Episodes
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Many Christians are naïve about the ways Islam has gained much ground within western society in recent years, influencing numerous spheres of culture, politics, and law. The vision of Islamic beliefs ruling all spheres of society (‘Islamism’) may not be adopted by all western Muslims, but it is a belief entirely consistent with Islamic tradition.
Where Muslims are often very bullish about defending their values and public symbols, Christians often happily give away such cultural ground, fearing the accusation of ‘Islamophobia’. What are the implications of allowing elements of Shariah Law to be imposed within western societies today? What can Christians draw upon to think through and respond to these challenges with love, confidence, and clarity?
In this special episode in our mini-series on Islam, Andy and Aaron are joined by Tim Dieppe (Christian Concern), a regular media commentator on Christianity and Islam in British public life, to talk through these important issues.
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Pod of the Gaps needs your help to keep going! If you enjoy our adventures in culture and theology, please consider a small monthly tip to keep us recording: www.patreon.com/wkop
RESOURCES:
- Tim Dieppe, “What’s Wrong With Islamic Finance?” (2018) https://christianconcern.com/resource/whats-wrong-islamic-finance/
- Christian Concern resources on Islam. https://christianconcern.com/ccissues/islam/
- Andy Bannister, “Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?” (2021)
- Rodney Stark, “God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades” (2010)
- Raymond Ibrahim, “Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam” (2022) -
More and more Christians in western society today see the ever-increasing need to reach Muslims with the Gospel. The problem is: how? In this special episode, Aaron is joined by Bob of Speaker’s Corner to talk through challenges, strategies, and related issues that come with taking seriously the Muslim mission field before us.
Bob is known especially for his confrontational mode of engagement in such mission, which some Christians disagree with. Is this because we’re overly influenced by “middle class churchianity”? In what ways can a more direct approach be more fruitful in reaching Muslims today?
How does our wider progressive political culture affect our ability to challenge the beliefs of Muslims publically? What are the risks involved, and how can we navigate them with both wisdom and courage?
All this and more, on this jam-packed episode of Pod of the Gaps.
Useful Links:
- https://www.youtube.com/@SocoFilms
- 'Dawa Clowns Interrupting Conversation' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eodk1A7x14&t=973s
- https://twitter.com/btbsoco
- Andy Bannister, "Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?" (London: IVP, 2021) -
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We've come to expect the politically correct and increasingly “woke” posture of many of the Church of England’s official statements and policies in recent years. Recent announcements on issues such as race, Islam, sexuality, and even evangelism, showcase a desire to “play nice” with the secular and multicultural political establishment rather than offering a genuinely prophetic voice.
But is the CofE’s descent into ever more progressive viewpoints is inevitable? What about those who seek to reform Anglicanism from within, restoring its evangelical roots? Is there a case for disestablishing the Church of England altogether? What would we lose (or gain) if we did?
Andy (a reluctant Anglican) and Aaron (a Methodist exile) dive into this entirely non-controversial topic with the usual mix of wit, wisdom, and insight.
RESOURCES ETC MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
* CofE Press Release: https://bit.ly/48XQiEF
* CofE "Healing, Repair and Justice" report (see clause 32): https://bit.ly/49Pnj7u
* Justin Welby's Ramadan video: https://bit.ly/3PjxqJt
* ChatGPT's attempt at impersonating the Archbishop of Canterbury: https://bit.ly/4c9ZkBt
* Michael Hampson, "Last Rites: The End of the Church of England " (Granta, 2006)
* Ben Merkle, "The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great" (Thomas Nelson. 2009) -
What are Christians supposed to do about the erosion of the Christian foundations of Western culture? Sometimes evangelicals have reacted by retreating from the call to be salt and light in the world, withdrawing into a narrow vision for the Gospel which limits its wider societal impact.
But isn't trying to change the world something that liberals tend to focus on? Does working for social change risk watering down the gospel? Should we be seeking a new version of “Christendom” today, or is this too unrealistic an aim for the modern Church?
Andy and Aaron explore all this ground, as well as thinking about what we can learn from evangelical missionaries who brought Christianity to other cultures.
Please Help ...
Pod of the Gaps needs your help to keep going! If you enjoy our adventures in culture and theology, please consider a small monthly tip to keep us recording: https://www.patreon.com/wkop
Resources Related to this Episode ...
Janet & Geoff Benge, "Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar" (YWAM Publishing)
Corrie Ten Boom, "The Hiding Place" (Tyndale House Publishing) -
Week after week, year after year, churches spend inordinate amounts of time producing, presenting, and discussing sermons. Yet sermons are far less influential upon the average Christian’s life, faith, and beliefs than ever before. Why? The loss of pulpit authority? The loss of creativity in communication? The encroaching pressure of secular beliefs? The rise of podcasts and other digital media?
