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Church History Matters

188 - BYU Biologist Talks Faith & Science | Church History Matters I Science & Religion Series

Church History Matters

Scripture Central

Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.92K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, hosts Casey Griffiths and Scott Woodward sit down with BYU biology professor Jamie Jensen to explore how science and religion can work together rather than compete. Drawing on her experience in the classroom, Professor Jensen shares how today’s students wrestle with big questions about faith, evolution, scripture, and evidence—and how honest inquiry can actually strengthen belief rather than undermine it. She explains how a scientific worldview, when properly understood, invites humility, curiosity, and awe, qualities that resonate deeply with religious Faith. The conversation also turns personal as Professor Jensen bears testimony of the gospel and reflects on how her faith informs her approach to teaching science. She discusses the toughest questions students bring to her—from perceived conflicts between science and scripture to doubts sparked by academic study—and how she responds with empathy, clarity, and trust in both truth and revelation. This thoughtful interview offers reassurance to students, parents, and believers seeking a faithful way forward, showing that pursuing scientific understanding and nurturing spiritual conviction can be a complementary and faith-building journey.

Transcript

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0:00.0

If you want to know whether God exists or not, you need to use religion as an epistemology.

0:04.7

Jamie is a biology professor at BYU.

0:07.3

It was when I came to BYU that I realized evolution was so difficult for people.

0:11.8

So what types of questions then is science particularly tooled to answer?

0:16.1

You want to know anything about how the natural world works, what it looks like.

0:21.6

And where does it fall short?

0:22.6

If you want to know what decisions you should make to be moral, those are all questions

0:27.6

that science can't touch.

0:28.6

What are some of the main sticking points where students especially perceive the conflicts

0:34.6

between science and religion?

0:35.6

If you base your testimony on this has to be God,

0:40.1

then you're setting your testimony up for defeat.

0:43.6

I want to know your students and colleagues.

0:46.3

What are some of the most common questions?

0:48.1

So probably the most common question I get is...

0:52.3

We're back once again, and today we have a guest joining us as well um dr jamie jensen so say hi

0:59.6

jamey hi nice to be here yeah good to have you with us dr jensen would you like us to call you

1:06.2

dr jensen would you like us to call you james what do you prefer? You can call me Jamie.

1:11.2

Okay.

1:12.3

Jamie's okay.

1:13.2

All right.

1:14.5

And Dr.

...

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