Advertise on podcast: Theology Lab: Courage & Curiosity for Everyday Faith

How do we respond to evil without becoming cynical or losing hope? How do we change our minds? On Theology Lab, journalist Nicholas Kristof (New York Times) and theologian Russell Moore (Christianity Today, editor-at-large) join a conversation about moral courage, human suffering, and the difficult work of doing good in a broken world. Drawing on stories from their lives and work, they explore how people change their minds, what helps us care about others’ suffering, and how faith can inspire action rather than a pursuit of political power. They also discuss Christian nationalism, the lessons of people who confront injustice, and the meaning of Jesus’ prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” 📚 Nicholas Kristof: Chasing Hope: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720814/chasing-hope-by-nicholas-d-kristof/ 📚 Russell Moore: Losing Our Religion: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/71872910-losing-our-religion ➡️ Here's the episode page on Theology lab's website: https://www.theologylab.org/podcast/kristof-moore-problem-of-suffering 00:00 Moral Courage in the Face of Evil 02:18 The People Who Inspired Their Moral Courage 05:28 When Should Christians Speak Out? 08:57 Reporting on Human Tragedy and Injustice 11:39 Can You Change Society Without Political Power? 16:53 What Human Suffering Teaches Us About Humanity 19:25 Desmond Tutu, Evil, and the Power of Hope 21:07 How Experience Changes Our Minds 23:24 Why People Change Their Minds 28:18 Is Evangelicalism at a Turning Point? 31:12 What Christians Around the World Can Teach Us 35:58 How Do We Get People to Care About Suffering? 38:36 What Jesus Teaches Us About Empathy 40:50 “Deliver Us from Evil”: Prayer That Leads to Action 45:28 Christian Nationalism and the Christian Faith 49:10 Finding Hope in the Worst of Circumstances 51:18 Signs of Hope in a Cynical World 52:05 Closing Thoughts

Can AI replace a pastor? Can artificial intelligence answer spiritual questions, teach Christian faith, or help us become wiser? In this Theology Lab conversation, Andy Crouch joins Scott and Greg at Theology lab to explore AI and Christianity, artificial intelligence and faith, spiritual formation, human flourishing, and the limits of technology. We ask why getting the right answers is not the same as growing in wisdom, why love requires more than pattern recognition, and why human presence and sacrificial love cannot be reduced to information. As AI tools become more capable, what should Christians embrace, question, or refuse? Does AI threaten human purpose? Can it help us discern something important about what it means to be human? Key topics: - Can AI replace pastors, teachers, or spiritual mentors? - What is the difference between (artificial) information and spiritual formation? - Can artificial intelligence understand love? - What does the resurrection of Jesus have to do with human flourishing? - Why don’t Christians need to respond to AI with fear? - How can technology become an idol? - What should Christian educators protect in an age of AI? ➡️ Learn more about Theology Lab: theologylab.org ➡️ Check out more from Andy & Praxis: https://course.praxis.co/ 📚Check out a list of Andy's books: https://andy-crouch.com/ 📚 Andy's redemptive thesis on AI: https://journal.praxis.co/a-redemptive-thesis-for-artificial-intelligence-ff7dafdd01b5 #ArtificialIntelligence #Christianity #AndyCrouch #AIandFaith #TheologyLab 00:00 Could We Build the Ultimate AI Pastor? 00:56 Can AI Give Us All the Right Answers? 02:25 Why Information Isn’t Enough for Spiritual Growth 03:30 Jesus, the Resurrection, and New Possibilities 06:00 Why AI Cannot Replace Sacrificial Love 07:37 AI, Pattern Recognition, and the Meaning of Love 09:36 What AI Reveals About Being Human 10:55 Why Christians Don’t Need to Fear AI 12:00 Human Purpose in an Age of AI 13:26 Is AI Making Spiritual Answers Too Easy? 14:35 The Spiritual Cost of Always Taking the Fastest Route 18:14 AI in Christian Education: What Should We Protect?

