A podcast for every Christian who has ever asked ‘Is that it?’ Mid-faith Crisis explores the Christian faith with honesty and humour. If you feel that you have more questions than answers, if you feel as though your faith is changing, if you feel that if the worship leader sings that chorus one more time you will strangle him with his own guitar strap, then this is the podcast for you. Warning. Contains traces of theology and occasional innuendo.
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Episode 277: Does God really need praise?
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As the song goes, 'Praise him on the trumpet, the psaltery and harp!' But why? In another of our excitingly named Moderately Interesting Questions, we explore the nature of praise. Does God demand it? How do we approach it? And what the heck is a psaltery anyway? We talk about praise as gratitude and heightened appreciation, how it needs to be base…
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Episode 276: Gold, Silver and Beryl
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We delve into the feedback this week, especially various reflections on the What is the Point of Joe?' episode. Also we talk about being the person that God imagined, how we over-value and over-share achievements, the role of regret, and whether the true sign of Christlikeness is getting 40% off at Mountain Warehouse. And we have some brilliant his…
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Episode 275: What the fog? An interview with Jo Ibbott
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Joe talks to Jo about the menopause. And perimenopause. And post-menopause. What is it and why does it matter? And why don't we talk about it more? You will learn a lot. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Staying Defiantly: A Conversation for Church Leaders Limes Nick's microblog Courage Co…
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Episode 274: What is the point of Joe?
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Joe is having an existential crisis and, worryingly, is asking Nick to help. So we discuss meaning and purpose. What are we here for? What is our calling? Is there a purpose to our lives or are we just fooling ourselves? Is it true that everyone on earth is a pun? Does Joe's purpose involve cheese? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through yo…
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Episode 273: You are a pile of precious dust
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We discuss Lent, Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. We reflect on the purpose of fasting, the way that Lent creates contours in the year, and the cheery fact that we are all going to die. From dust we are made and to dust we shall return. But what kind of dust? That's the question. Also in the new, fabulous 'Thankful for Food' feature, Nick, inexpli…
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Episode 272: What is church actually for?
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Last week we talked about lots of different kinds of church. This week we're thinking about the purpose. What, actually, is the point of church? What are we supposed to do? And has this whole thing just been market research so that Joe can start a cult? Warning: there's a lot of food in this episode, none of it healthy. Support the podcast Contact …
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Episode 271: A festival of feedback
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Last week we asked what people would like to see in a church. Turns out a lot of people have an opinion. A lot. We talk about the need for safe places, shared values, and how to balance evangelical roughage with full-fat, dairy liturgy. Most of all, though, it's a feast of feedback. Common themes include food, honesty, trust, food, the need for a s…
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Episode 270: The Mid-faith Crisis planning meeting
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Welcome to our first ever publicly broadcast planning meeting. And just to get us started, Nick has a few of what he is calling 'Mid-faith Crisis Moderately Interesting Questions'. Snappy. Before that, we talk about haggis, ghosts, whether it's wrong to get angry and the idea of church as a place to share stories. Support the podcast Contact the po…
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Episode 269: Episode ‘I don’t give a monkeys’
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We're back! And we talk about what life has been like in the past week or so. We discuss how we can support one another in grief and mourning, how our faith affects our approach to these times and how, even though we can say goodbye with hope, pain and loss are always real. Meanwhile, Nick is enjoying the improvements in oven chips technology and w…
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Episode 268: Mancunian Motivation with Paul McGee
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Happy Not-the-actual New Year! We start this year with an interview with Paul McGee, aka The SUMO Guy. Among other things, Paul talks about his faith journey, about the importance of hippo time and how it's better to have a 'to be' list than a 'to do' list. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode…
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Episode 267: Happy Christmas to bacteria everywhere
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Joe is back from Mexico and Nick has got out of bed. We think briefly about our highlights of the podcasting year, before going on to talk about different kinds of fear, and whether we are actually more insignificant even than worms. Thanks to you all for your support this year. See you in 2024! Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your …
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Episode 266: Emmanuel in Mexico
