The Veritas Forum

By The Veritas Forum

At the Veritas Forum, we believe we were made to seek truth and be changed by it. We are a community of students, faculty, campus ministers, and more, who are pursuing a vision of the university that ... more

· Religion & Spirituality

4.7

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FAQs about The Veritas Forum:

How many episodes does The Veritas Forum have?

The podcast currently has 282 episodes available.

The Veritas Forum episodes:

June 25, 2026What Science Can (And Can't) Tell Us | David Lahti & Michael Weisberg
In today’s episode, our speakers discuss this question: Is science the only reliable tool for understanding the world? Or for questions about meaning, morality, and ultimate purpose, do we need something more?
You’ll hear from David Lahti, a biologist at Queens College, and Michael Weisberg, a philosopher at Penn. In this conversation, they explore the limits of scientific knowledge, how evolution intersects with questions of faith and suffering, and how their Christian and agnostic worldviews help them make sense of the difference between knowledge and faith.
This forum was held at Penn in April 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
51min
May 07, 2026 Are We Living in the Best of All Possible Worlds? | Lennox & Lowenstein
The concept of a “multiverse” — formerly an obscure idea in philosophy and theoretical physics — is now mainstream. Movies like best-picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once or Marvel’s Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse invite us into an expansive vision of the cosmos: one where there are infinite worlds, possibilities, and comparisons. Even though these multiverse films feature outlandish sci-fi story lines (like hot dog fingers), their characters wrestle with many of the same questions we do, like, are we living in the best possible world?
In this episode, we discuss just that.
You’ll hear from mathematician John Lennox (Oxford) and moderator Daniel Lowenstein (UCLA) in a Forum event at UCLA in 2015. Together, they explore the toughest questions surrounding our existence. What do we do in the face of tragedy? Why do we experience pain? And, if there is a God who created the world, why did he make it like this?
Thank you to the Forum planning team at UCLA for making this event possible. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
30min
April 23, 2026Questioning Christianity: A Professor's Journey from Skepticism to Faith | Molly Worthen
In today’s episode, historian Molly Worthen (UNC-Chapel Hill) discusses the most radical pivot of her life: becoming a Christian after years of religious skepticism.
Moderated by psychology professor Thad Polk (University of Michigan), you’ll hear Molly’s story of journeying from doubt to faith. She explores how the historical claims of Jesus’ Resurrection, existential questions about meaning, and honesty about her doubts led her to the Christian faith. She also answers questions from the student audience about what her life has looked like after becoming a Christian.
This forum was held at the University of Michigan in March 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
1h 12min
April 09, 2026Why the Resurrection Changes Everything (If It's True) | N. T. Wright & Shelly Kagan
In today’s episode, a theologian and a philosopher explore what happens when we die. They discuss questions like, Is death the end, or is it the beginning of something new? And how do Christian claims about Jesus’ Resurrection change the way we think about death today?
You’ll hear from N. T. Wright, a New Testament scholar at Oxford, and Shelly Kagan, a philosopher at Yale. In this lively conversation moderated by Columbia medical ethicist Lydia Dugdale, they explore death, the afterlife, Jesus’ Resurrection, and how our views on these subjects influence the way we live right now.
This forum was held at Yale in 2014. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
1h 12min
March 19, 2026The Messiness of Meaning | Satyan Devadoss & Stuart Firestein
Meaning can be straightforward — a red octagon means “Stop!”, a hand wave with a smile means “Hello,” or adding two and two equals four.
But meaning is often more complicated — a friend saying they’ll eat “whatever” for dinner or a significant other texting, “We need to talk.”
In this episode, our speakers invite you into the messiness of meaning — and discuss how best we can search for it.
You’ll hear a conversation between mathematician Satyan Devadoss (U San Diego) and biologist Stuart Firestein (Columbia). Satyan and Stuart bring their scientific backgrounds and religious perspectives as they explore the role of reason in the search for meaning, what can and can’t be taken at face value, and what strategies can help us find truth — from the scientific method to literary analysis to religious tradition.
This Forum was held at Columbia University in 2014. Thanks to the forums planning team at Columbia for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
37min
March 05, 2026Do Christians Have a Stronger Claim on Morality than Atheists? | John Hare & Peter Singer
In today’s episode, two moral philosophers explore our everyday ethical choices. Are your gut-level reactions about right and wrong a signal from a higher reality—or just a chemical reaction in your brain? And if God isn’t the foundation for our morality, do our values actually mean anything?
In this throwback Veritas Forum, you’ll hear from Peter Singer, a philosopher and emeritus professor at Princeton, and John Hare, a philosopher at Yale. Drawing from their atheist and Christian worldviews, they explore where moral intuitions come from, whether morality can stand apart from religion, and how questions of happiness, suffering, and the life and teachings of Jesus shape their understanding of what it means to live well. You’ll hear both of their opening statements followed by an excerpt of their moderated discussion.
This forum was held at MIT in 2010. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
56min
February 19, 2026Lewis, Tolkien, & Friendship | John Hendrix
On today’s episode, our speakers discuss the topic of friendship: what it looks like on a practical level and why it’s so important in our culture today.

