Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Spiritual Misfits Podcast
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Robinson (from Nomad podcast) on wilderness, wonder and contemplative practices | 26 Oct 2024 | 01:08:54 | |
Anna Robinson is a regular co-host on Nomad podcast, and the founder of LiveLight|DwellDeep. She describes herself as "a contemplative, deeply drawn to the mystics and misfits, those who feel at home in the wilderness." The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Sally Longley on violence, silence and Ignatian spirituality | 19 Oct 2024 | 00:57:26 | |
In this episode Sally Longley shares her journey from a belief in violence to embracing pacifism and Ignatian spirituality. Sally shares her experiences in South Africa during apartheid, her theological studies, and the transformative power of silence and imagination in spiritual practice. The conversation delves into the complexities of nonviolence, the role of anger and grief, and the importance of silence in modern life, emphasizing that true transformation often requires confronting uncomfortable truths. In this conversation, Will Small and Sally explore the significance of rest, silence, and contemplative practices in a chaotic world. They discuss the essential nature of patience in love, the importance of creating inclusive communities, and the role of spiritual direction in navigating crises of faith. Sally emphasizes the power of deep listening and the need for spaces where individuals can come as they are, fostering a sense of belonging and connection. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Racial injustice and the Church with Nathan Tyson, Radhika Sukumar-White and Liesl Homes | 17 Aug 2024 | 01:03:04 | |
Hello good people, Welcome to the third conversation in our five episode mini-series with UME’s Pulse team. Over the last two weeks we’ve explored generational divides and climate crisis, eco anxiety and the like. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski on the church of tomorrow (and its mission) | 29 Oct 2022 | 01:01:20 | |
The Reverend Dr. Karina Kreminski is a Mission Coaching Consultant with Uniting Mission & Education. She has a doctorate in missional formation. She’s a writer. She’s a facilitator of ‘The Happiness Lab’ in Surry Hills. She’s co-founder of ‘Neighbourhood Matters’. And as she shares in this conversation, she helps to lead a fascinating Sunday gathering with a crew of people in her hood who come from all different world views and backgrounds to explore spirituality together. We want you to continue to be part of the conversation — so join us in our Facebook group and let us know what you think after listening. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Karl Hand on Queer Bible Commentary | 22 Oct 2022 | 00:55:07 | |
Karl Hand is the pastor of Crave Church in Sydney, he has a PhD in the New Testament, and is a contributor to the recently updated Queer Bible Commentary with a chapter on the book of Ephesians. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| The church of tomorrow with Simon Nixon | 15 Oct 2022 | 01:00:37 | |
Many of us have experienced significant changes in our faith, spirituality or worldview in recent years (which by the way is a normal and healthy thing). And of course, those changes are taking place right across human societies in the information age we are living through.
The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Bruce Macauley on seeing through the eyes of the other | 08 Oct 2022 | 00:53:24 | |
'Either Jesus would come back or Tom would be healed' The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Dr. David Gushee on Christian humanism after evangelicalism | 01 Oct 2022 | 00:57:26 | |
The Reverend Dr David Gushee is one of the world’s leading Christian ethicists as well as a pastor, author and advocate. He’s the author of a range of important books, notably including ‘Changing our Mind’, a landmark argument for LGBTQI+ inclusion in the church first published in 2014. More recently his book ‘After Evangelicalism’ has provided an invaluable guide for many pilgrims trying to find their way out of the maze of American evangelical culture without necessarily knowing where to go from there. David’s books have been so helpful for me, so I can’t even tell you how excited I was to have this conversation with him. We explored a range of important and interesting questions together, like:
David’s thoughts on all of these questions are well worth your time. He’s warm, intelligent, and gives me hope for the future. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| A 'belonging of misfits' (poems and stories live at Hamilton Baptist Church) | 24 Sep 2022 | 00:41:48 | |
A couple weeks ago there was a very special convergence of communities at Hamilton Baptist Church. I know many of you have listened to the episodes with Andrew Dodd and Scott Higgins sharing their stories and the story of Hamilton. If you haven’t listened yet add those to your up next. Anyway, Andrew invited me to come along to Hamilton and share some thoughts and poems. And Mitch Forbes and some of the New City Baps crew came along, as well as a few others from Meeting Ground church. So we ended up with a very special mix of people in the room, and honestly it was so lovely to meet a number of podcast listeners in person and to celebrate being a bit of a rag-tag group on the fringes of faith. Which can be a pretty fun place if you make it a party. Before the morning Andrew Dodd asked me if we could make this a ‘live’ podcast episode. So that’s what you’re about to hear. Andrew’s the host for this one. And there’s a bit of variety. First, a conversation with Mitch Forbes. Then we hear from one of our listeners, Alison. Shout-out to you Alison. And then the bulk of the episode is a mix of Andrew interviewing me and me sharing some poems around evolving faith and LGBTQI+ inclusion. On that note, if you would be interested in hosting or collaborating on some sort of spiritual misfits meet-up or live gathering, hit us up. Who knows what could happen? The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Laurie Wevers on deconstruction, therapy and spiritual direction | 17 Sep 2022 | 01:01:52 | |