What does artificial intelligence mean for Christian faith, human relationships, spiritual formation, and the future of what it means to be human? In this conversation, Scott Rice and Greg Fung talk with author and theologian Andy Crouch about AI, faith, technology, and the surprising importance of friction in our lives. Andy argues that a life without resistance may sound ideal, but friction is essential for developing strength, wisdom, emotional maturity, and deep relationships. As AI increasingly removes friction from work, thinking, communication, and even relationships, what might we lose? They explore AI and emotional companionship, AI-generated sermons, whether pastors should use AI to write sermons, how Christians can use AI wisely, and why AI may actually be helping us ask deeper theological questions about God and humanity. Andy also explains why Christians should not fear AI—and why our neighbors may need Christians to articulate why human beings matter. A thoughtful conversation about artificial intelligence, Christianity, technology, human flourishing, and spiritual formation. ➡️ Learn more about Theology Lab: theologylab.org ➡️ Check out more from Andy & Praxis: https://course.praxis.co/ 📚Check out a list of Andy's books: https://andy-crouch.com/ 📚 Andy's redemptive thesis on AI: https://journal.praxis.co/a-redemptive-thesis-for-artificial-intelligence-ff7dafdd01b5

Christian nationalism and Christians in politics are at the center of this Theology Lab with Kaitlyn Schiess (from the Holy Post podcast) and Yi-An Huang (City Manager of Cambridge, MA). They discussion Christian faith, political engagement, and the mission of the church. How should Christians engage politics without succumbing to mere rivalry or pursuing political power in and for itself, or compromising their faith? Yi-An Huang and Kaitlyn Schiess explore Christian nationalism, politics and the Bible, church unity, and faithful Christian witness. How should Christians bring their full convictions into public life while treating faith as a gift rather than a weapon, and how can churches navigate political disagreement with wisdom, prayer, and discernment? This conversation offers a thoughtful Christian perspective on politics, power, justice, and the public life of faith. Learn more about Kaitlyn's work at https://kaitlynschiess.com/ Some of this conversation was inspired by Kaitlyn's book, the Ballot and the Bible, available here: https://kaitlynschiess.com/the-ballot-and-the-bible Learn more about Theology Lab @ theologylab.org

Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins Theology Lab for a conversation on evangelicalism, Christian women, Christianity and gender, women and Christianity, and biblical inerrancy, drawing from her new book (linked) Live, Laugh, Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made. This is a conversation that looks at, why are people leaving Christianity? Why do some stay? What does theology and the Bible say about women? And how does these topics connect to gender roles in Christianity. Longer description: In this wide-ranging interview, Du Mez explores the history of American evangelicalism, Christian women, holiness theology, New Thought, positive thinking, biblical inerrancy, gender roles, and the culture of Christian femininity. She explains how ideas about perfection, positivity, obedience, and doubt have shaped white Christian womanhood and American Christianity—and how these theological traditions continue to influence the church today. We also discuss Christian women influencers, the rise of blogs and social media, evangelical women's ministries, and the changing landscape of Christian culture. Du Mez asks listeners to reconsider what we assume is timeless Christian teaching and asks how history can lead to greater discernment, wisdom, and compassion. Topics: Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Live Laugh Love, American evangelicalism, Christian women, Christian history, holiness theology, New Thought, biblical inerrancy, gender roles, Christian femininity, and evangelical culture. On inerrancy (mentioned during the episode): https://defendinginerrancy.com/chicago-statements/ www.theologylab.org

This fall Theology Lab explores questions at the heart of Christian faith—from interpreting the Bible and understanding the theology of evil to faith deconstruction. We are joined by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Pete Enns, Miroslav Volf, Nicholas Kristof and others—as we wrestle honestly with Scripture, the theology of evil (theodicy), evangelicalism, the Trinity, and more. Whether you’re rethinking your faith, studying theology, or simply looking for deeper ways to understand Christianity, Theology Lab is a space to think deeply, ask better questions, and explore faith without easy answers.

The BibleProject's Tim Mackie gives his take of divine violence in the Bible and the way of Jesus, including his death for enemies. How does he hold a "mosaic" of images that come from Scripture together? In this Theology Lab conversation, Tim Mackie of The BibleProject (the Bible Project) joins us for the second part of our interview. The first part looked at the origins of evil and key patterns in Genesis 1–11. This episode focuses on the challenge of violence in Scripture, especially passages where God commands violence and how those passages might be understood in light of the revelation of God in Jesus. These are difficult questions, and Tim shares how he is continually thinking through them. Scott notes at the beginning how he's struck by Tim Mackie's ongoing reflections on this topic (and his willingness to rethink previously held positions), while Greg gets the conversation started by asking Tim to walk us through certain parts of Scripture that look at violence in the Bible, like Noah and the flood, the book of Joshua, and the death of Jesus. Theology Lab is about encouraging curiosity and courage for an everyday faith. The follow up episode will look at a topic related to our Beyond Simpe Answer series which focuses on pursuing a theological vision when simple answers aren't enough. Learn more about the BibleProject at: bibleproject.com Theology Lab's website is: theologylab.org #TimMackie #BibleProject #ProblemOfEvil

