Evolution and Identity: A Jewish Perspective on Science and Belief (Rachel Pear) Ep. #198
What happens when science, religion, and education collide? In this episode, Dr. Rachel Pear shares her remarkable journey from growing up in New York’s modern Orthodox Jewish community to researching how evolution is taught and received across Israeli society.
A scholar of science education and prehistoric archaeology, Rachel discusses how Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in Israel grapple differently with the question of human origins. Why do some teachers avoid the topic altogether? Why do secular and religious students draw such hard lines around what’s “acceptable” to believe? And how do family, community, and national identity shape scientific acceptance?
Rachel also shares her experience presenting three distinct rabbinic views on evolution in schools, showing students that Jewish thought isn’t monolithic—and that questioning is part of the tradition. She explores the cultural weight of science, the legacy of eugenics, and how educators can create space for real dialogue in science classrooms.
Whether you’re an educator, a religious thinker, or just curious about how evolution meets identity, this episode offers a rich, honest look at a complex conversation that’s still evolving.
We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give
For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/
Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought/
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Rachel's Journey
02:49 Exploring Prehistoric Archaeology and Cultural Contexts
05:48 The Intersection of Evolution and Religion
08:48 Cultural Perspectives on Evolution in Israel
11:57 The Role of Education in Science and Religion
14:57 Diverse Views on Evolution in Arab Schools
17:58 The Complexity of Science and Cultural Identity
20:50 Reflections on Science, Culture, and Religion
27:27 Navigating Values in Education
32:20 The Complexity of Teaching Evolution
35:53 Epistemology and the Scientific Method
40:51 Cultural Perspectives on Evolution
45:32 The Intersection of Tradition and Modernity
--------
52:41
Is Evolution a Dirty Word? Muslim Perspectives on Science and Religion (Shoaib Malik) Ep. #197
Is the relationship between Islam and science as well-developed as it is in Christianity? Not even close—but that’s changing. In this episode, Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh, joins Dru Johnson to share the emerging field of Islam and science, focusing on the hot topic of evolution.
Shoaib unpacks the historical development of Islamic engagement with science, tracing it from early encounters with Western scientific frameworks to the present. He explains why the Islamic world lacks infrastructure like textbooks, academic chairs, and journals for the science-religion conversation—and why that’s finally beginning to change.
But what about evolution? Shoaib shares why it remains a highly sensitive subject in Muslim-majority countries (including stories of professors losing jobs over it) and how Muslim views differ from Christian ones, especially around original sin, Adam, and human suffering.
This is an honest, fascinating look at how Muslims are navigating modern science, why cultural and religious taboos persist, and how Shoaib’s work is shaping new conversations at the intersection of Islamic theology and science.
We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give
For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/
Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought/
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Shoaib Ahmed Malik's Journey
03:11 Transition from Engineering to Humanities
06:00 Teaching Experience in the UAE
09:14 Pursuing Philosophy, Science, and Religion
12:18 Publishing and Academic Recognition
15:11 Navigating Career Changes and New Opportunities
18:29 Exploring Science and Religion Conversations
26:43 Navigating Conversations with Students
27:29 Understanding Islam: Sunni vs Shia
30:19 The Contemporary Muslim World: Sunni and Shia Dynamics
31:34 The Intellectual History of Islam
35:17 Muslim Perspectives on Science and Religion
39:01 Islamization of Science: A Discourse Emerges
42:48 The Development of Islamic Science Education
44:25 Evolution and Its Reception in the Muslim World
48:11 Unique Questions Muslims Ask About Evolution
--------
54:02
Can Muslims, Jews, and Christians Talk About Science and Scripture? (Dru Johnson) Ep. #196
What happens when you put 15 scholars—scientists and theologians, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian—in a room to talk about creation? In this episode of The Biblical Mind Podcast, Dr. Dru Johnson shares his experience launching the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project in Oxford.
Far from being a formal academic conference, the gathering focused on “enduring collegial co-learning”—building trust and curiosity across disciplines and faith traditions. The participants explored how evolutionary biology, genetics, astrophysics, and artificial intelligence intersect with theological questions about human uniqueness, creation, and divine action.
Dru explains why religious identity didn’t hinder the conversation—it enriched it, and why the bigger challenge was translating between scientists and theologians. He also shares a fascinating insight on Neanderthals and menopause, and how that single biological feature opens a window into intergenerational care, legacy, and biblical values.
The project raises bold questions: Can we build a biblical philosophy of science? Does Hebraic thought inform scientific methods? And what does it look like to think with Scripture—not just about it—in a scientific age?
We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give
For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/
Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought/
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org
Chapters
00:00 Exploring Creation Theology and Science
02:58 Building Collegial Relationships Among Scholars
05:43 Navigating Interfaith Dialogues
08:52 Understanding Diverse Perspectives on Origins
13:59 The Intersection of Science and Theistic Beliefs
21:40 Christian Views on Human Origins
30:08 Pragmatism and Empiricism in Biblical Thought
--------
37:01
Syndicated: Jesus and Jewish Law (Logan Williams and Paul Sloan) Ep. #195
Was the Mosaic Law a burdensome set of rules meant to be broken? Did Jesus overthrow the Torah—or fulfill it? In this special episode of The Biblical Mind Podcast, we revisit the pilot episode of the Jesus and the Jewish Law podcast, hosted by Paul Sloan and Logan Williams. Together, they walk through seven widespread misconceptions about the Law and how these misunderstandings distort our reading of both the Old and New Testaments.
You’ll hear why the Law was never meant to be a ladder to earn salvation, how it was designed to maintain God’s presence among His people, and why ritual purity doesn’t equal sin. They also explore the difference between distinction and exclusion, how the Law does not uniformly obligate all humans, and how Jesus builds on—not breaks—the Torah’s ethical depth.
If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about the sacrificial system, purity laws, Gentile inclusion, or what Jesus really meant in the Sermon on the Mount, this episode offers a clear, accessible, and richly Hebraic guide to reading the Law like Jesus did.
Jesus and Jewish Law Podcast:
Apple = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jesus-and-jewish-law/id1791111864
Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/1QCKgVOnEmtfFwRQtWlBSV
We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give
For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/
Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought/
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:01 Misconceptions About the Law: An Overview
05:57 Debunking Misconceptions: The Nature of the Law
12:08 Understanding Impurity and Its Implications
17:59 The Role of Sacrifice in the Law
20:02 Conclusion and Future Topics
--------
21:58
ICYMI - Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity (Jangkholam Haokip) Ep. #194
This episode was originally published on November 11, 2022. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners.
Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual salvation and the question of what happens when we die. But as we amplify other Christian voices, we find that the riches of the gospel might stretch far beyond our original conceptions.
In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Jangkholam Haokip, an Indian theologian, author, and former professor. Growing up in Churachandpur, Manipur, in Northeast India, Jangkholam converted to Christianity as a child. Drawing on his experiences with indigenous Indian culture and religion, he had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on Christian theology, including Scripture's portrayal of sin's effects on nature, the value of yet-unheard perspectives, and the way that the gospels can affect the lives of whole communities.
After his long career as a professor at Union Biblical Seminary in India, Jangkholam has founded the Bethesda-Khankho Foundation, which aims to transform indigenous Indian communities through education and poverty outreach. He also contributed to the recent book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity.
For More of Jangkholam Haokip Content:
https://jlamboihaokip.wordpress.com/
https://langhamliterature.org/author-bio?author_id=5923
We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give
For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/
Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought/
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org
Show notes:
0:00 Introduction
1:22 Converting to Christianity
5:03 Further education and understanding the gospel
8:51 Individualism in Western Christianity
15:09 Sin and the health of nature
20:10 Tribal Indian thought in the biblical texts and Western theology
25:48 The value of indigenous theology
29:47 Christianity as a help for Indian history, identity, and culture
31:05 On Jangkholam's new book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity
The Biblical Mind is dedicated to helping its audience understand how the biblical authors thought, promoting Bible fluency through curious, careful reading of Scripture. It is hosted by Dr. Dru Johnson and published by the Center for Hebraic Thought, a hub for research and resources on the intellectual world of the Bible.