Many wonder whether “the sermon” is past its sell-by date. But what if the lacklustre impact of preaching has as much to do with cultural assimilation and theological erosion as unimaginative communication? Aaron and Andy dig into all these questions and more! -
In keeping with the now ancient Pod of the Gaps tradition, Andy and Aaron kick off the new year by identifying their collective key challenges for the Church to face up to as it seeks to meet this cultural moment in light of the Word of God. As they reflect on what the Church has already been facing and look forward to some of the more significant implications lying ahead in the near future, they each live-reveal their "3 challenges" (without conferring!) and see whether they end up more in harmony than cacophony! If you care about the direction of the Church in the challenging times ahead, you'll want to listen to this one!
**** Please help keep Pod of the Gaps by supporting us on Patreon. It really does make a huge difference and is massively appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Meic Pearse, "Why the Rest Hates the West"
Corrie Ten Boom, "The Hiding Place"
- https://davenantinstitute.org/uk-convivium-2024/ -
Evangelicals are renowned for using crazy-sounding adjectives to highlight the outlandish nature of God’s grace. This is often appropriate when speaking of God's love, but an overuse of such language potentially opens Christians up to progressive infiltration of the Gospel. Under the auspices of God’s grace being so “outrageous” that it overcomes all prior categories, some professing “evangelicals” are now saying repentance is simply “optional” and that some sin is not actually sin, after all. Might this actually devalue the outrageousness of grace by undermining the power of the Incarnation and the Cross? Whilst relishing God’s wonderful grace remains key, how do we stop this emphasis from condoning sin on our terms?
RESOURCES:
- https://www.terryvirgo.org/series/gods-lavish-grace/
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (1937)
- John Stott, The Cross of Christ (1986)
- https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/why-sex-outside-marriage-is-not-a-salvation-issue/16880.article
- https://www.premierchristianity.com/apologetics/from-islam-to-atheism-to-christianity-the-unlikely-conversion-of-ayaan-hirsi-ali/16741.article
CLOSING MUSIC
- "Little Town of Bethlehem" by Kate Rusby, from her album "While Mortals Sleep" -
In these secular times, Christmas is ever in danger of being hijacked by the fairy-lit glitz of advertising and consumerism. Christians often find themselves dragged into alternative versions of Christmas which bear little connection to the Christian story.
But while Christians rightly lament the problem of worldly materialism, are there also dangers that we also miss something vital about the “material” nature of what Christmas actually is, at heart? How might we remain both holy and merry at Christmas? How might we enjoy good gifts with gratitude without being sucked into a self-indulgent vortex? And what does Andy Bannister refuse to have in his lounge …? Find out in this special episode of Pod of the Gaps!
RESOURCES:
- C.S. Lewis, “Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter From Herodotus” (1954)
- Douglas Wilson, "God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas Is the Foundation for Everything" (2012)
- Andrew Isker, "The Boniface Option: A Strategy for Christian Counter-Offensive in a Post-Christian Nation" (2023)
**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs. Your support helps cover our hosting fees, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop **** -
In this wide-ranging special episode of Pod of the Gaps we cover a number of vital issues in/around the challenges of leadership, mission, apologetics, and ministry. In particular, Andy Bannister and Joe Boot both reflect on their similar experiences of working as directors for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. These reflections include the problematic patterns they noticed in the organization long before the worst came became visible; the dilemmas of working for “family-run” organizations where asking questions is discouraged; the ways making/keeping money can corrupt vision and principles longer term. They reflect not only on what went wrong, but also on what lessons can be learned for the future in all sorts of ways. We also talk about Joe Boot’s insightful book, "Ruler of Kings", which seeks to reclaim a robust vision of the kingdom in all spheres of life, society, education, and politics. We discuss the different approaches that may be taken in advancing the vital course of mission in these troubled times for the Church in the West.
NOTES:
- Joe’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruler-Kings-Toward-Christian-Government/dp/1916121136
- Aaron’s review of Joe’s book: https://americanreformer.org/2023/09/the-return-of-the-kingdom/
- Ezra Centre: www.ezrainstitute.com
- Solas Centre: https://www.solas-cpc.org/about/ -
The Israel / Gaza conflict generates all sorts of political and religious opinions in recent times, with many Christian leaders (including the Archbishop of Canterbury) seeming to follow the popular left-wing consensus of calling for an immediate ceasefire. Whilst this might seem the obvious course of action, is it really the best option? Whilst all wars bring tragedy, are all wars avoidable? When does peacekeeping maintain conflict in other ways? And how does this "ceasefire" approach to conflict mirror the recent events of the Anglican Synod as it pushes through its controversial plans to bless same-sex relationships? What are the consequences of churches “surrendering” churches to the cultural Zeitgeist? And how might Christians prepare themselves for when they find they can bear the compromises in their denomination no longer?