In this episode of Theology Lab, we explore one of the most pressing questions facing Christians today: How should we think about artificial intelligence? Drawing from Pope Leo's groundbreaking encyclical on AI, theologian Catherine Moon unpacks the promises, dangers, and spiritual implications of technologies like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other large language models. Together, we discuss AI ethics, human flourishing, cognitive de-skilling, moral decision-making, technology and the common good, and whether AI is helping build the "walls of Jerusalem" or a modern "Tower of Babel." We also examine concerns about automation, job displacement, digital companionship, and the growing pressure to adopt AI at all costs. If you're interested in faith and technology, Christian ethics, artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Pope Leo, theology, human dignity, digital culture, and the future of work, this conversation offers a thoughtful and challenging framework for navigating the AI age with wisdom and discernment. Dr. Catherine Moon is the Arthur J. Ennis teaching scholar at Villanova University. Check out her bio here. Learn more about Theology Lab www.theologylab.org Here are two resources for learning more about the discussion that Dr. Moon shared with us: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/91230-encountering-artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-anthropological-investigations https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/154545-reclaiming-human-agency-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence

In this Theology Lab conversation, Tim Mackie of The BibleProject (the Bible Project) explores one of humanity's oldest questions: Where does evil come from? Drawing from Genesis 1–11, Tim Mackie unpacks the Bible's foundational stories of good, evil, sin, suffering, violence, and human nature, showing how these themes shape the entire biblical narrative and ultimately point to Jesus. The interivew looks at stories Adam and Eve, Genesis 1-3, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and then moving on in Genesus, Cain and Abel, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, tracing how human choices, disordered desires, and mistrust of God lead to the spread of violence and brokenness throughout the world. Tim also explains why the Bible presents goodness—not evil—as the most fundamental reality, and why evil is best understood as a distortion of God's good creation. This conversation explores key Christian theological ideas as well, including the problem of evil, freedom, biblical theology, wisdom, and the role Jesus plays in the vocation of humanity in the eyes of God. Theology Lab is about encouraging curiosity and courage for an everyday faith. The follow up episode will look at a topic related to our Beyond Simpe Answer series which focuses on pursuing a theological vision when simple answers aren't enough. Learn more about the BibleProject at: bibleproject.com Theology Lab's website is: theologylab.org #TimMackie #BibleProject #Genesis #ProblemOfEvil 00:00 Evil is a parasite 00:53 Why turn to the Bible? 5:40 How does Genesis 1-11 illuminate evil's origins? 14:55: C.S. Lewis: Evil is a parasite 21:40 Jesus and Paul

In this episode of Beyond Simple Answers, hosts Scott Rice, Greg Fung, and Kristin T. Lee dive into one of Christianity’s oldest and most difficult questions: the problem of evil. Can Christian theology truly explain suffering, injustice, and pain in the world? Or does every answer eventually fall short? The conversation explores the tension between classical theodicy, protest theology, liberation theology, and process theology, as the hosts debate whether these approaches genuinely answer the intellectual challenge of evil or simply shape how believers respond to it. Greg argues that liberation and protest theology are responses rather than full theodicies, while Scott defends their power to preserve hope in God’s goodness amid suffering. Kristin raises hard questions about whether any framework can fully satisfy the human longing for answers. Along the way, the discussion wrestles with God’s power, human freedom, divine love, faith during suffering, and the hope of justice and resurrection. Drawing on themes from Job, liberation theology, and the teachings of Jesus, this episode offers a candid and nuanced Christian conversation about doubt, faith, suffering, justice, and the mystery of God’s presence in a broken world. Learn more about Theology Lab at www.theologylab.org

The thumbnail title of this episode is inspired by theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer's claim, only a suffering God can help. In this Q&A episode of Theology Lab's Beyond Simple Answers, Scott Rice, Greg Fung, and Kristin T. Lee explore some of the deepest questions in Christian theology: Can protest be a faithful form of prayer? Why does it matter that Christ suffers with us? And can Christianity truly explain evil and suffering? Drawing from the Bible, the book of Job, the Psalms, liberation theology, process theology, and personal stories of grief and loss, this conversation wrestles honestly with the problem of evil, the goodness of God, and the meaning of suffering. The discussion explores whether lament, anger, and even protest toward God can be authentic expressions of faith. Kristin T. Lee reflects on protest prayer, grief, racial trauma, and the role of lament in Christian spirituality, drawing on authors like Cole Arthur Riley and Tasha Jun. Greg Fung discusses process theology, divine power, and why the presence of God in suffering raises difficult questions about evil and theodicy. Scott Rice explores what it means for Jesus Christ to suffer with humanity and what hope Christians can hold onto in the face of pain, death, injustice, and unanswered questions. This episode also dives into: The problem of evil and suffering Protest theology and liberation theology Faith and doubt Theodicy and God’s goodness Jesus’ suffering and the cross Prayer, lament, and grief Heaven, hell, forgiveness, and judgment Can Christians question God? Why suffering challenges faith If you’ve ever struggled with suffering, questioned God, or wondered whether Christianity has satisfying answers to evil, this conversation is for you. #Christianity #Theology #ProblemOfEvil #Jesus #Prayer #Theodicy #LiberationTheology #ProcessTheology #Bible #God #ChristianPodcast www.theologylab.org https://colearthurriley.com/writing/project-one-64g3t https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63009311-tell-me-the-dream-again

