Theology Lab: Courage & Curiosity for Everyday Faith

A Theology Lab episode with Brad East on penal substitutionary atonement. What does the death and resurrection of Jesus mean for us? This episode sets up our next episode with Miroslav Volf and Matthew Ichihahsi potts on forgiveness, atonement, and reconcilliation. Coing out soon!

Brad's a theology professor at Abilene Christian University. Brad recently published (September/October 2025) an article in Christianity Today called 'The Way We Debate Atonement Is a Mess.' It tracks why some people love penal substitutionary atonement (PSA), why some are harshly critical of this idea of salvation, and then steps back and...

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 wh...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 mi...

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 th...

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...

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 <...

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 com...

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...

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...

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...

In this Theology Lab episode with Brad East, we explore how the Bible speaks about spiritual warfare, sin, Satan, and cosmic forces—and how Brad understands the ongoing meaning of these ideas today. Brad brings in perspective from the charismatic and pentecostal tradition of Christianity. This episodes looks at topics like exorcism, the authority of Jesus in the Gospels, and how Scripture frames both personal sin and systemic evil.

As cultural trends show a renewed interest in spiritual realities, this conversation asks what Christians should take seriously without falling into fear or caricature. What does it mean to...

In this thought-provoking episode, Scott, Greg, and Kristin dive deep into one of the most enduring questions in Christian theology: the problem of evil. Through an engaging and honest conversation, they explore four major theological frameworks—protest theodicy, process theology, person-making theodicy, and liberation theology—and reflect on how each shapes faith, doubt, and lived experience.

Kristin shares why protest theodicy resonates so personally, framing faith as an ongoing, honest dialogue with God marked by lament, questioning, and deep trust. Scott and Greg affirm its biblical roots while wrestling with the emotional and spiritual weight of living in c...

This episode of Beyond Simple Answers introduces five major theologies of evil, offering a thoughtful starting point for those rethinking faith in a complex world. When suffering, injustice, and doubt challenge easy explanations, theology provides deeper frameworks for understanding evil and God’s role in it. This video explores classical approaches like Augustinian theodicy, alongside perspectives such as process theology, open theology, and liberation theology. Each framework offers a distinct way of interpreting suffering, divine power, and hope. Designed as an accessible theology primer, this episode helps viewers move beyond simplistic answers toward a more honest and nuanced faith. Wh...

In this episode of Theology Lab, we explore one of the most important questions in spiritual formation: how do we raise children with a faith that is curious, imaginative, and resilient enough to wrestle honestly with God? Taking a brief pause from our Beyond Simple Answers series, this conversation continues the theme of seeking a deeper theological vision when easy answers fall short.

Host and colleague Becca Wickham are joined by Sarah Shin, author of the children’s book 📚 The Great Waking Up 📚 alongside illustrator Shin Maeng, to discuss faith, doubt, theology and how kids engage big question...

This episode explores the profound questions surrounding the problem of evil, God's goodness, and faith. Scott, Kristin and Greg share personal stories, theological insights, and the importance of engaging with difficult questions to deepen faith. This is the second episode in the series on creation, evil and suffering, and it takes an unexpectedly personal turn. The hosts get into theological questions about God's goodness and why the challenge of evil is so difficult, and yet why we continue to feel compelled to ask what belief in God's goodness can look like even when there is evidence and suffering in...

In this first episode of Beyond Simple Answers we explore the question, Why does God create a world where evil and suffering exist? Why answers to this question don't fully satisfy, and how can we continue to explore God, faith, evil, suffering in a theological vision (engaging the Bible and more) together?

Explore the profound question of why God created the world, considering theological answers, human experiences of suffering, and the implications for faith and understanding. Join us as we unpack different perspectives and wrestle with the big questions of existence.

Check out Kristin’s bo...

SEARCHING FOR A THEOLOGICAL VISION WHEN SIMPLE ANSWERS FALL SHORT.

