Cross Connections

This week we conclude our Science and Faith series with a conversation with Sister Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and theologian who trained as a neuroscientist before entering religious life. She tells us how looking at a single neuron under an electron microscope first opened her to “the mysteries of creation.” From there we turn to evolution as the great story of our age, and to how an unfinished, still-unfolding universe might change the way we picture God. We hear about the remarkable and lonely life of the Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and how the women in his life kept his work from being lost. Finally, we ask what all of this means for artificial intelligence: a technology some of us love and some of us fear.

More about Ilia:

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington DC, and Professor at Villanova University. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the World Institute for Science, Religion and Culture, an online educational forum focused on integrative thinking and personal formation. She is the author of over twenty-five books.

Ilia graduated with a B.S. in Biology from DeSales University, a master’s degree in biology from Seton Hall University, a doctorate in Pharmacology from Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School, and a doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University. She is also the recipient of four Honorary degrees, as well as the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities Monika Hellwig Award for her contributions to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.

Her area of research is Systematic-Constructive theology with a focus on religion and evolution, following the vision of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. She continues to develop a new framework of God, self, and world through the integration of science and religion, mapping the next level of human evolution in an age of artificial intelligence.

Some of Sister Ilia Delio’s books

• The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love (Orbis, 2013). The hosts quote its preface.
• The Not-Yet God: Carl Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Relational Whole (Orbis, 2023)
• The Christian Mutation: Reclaiming the Dynamic God of Jesus (Orbis, forthcoming - October 28, 2026)
• Re-Enchanting the Earth: Why AI Needs Religion (Orbis, 2020)

Theology and religion

• Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: the cosmic Christ, the Omega Point, the noosphere, and his question, “Who will give evolution its own God?”
• Robert Bellah, Religion in Human Evolution (2011)
• Karl Jaspers on the Axial Age (The Origin and Goal of History)
• John D. Caputo, The Weakness of God (2006)
• Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas (dated May 15, 2026), his encyclical on AI

Thank you for listening to Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at https://stdavidschurch.org/giving/ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios https://www.blinckstudios.com/ in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org/

In this second part of this Science and Faith series, your hosts take on one of the biggest sticking points between faith and science: The origins of the universe and of humanity. Elliot begins by telling a story of how a class on evolution nearly pushed him into atheism until an Old Testament professor taught him to read Genesis "literarily, not literally." The hosts then look at the two creation stories in Genesis and come to the conclusion that a literal “six-day creation” was never the traditional reading. Along the way, they talk about Galileo, the "firmament," divine accommodation, and how a Latin mistranslation of Romans 5:12 helped shape the doctrine of original sin. They close by declaring that these holy and ancient stories are really about who God is and who we are, and they set up next week's conversation with Franciscan nun and noted scientist Sister Ilia Delio.

Some resources mentioned in this episode:

• Paula Fredriksen, “Sin: The Early History of an Idea” (2012).
• “AlphaGo” (2017). A film that is available online.
• The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, 1978.
• The Latin Vulgate's reading of Romans 5:12 ("in whom all have sinned").

Also, check out these earlier Cross Connections episodes on Genesis and reading the Bible:

• Genesis: The Beginning (1-21)
• Genesis: The Beginning (1-21) BONUS Content
• Genesis: Chapters 22-50 (end)
• How do I read the Bible?
• [BONUS] Answering your Bible Questions

Thank you for listening to Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at https://stdavidschurch.org/giving/ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org/

Today we begin a new series on faith and science, where we look at whether these two disciplines are compatible, how the intersection of faith and science have personally affected the three hosts, and whether Rick can prove the existence of God with some fancy astrophysics. As the hosts mention in the episode, science and faith is a regular topic among young people and people struggling with their faith. While some may assume that one can’t “believe in science” while also being a Christian, there are many Christians who think that actually…you can.

In the second episode in this three-part series, we’ll talk about the origins of the universe and of humanity, and in the final episode we’ll talk to scientist and Franciscan nun, Sr. Ilia Delio on how science and faith can inform each other.

Here are some resources mentioned in this episode:

“Faith Unraveled” (formerly “Evolving in Monkey Town”) and “Searching for Sunday” by Rachel Held Evans.

“Just Six Numbers” by Lord Martin Rees.

A video by Rick Morley which summarizes the findings in Rees's book.

Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism” by John Shelby Spong.