Laurie Wevers is a spiritual director and a therapist, who works with people at the intersection of religion and trauma. Her work is informed by her own story, growing up within white evangelicalism and with narcissistic parents, yet eventually finding her way towards mystical and contemplative spirituality, including being a student at Richard Rohr’s Living School. Of course, there are aspects to this story and this work that are deeply painful. Laurie calls these teachers. Our conversation left me with hope though, as Laurie is the kind of person committed to helping people walk into the new. There’s no going backwards, she told me, only progress, and the discovery of what that looks like for each different person. As I spoke to Laurie I felt like she was exactly the kind of guide that many people need as they navigate the disorienting and uncharted territory of leaving certain spaces, without knowing where to next. We spoke about what this journey might look like for people, and towards the end we got into some really interesting territory talking about what kind of communities might help facilitate this process as well. You can check out more of Laurie’s work and connect with her here, otherwise I hope this conversation is helpful for you, where ever you are in your own journey. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Monasteries, mustard seeds and all this mess | 10 Sep 2022 | 00:33:55 | |
Earlier this week I was sitting in my lounge room, which generally looks like a tornado (aka children) has swept through the place, reading Thomas Merton on the contemplative life. At first, this seemed slightly humorous, as my life couldn't feel any further from the 'monastery' right now. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Kissing purity culture goodbye (and the pursuit of a better sexual ethic for our kids?) | 03 Sep 2022 | 01:01:40 | |
Did you grow up within ‘purity culture’? If you’re unsure, here are some signs that maybe you did:
The epicentre of purity culture was evangelical America in the 90s. But it certainly made its way to Australian shores. In this week’s episode of the podcast, Hannah and I reflect on our own experiences of purity culture and the ‘hangover’ left in its wake. Towards the end of the episode we turn our attention towards the question of what we would like to pass on to our own kids when it comes to understanding sexuality and spirituality. Is there a Christian sexual ethic that ditches the shame while still treating our sexuality with care and sensitivity? We don’t claim to have an answer to this question. But we at least want to talk about it! Pure, Linda Kay Klein The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Pub theology: fracturing denominations (with Mitch Forbes) | 27 Aug 2022 | 01:06:33 | |
Mitch and I riff on some questions from the Facebook discussion group and then get into a slightly more impassioned discussion about fracturing denominations, peoples obsession with sexuality and why 'sola scripture' logically leads to polarisation. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Navigating eco-anxiety, finding ways forward with Joyce Tangi, Karina Kreminski & Jono Row | 10 Aug 2024 | 00:48:30 | |
Hello again good people! This is the second in our series of 5 collaborative conversations hosted by Spiritual Misfits and the Uniting Mission and Education Pulse team, exploring major challenges in our world today and the kind of faith that doesn’t shy away from them or just respond with unhelpful platitudes. And this week we’re delving into a huge topic. If faith doesn’t have something to say about climate crisis, about eco anxiety, about what it means to care for and advocate for this one planet that we have — then, what good is that faith? On the other hand, how might our spirituality and the Christian tradition help ground us — literally reconnect us to the ground beneath our feet. That is what Joyce Tangi, Karina Kreminski and Jono Row join me to discuss in this episode. You can watch the full filmed conversation on YouTube here if that’s your jam, you can also download our accompanying discussion guide to use in your context. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Hannah interviews Will about all the things | 20 Aug 2022 | 00:59:55 | |
Will does the majority of the interviews on this podcast, so Hannah decided it was time to flip the roles around and interview him. Will gave Hannah permission to play the role of investigative journalist and grill him.... there may not have been any 'gotcha' moments, but the wide-ranging conversation did include:
The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Jo Saxton on grief, lament, race and gender | 13 Aug 2022 | 00:48:33 | |
Hello friends! As I mentioned last week, with the birth of a new member of our family, I’ve dug out a couple of my favourite interviews from other shows I’ve hosted in the past, while I take a short break from doing interviews. This week’s conversation is truly top-shelf in my opinion and I’m sure you’ll learn something if you listen. For this week, I’ve grabbed an interview my friend Benj Gould and I originally did for the Forming Church podcast. We interviewed a diverse range of people about what the future of the church might look like in a post-pandemic world (taking into consideration all the other cultural and technological shifts we have been living through in recent years). This was a very special chat with Jo Saxton. Jo was born in London to parents who immigrated from Nigeria, and now lives in the US. She’s an internationally sought after author, speaker and leadership coach, and as you’ll see she’s just brilliant. We spoke with Jo about grief, lament, and both racial and gender inequality, and how the church of the future must genuinely grapple with these things if it’s going to survive and thrive. This interview was done in February 2021, and involves some COVID-specific reflections from that moment in time, but the majority of the conversation remains incredibly relevant for where we are right now. This is a conversation about some topics that’d can be difficult to speak about, but remain so deeply important. Check it out, and then join us in our Facebook discussion group to share your thoughts. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Joel McKerrow on removing the blindfolds | 06 Aug 2022 | 00:40:04 | |