You’ll hear from John Hendrix, an author, illustrator, and art professor at Washington University in St. Louis. This forum focuses on John’s new graphic novel titled The Mythmakers, which tells the story of the friendship of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. In this conversation moderated by Pepperdine professor April Marshall, they explore how Lewis and Tolkien’s friendship fueled their greatest works and the importance of community in our daily lives.

This forum was held at Pepperdine in April 2025. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible. As a heads up, there are a few visual aids in today’s episode that rely on John’s illustrations from his novel. To see them, watch the YouTube video here.
Find additional resources and quotes from this forum here.
...more
34min
February 05, 2026Can Faith Make Sense of Suffering? | Meghan Sullivan & John Stuhr
In today’s episode, two philosophers explore this question: How should we understand suffering? Is it simply the opposite of human flourishing, or is there a deeper meaning? And what does suffering mean for belief in a good God?
You’ll hear from Meghan Sullivan, a philosopher at Notre Dame, and John Stuhr, a philosopher at Emory University. Drawing on both personal experience and philosophical commitments, they reflect on how Christian and naturalistic worldviews make sense of suffering in human life.
This forum was held at Emory in April 2025. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
33min
January 29, 2026Becoming Alive in a Dehumanizing World | Rowan Williams & Chigozie Obioma
In today’s episode, our speakers explore some core questions about what it means to be human: What are we made for? What is the role of suffering in our lives? And is there something beyond ourselves that can give us purpose?

You’ll hear from Rowan Williams, a theologian and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chigozie Obioma, a novelist and professor at the University of Georgia. Their conversation is moderated by Mia Chung-Yee, a former concert pianist and executive director of the Octet Collaborative at MIT. In this discussion, both speakers share how their Christian faith impacts their view of what it means to be human, and what it means to live “fully alive” in a dehumanizing world.

This forum was put on in partnership with the Duke Initiative on Theology and the Arts and was held at the Carolina Theater of Durham in September 2025.
Find additional resources and quotes from this forum here.
...more
42min
January 15, 2026Is Religion for Everyone? | Ross Douthat & Damon Linker
Talking about religion can feel outdated, close-minded, or just irrelevant. Yet for thousands of years, humans have been a religious species looking beyond ourselves in search of meaning. So should religion still matter today? And is it simply a coping story, or could it point to something real?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Ross Douthat, a New York Times opinion columnist and author of Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. He’s in dialogue with Damon Linker, a lecturer in political science at Penn and creator of the Notes from the Middleground Substack. In this conversation moderated by Penn Law professor Karen Tani, they share their own Christian and agnostic worldviews and explore their thoughts on truth, religious experience, and committing to a religion in a pluralistic society.

This forum was held at the University of Pennsylvania in November 2025. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.
Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.
...more
1h 15min

FAQs about The Veritas Forum:

How many episodes does The Veritas Forum have?

The podcast currently has 282 episodes available.

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