John G. West

Senior Fellow, Managing Director, and Vice President of Discovery Institute

Dr. John West is Vice President and a Senior Fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, where he also serves as Managing Director of the Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, which he co-founded with philosopher of science Stephen Meyer in 1996. His current research examines the impact of science and “scientism” on public policy and culture. His other areas of expertise include constitutional law, American government and institutions, and religion and politics.

Dr. West was previously an Associate Professor of Political Science at Seattle Pacific University where he chaired the Department of Political Science and Geography, and he has taught political science and history courses at California State University, San Bernardino and Azusa Pacific University. From 1986-1989, Dr. West served as Managing Editor of Public Research, Syndicated, which distributed essays on public affairs to more than 700 daily and weekly newspapers.

Dr. West has written or edited thirteen books, including most recently Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, The Magician's Twin: C.S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society, and Walt Disney and Live Action. Other books include:

Additionally, Dr. West has directed and written several documentaries, including Revolutionary, Privileged Species, the award-winning Biology of the Second Reich and Human Zoos, Darwin’s Heretic, The War on Humans, The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis and the Case Against Scientism, and The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis and Intelligent Design. He also helped produce the popular YouTube series, Science Uprising. Listed in Who’s Who in America, he has been interviewed by Time, Newsweek, USA Today, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, and he has appeared on CNN, FoxNews, and C-SPAN.

Dr. West holds a PhD in Government from Claremont Graduate University and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington. He is a recipient of several academic fellowships, including a Haynes Foundation Dissertation Grant, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, a Richard Weaver Fellowship, and a Chevron Journalism/Economics Scholarship. Dr. West is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha (the national political science honor society) and Phi Beta Kappa.

Archives

Francis Collins and the Temptation of Stockholm Syndrome Christianity

John G. West
February 24, 2025
Over the past 15 years, Francis Collins has been one of the most powerful scientists in America. He also is the most recognized evangelical Christian scientist in America. In this presentation based on his new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, Dr. John West critically examines Collins’ public record in a variety of areas at the intersection of faith, morality, and science. For more information about Dr. West’s book, visit https://stockholmsyndromechristianity… This talk was originally presented at the 2025 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith, but because audio of the original talk was damaged, this version was re-taped a few days later. …

Evangelizing For Darwin: Dr. John West Reads From Stockholm Syndrome Christianity

John G. West
February 10, 2025
Why do so many evangelical Christians reinvent their theology to make it consistent with undirected Darwinism? On this ID The Future, Dr. John West reads an excerpt from his new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Why Christian Leaders Are Failing And What We Can Do About It. As Exhibit A of an influential evangelical Christian that has been captivated by scientific materialism, West unpacks the work and troubled legacy of Dr. Francis Collins. During his tenure as director of the National Institutes of Health, Collins has led a years-long crusade to de-legitimize fellow Christian scientists, scholars, and laypeople who are supportive of intelligent design or skeptical of Darwinian evolution. This effort to reduce the range of voices allowed to pursue truth in science has confused many people and retarded scientific progress at precisely the time America should be taking the lead in scientific research and discovery. Listen to this compelling excerpt and then read the book!

How Stockholm Syndrome Christianity Hinders Scientific Progress

John G. West
February 5, 2025
When Christians in science embrace scientific materialism over historical biblical teaching, they mislead their fellow believers and hinder scientific progress. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a two-part conversation about this problem with Dr. John West, author of the new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Why Christian Leaders Are Failing and What We Can Do About It. In Part 2, Dr. West describes three biblical beliefs that have been corroded by theistic evolution. He discusses the flawed theology and troubled legacy of Dr. Francis Collins. He also stresses the importance of disagreement and open debate in science. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

When Christians in Science Embrace Scientific Materialism

John G. West
February 3, 2025
What if American culture isn’t collapsing because of crusading secularists? What if it’s failing because leading Christians identify more with secular elites than with their fellow believers? Those are the provocative questions posed by Dr. John West's new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, which exposes how influential Christian leaders are siding with their anti-Christian cultural captors on everything from biblical authority and science to sex, race, and religious liberty. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. West unpacking examples of how Stockholm Syndrome Christianity is harming the scientific enterprise and what can be done to repair the damage. In Part 1, West explains how Francis Collins, one of the most celebrated evangelical Christian scientists in America, has fallen prey to Stockholm Syndrome Christianity.

Stockholm Syndrome Christianity

Why America’s Christian Leaders Are Failing — and What We Can Do About It
John G. West
February 3, 2025
What if American culture isn’t collapsing because of crusading secularists? What if it’s failing because leading Christians identify more with secular elites than with their fellow believers? Those are the provocative questions posed by Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, which exposes how influential Christian leaders are siding with their anti-Christian cultural captors on everything from biblical authority and science to sex, race, and religious liberty.

Introduction to Stockholm Syndrome Christianity

John G. West
February 3, 2025
Those of us who are Christians often regard atheists, agnostics, and secularists as the prime movers of America’s cultural collapse. Without question, they have helped spur our country’s descent into chaos, anger, loneliness, and despair. But we need to face an uncomfortable truth: Christians who aid, abet, and even encourage the rejection of historic Christian teachings are also playing a key role in our disintegration.

The Bible, Intelligent Design, and the Rise of Modern Science

John G. West
January 30, 2025
Dr. John West explores the impact of the Bible and the idea of intelligent design on the rise of modern science. West is Managing Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute and author of books such as Darwin Day in America and Stockholm Syndrome Christianity. This talk was taped at a symposium sponsored by The Lyceum in Cleveland, Ohio in October 2024. …

C.S. Lewis’s Challenge to Scientocracy in Cambridge and Beyond

John G. West
January 6, 2025
Beloved writer C.S. Lewis was a searing critic of the misuse of science for totalitarian ends. Dr. John West explores the increasing relevance of Lewis’s views for today in this talk delivered in Cambridge, UK in August 2024. As part of his talk, West also discusses Lewis’s move from Oxford to Cambridge and reveals little-known details about Lewis’s inaugural lecture in Cambridge that addressed the impact of science on modern culture. West is Vice President of Discovery Institute and editor of The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society. His newest book, Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, will be released in February 2025. Visit him online at johngwest.com. …

Walt Disney’s Views on Science and Its Dangers

John G. West
January 3, 2025
On this episode of ID The Future from the archive, John West, Associate Director of the Center for Science & Culture and author of Walt Disney and Live Action, talks about how science is portrayed in Walt Disney’s films and theme parks. Disney’s worldview was an interesting blend of 19th century morals with a 21st century vision for science and technology. A futurist, Disney was given to techno-utopianism and his works tended to reflect this, but they have also offered warning messages about the dangers posed by both science and technology. John West explores these interests both in Disney’s exhibits and his film works. Dig Deeper Read the book by Dr. West that inspired this episode: Walt Disney and Live Action This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion. Listen to …