Purpose Nation Podcast

What does the guy who played Hercules have to do with science and faith? Join our conversation with Kevin Sorbo to find out! Kevin is the host of a new documentary, Against the Tide, about the life and key apologetics arguments of Dr. John Lennox. This is a follow-up to our interview with Prof. Lennox in Podcast Episode 28. Hear more about Kevin's role in the movie, his take on Prof. Lennox, and his experience being a Christian standing against the tide in Hollywood. Also, get a glimpse of...

"I believe human beings are unique because they're made in the image of God. And that's what gives them their value." - John Lennox, PhD from Ep. 28 of the Purpose Nation Podcast From a very early age, John Lennox, PhD has been using his brilliant intellect and disarming demeanor to defend the Christian faith using science, evidence, and reason. In our *new* video format of the podcast, we had a lot of fun talking with Dr. Lennox about his fascinating science and Christian faith journey, his...

How can a scientist and homeschool mom build a college? Join us on the podcast as we speak with Dr. Jennifer Nolan, President and Co-Founder of Catholic Polytechnic University. As a former neuroscientist and homeschool mom, Dr. Nolan decided to take matters into her own hands and build a new, Catholic Christian university focused on offering STEM degrees. We’ll explore her science and faith background, how this all came about and what the future looks like for STEM education in a Christian...

What does it mean to be a Catholic Engineer? Join us as we chat with mechanical engineer, Timothy Roemer, about his work, his family, his faith and his “Catholic Engineers” group: www.facebook.com/CatholicEngineers www.CatholicEngineers.org Timothy gives a great overview of the various types of engineering as well as some practical tips for parents of students who might be considering a career in engineering. We also discuss some of his work on new automotive technologies. After graduating...

Artificial Intelligence, automation, robotics and computer science technologies continue to advance at an amazing pace. Should Christians fear these technologies as a direct assault on our identity and moral values? Or should we fully embrace them, along with their promise of providing healthier, better lives? Or something in between? How can/should Christians be involved with the creation and the shepherding of AI and other advanced computer technologies? We tackle some of these questions...

With the 50th anniversary of humans landing on the moon during the NASA Apollo missions, where does humanity go next? Back to the moon? To Mars? Should we risk sending humans to space or let the robots handle it? These are a few of the issues we tackle in our conversation with Dr. Leslie Wickman. Dr. Wickman heads up the Christian faith/science group the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) and is also a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, speaker and athlete. She was an...

What if we could bottle up some of the sun’s energy, right here on Earth, and use it to get abundant, safe, renewable energy? We chat with MIT nuclear engineer and scientist, Prof. Ian Hutchinson PhD, about doing just that with nuclear fusion reactors. What will it take to get there? Will it happen any time soon? Listen to this podcast episode to find out! Prof. Hutchinson also talks about his science and faith journey and conversion to Christianity. We also discuss his latest book, “Can a...

If you like comic book superheroes (think X-Men and Avengers), science, science fiction and the Bible, then you’ll love our conversation with scientist Andy Walsh, PhD! By day, Dr. Walsh is a biologist, computer scientist and statistician and is currently the Chief Science Office for a public health technology company called Health Monitoring Systems. By night (and, well, all the time), he’s a Christian and author and has written a new book called, “Faith Across the Multiverse: Parables from...

What does it feel like to "be alive" walking with God in a calling as a faith driven entrepreneur? Join our engaging conversation with Henry Kaestner, the former CEO and Chairman of Bandwidth (Nasdaq: BAND), a $1.4B telecom and technology company. Henry is now the managing partner of Sovereign's Capital, a private equity and venture capital management company that invests in faith-driven entrepreneurs around the world. Henry has also started Faith Driven Entrepreneur, a podcast and...

Is the science surrounding Adam and Eve in turmoil? Listen to this great talk with Dr. Fazale "Fuz" Rana PhD, one of the top thinkers at the intersection of biology, chemistry, genetics, human origins and the Christian faith. We discuss his upcoming book on transhumanism as well as the latest science discoveries pointing to a Creator and to design. We also talk about how the latest discoveries in human genetics and human population studies have thrown the science surrounding Adam and Eve...

