Weekly Cultural Update: Betting on the Palisades Fire; Meta Youth Lawsuits; Young Conservative Socialists; Building AI Influencers
Weekly Cultural Update: Betting on the Palisades Fire; Meta Youth Lawsuits; Young Conservative Socialists; Building AI Influencers  
Podcast: Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture
Published On: Fri Aug 21 2026
Description: Betting on the Palisades Fire: Scott and Sean examine the ethics surrounding Polymarket users placing financial wagers on the 2025 Palisades fire, asking where open market speculation crosses into exploiting human tragedy.Meta Facing State Lawsuits: The hosts unpack a recent report detailing the major multi-state lawsuit against Meta, focusing on the legal and moral implications of algorithmic design and youth mental health.The Rise of Young Conservative Socialists: Analyzing a thought-provoking Wall Street Journal report, the duo explores the growing phenomenon of young conservatives embracing socialist economic policies.Building AI Influencers for Profit: Scott and Sean dissect a NY Times article on companies creating synthetic, AI-driven personalities and podcasts to market businesses, cut costs, and maximize corporate profits.Audience Question: Commercializing the Human Body: The hosts provide a biblical framework for evaluating the ethics of monetizing human biology, touching on issues like blood plasma sales and organ donation.Audience Question: Seminary in the '70s vs. Today: Scott contrasts the theological landscape of 1970s seminaries with today, highlighting past doctrinal battles alongside modern cultural issues that were previously unimagined.Audience Question: Grant Underwood Conversation Follow-Up: Sean addresses audience feedback and expands on key insights from his previous discussion on LDS history and theology with scholar Grant Underwood.==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.   Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically.   To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.