In this episode of Theology Lab's Beyond Simple Answers, Scott Rice sits down with Jasper Su and his mother, Vivian Su, for an honest conversation about faith, doubt, suffering, theology, and the beauty of asking hard questions. What happens when a lifelong Christian wrestles with uncertainty? Can questioning God actually deepen faith instead of destroying it? Jasper shares his journey through doubt, intellectual struggle, and spiritual curiosity, while Vivian reflects on parenting with grace, openness, and unconditional love. Together, they explore: Christian doubt and deconstruction Faith and uncertainty Parenting adult children in faith The problem of suffering and God’s presence Why questioning can lead to deeper belief This episode might speak to folks who have ever felt like a “bad Christian” for asking difficult questions, and for parents, pastors, and faith communities trying to create safer spaces for authentic spiritual conversations. #Christianity #FaithAndDoubt #Deconstruction #theologypodcasts #BeyondSimpleAnswers #ChristianFaith

What happens when a mother and son publicly wrestle with one of Christianity’s hardest questions? In this bonus episode of Theology Lab’s Beyond Simple Answers series, Scott Rice sits down with Vivian Su and Jasper Su for an honest conversation about God, suffering, faith, doubt, and the problem of evil. Vivian shares how trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness has sustained her through life’s hardest realities, while Jasper opens up about his struggle to reconcile an all-loving, all-powerful God with the suffering he sees in the world. Together, they explore: Why suffering exists Whether good must come through pain The emotional tension between trust and understanding The Book of Job and unanswered questions How family members can disagree deeply without losing love and respect This isn’t a debate. It’s a vulnerable, thoughtful conversation about faith, doubt, and what it means to wrestle honestly with God. Learn more about Theology Lab here: www.theologylab.org #TheologyLab #ProblemOfEvil #FaithAndDoubt #Christianity #Theology #Job #Suffering #FaithJourney

Why does God allow suffering? Is it okay if we don’t have a complete answer? In this final episode of Theology Lab's first Beyond Simple Answers, we reflect on one of Christianity’s hardest questions: why did God create a world with evil and pain? We explore different Christian responses to suffering—including protest theology, liberation theology, and process theology—and ask whether faith requires certainty. Can you wrestle with God and still trust God? Does God need to explain suffering, or is God's presence enough? This conversation challenges simple answers and offers a more honest, nuanced approach to faith, doubt, and theology. If you’ve ever questioned God in the face of suffering, this episode is for you. Learn more about Theology Lab: www.theologylab.org

YouTube/Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/-t6ZGuFwMi8 In this Beyond Simple Answers episode Scott, Greg, and Kristin explore the Bible, suffering, creation, and the problem of evil in passages like Philippians 2, the book of Job, Lamentations, and the stories of Hagar and Gethsemane. Returning to previous discussions, they look back at Process and Liberation theology's themes of justice and noncoercive love, as well aa prayer. Why does Job accept God's response? How do believers hold together anger and faith? It's a human conversation, animated by a desire to believe, that looks at suffering, divine power, and faith -- and the many complexities that arise in between in these topics. Beyond Simple Answers episodes are part of Theology Lab. We aim at seeking out a theological vision when simple answers fall aren't enough. And the conversations are geared towards anyone who might be amidst processes like deconstruction and reconstruction of faith, or who just wants curiosity and thinking to play a more important part of your faith life. Thanks for giving some of your time to engage this. We really do appreciate that and hope it might be helpful in some way. 📚 Check out Kristin's new book! We Mend With Gold www.theologylab.org Music Copyright code: US9BWVXXM3PYATAZ Highrock Media License Number - uB6aGE 00:00 Introduction 01:15: Power Via Weakness? Philippians 2 06:30 Job! 11:05 Does God play 'the God card'? 15:00 Jesus prays in anguish, the cross