Joel McKerrow is a poet and educator. He speaks to large groups of people. He writes wonderful books. He occasionally paints skateboards or does wood carvings. He’s one of those people who is basically brilliant at everything he does. And he has a deep understanding of the winding pilgrimage that honest spirituality entails. A couple years ago Joel published a book called ‘Woven: a Faith for the Dissatisfied’. It’s a great book that most listeners of this podcast would deeply resonate with. Head to joelmckerrow.com after the episode to grab a copy. I actually did this interview with Joel during the launch tour for the book. We were speaking about self-awareness and the spiritual journey, and we cover a whole lot of interesting ground during this chat. It is well worth your time. This interview originally appeared on the Inhabit podcast, which I use to make with my buddy Benj Gould. If you haven’t listened to that show, you may be interested in checking it out, there’s lots of good episodes there. Content warning: Joel shares a story in this episode which involves sexual assault and abuse which may be sensitive for some listeners. Please take care while listening and reach out to a support service if you need help. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Simon Buckingham-Shum on the DNA of communal, creative worship (and 90s dance music) | 30 Jul 2022 | 00:52:03 | |
Prepare for an experience with this one…featuring some tunes that are bound to get you moving! But, today we’re talking about his experiences as a part of a movement of alternative expressions of liturgy, worship and church back in the 90s in England. I was fascinated the first time Simon shared about some of these experiences with me and although I was never really into electronic dance music, Simon was ultimately talking about creative pioneering and experimentation and trying to find new ways of engaging the sacred And that’s a bigger conversation than any particular musical genre. In the decades since then Simon’s faith journey has seen its own evolutions, and he’s been in a few different spaces stylistically as well as theologically. So, in this conversation we’re following the threads of a particular story but we’re also talking about more broadly about the interwoven relationships between communities, creativity, forms of worship and our underlying motivations. Simon’s also written a really helpful reflective piece of writing about this journey. It’s immersive and includes pictures of event flyers from that time. That’s on our website here and I would recommend you read it alongside listening to this episode, as they play off each other. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Graeme Anderson on following Jesus for the next 10 minutes | 23 Jul 2022 | 00:55:21 | |
I think a lot of us have come to know the forms of Christianity that we don’t want. We’ve seen politicised versions of faith that we want nothing to do with. We’ve witnessed institutional failings, scandals and cover-ups that we want to distance ourselves from. But, sometimes it’s harder to answer the question, what now? How do I put the pieces back together? A few years ago someone told me it’s not enough to know what you’re running away from. You’ll be sustained by knowing what you’re running towards. I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. So, the question is, are there more attractive, beautiful, faithful, life-giving ways of following Jesus? When I see people embodying and giving voice to authentic answers to this question it gives me great hope. To help other people experience this Graeme’s written a book called Follow — and created a range of accompanying resources including a 4 week email devotional series. I’ve just finished it and was genuinely surprised at how refreshing, accessible and invitational it was. If you’re interested you can check it out at follow.org.au Here’s a conversation with Graeme about what following Jesus might look like when we feel our institutions have let us down. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Cheryl Andrews on shame-free spirituality | 16 Jul 2022 | 00:52:58 | |
Cheryl Andrews is a social worker and counsellor, with a broad range of experiences in particular, working with young people and their families. She is someone who embodies warmth and wisdom in equal measure. And in this chat we’re mainly talking about shame, and the ways it can impact our spirituality, and what it might look like to develop a more shame-free faith. Cheryl brings reflections on her own journey as well as insights from her professional context in this chat, which I think is helpful for anyone who ever struggles with shame — which is surely most of us. So, listen, soak it in. And if helps you, pass it on to someone else who may benefit from these ideas. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Pub theology with Mitch Forbes | 09 Jul 2022 | 00:57:38 | |
There are theology textbooks and academic lectures, and they can be just fine, but is there any better place to discuss God, the universe and everything than over a drink with your mates at the pub? Well, the good Rev Mitch Forbes and I (Will) don’t think so, and there’s few things we enjoy more than sipping a delicious bev and externally processing what we’ve been reading, hearing and thinking about. So, we’ve decided to do our best to emulate the kind of sprawling chat we enjoy having at a pub in podcast form, so you can (hopefully) feel like we’re at a table together, clinking glasses and getting philosophical about divinity, humanity and the space in between. Crack a tinny and join us for a chat about whether or not it matters which God you believe in, what the reconciliation of all things might look like, and a little riffing on open theism and process theology. A large part of the conversation involved our responses to some excellent questions people asked in our new Spiritual Misfits discussion group on Facebook. (Yes, you should click that link and join the group. Then you can let us know what questions we should explore next time!) The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Steff Fenton on gender expansive theology | 02 Jul 2022 | 00:56:22 | |
This week’s episode is a fantastic chat with Steff Fenton. Steff is a pastor at NewCity Church, along with Joel Hollier who you may remember from our earlier episode. On Steff’s website they introduce themselves as follows: “I’m a genderqueer pastor, writer, speaker and theologian helping people discover how endlessly loving God is.” And the way Steff speaks about God is deep and wide and beautiful. We had a chat about gender expansive theology, and explored all kinds of interesting questions around gender, theology, church, scripture and all that jazz. What I loved about this conversation was Steff took us beyond what it might look to accept or include trans and gender diverse people in church, to actually asking what role might these wonderful humans have in showing us something about what God is like? I think this episode contains an invitation, to see both God and humanity in a more expansive way. I hope that’s your experience, as you listen.
