews were fully AI-generated, exposing serious ethical failures and double standards in higher education. Listener Question: Why some families have more childrenListener Question: Church becoming affirmingListener Question: Praying without visible answers==========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].

Who was Dr. C. Everett Koop and why is his life so significant? How did he become so passionate about abortion? How did he navigate bioethical controversies during his tenure as Surgeon General under President Ronald Reagan? We’ll discuss these questions and more with our guest and Dr. Koop’s biographer, Dr. Nigel Cameron. Biographer Nigel Cameron is President Emeritus of the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET) in Washington, DC, which he founded in 2007 and led for ten years, former Technology Editor at UnHerd.com and Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Science and Society at the University of Ottawa, Canada. A native of the UK, he is also a citizen of the United States and Belgium. He has written widely on the policy impacts of emerging technologies, including: Innovation President (Amazon Kindle), The New Medicine, & Nanoscale: Issues for the Nano Century, and Will Robots Take Your Job? A Plea for Consensus (Polity Press / John Wiley). ==========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].

This week: “Jesus Bots” & AI Spirituality: Sean and Scott discuss a New York Times piece on religious chatbots, raising concerns about me-centered faith, shallow “AI Jesus” advice, and how tech may distort spiritual formation.UC San Diego’s Education Crisis: A Wall Street Journal editorial reveals that 1 in 12 UCSD freshmen can’t perform middle-school math, prompting a conversation about grade inflation, DEI pressures, COVID learning loss, and the need for academic accountability.AI & the Decline of Critical Thinking: An Atlantic article sparks discussion on how people increasingly outsource decision-making to AI, rewiring their brains, avoiding discomfort, and creating new forms of dependency.The New Singlehood Dilemma: The hosts unpack cultural mixed messages—society simultaneously pushes people to find a partner and to celebrate being single—leading to confusion, shame, and loneliness.Listener Question – Tattoos & Piercings: Sean and Scott explain that Old Testament prohibitions were tied to pagan rituals, meaning tattoos today are largely a wisdom issue rather than a moral one.Listener Question – Guns in Church Security: They discuss self-defense biblically and practically, concluding that armed security can be appropriate when trained and focused on protecting the congregation.Listener Question – Devotionals for Teens: Recommendations include reading Scripture together or using teen-friendly devotionals, with Sean mentioning his book A Rebel’s Manifesto as a helpful cultural guide.==========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].

Is Biola University staying true to its biblical mission? In this candid episode of the Think Biblically podcast, Biola University President Dr. Barry H. Corey joins hosts Dr. Sean McDowell, associate professor of Christian apologetics, and Dr. Scott Rae, senior advisor to the president for university mission and professor of philosophy and Christian ethics, for a conversation about the pressures facing Christian universities and what it takes to stay faithful in an increasingly hostile culture.With nearly two decades of presidential leadership behind him, Dr. Corey reflects on Biola’s unwavering 117-year mission, the challenges of guiding a university in a polarized world, and his vision for raising up a generation that holds firmly to biblical truth while embodying the winsome fragrance of Christ.Together, they address some of today’s most important questions facing Christian institutions, including:Has Biola experienced mission drift?How has the university course-corrected over the years?What role do critical theories play in higher education today?How are hiring practices shaped by theological conviction?Whether you’re a Biola student, alumnus, parent, or someone following the future of Christian universities, this episode offers clarity, transparency, and hope rooted in biblical conviction.Further Reading:Biola University Theological PositionsArticles of Faith (included in the Red Book)Statement of Biblical PrinciplesPrinciples of Free Expression and Diversity of ThoughtAbout President CoreyBarry H. Corey is the eighth president of Biola University. Since assuming the role in 2007, Corey has led Biola into its second century with the launch of an ambitious 10‐year university plan, completing the largest fundraising campaign in Biola’s history by exceeding its $180 million goal, creating four new academic schools and embarking on a major university transformation journey to position Biola to flourish for decades to come. He has done this while honoring the mission of the university and its unique contribution to the landscape of higher education.==========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 is it that Christians tend to focus on the brokenness of creation rather than its goodness? What if we shifted our attention to highlighting that God made the world to be our home, and as a result, focused on loving the world? Sean and Tim Muehlhoff discuss the proper balance we can find between recognizing the sinfulness and goodness of the world and what this means for discipleship and evangelism. Tim Muehlhoff (PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is senior director of Biola's Winsome Conviction Project that seeks to open lines of communication rather than close them. He is the author of multiple books, including "End the Stalemate," with Sean McDowell. He is a popular speaker at churches, conferences, and universities.==========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].