Interesting? This is what Theology Lab's new series, Beyond Simple Answers is about: Explorations on faith, the Bible, theology, for a faith that is looking beyond simple answers.

In the inaugural episode of the podcast "Beyond Simple Answers," hosts Scott Rice, Greg Fung, and Kristin T. Lee introduce their mission to explore complex theological questions that often elude simple answers. The podcast aims to create a space for critical inquiry within a faith context, encouraging listeners to engage with their doubts and questions rather than...

In this Theology Lab episode Scott is joined Brian McLaren and Drew Jackson. Brian McLaren and Drew Jackson are connected with the Center for Contemplation and Action, which engages with Father Richard Rohr and his life's work. This is a conversation on faith, bias, and what lies behind the question, "Don't they know what they're doing is wrong?" The conversation engages questions about reading the Bible, the pressures and power of belonging to a community, and the political biases that impact how we relate to others. What is the better way that Jesus calls his followers to in a...

In this Theology Lab episode Scott is joined by clinical psychologist and a teacher at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Dr. Paul Domigan, for a conversation about what to do when you encounter tensions or apparent contradictions within the Bible. Scott and Paul bring out features of a previous conversation where realized how differently they address questions like this, what lies behind their different approaches, and how they find engaging these differences not to be threats but opportunities for growth in their friendship and understanding how to read the Bible. Conversations like these try to capture what Theology Lab is...

In this Theology Lab interview Scott talks to Myal Greene, the president and CEO of World Relief, an international humanitarian organization on the topics of immigration, refugee resettlement, and current issues. Their conversation covers how immigration and refugee resettlement connect to faith, spirituality and how Christians read the Bible. Myal offers a thoughtful perspective on not only World Relief's response to the immigration and refugee issues of our time but also how everyday Christians can think with nuance and theologically about these important topics.

Learn more about World Relief at: www.worldrelief.org

Curtis Chang's...

⭐ In this Theology Lab interview, we’re joined by Dennis Edwards (North Park Seminary) and Lisa Bowens (Princeton Seminary), editors of Do Black Lives Matter?, for a thoughtful conversation at the intersection of Scripture, faith, and contemporary social movements. Together, we explore how the Bible has been read—and misread—in discussions surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, and what faithful interpretation looks like in moments of cultural tension and resistance. Edwards and Bowens reflect on the role of biblical theology in addressing injustice, the church’s public witness, and the growing pushback against efforts aimed at equity and inclusion...

A Theology Lab podcast on faith and justice amidst suffering and evil. Rev. Munther Isaac—known for his influential sermon “Christ in the Rubble”—and Mary Speta, Executive Director of Amirah, discuss how faith helps them love amidst impossible situations. The conversation addresses theology and the message of Scripture.

Together, they offer thoughtful theological reflection on some of today’s most challenging global issues: war, human trafficking, trauma, and the radical call to love one’s enemy. Designed for learners, students, and anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of Christian moral discernment, this Theology Lab session (part of the Deliv...

How should we think about dreams, visions and the Bible? The authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island walk us through this question and their fascinating book. This is a Theology Lab educational conversation with the authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation, Danny Zacharias and Chris Hoklotubbe. The video looks at how to read Scripture in light of an Indigenous - Native American, First Peoples - lens.

👀 This is part 2, which looks at how to understand dreams, visions and connections between the Bible and land (through stories). Alongside an...

How can we (Indigenous and Non-idegnoues alike) learn about reading the Bible from Indigenous Christians and their explorations of faith? How can this inform our theology and what it means to live on (and with) the land in which we find ourselves?

This is a Theology Lab educational interview with the authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation, H. Daniel Zacharias and T. Christopher Hoklotubbe, looks at how to read the Bible in light of a Indigenous (Native American, First Peoples) lens. It also answers the question, what does Turtle...

Recorded on January 16, 2024.

This episode features Tim Mackie from the BibleProject. It explores questions of biblical interpretation, Scripture, faith and history, and, as the BibleProject emphasizes, how the Bible comes together to form a unified story.