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Joe is in Mexico where, assisted by Harvey the dog and an un-named cat we reflect briefly on the importance of knowing that, wherever we are, Jesus is with us. Also, we pay a visit to Nether Hell and wonder why humans can't hibernate. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Herod's Secret Police…
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Episode 265: I almost raised my Ebenezer
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After a brief bout of illness, we're back. As well as catching up with each other, we talk about leaving and returning, and ponder on whether everything is the incarnation. Also, Nick has written a new Christmas story and we talk way too much about our Ebenezers. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this e…
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Episode 264: Being stoned to death with fridge magnets
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Nick has been to a leadership summit and the results are mixed, to say the least. We talk about how to build an environment which might encourage contact with God. And Joe talks to friend of the show Brian Draper about his new advent series. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Episode 74: Ef…
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Episode 263: An interview with Harry Baker
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This week we have an interview with poet Harry Baker. As well as performing some of his poetry, he talks about faith and prayer, and about how creativity is, inherently, a worshipful act. As he says, 'If I didn’t write poetry about dinosaurs then who would?' Christmas, Tradition, Truth and Total Bauble - talk by Nick Page at Southwark Cathedral Sup…
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Episode 262: This drivel may not be for you
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We reflect on the interview with Olivia Jackson, and explore the need for us to have more confidence, and the way in which so many Christian organisations get built around their star names. Also, Nick is having strange feelings about model railways and we have a rebuke from a listener. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email mach…
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Episode 261: (Un)certain – an interview with Olivia Jackson
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This week we have a fascinating interview with Olivia Jackson, author of (Un)certain. Described as 'A Collective Memoir of Deconstructing Faith' it's a fascinating insight into the experiences of people going through spiritual change. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Alfred the Great Jack…
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Episode 260: Do you suffer from doctrinal dysfunction?
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In this episode, we talk about the pain of the mid-faith crisis, and the difficulty of dealing with the loss of what you used to believe. We used to be anointed, but now we're un-nointed. So, how does that affect us mentally and physically? If we are in the ministry, what happens about our job? We discuss the importance of change, writing a eulogy …
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Episode 259: Owning my worminess
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We discuss Bible translations among other things. Why are verses translated in different ways? Which is the 'correct' version? And can we trust the translators? Meanwhile, Joe is grumpy and Nick has been thinking about earthworms, and we reflect on some wisdom from Saint Arnold of Schwarzenegger. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your…
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Episode 258: You are not your feelings
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How do you deal with the tough times when the old ways of praying and responding no longer work? We talk about finding God in disappointment, and understanding the presence of the divine. 'This too shall pass.' Meanwhile, Joe has pain in his ankle and Nick has some unexpectedly good hymns. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email …
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We're back! And in a largely content-free episode, we reflect on our time away. Joe is thinking about construction rather than deconstruction and claims to have been attacked by a kingfisher. Nick has started blogging again and has been thinking about beauty and the difficult art of gratitude. Quote of the episode: 'I'm at peace with my plumbing.' …
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Episode 256: In Search of Stillness – an interview with Joanna Godfrey Wood
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Joe interviews Joanna Godfrey Wood about her book In Search of Stillness. What is the difference between stillness and silence? How can we find inner stillness in our lives today? What is it for and how can we use it? They also explore a little of Quaker faith and practice and touch on the importance of listening to each other as a community. Suppo…
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Episode 255: Introducing the Enneagram with Ali Male
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Joe interviews Dr Ali Male who takes us through the Enneagram. Or, to put it another way, it's a conversation between a number one and a number seven, mentioning the number five and the number nine to whom they are respectively married, and pausing only to abuse a number four along the way. Some sound issues - apologies about that. Support the podc…
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Episode 254: Reconstructing not deconstructing
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We have some listener reaction to the interview with Lacey Finn Borgo on the feminine divine. Along the way we talk about whether the church is becoming too feminised, the importance of difficult outrage, how we recalibrate and redeem some of the old theological phrases and whether Joe will have to check his hugging technique. Support the podcast C…
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Episode 253: Mothering Father – an interview with Lacey Finn Borgo
