New Books Network Podcast

Ministry of Ideas January 1, 2023

Introducing Ministry of Ideas

Zachary Davis

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Introducing Ministry of Ideas, a podcast that explores the ideas that shape our lives. …

Ministry of Ideas March 14, 2023

Divine Technology--or, Religion, Technology, and Magic

Illuminations Episode 3

Tulasi Srinivas

Hosted by Zachary Davis

It’s common to feel that technology removes the magic of the world, but Hindu worshippers in Bangalore have shown that it's all in the approach. Guest: Tulasi Srinivas, associate professor of …

Ministry of Ideas March 13, 2023

Beyond Belief or, Science, Religion and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Illuminations Episode 2

Avi Loeb, Kate Dorsch, and Sen. Harry Reid

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Do scientists ever reject science? Research data on the controversial topic of extraterrestrial life has met with resistance from some in the scientific community and openness from communities of faith …

Ministry of Ideas March 12, 2023

Experimental Methods or, Robert Hooke, Christianity, and Science

Illuminations Episode 1

Robert George, Patricia Fara, Jim Bennett, Guy Consolmagno, and Stephen Barr

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry …

Ministry of Ideas March 11, 2023

Illuminations Introduction

A Podcast Series about Religion and Science

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Illuminations is a limited series that reveals the untold friendship of religion and science. Through interviews and stories drawn from a range of cultures, faiths, and eras, this series …

Ministry of Ideas March 9, 2023

Star Ladder or, How Far Away are the Stars?

Measure for Measure Episode 8

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Scientists discovered that some stars have heartbeats and that some of them can be used to measure the longest distances that exist. This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and …

Ministry of Ideas March 8, 2023

Kinsey or, How Do You Measure Sex?

Measure for Measure Episode 7

Kate Sink

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Scientist Alfred Kinsey tried to differentiate human sexualities on a seven-point scale. In so doing, he brought us the basics of bisexuality. But the scale leaves a lot to be …

Ministry of Ideas March 7, 2023

IQ or, What if "Intelligence" Were a Matter of Life and Death?

Measure for Measure Episode 6

Hosted by Zachary Davis

The Intelligence Quotient is a measure of intelligence that has life-or-death consequences. Should we trust it? GUEST: Alan Gouddis is a Partner with Sherman & Sterling. He was recognized by The …

Ministry of Ideas March 6, 2023

Scoville or, How Do We Measure Taste?

Measure for Measure Episode 5

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Taste is a subjective experience. We know this because eggs pickled in human urine, cheese with live maggots living in it, fertilized and mostly-developed duck eggs, rotten shark, calf blood …

Ministry of Ideas March 5, 2023

Movies or, How do We Rate Films?

Measure for Measure Episode 4

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We’d rate today’s episode a ten out of ten, five star, certified fresh, two thumbs up. But we can’t speak for its IMdB score. This episode was produced by Andrew …

Ministry of Ideas March 4, 2023

Mohs or, How Hard Are Rocks?

Measure for Measure Episode 3

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We’re hitting up against the very nature of measurement: How can we best describe the world around us, in its infinite complexity, with finite measures? In other words, how hard …

Ministry of Ideas March 3, 2023

Olives or, How Much Matzah Should You Eat During Passover?

Measure for Measure Episode 2

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Jews are ritually obligated to eat matzah during Passover. But how much matzah? Well, that depends on your views on the size of an olive. This episode was produced by …

Ministry of Ideas March 2, 2023

Fathom or, How Deep is 'Deep"?

Measure for Measure Episode 1

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We love a good chart or graph but we think measurement is more complex and interesting than the data points. The fathom is a measure of depth from the surface …

Ministry of Ideas March 1, 2023

Birds or, How Should We Classifying Them?

Measure for Measure Episode 0

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Could you pick a white-breasted nuthatch out of a lineup? We explore the value - and limits - of birdwatching, categorization, and measurement. This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton …

Ministry of Ideas February 28, 2023

Introducing Measure for Measure

A Podcast Series about Measuring Things

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Introducing Measure for Measure, a new limited series from Ministry of Ideas. We love a good chart or graph but we think measurement is more complex and interesting than data …

Ministry of Ideas February 27, 2023

The Shining Surface--Meaning in the Superficial

Making Meaning Series 24

Stephanie Paulsell

Hosted by Zachary Davis

It's common to equate meaning with depth, but the surface of things, with its wild and rapturous beauty, can coax us into life. GUEST Stephanie Paulsell is the Susan Shallcross …

Ministry of Ideas February 26, 2023

Limits and Love--Finitude and Meaning

Making Meaning Series 23

Matthew Ichihashi Pott

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We are finite creatures who struggle to accept our finitude. But if we can learn to embrace our limits, we will find that our relations with one another, the created …

Ministry of Ideas February 25, 2023

Head and Heart--Meaning and 'Knowing'

Making Meaning Series 22

Zohar Atkins

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Meaning paradoxically has to be both made and discovered, an inescapable entanglement of the singular and the universal. And though the fruit of such wrestling may not be uncomplicated happiness …

Ministry of Ideas February 24, 2023

Throbbing with Life--Meaning and the Spirit

Making Meaning Series 21

Michael Ruse

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Science often draws a picture of the world as a giant machine, a meaningless mechanical clock ticking and tocking forever. But religion and poetry offer a different view, one that …

Ministry of Ideas February 23, 2023

Love, Work, and Play--Neuroscience and Meaning

Making Meaning Series 20

Paul Thagard

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Though life’s ultimate meaning may be elusive, the goods of love, work and play are so deeply rewarding that for most people they are sufficient for creating a happy life …