Avoiding a Confounding of Languages: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8 with Jamie L. Jensen

Maxwell Institute Podcast

Christianity, Education, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Dr. Jamie Jensen explores Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8 through both scientific understanding and spiritual insight. Drawing on her work at the intersection of faith and science, she examines how the “confounding of languages” in our modern discourse can distract from the core messages of Noah’s story—God’s love, prophetic warning, covenant obedience, and our responsibility to care for His creations. With personal experiences, scientific context, and heartfelt reflection, Jensen invites listeners to see the Flood narrative not as a battleground between disciplines but as a source of enduring spiritual truth.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Brigham Young University's Maxwell Institute, this is the Maxwell Institute podcast, Faith Illuminating Scholarship.
0:08.8	In 2026, we are releasing a series called Old Testament Reflections. Each week, a scholar offers a short reflection on the Come Follow Me reading.
0:17.5	Today's piece, avoiding a confounding of languages to grasp the spiritual lessons from the
0:23.0	flood, reflections on Genesis chapter 6 through 11, and Moses chapter 8, is written and read by
0:30.5	Jamie L. Jensen. At 10 years old, you would have found me with a kitten hidden in my bedroom closet,
0:36.1	a pet rat perched on my shoulder,
0:37.9	and a wounded sparrow that I was nursing back to health in a shoebox on my dresser.
0:41.9	I spent most of my time around animals, finding everything about them to be enticing and fascinating.
0:47.5	As a budding biologist from a very young age, the story of Noah's ark was always my favorite.
0:52.9	I have a beautiful hand-carved arc and set of animals
0:55.7	from South Africa that I proudly display on my piano, and if I wasn't embarrassed about getting caught,
1:01.3	you might just see me acting out the epic tale with those little figurines. It is truly a magical
1:06.4	story for someone like me, who finds joy in the fact that God thought to save the animals I love so much.
1:12.2	But now, as a professional biologist, educator, and science communicator, the story of Noah has
1:17.8	different meaning than what I had imagined as a child. Before I explain, I want to discuss another
1:23.3	important story that often comes to my mind when I discuss Noah's Flood, the Tower of Babel.
1:29.0	In a literal, or plain reading interpretation of this story, we would understand that due to
1:34.4	wickedness, the Lord confounded the language of the people so that they could no longer
1:38.5	understand each other. However, in recent years, I have watched the political divide widen in our country, and have seen how language has been hijacked by one side or the other, such that the words we use on each side of the aisle no longer mean the same thing.
1:54.2	The consequences have been that we are literally unable to communicate with one another.
1:58.9	This has made me wonder whether there might be another
2:01.2	meaning to this influential story. Perhaps our wickedness, our pride, and our use of language as a
	...

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