Thank you for listening to Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at https://stdavidschurch.org/giving/ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org/

Today we close out our series on the short book by Rowan Williams, “Tokens of Trust.” This book, written by a former Archbishop of Canterbury, is another great introduction to Christianity which bases itself in our Creeds. This series is intentionally timed to run concurrent with St. David’s Adult and Youth Forum on the Trinity, but if you can’t be at those conversations, this is a great place to start learning.

Join our hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy as we close out with chapters five and six of “Tokens of Trust” focusing on the final part of our creeds. It mentions the Holy Spirit, but is that what it is about? And if this isn’t about the third person of the Holy Trinity, The Holy Spirit, what is it about? Why does the Church matter so much, and can we trust the Church in the same way that we can trust God and Jesus Christ?

Thank you for listening to Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at stdavidschurch.org.

We’re starting off this season with a series on the short book by Rowan Williams, “Tokens of Trust.” This book, written by a former Archbishop of Canterbury, is another great introduction to Christianity which bases itself in our Creeds. This series is intentionally timed to run concurrent with St. David’s Adult and Youth Forum on the Trinity, but if you can’t be at those conversations, this is a great place to start learning.Join our hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy as we continue with chapters three and four of “Tokens of Trust” focusing on the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. How does Jesus help us understand God, and how does Jesus help us understand our relationship to God?Thank you for listening to Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at stdavidschurch.org.

We’re starting off this season with a series on the short book by Rowan Williams, “Tokens of Trust.” This book, written by a former Archbishop of Canterbury, is another great introduction to Christianity which bases itself in our Creeds. This series is intentionally timed to run concurrent with St. David’s Adult and Youth Forum on the Trinity, but if you can’t be at those conversations, this is a great place to start learning.

Join our hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy as we start on the first two chapters of “Tokens of Trust” focusing on the first person of the Trinity, God.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at stdavidschurch.org

We're back soon with Season 4 of the Cross Connections Podcast! Listen in to hear all about what your hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill are going to be discussing this season - from the Trinity to Science to Prayer and more!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions and comments! Leave us a voicemail at 484.588.5656 or send us an email at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. And if you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Logo graphic design by Natalee Hill. Podcast editing by BLiNCK Studios in collaboration with our hosts. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at stdavidschurch.org.

Join Cross Connections podcast hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill in the Harrison Room at St. David’s, for a live recording session. We’ll discuss parables and take your questions about Jesus the storyteller and his iconic tales.

You're invited to "Parables and Pints" A Live Podcast event

Friday, May 29

7 p.m.

16 Ardmore Ave., Ardmore, PA 19006

You've asked for it, and now you've got it! Join Cross Connections podcast hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill at Tired Hands event space in Ardmore for a LIVE recording session. Let's learn more together about parables and Jesus the storyteller. Our discussion will be heavily influenced by Irish theologian, Peter Rollins. Get a chance to meet the team, see how the podcast works, and get your questions answered!

Tickets required; only $10 each! The event space has a maximum capacity limit.

⁠Get your tickets here now.⁠

Please note that there will not be food available at the space and plan to eat ahead accordingly.

Is there a right way to read the Bible? Those who have studied in seminaries like Princeton Theological Seminary (such as our own Elliot VanHoy and the Rev. Tanya Regli) may have been taught that exegesis is the only right way. But what if we’ve been thinking about it all wrong?

Our hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy, along with guest, the Rev. Tanya Regli, explain and reflect on a lecture given at PTS earlier in April by Professor and Bible scholar, Matthew Novenson, PhD. 

If you want to watch the lecture yourself, the video recording is available from PTS on their YouTube channel here. (Note: Episode art is a photo of our podcast team in the library at Princeton Theological Seminary)

We mention parables a few times in this episode - if you're interested in hearing more about them, please join us for Parables and Pints: A Live Cross Connections recording event!

Parables and Pints

Friday, May 29 | 7 p.m. | Tired Hands Brewing event space

Join Cross Connections podcast hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill at Tired Hands event space, 16 Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, for a live recording session. We’ll discuss and take your questions about Jesus the storyteller and his iconic parables.

Tickets required; only $10 each! The event space has a maximum capacity limit. Get your tickets here now.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 or also email questions to ⁠[email protected]⁠.

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at ⁠https://stdavidschurch.org⁠.