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

Evolving Rights? Darwinism’s Impact on American Life and Government

John G. West
April 8, 2026
The Declaration of Independence is our nation’s founding creed, reminding us time and again that “we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.” But for too long now, science has been misused to overturn the ideas found in our nation’s founding principles. Is there hope for recovering these truths anew? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid is joined again by Dr. John West to conclude a discussion about West's latest book Endowed By Our Creator: The Bible, Science, and the Battle for America’s Soul. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

How Science Affirms America’s Founding Creed

John G. West
April 6, 2026
For generations, the hallowed words of the Declaration of Independence that we are endowed by a Creator with certain unalienable rights has inspired not only Americans, but millions around the globe. Yet today, many Americans are skeptical or confused about the Declaration’s key claims. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. John West to the podcast to begin a discussion about his latest book Endowed By Our Creator: The Bible, Science, and the Battle for America’s Soul. In Part 1, West reviews key words and phrases from the Declaration of Independence to reveal what the founders really meant by them and how they the words were shaped by the philosophical, theological, and scientific consensus of the day.

Endowed by Our Creator

The Bible, Science, and the Battle for America's Soul
John G. West
March 3, 2026
In this timely book, political scientist John G. West explores the original meaning of the Declaration and shows how its propositions drew support from both the Bible and early modern science. He then documents how science was later misused to overturn the Declaration’s teaching on equality, subvert its understanding of liberty, and justify the creation of a technocratic state that regulates us from cradle to grave. Finally, he reveals new scientific discoveries that are pointing us back to the truths expressed in the Declaration — and he explains why it is urgent that our culture recover them.

Are the Gospels like Hollywood movies that fictionalize history?

A New Testament scholar urges evangelicals to embrace a new view of the Bible. Here’s why I think that’s a bad idea.
John G. West
June 19, 2025
In my book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, I critically examine the views of evangelical New Testament scholar Michael Licona on the historical accuracy of the gospels. I think some of his proposals are at variance with the historic Christian view of the Bible from the early church until the rise of modernism.

From Christianity Today to Christianity Astray?

A recent controversy over a Christianity Today article ends in an apology. But the outcome doesn’t resolve broader problems at the once respected Christian outlet.
John G. West
May 2, 2025
Co-founded by evangelist Billy Graham, Christianity Today (CT) has long been regarded as the voice of mainstream evangelical Christianity in America. But in recent years, its status as a paragon of evangelicalism has become increasingly suspect. So much so that theologian Bill Roach now dubs the publication “Christianity Astray.”

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.

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!