The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Benjamin Hastings on honest worship and feeling alone in the flock | 25 Jun 2022 | 00:57:57 | |
Benjamin Hastings is an incredibly gifted songwriter and lyricist, most known for some of the songs he’s written with Hillsong, including ‘So Will I’, ‘O Praise the Name’ and ‘Highlands’. His songs collectively have more than 500 million streams. Hillsong worship leaders probably aren’t the image you typically think of when you hear the phrase ‘Spiritual Misfit’. But our conversation with Ben was a great reminder that human beings — whether on platforms or in lounge rooms — have questions. Live within mystery. And doubt. And faith. And mess. And beauty. Ben shared some of his own story with us — about the unravelling and the searching and the creative process in the midst of it all. And it was such a joy. And as an incredibly special treat, Ben played us two of our favourite songs of his at the end of our chat. Stick around to the end of the episode and you’ll hear these songs played exclusively for our Spiritual Misfits community. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Mandy Smith on childlike faith and resisting the empire | 18 Jun 2022 | 01:01:09 | |
This episode is a chat with Mandy Smith. Mandy is a pastor and author of multiple books including The Vulnerable Pastor and Unfettered — a book about imagining a childlike faith beyond the baggage of western culture. That book has a foreword by Walter Brueggemann. And if you know who Walter is, you know that’s one of the finest endorsements you can get. I have really loved listening to the way Mandy speaks about Christian faith because it has reminded me how beautifully and radically upside down and unconventional Jesus is, in so many ways. In this episode we talk a lot about what it means to approach faith with a child-like posture, with an open heart that listens to our bodies and emotions and intuitions and says ‘yes’ to what might just be the prompts of the spirit in our ordinary, daily lives. Chatting to Mandy felt like layers of reminders and invitations. To see the value in what it means to be human. To start the day with an open heart. And to say yes. To God, to life, to love. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| ‘My Generational Deconstruction’ with Joanna Drayton, Ken Day and Ella Evans | 03 Aug 2024 | 01:02:50 | |
Spiritual Misfits and Uniting Mission and Education's Pulse team have collaborated to bring you a series of conversations about 5 pressing challenges we face on planet earth today, and the kind of faith that may help emerging generations to navigate and engage with them. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Scott Higgins & Andrew Dodd Pt 2: lessons of inclusion | 11 Jun 2022 | 00:43:26 | |
Hello friends and welcome back to the Spiritual Misfits podcast, This episode is the second half of one extended conversation I had with Andrew Dodd and Scott Higgins. If you haven’t listened to the previous episode where Scott and Andrew shared their own journeys towards inclusive theology and the story of Hamilton Baptist Church, I strongly recommend you do so. In case you don’t or if you need a recap, here’s an outline of the story so far: Scott Higgins wrote a paper back in the 90s giving an overview of different Christian perspectives on sexuality. In many ways this was the beginning for him of coming to see theological diversity in this area. A few years down the track and he’s asked to read a statement to his church affirming that Baptists hold to a traditional view of marriage. Scott couldn’t bring himself to read it, but instead asked the church who would be interested in taking a few weeks to explore some diverse understandings of sexuality, marriage and Christian ethics. Every hand went up. As the church began to have these conversations a number of queer people were drawn to come along — and ended up staying in the church. The combination of fresh theological framing alongside real and loved members of their community played a key role in what was then Edgeworth Baptist becoming LGBTQI affirming. While this was happening there was also a conversation beginning with Hamilton Baptist Church where Andrew Dodd was the pastor. This conversation was about the two churches merging. This made sense for a lot of reasons, though Edgeworth had one non-negotiable. If the churches were going to merge, LGBTQI+ people needed to be fully included and embraced in the life of the new church. So the two churches went on a process together over around 12 months, testing the waters of their relationship so to speak, before officially deciding to proceed with the merge. At this point the vast majority of people were onboard. This doesn’t mean it was without cost or difficulty and some people left, though this was generally done in a gracious way. At the end of the last episode Andrew shared the story of their first service together as a new church, and the powerful moment when communion was served by a queer member of the congregation. What was powerful wasn’t so much this person sharing out communion. It was the fact that it didn’t matter that this person was sharing out communion. Because they were welcome as much as anyone else. So, in this next part of the conversation I talked to Andrew and Scott about what they learned from this journey that might inform other churches. So we talk a little about change, The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Scott Higgins & Andrew Dodd: how Hamilton Baptist became LGBTQI+ affirming | 04 Jun 2022 | 00:56:15 | |