While God has made us to be ambitious, there can be a deep spiritual cost for striving to be better than others. Miroslav Volf is one of the leading public theologians. In this episode, based on his book "The Cost of Ambition," Dr. Volf explains how the teachings of Jesus and Paul offer a means for how we can aim for excellence without being plagued by our own sense of inferiority. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and several other outlets, including NPR's Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett) and Public Television’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. ========== PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a Weekly Cultural Update airing this Friday. Please join us next week when a regular episode will air on Tuesday. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We're especially thankful for your support of the Think Biblically podcast.==========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].

Loneliness & Misinformation: Sean and Rick unpack new research linking rising loneliness, especially among young adults, to increased susceptibility to conspiracy theories and online misinformation, emphasizing the need for real community and diverse conversation partners.Tesla’s ‘Robot Army’: They discuss Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to deploy one million humanoid robots, raising concerns about work, human purpose, and the worldview assumptions behind a future where “work becomes optional.”How Movies Get Rated: The hosts explore newly revealed insights from the film ratings board, explaining shifting standards around nudity, marijuana, violence, and how Christians can think more deeply about film beyond simple PG-13/R labels.Orthodox Christianity’s Surprising Growth: A major feature covers why young men are increasingly drawn to Eastern Orthodoxy for its beauty, tradition, masculinity, and supernaturalism, and how this trend fits into broader signs of spiritual renewal in the U.S.Listener Questions: Unpacking the millennial reign of Christ.Helping someone who is struggling with pedophilia.Understanding the theological significance of rainbows in today's culture.==========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].

What are the main tenets of the sexual revolution and who are some of the main victims? How do the debates over gender connect to the overall sexual revolution? Who are some of the main victims of the sexual revolution? What is the view of the body in gender ideology and how is that different from a Christian view of the body? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Jennifer Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute. Dr. Morse is the President and founder of The Ruth Institute, an interfaith international coalition to defend the family and build a Civilization of Love. Dr. Morse was a campaign spokeswoman for California’s winning Proposition 8 campaign, defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. She has authored or co-authored six books and spoken around the globe. Her work has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish and Chuukese, the native language of the Micronesian Islands. ==========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].

Abortion access after Dobbs: Sean and Scott unpack a New York Times editorial on how telehealth and the abortion pill have reshaped the landscape, debate concerns about safety and framing, and address misleading claims around emergency care. Rising antisemitism: The hosts analyze the resurgence of antisemitism across the political spectrum—including Tucker Carlson platforming Nick Fuentes—and distinguish conversation about Israel from violent antisemitic rhetoric. Human–animal organ transplants: A look at emerging clinical trials using genetically modified pig organs, including ethical concerns, personal reflections from Scott, and discussion of stewardship, safety, and the future of transplant medicine. Listener questions:Thinking biblically about economics. Healing from distorted theology. Rising popularity of faith-based films.==========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].

How can we unlock our talent, treasure, and time for the kingdom? Ruslan KD is a highly successful YouTuber, entrepreneur, and rapper. He has a new book out called "Godly Ambition." He and Sean discuss his journey to faith and how to develop a platform for Christ without falling into many dangerous traps of our social media age. Ruslan KD, a hip-hop artist, content creator, and entrepreneur of Armenian descent, was a refugee from Azerbaijan when he moved to the United States as a child. He started a YouTube channel around 2015 that has grown into a popular platform for discussions on faith, lifestyle, and music. Known for his insights on Christ-centered living, culture, and personal development, he is also a speaker, author, and advocate for godly ambition. ==========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].