What makes you happy? Maybe you think of a tropical vacation, making a lot of money, or special moments with family. It could be a favorite dessert, finishing a book, reaching the top of a mountain. What about religious rituals and spiritual practices? Do these actually make us happier? Today, we look at the research on happiness to see what science says about the psychological impact ancient religious practices can have on our happiness.

Today, we look at a public controversy in the '80s that involves evolution in the Christian university classroom. What do Christian universities teach about the origins of the universe and life on earth? And what do controversies like these teach us about Christian culture and how people of faith approach this and other topics today?

In our last episode, we talked about evolution with two scientists who are also Christians. We learned about the physical evidence that supports the idea of life evolving on earth over billions of years. We heard their perspectives on accepting science while believing God created the origins of our universe and the creative processes that resulted in life as we know it today. For some, this challenges their reading of the creation story in the Bible. This issue of evolution and creation at least looking like their incompatible at first glance, has led some to doubt whether there is a God at all or do the opposite and doubt what the science says. For others, there is less of a divide or conflict here. Today, we'll take a closer look at the text of the first chapter of Genesis. What can we learn from the original language and the ancient culture of the time of its writing?

Today on "Deep and Wide," a look at the "e" word: evolution. Was creation a literal six-day process as we read in Genesis? What about Psalm 90:4 that says, "A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by," and 2 Peter 3:8 that says "with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day"? Does that make the earth 6,000 years old? What if we take the historical context and literary analysis into consideration when interpreting the creation story? We ask these questions to Dr. Janet Kellogg Ray, author of "Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit." She's an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of North Texas. We'll hear from her and also Dr. Jennifer Huddleston, microbiologist and chair of the biology department at Abilene Christian University. We'll talk about what evolution is, how Christian scientists look at it, including their perspective on whether or not evolution is compatible with faith in a creator.

Host Nathan Gibbs explains what "Deep and Wide" is all about and previews what you can expect to hear in upcoming episodes of this new podcast. "Deep and Wide" is a new podcast about Christian culture and how biblical concepts inform faith perspectives today.