Here’s a conversation that weaves together multiple threads into one really powerful story. It’s a story about change and about the process of change — at an individual level as well as in a broader community. Scott Higgins and Andrew Dodd are friends, pastors, and together help lead the community of Hamilton Baptist Church. This is their story of moving towards LGBTQI+ affirming theology. It’s also a story of merging two churches into one. And it’s the story of bringing those two Baptist churches through a process integrating theology, personal stories and pastoral sensitivity to become one church where everyone is genuinely welcomed and embraced, including those of diverse gender and sexualities. Scott, Andrew and I spent a couple hours together discussing this story because there’s so much to learn from it — and so, next week’s episode is actually the continuation of this one. Essentially what you’re about to listen to is primarily about the story of Scott, Andrew and Hamilton Baptist Church. The next episode zooms the lens out and asks how might this inform other contexts. But for this week let’s start with the story. Join me, Scott and Andrew sitting at Andrew’s table in Warabrook. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Simon Nixon on a new approach to faith, church and ministry | 28 May 2022 | 01:04:39 | |
After 15 years in pastoral ministry Simon Nixon found his beliefs and approach to ministry radically shifting. We explore what that looked like in this conversation, and talk a little about one of the positive outcomes: the formation of a new community called Fireside, another safe space for spiritual misfits. The Church at large is in a significant time of transition. I believe we’re going to see more decentralised and organic expressions of faith communities in the years to come. Many of us, including Simon and I, have benefited from digital access to a range of voices and thinkers who have helped us see faith afresh (and I hope that for listeners of this show that’s also what’s taking place here). But what does it look like to pair our access to voices who may be far away from us with flesh and blood communities, in our local neighbourhoods? Simon and I are both interested in this question, so we explored some thoughts around the landscape of what that might look like. Simon’s also studying counselling at the moment and one of the things we touched on was a concept in the counselling space called ‘unconditional positive regard’ — it provides a beautiful lens for thinking through community formation and we explore this a little in this conversation also. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Affirmations: trust > certainty | 21 May 2022 | 00:06:52 | |
There can often be this perception that faith is just about belief. And when your beliefs feel strong, your faith is strong. This can mean that on the days when you feel uncertain, unsure or disoriented, you begin to blame yourself for having a weak faith. But, what if the whole time we’ve been conceiving of faith in a manner that is a little distorted? In his book ‘The Sin of Certainty’, Pete Enns puts it this way: "I believe that the Bible does not model a faith that depends on certainty for the simple fact that the Bible does not provide that kind of certainty. Rather, in all its messy diversity, the Bible models trust in God that does not rest on whether we are able to be clear and certain about what to believe. In fact, the words “belief” and “faith” in the Bible are just different ways of saying “trust.” And trust works, regardless of where our knowing happens to be." When you stop thinking about faith as believing certain ideas, and instead begin to think about trusting — in God’s goodness and love — it can totally change the lens you’re looking through. Here are a set of affirmations for when you need reminding about this alternative lens. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Mitch Forbes (pt.2) on why our beliefs about hell matter here and now | 14 May 2022 | 01:04:40 | |
A couple episodes back Mitch Forbes and I (Will) had a chat about heaven, hell and universal salvation. We spoke about 3 different views of hell that have existed from the beginning of the Christian church and our journeys towards the view that an all-loving and all-powerful God actually can and will reconcile and renew all people. Here Mitch and I continue that chat. If you haven’t already it’s probably worth going back and listening to the previous episode with Mitch before this one. There is more assumed knowledge this time round. Fair warning, the first half of this chat is a little heavy on the philosophy and theology and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you like sitting in a pub and philosophising over a beer and quoting theologians you will probably dig it. If that’s not your jam, there’s no judgment here. (See what I did there?) In the second half of the chat though we do turn the conversation towards the real world implications of our views around eternity and salvation. We get a little more ‘down to earth’ around the difference these beliefs can make when you wake up on Monday morning. Multiple times throughout this conversation Mitch references this beautiful verse from 1 John 4:16: ‘God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them.’ If you don’t take anything else away from this maybe those words are more than enough. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| The unholy hustle and the sacred now | 07 May 2022 | 00:50:36 | |