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Joe talks to our friend Lacey about the feminine divine, the effect of patriarchy on faith, and how 'anger is not your enemy, bitterness is.’ Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Sarah Bessey, Jesus Feminist Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter Theresa Kim Pecinovsky and Khoa Le…
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Episode 252: Revisiting the good news Pt 2
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It's Joe's turn to reflect on his version of the good news. What would he change? What has been his journey so far? Is he really just an enormous butterfly. Are we all just bits of plumbing walking about? To sum up: 'It's not very satisfactory but it's just how we see stuff.' Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentio…
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Episode 251: Revisiting the good news Pt. 1
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Half a podcast lifetime ago (episode 125 to be precise) we put forward our versions of the good news. This week we revisit them – well, Nick's version, anyway. Does he still agree with it? And how did he start with all this Jesus stuff anyway? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Chanctonbury…
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Episode 250: Our emotional frisson is out of control
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It's episode 250! But there's no time for celebration, as we discuss the issue of whether the Lords Prayer needs updating. Should we start 'Our mother who art in heaven'? Is Nick really part of the oppressive patriarchal system? Also more feedback on lament, the theology of Barbie, Faurés Requiem, and the importance of dissonance. Support the podca…
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Episode 249: Drawing out our tears
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In this episode we discuss the role of music as a place of spiritual encounter. We touch on the need for authenticity in worship and the way in music and song connects us to each other and connects us deeper to our true selves. Also, do angels sing? Or are they into hip-hop? Meanwhile, Joe has been to Barbie, Nick is suffering from a touch of 'old'…
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Episode 248: We’re here, and that’s just how it is
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We're back! And we have an episode of top-notch feedback on peoples' sacred spaces. We think about sacred memories, gardening with God, and encountering the divine in the intensive care unit. All this, plus chiffchaffs, blackcaps, Saint Trillo and Saint Treacle, and a great quote from the Archbishop of Pith. Support the podcast Contact the podcast …
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Episode 247: Nature boy v Churchy boy
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We talk about how we experience God in nature. If your 'church' is the mountains or the countryside what does that mean? Is there anything you can do to enhance the experience? Also we talk about images of God, more on the incarnation and, of course, it's a happy new financial year to Joe. You see? Interesting and fun. Support the podcast Contact t…
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Episode 246: The 2023 Christmas Special
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Wassail! It's the height of Summer which as everyone knows is the traditional time for the Midfaith Crisis Christmas Special! As usual we dive into the mystery of the incarnation. Was it a miracle or a reset? What does it tell us about the world and our humanity? And do our Christmas services relate it to the wrong bit of Genesis? Support the podca…
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Episode 245: Carry on up the Spider-verse
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Joe is back from holiday and Nick is recovering from some cricket. Meanwhile we tackle some of the difficult questions. What empowers us to be more Christlike? Does it matter if the resurrection is historical truth or mystical metaphor? And can you have too many multiverses? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mention…
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Episode 244: Responding to the Jesus Myth
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We discuss our responses to the interview with Chris Scott in the last episode. Is it possible that the gospels could be both historical truth and life-informing myth? What is the relationship between beliefs and actions? And is the chiffchaff really a sign of hope and grace? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentio…
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Episode 243: The Jesus Myth – an interview with Chris Scott
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Joe interviews Chris Scott, psychologist, psychotherapist and priest about his book The Jesus Myth. It's a thought-provoking exploration of how myth can carry deep truth, and whether we need to jettison what Chris calls 'bronze-age' images of God. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: The Jesu…
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Episode 242: We’ve got glossolalia growing up the trellis
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We discuss speaking in tongues. Is there a place for it in public worship? Or should it only be exercised in the privacy of your own home? Also we have more on retreats, a lot of love for the Song of the Chiffchaff, and we ask why there aren't any global conferences for people who put the chairs out. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through …
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Episode 241: Your spiritual happy place
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Joe and Nick have both been on retreat, so this week we talk about our different approaches, what works for us, and why we find it vital to go to a place where 'there is less of you to get in the way'. Also, brilliantly, the Song of the Chiffchaff is now an official, actual song. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Me…
