First Baptist Church San Antonio - Thursday in the City

COVID has had a bigger impact on all of us than we could have ever imagined. It has brought grief, financial anxiety, change of routine, and isolation. For over a year, COVID has challenged our physical, mental, and spiritual health in new ways, many of which we have yet to unpack. Many of us have felt new depths of depression or peaks of anxiety that feel insurmountable. So how exactly has COVID-exhaustion affected our mental health? And how can we begin to move forward as we hopefully exit the time of COVID? Join us for a panel discussion with Beth Stanley and Dr. Ray Wooten as they help us understand where we"ve been, and how to find hope moving forward.

There are people who’ve thought a long time about things you’ve thought about but never knew anybody else had thought about. And those people have written books exploring those very things. Even the apostle Paul mentioned the value of reading works in addition to scripture. Scott Moore of Baylor University and Lou Markos of Houston Baptist University join us for a conversation about books to read in this life.

Opioid abuse is skyrocketing. Among women, it’s off the charts. This is real, and it’s tearing lives apart—maybe even yours. UT Health Science Center assistant professor and at-risk families expert Lisa Cleveland joins us for a conversation on the problem everybody knows about but nobody talks about.

We may want a simple world, but that’s not the world we have. UT Austin sociologist Mark Regnerus studies not how we think people should live, but how they actually do live. He joins us for a fascinating look at why it’s harder to get married these days, and why people are having less sex than ever.

Instead of explaining God away, how might science actually imply God’s existence? Join us for an interview with Gerald Cleaver, Baylor professor of physics, as we talk about how creation might be larger than we ever expected. Also, do you have doppelgänger out there?

If you possess a deep faith, does science have anything to say to you? If you’re involved in any of the fields of science, can faith inform the work you do? We’ve come to accept the division between the two communities, but is that the best we can hope for? Join us for a physics-andfaith interview with pastor of FBCSA Chris Johnson and St. Mary’s physics professor Richard Lombardini.

Prostitution, sex trafficking, pornography: These three social realities in our city and state are interconnected and growing to meet increasing demand. Join social worker Kellie Davidson & pastor Derek Davidson for an interview on addressing the threat that both the sex industry and its markets pose to individuals and the entire society.

Can we say anything we want? What happens when religious beliefs clash with other forms of expression? Join us for an interview with attorney Lyn Robbins as we examine what it means for speech to be free.

Do we counsel? Do we medicate? Do we pray? When people we know and love live with mental illness, we all live with mental illness. It’s a serious challenge demanding our serious efforts to address it. Join us for a conversation about seeking the good for the whole person, and whole communities.

The Wall, the Law, and the Least: Who’s In and Who’s Out When It Comes to Immigration? While we’re out-Trumping Trump and out- progressing Progressives, who’s paying attention to people?