Hannah and Will explore what it means to live full lives in a hustle-centric world. Does our Christianity present an antidote to our busyness and striving? Does it add fuel to the fire? A little a and a little b? The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Mitch Forbes on heaven, hell and universal salvation | 30 Apr 2022 | 01:02:31 | |
Could it be that the good news of the gospel is that God actually loves and will save everyone? Mitch and I (Will) think the arguments that this is the case are pretty convincing. We discuss the views of hell we grew up with and how these have shifted over time towards belief in universally reconciling love in Christ. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Kris Halliday on being gay, Christian & called | 23 Apr 2022 | 00:40:13 | |
Kris Halliday is a Salvation Army Officer in inner city Melbourne. He’s passionate about serving people at the margins and sharing the love of God. He’s also gay. In this conversation he shares his story of faith, sexuality, and advocating for a more inclusive, imaginative and equitable future for the church. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Good Friday Meditation: Psalm 22 | 14 Apr 2022 | 00:13:54 | |
This Good Friday I wanted to share with you a meditation on Psalm 22. Grab a candle, find a comfortable place to sit and spend 15 minutes listening. The meditation begins with a moment to help you become grounded and aware of your body and breath, followed by a reading of the Psalm, and a simple thought at the end for you to meditate on. Whatever Easter holds for you, I hope this meditation encourages you and connects you with the love of Christ. Wishing all our fellow spiritual misfits a Happy Easter, The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Dr Christine Redwood on women, the Bible and the pulpit | 09 Apr 2022 | 00:56:19 | |
Hi friends, This week I was grateful to spend some time with Christine Redwood — now Dr Christine Redwood I should say, as she just completed a PhD which we explore in this conversation. Christine’s the lead pastor at Seaforth Baptist Church, and her research examined feminist readings of stories of women in the Old Testament book of Judges and how this might relate to women leading and preaching in the Church today. Fair warning, these are some graphic, R-rated Bible stories. And to hear some of the ways feminist scholars read them was super interesting. As our conversation progressed we got into some fascinating questions around God and gender pronouns, the Bible and its patriarchal context, and the dynamics of being part of a diverse movement (in this case Baptists) while outworking your convictions in a particular, local context. I got so much out of chatting with Christine, and I hope you will too. I think there’s a lot of gold here whether you are leading in an established church context or you’ve left mainstream church settings. I also think there’s so much here for you regardless of your gender. I’m a firm believer that when we talk about the place of women in the Bible, the Church, the pulpit etc — men, we need to show up to these conversations and actively listen. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Christine Redwood, Belinda Groves & Nathan Nettleton on the Open Baptists | 27 Jul 2024 | 01:01:06 | |
In this episode Will is joined by Christine Redwood, Belinda Groves and Nathan Nettleton to discuss the emergence of the Open Baptists, a new Baptist movement within Australia. The Open Baptists seek to reimagine what it means to work together as Baptist churches, focusing on partnership, collective decision-making, and freedom of conscience. They hope to retain the Baptist identity while challenging the abuse of power and the exclusion of certain groups...that has happened in other Baptist spaces in recent years! Keywords The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Power, patriarchy, scandals & where is God in it all? | 02 Apr 2022 | 01:00:43 | |
Hi friends, Hannah joins me (Will) again for this week's podcast! And we cover a lot of ground in this chat. In this episode we speak a fair bit about recent events within the evangelical church that you may or may not be familiar with. We do our best to give context, but if we accidentally assumed some ‘insider knowledge’ anywhere I apologise for that. There are links below to a number of the individuals and situations we make reference to if you want to get more familiarised. Whilst we were reflecting on some specific recent events, we were also just grappling with what these are symptomatic of. This isn’t really intended to be a ‘hot take’, it’s really just our own attempt to process and make sense of some of the patterns and trends we see, that ought to give us all pause for thought. As we are discussing allegations of clergy abuse and imbalanced power dynamics in religious settings, you may want to proceed with caution if these have been lived realities of yours. As always, take care while listening, and reach out to someone for support if you need it. In this episode we make reference to the following people, situations and resources: Bruxy Cavey's sexual misconduct and The Meeting House Danielle Strickland and Jarrod McKenna's response (cited in the article above) Beth Moore and this series of tweets Brian Houston's resignation from Hillsong Dan Koch, You Have Permission Podcast Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Kobe Du Mez The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Dr Joel Hollier on finding a place at the table. | 26 Mar 2022 | 00:55:39 | |