Hacking at the Vatican?! Can you combine 2,000 years of deep, Catholic tradition with something as modern as hacking? For our next guest, Fr. Eric Salobir, the answer was most certainly, “Yes!” Fr. Salobir helped to organize the first-ever “hackathon” at the Vatican where groups of students from 62 universities from around the world, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT and many more, “hacked” ideas that could help humanity in three key areas: Fostering inter-religious dialogue, helping the poor...

Elon Musk has created a $1B initiative to help develop direct brain-to-computer interfaces. While this line of research holds promise to help those suffering from serious brain disorders and paralysis, it also raises all new ethical concerns. In this fascinating podcast interview, we talk with leading neurosurgeon, research scientist, professor and Catholic Christian, Dr. Robert Buchanan, about this line of research and about his amazing work in treating debilitating and life-threatening...

Can't Christians just get along when it comes to science and faith? Please join us for this engaging and important conversation that all Christians need to hear! For more than 30 years, Hugh Ross, PhD and his organization, Reasons to Believe, have been dedicated to integrating scientific fact and biblical faith. They seek to demonstrate, via a variety of books, resources and in-person events, that science and faith are allies, not enemies. Dr. Ross is a best-selling author and his books...

Do our kids need shoes of iron? Studies show that many young Catholics and other Christians leave the Church by the time they finish college. One of the main reasons they leave is that they are not getting sufficiently satisfying answers to key questions they have regarding the compatibility of faith and science…questions about what the church and science have to say about the existence of God, about an immortal soul and about the life and resurrection of Jesus. Join us as we explore these...

Is it possible to find life on distant planets without ever visiting them? Can God work through a single reading of a book to bring someone to faith? Are secular institutions like Harvard supportive of a scientist who happens to be a Christian and a woman? Join us as we explore these questions and more in our interview with Astronomer and Astrochemist Professor Karin Öberg, PhD. Professor Öberg is a Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and she is using sophisticated new instruments...

Interstellar travel within our lifetimes? iPhone microchips riding on laser beams? Are Christians behind the curve in accepting scientific theories? Join us for an engaging discussion on these topics and more with Christian Physicist Prof. Gerald Cleaver, PhD. Dr. Cleaver (“Jerry”) is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Dept. of Physics, and Division Head at the Center for Astrophysics, at Baylor University. There he directs the Early Universe Cosmology and Strings (EUCOS)...

What does success look like for a VC-backed, Silicon Valley technology start-up? Usually, success means strong revenue growth, a thriving customer base, media accolades and other traditional measures. For Victor Ho and his company, FiveStars, success means something very different. Join us for a great conversation with Victor, the CEO of San Francisco-based start-up, FiveStars. Listen to his amazing story of humility, faith, obedience and building a values-based tech company in the heart of...

What is a Gold Mass? Who are the Society of Catholic Scientists? Join us for an encouraging and fun talk with Catholic Physicist Prof. Stephen Barr, PhD that took place on November 15, 2017, which was the same day as the Feast of St. Albert the Great who is the Patron Saint of Scientists. We also discussed the brand new “Gold Mass” tradition that also takes place on November 15 that he and some colleagues started to honor Catholic Scientists. We also discussed many fascinating physics...

Are we in need of a new revolution at the intersection of faith and science, reminiscent of the first Scientific Revolution of the 1500's? Do we need to have followers of Christ once again being instrumental in driving science forward? Our latest podcast guest, Stacy Trasancos, PhD, seems to think so... and so do we! Join us for a great conversation with this former DuPont Chemist turned Catholic author, homeschool & online teacher and mother of seven. Hear about her journey starting with...

When will we get light sabers and land speeders anyway? Join us for a fun conversation with Catholic Prof. Michael Dennin, PhD about what he thinks about aliens and whether they ever visited earth or built the great pyramids. Prof. Dennin is a physicist at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and has been a part of shows like Spider-man Tech, Batman Tech and Star Wars Tech where he provided insights into the physics behind many of the cool gadgets and superpowers on display in these...