Ep77. Questions of Context, Henning Wrogemann and John Flett

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Ep77. Questions of Context, Henning Wrogemann and John Flett

In a wide ranging discussion about contextualisation, culture, the gospel, and mission John Flett and Henning Wrogemann detail what can be learnt from (predominately the mistakes) of a century of German mission theology. I was surprised by the manifold ways contemporary language around church, mission, and culture finds its roots in articulations that were developed within and embraced by German National Socialism. The conversation begins with some quick takes on common mission catchphrases and ends with the idea of mission as being - in part - about living together with the stranger.

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Ep64. Spirit Outside the Gate, Oscar García-Johnson

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Ep64. Spirit Outside the Gate, Oscar García-Johnson

I sat down with Oscar García-Johnson to talk about Spirit Outside the Gate: Decolonial Pneumatologies of the American Global South (IVP Academic, 2019). We discuss doing theology in the colonial difference and centring indigenous practices, values, and ideas; we talk about Transoccidentality and how it repositions Christian identity toward a community-in-movement (and the implication of this in conversations around migrants and migration). We also go deep on pneumatology, discussing his view of the Spirit as Decolonial Healer and his response to one of the book’s central question: “What are Christians to make of the Holy Spirit’s occasional encounters with cultures and religions of the America’s before the European conquest?”

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Ep38. Theologising Brexit, Anthony G. Reddie

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Ep38. Theologising Brexit, Anthony G. Reddie

I sat down with Professor Anthony G. Reddie to talk about his book Theologising Brexit: a Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique (Routledge 2019). We discuss what lay beneath the Brexit vote – unexamined colonial attitudes of exceptionalism, the legacy of Imperial Christian ecclesiology and missiology, the scourge of White supremacy, entitlement and privilege. I ask him about writing theology that is “polemical and subjective”, what drew him to Black Liberation Theology, the array of tools he employs to help people grapple with race, history, and privilege, wrestling with the Bible in churches, and the treatment of the Windrush generation and assumptions about who gets to be a ‘British Christian’. We really do cover a lot!

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Ep37. Mission After Pentecost, Amos Yong

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Ep37. Mission After Pentecost, Amos Yong

“The divine wind rustles, hovers, and swoops ‘over the face of the waters’, touches the created orders and catches the world up in the divine witness”

I sat down with Amos Yong to discuss his new book , Mission after Pentecost: The Witness of the Spirit from Genesis to Revelation. We talk about what underpins his prolific and widespread writings, what is gained from approaching theology from a pneumatology in the foreground, his approach to mission as an opening up to others, his commentary on the Gerasene demoniac and what it means for the church to participation in the mission of the Spirit – when that mission is one of deliverance both cosmic and socio-political, and much more.

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Ep34. Christian Mission in the New Millennium, David Congdon and John Flett

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Ep34. Christian Mission in the New Millennium, David Congdon and John Flett

I sat down with David Congdon and John Flett to talk about their new edited volume, Converting Witness: the Future of Christian Mission in the New Millennium. We talk about why David and John keep writing about mission, the present state of the field of missiology, how the Bible is/should be read for mission, the issues with the “Theological Interpretation of Scripture” movement, the problematic way the term “Christendom” is employed, and John offers the hottest of takes on a certain trinitarian ontologies conference.

 The essays in Converting Witness are a celebration of the life and work of Darrell L Guder, and if you don’t know who that is, we begin by talking about his impact and importance.

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Ep22. Enchantment & Authenticity: a word for the church, Laura Jean Truman

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Ep22. Enchantment & Authenticity: a word for the church, Laura Jean Truman

Are Millennials killing the church?

In a special episode of Love Rinse Repeat, co-presented with Insights (the magazine of the Uniting Church in Australia’s Synod of New South Wales and the ACT) I spoke with Laura Jean Truman about Millenials (Gen Y) and the Church. We talk about her journey and work as a writer, itinerant chaplain, and bartender; before exploring the complicated relationship between Millenials and the Church. We go on to talk about ministry (inside and outside of church), community (inside and outside the church), and spiritual life (inside and outside the church). Laura Jean offers the helpful suggestion that the church must focus on enchantment and authenticity if it is to meet the needs of the contemporary world and Gen Y. Listen in iTunes // Watch on YouTube

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Ep12. Theo-Politics for a Community that Moves Beyond Itself, John Flett

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Ep12. Theo-Politics for a Community that Moves Beyond Itself, John Flett

The problem with the mainline is we have an insular theology, but we do not follow an insular God...

This is the Saturday night session from our weekend Political Populism and a Theological Response. Here John Flett picks up the theological challenge of populism (explored in the first two sessions) and proposes an alternative focused on the political stance of a community which finds its identity as it moves beyond itself. Recorded Nov 4, at Epping Uniting Church. LISTEN IN iTUNES

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Ep11, Apostolicity, World Christianity, & Mission, John Flett

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Ep11, Apostolicity, World Christianity, & Mission, John Flett

I recorded this interview with John Flett in Dec 2016 and it centres on John's most recent book, Apostolicity: the Ecumenical Question in World Christian Perspective. But we cover a lot! His book on Apostolicity (hint: we start with what that word means), how it shakes out in conversations regarding diversity of structural expressions in world Christianity, the difficulty/danger of perceiving the church as a culture (hint: colonisation), the US election, understanding properly the colonial period of mission (hint: its about the sending churches), non-missionary mission, how the ignoring of mission is actually a way of avoiding external critique, the voiceless Jesus of Christmas, the persistent focus on "dying churches" in the Australia and the counterpoint of migrant and multicultural churches.... are you getting the picture? We cover a lot. LISTEN IN iTUNES.

John will be in Sydney on Nov 3-5 talking about political populism and a theological response. You can join in person or online - check out the details here

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Ep10. Populism and a Theological Response, John G. Flett

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Ep10. Populism and a Theological Response, John G. Flett

In this interview (from January 2017) I talk with John Flett about theology and mission in the wake of Trump, populism in its current form, the way Christians just wanted to "win" and so refused to yield power, interdisciplinary approaches, mission studies, "racism and the evangelical vote", #WTFtheology (aka: John's proudest achievement), and how mission (a non-America-First understanding of mission) can help counter this growing nationalist, populist tide. - this was in the lead up to the first run of his course, Political Populism and a Theological Response, earlier this year at Pilgrim Theological College. LISTEN IN iTUNES

Now, on November 3-5 John Flett will be in Sydney leading a condensed version of this course. There are numerous ways to engage - attending the whole weekend, evening lectures, or the newly announced online access. MORE INFO AND PURCHASE TICKETS

"If you yourself are not ready to be converted, then you are not engaging in the discussion"
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