On this weeks episode we have a delightful and important conversation with the wonderful Joel Hollier. Joel is one clever fella with degrees in social work and theology, and a PhD in Behavioural Science. He’s also a co-paster of New City Church. Joel has a story to tell that many of us need to hear — about his journey of being a gay Christian, originally preaching that this required celibacy though through grappling with scripture and the holy spirit coming to be very ok with being married to another man and continuing to follow Jesus and minister as a pastor. In this episode we do talk about trauma and the psychological harm and abuse sexually and gender diverse people can experience in spiritual settings. If these are part of your story, this episode may bring things up. So be gentle with yourself, decide if listening is going to be helpful and reach out for support if you need it. If you are a church leader, and/or if you hold a traditionalist view in these matters, this may be a confronting listen for you, but listening is the very least we can do for our LGBTQI+ siblings - so please, can I encourage you, take the time and listen well — trying to place aside your judgments at the outset. Joel is a deeply gracious, kind and inspiring human. I think we can all learn from him. Here is our conversation. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Affirmations: when others misunderstand or judge me | 19 Mar 2022 | 00:06:54 | |
One of the most distressing experiences we can have is to be rejected or judged by our own tribe. Our need for belonging and connection is so strong, that it makes it incredibly difficult to ask a question or express a view that might cross a boundary and threaten our place in a community. This is the pain point of many spiritual misfits. We have a deep God-given need for community. We also have a deep God-given need to be authentic and honest. When these two things come into conflict we can find ourselves in a really dark place. There’s this moment in the gospel of Luke where Jesus is talking about how John the Baptist didn’t eat or drink and was accused of being demon possessed. And then Jesus himself, is accused of being a drunkard and a glutton because he’s constantly partying with the wrong people. Sometimes whether you take path A or B you’re still going to be misunderstood. I take great hope in this: if John the Baptist and Jesus had scathing critics from within their own tribe, and yet kept faithfully walking the path they felt called to — maybe we could do the same? My deep hope for you is that you would find genuine community and permission to be honest and authentic. I believe that’s what God invites us to participate in and to offer to others. But at certain points along the way you may need to seperate yourself from the judgments of others. You may need to remind yourself that their rejection does not equate to God’s rejection of you. Here are a set of affirmations for when you find yourself misunderstood or rejected by your own tribe. You are not alone, and you have not been abandoned by God. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Robyn van der Zee on spiritual abuse and trauma | 12 Mar 2022 | 00:48:43 | |
Robyn van der Zee is a psychologist and counsellor who spends a significant amount of time helping people process experiences of spiritual abuse and trauma. If you lead or help shape any church or organisation we strongly encourage you to sit with this conversation and consider how it might inform the way you approach these issues in your context. It is our hope that this episode could be a resource that is shared around to create greater awareness and prevent more harm. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Hannah Macauley Gierhart on working through the cognitive dissonance | 05 Mar 2022 | 00:38:19 | |
Will and Hannah have a fireside chat (of sorts) about why Hannah identifies as a spiritual misfit, and how her journey of following Jesus in (and out) of different contexts has unfolded over time. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Affirmations: God's love and my doubt. | 26 Feb 2022 | 00:06:00 | |
You may have heard the phrase ‘dark night of the soul’, originally attributed to St. John of the Cross. A mystic and poet. This idea of darkness refers to the invisibility and unknowabilty of God and is often used to describe the moments that feel like a crisis of faith. When you don’t know what to make of things anymore. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| At my parents table (faith renovations over decades) | 19 Feb 2022 | 00:38:22 | |
It’s a natural and healthy part of development to ‘differentiate’ from your parents/carers. Even if you grew up in a safe, secure and loving environment there comes a point at which you begin to take ownership for your life, your values and your beliefs. As I reflect on the household I grew up in, I feel like my parents gave me two great gifts (among many others): So, on a recent visit to their home I pulled out the mics, and convinced them to have a cup of tea and a chinwag with me about how their view of God has changed, expanded and been challenged over their lifetimes. If my generation is going to make it to our 60s with some form of robust, healthy Christian spirituality, we need role models like these. I hope you have them. If not, I hope this episode gives you a window into the ‘gentle renovations’ that can take place in healthy, life-long faith (befriended by doubt). The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Jesus (still) weeps | 12 Feb 2022 | 00:12:09 | |
This week, my friend showed me the rejection letters. Not from a publishing house rejecting a manuscript. Not from a university rejecting an enrolment. The letters are from the church she grew up in. And their rejection is of her...