Highrock's Scripture & Tradition series looks at some of the basic tools that can help us understand the Bible. How can we view the Bible as simultaneously divine and human literature? If this question piques your interest, this episode may interest you! In this conversation, moderator Scott Rice is joined by Tim Mackie, co-founder of the Bible Project, for the...

Recording of the American Evangelicalism Theology Lab session from November 11, 2022 with guest, Rev. Dr. Russell Moore (Christianity Today).

In this discussion, moderated by Rev. Dr. Walter Kim (president, National Association of Evangelicals), Russell Moore shares some personal stories about his relation to faith and political engagement. Russell speaks to the looming issue of Christian Nationalism, and what it means for Christians today to maintain both integrity and faithfulness in the public sphere. In the final part of his discussion with Walter Kim, Russell speaks to the crisis that evangelicalism faces today and the possibilities for revitalization and...

This interview with Karen Keen, author of the Word of a Humble God (Eerdmans, 2022), explores topics around biblical interpretation, how to engage challenging parts of Scripture, stories about war and violence in the Bible, biblical interpretation methods. Karen's book has been described as a top resource for an introduction to the Bible (Scripture) and introduction to scriptural interpretation. How can we read the Bible in light of God's humility and hear God's voice anew?

Karen's book! https://www.amazon.com/Word-Humble-God-Inspiration-Interpretation/dp/0802878695

Learn more about Highrock's Theology Lab: highrock.org/theologylab

facebook: / highrocktheologylab<...

In this Theology Lab Kristin and Scott take up a big question: When and why did we change our mind on a deeply personal topic? This is a question that many of us ask, or are asking from time to time, in our faith. Here we ask about women in ministry or women serving in the highest levels of pastoral leadership. At one point both of us considered ourselves theological complementarians -- the idea that women and men have specific roles within at least the sphere of the church, even if considered equal in the eyes of God...

In this insightful Theology Lab conversation, historian and theologian Beth Allison Barr explores the Bible, women, and the role of women pastors in the church. We examine what Scripture really says about gender, leadership, and ministry, and how historical and cultural context shapes our understanding of these debated issues. Perfect for non-expert Christians, curious believers, and anyone still in the church wrestling with big theological questions, this video offers a thoughtful, nuanced approach to reading the Bible and engaging with gender and leadership in a faithful way. If you’re interested in theological learning, Bible study for ordinary Christians, an...

Video version: https://youtu.be/5PiffZEeBhk?si=2QWsXPEvv6m9MJzV

What do Christians mean when we talk about evil, and how does the Bible shape our understanding of it? In this Theology Lab video with Willie Jennings (Yale Divinity School) and Janette Ok (Fuller Seminary), we explore the complex and often uncomfortable question: what do we call evil, and how do we recognize it in the world and in ourselves? They discuss Christian Nationalism and what Jesus's prayer, "deliver us from evil," means to them right now. We look at topics like evil, hate, evil, the anti-Christ...

Want to watch the episode? https://youtu.be/J_V6uHYxnbY

In this Theology Lab Conversations episode (episode #1!) Scott Rice and Greg Fung ask a big question: Is theology only for non-experts, or is it something every Christian is called to engage? This conversation explores the basics of theology, how ordinary believers can grow in their understanding of essentials, of interpreting the Bible, and why learning to think theologically matters for the church in light of some the major challenges and questions were asking today. Whether you identify as evangelical, exvangelical, or simply someone with your own...

Want to watch the episode? https://youtu.be/J_V6uHYxnbY

In this episode of Conversations -- a new Theology Lab series! -- we explore foundational topics of Christian faith in an accessible, honest, and thoughtful way. Designed for ordinary Christians, for folks coming from evangelical backgrounds, post-evangelicals, folks who might identify as deconstructing faith but also just for who are curious, the Conversations series offers a safe space to learn through discussions. We talk about the core themes of theology— ideas about God, interacting with the Bible in different ways, social issues, and how Christian belief ha...