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Episode 240: Man in hat sits on chair
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We reflect on the Coronation service. Was it weird or wonderful? Amazing or anachronistic? Holy or hypocritical? Or was it just like every other church service only with more bling and a woman with a sword? Also what happens when you ask ChatGPT to write a worship song featuring the Chiffchaff? Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your e…
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Episode 239: The Messianic Buffet
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We discuss different ideas of heaven and the afterlife. Will we have bodies? Do we go to heaven? Will it be largely standing around on bits of gemstone singing? And, most importantly, will there be a buffet? Meanwhile, Nick is thinking of blogging and Joe looks in fridges. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned…
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Episode 238: An eternity in the soft furnishing department
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Cheer up everyone, it's an episode all about hell. We reflect on the Staying Defiantly event that Joe hosted earlier in the week. In other news, Joe's been to Bristol, Nick has been to IKEA, God is love and beer is good. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: The Housemartins Wildlife Photograp…
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Nick has been useless. Joe has been watching an eagle. We discuss the role of imagination in faith, whether wishful thinking is always bad and the heroic doubt of Thomas. Also how to replace defensiveness with love. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 2023 Knepp W…
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Episode 236: The cross and the circle
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Joe isn't feeling Eastery yet. Nick's valves are burning out. Meanwhile we talk about how we want to be when things go wrong, how Christianity really needs two symbols, and in what ways theology can be dangerous. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Staying Defiantly: What the Hell?…
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Happy Easter! And while we're at it, Happy New Year and Happy Nard-day! Joe is back from his travels and Nick is in a cupboard. We talk about what Easter means to us and reflect on how the shape of the week reflects the shape of our existence. Also Joe has a new theme for the official MFC new year. And Nick has been inhaling the New Testament. Supp…
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Episode 234: The protestant sleep ethic
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Just a very quick update. Joe is in Mexico and Nick is in a dangerously low house. We talk about recognising our need for sleep as part of our spiritual life. Warning: dubious quality sound but that's what you get when one of you is recording on his iPhone over dodgy internet. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Menti…
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Episode 233: Being more other-centred
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We talk a bit about politics this week, particularly the conflict between private morality and public leadership. Can we learn to listen to people with vastly different views? And should those views automatically debar them from certain roles? Meanwhile, in one of the worst 'support the podcast' segments ever, we end up wondering whether those who …
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Episode 232: Church is not a washing machine
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Joe is enjoying his birthday. Nick has been immersed in art. And we discuss the difference between judgement and condemnation, whether tradition and religion are necessarily bad, and what enables us - well, one of us - to remain part of the established church. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this epis…
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Episode 231: We need a spreadsheet
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Nick's life is chaotic. Joe has escaped a fire. And meanwhile, we discuss whether to choose a local or non-local church, how do we actually have a relationship with God, and whether we need a spreadsheet to measure how like Jesus we are. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: The Fabelmans Wome…
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Life is heavy. Life is stressful. It's hard to respond wisely, when anger is easier. In this episode we talk about responding to stress, Christianity as an eastern religion, the power of patience, and the way in which Jesus critiqued power. Also, we reflect on the current terrible events in Turkey and Syria. And Nick blesses BP and Shell with a new…
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Episode 229: Putting our heads above the parakeet
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We discuss the crucial questions: Is God just some kind of cosmic life-force? Was Jesus just God in a man-shaped onesie? How do we avoid weaponising our language? Why are we suddenly so popular in Denmark? And, what kind of bird did that? Oh, and we've decided to celebrate the MFC new year in March. Just like they did in 1752. Support the podcast C…
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Episode 228: Just a couple of tossed waves
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Nick is depressed by a worship song, Joe is frustrated by the church and the feedback sends us off in all directions. Enjoy - because, let’s face it, we’re all just waves tossed in the ocean and vapours in the wind. Or something. Support the podcast Contact the podcast through your email machine Mentioned in this episode: Bank of Dave Burns supper …
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