The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Guided Reflection (no music) - for when you haven't got it all figured out | 05 Feb 2022 | 00:09:45 | |
We want to use this podcast feed to create conversations that spark your grey matter. But we also want to help you develop practices that connect your mind, body and heart with the sacred. With love. With Christ. So this episode is an invitation. Into some space. A moment — to breathe, to be still, to become centred. We’ll be making a few of these over time, that you can use whenever you want to. Try and listen somewhere free from as many distractions as possible. You may want to walk while you listen. Or perhaps you want to sit in a comfortable chair, and close your eyes. Are you ready? The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Guided Reflection (with music) - for when you haven't got it all figured out. | 05 Feb 2022 | 00:09:45 | |
We want to use this podcast feed to create conversations that spark your grey matter. But we also want to help you develop practices that connect your mind, body and heart with the sacred. With love. With Christ. So this episode is an invitation. Into some space. A moment — to breathe, to be still, to become centred. We’ll be making a few of these over time, that you can use whenever you want to. Try and listen somewhere free from as many distractions as possible. You may want to walk while you listen. Or perhaps you want to sit in a comfortable chair, and close your eyes. Are you ready? The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Karen Pack on starting loved and restoring the erased | 20 Jul 2024 | 01:03:04 | |
The Reverend Dr Karen Pack is a religious historian, ordained Christian minister, Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant, and current President of Spiritual Care Australia. For over twenty five years she has been engaged in training pastors, chaplains, leaders and teachers in Australia, North America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Her doctoral research explored the marginalization and erasure of women and LGBTQ+ Christians from religious histories in Australia. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Bronte Hughes on Jesus & Social Work | 29 Jan 2022 | 00:38:44 | |
Welcome to the official first episode of the Spiritual Misfits podcast. We’re creating conversations, affirmations, meditations and other resources to support you on your spiritual journey and let you know that even if you feel like a misfit, you don’t have to feel alone. Our first episode is a conversation with Bronte Hughes about social work, Jesus and more. A quick note at the beginning here. Towards the end of our conversation Bronte and I explored some of our reactions to the recent Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast from Christianity Today. During this conversation we touch on gender issues though we don’t necessarily unpack them in the depth they deserve. We certainly hope to do this in future episodes. After our chat Bronte and I wanted to note that we neglected to mention non-binary people and the impact of gender inequality on their experience in churches. So please bear that in mind as you listen and may we all continue to learn in this space together. If you know someone who this would help or encourage, please share the love. Give us a rating and review online and feel free to send us a message via our website. We’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Spiritual Misfits: Our Story | 23 Jan 2022 | 00:02:23 | |
Hi friends, My name’s Will and a little while ago some friends and I started a little church called Meeting Ground. Many of us grew up in the church but somewhere along the way we found ourselves in positions you may be familiar with. Some of us left. Some of us stayed. Either way, we found ourselves on the fringes of faith, trying to hold onto the beautiful and life-giving parts, while trying to let go of toxic or harmful stuff. I fundamentally believe that faith and doubt are both best experienced in safe community. And so one of the worst things that can happen is having to process deep spiritual questions, painful experiences or evolving beliefs in isolation. That’s kind of why we started Meeting Ground — to be a safe place for misfits in process. I believe there are life-giving theologies, practices and communities oriented around Jesus. I also believe healthy community ought to be inclusive — and welcome people to the table at all stages in their journey. This can be messy. But it’s worth it. It’s beautiful. It seems to me at least like something Jesus would be into. So, this podcast is part of a larger body of work we are creating to let misfits everywhere know, you aren’t alone — and there’s a place at the table for you. We’re creating reflections, meditations, liturgies, conversations and other resources to help you on your spiritual journey. You may feel like a spiritual misfit. But you don’t have to feel alone. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||
| Thomas Jay Oord on 'God After Deconstruction' | 13 Jul 2024 | 01:01:26 | |
In this conversation, Will Small, Thomas Jay Oord, and Becca De Souza discuss open and relational theology, the challenges of suffering, and the process of deconstruction and reconstruction in faith. They also touch on the topic of LGBTQ+ affirmation within religious institutions. Thomas shares his personal journey from a classical theist position to open and relational theology, emphasizing the importance of understanding God's power as love. The conversation explores the need for a faith that embraces doubt and uncertainty while still providing comfort and meaning. They also discuss the role of certainty in children's faith development and the importance of allowing space for questioning and exploration. They explore the idea that salvation is not just liberation from pain, but also survival and quality of life, requiring the cooperation of both God and humanity. They also delve into the role of prayer in an open and relational theology, emphasizing that prayer is communication with God and can bring about change through our actions. They touch on the concept of miracles and how they occur when God and creation work together for something good. The conversation concludes with a reflection on the value of open and relational theology in providing a picture of God that is true for all people, especially those who have been marginalized and oppressed.
Takeaways
The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide | |||