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.

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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.
Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video.

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.

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 Positions
• Articles of Faith (included in the Red Book)
• Statement of Biblical Principles
• Principles of Free Expression and Diversity of Thought

About President Corey

Barry 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.

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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.
Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video.

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.

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.

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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.
Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video.

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.