Biography
John A. Bloom, PhD, is a professor of physics and the founding director of the MA, science and religion program at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Dr. Bloom earned a PhD in physics from Cornell University, then went to seminary and completed a second PhD in ancient Near Eastern studies (Old Testament backgrounds) so that he would have advanced formal training in both science and theology. For the past 29 years, he has taught a range of physics courses at Biola University, and from 2010 to 2019 he chaired the chemistry, physics, and engineering department there. He also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that integrate Christianity and the natural sciences, and he published The Natural Sciences: A Student’s Guide with Crossway in 2015, as part of their Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series. Dr. Bloom’s interests are wide ranging, from responding to “parallelomania” in Old Testament Studies (the overreach in claiming parallels between biblical and ancient Near Eastern texts and cultures) to advocating fine-tuning and design in cosmology and in cell biology. In 2020 he served as the invited guest editor for a special issue of Religions journal, Christianity and Science: Fresh Perspectives. In addition, he has authored and coauthored book chapters and articles that use fulfilled prophecy as evidence for the truth of Scripture. In his role as director of Biola’s science and religion program, Dr. Bloom has transitioned it from traditional on-campus courses to a fully online format, making it accessible to a global audience of students. It remains the premier conservative evangelical program of its kind in the world.
Dr. Bloom and his wife Claudia live in La Mirada with their son David and attend Fullerton Free Church in Brea, California. Dr. Bloom was an early adopter of solar energy and has had panels producing electricity for his house for over 20 years.