**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****
NOTES
* Allison, C. FitzSimons, "The Cruelty of Heresy: An Affirmation of Christian Orthodoxy" (London: SPCK, 1994)
* https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/britain-should-back-a-ceasefire/
* https://thatgoodfight.substack.com/p/but-we-both-believe-the-bible -
In recent years forces have been gathering to stand up and push back against the progressive (“Woke”) revolution in the modern West. The infamous Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson has been at the heart of this, recently launching the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC). In this special episode, we engage with one of his viral speeches from the inaugural ARC conference and dissect it piece by piece. Whilst there is much to rejoice in about such conversations happening today, there are also hidden problems, including the move towards deism and religious pluralism. How should Christians be thinking about these perspectives? How can we encourage one another to take more responsibility without losing the heart of the Gospel in the process?
**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****
RESOURCES
* Jordan Peterson's full talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84kKxtZI0l0
* Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC): https://www.arcforum.com -
For many Westerners today it would be “unthinkable” to not have a legal right to abortion. But for Christians, shouldn’t abortion itself be as “unthinkable” as chattel slavery? What can churches and pro-life organisations do to change public opinion on abortion?
In this special episode of Pod of the Gaps we’re joined by John Deighan, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children to discuss current visions, challenges, and strategies within the pro-life movement. In what ways might we challenge abortion not just rationally and politically, but also emotionally and imaginatively?
Resources/Links
Nathan Hitchen, "You've Been Framed: A New Primer for the Marriage Debate": https://bit.ly/46BYXwr
Chris Rose, "What Makes People Tick – The Three Hidden Worlds of Settlers, Prospectors and Pioneers" (Matador, 2011)
SPUC: https://www.spuc.org.uk -
An age-old tension within many churches is the extent to which they can or should join in with the reams of "para-church" organizations, mission agencies, charities, and evangelistic enterprises that do not fall under the governance of the Church but often seem to be far more fruitful in mission.
Whilst the answer may seem obvious, it brings up far more questions and connects to numerous related issues. What is a church? Is it any group of faithful believers who happen to be on mission together within a given context? Do we even have a Biblical precedent for para-church? If we give our best energies to organizations beyond the Church, does this not undermine the local church's missional purpose? How can para-church enthusiasts retain a genuine love for and commitment to the local church whilst pioneering new ventures beyond it? Can local churches do more to support para-churches too? How might church leaders be challenged to be less territorial, recovering the apostolic heart for mission both within and beyond their local context?
All this and more on this packed episode of Pod of the Gaps!
RESOURCES:
- Terry Virgo, Restoration in the Church (Kingsway, 1985)
- Rhys Laverty, "Pastors all the Way Down" The New Albion Pastors All the Way Down? - by Rhys Laverty (substack.com)
- Jon Bloom, "What is a Parachurch Ministry?" https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-a-parachurch-ministry
- https://www.solas-cpc.org/about/
- https://www.spuc.org.uk/About-Us/What-We-Do -
One of the most defining things about Christians is that we sing songs together. The kind of songs we sing, and the way we sing them, has an incredible impact on a Christian's life, faith, and theology. Contemporary band-led worship services often result in a set of expectations for what can or can't be sung, similarly to the older tradition of a particular order of hymn-singing. There is, however, a far broader range of worship expression to be found throughout Scripture and church history, with not only a deeper theological focus, but numerous challenging themes we often ignore, such as divine triumph, judgement, lament, and exuberance. What can individuals, families, and congregations do to aid our times of worship together? Should we be singing different kinds of songs? Are there patterns we ought to avoid ... or rediscover? What about the relationship between the spiritual and the aesthetic, and the Word and the Spirit? And what about when we just don't feel like singing at all?
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When speaking about fatherhood, it is common to neutralise the role played by fathers within a household. Due to various societal and ecclesial differences of opinion we tend to equivocate over precisely what fathers are for, and what they are supposed to do. Following on from the previous episode which discussed the loss of fatherhood in general, this episode sees Andy and Aaron each live-reveal to one another three key points each on what they believe is crucial for what fathers are for, and unpack a little about how fatherhood plays out in practice.
RESOURCES:
Warren Farrell, "The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It"
Nancy Pearcey, "The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes"
Doug Wilson, "Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families"
**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop **** -
In our society, fatherhood is under attack. The crisis of masculinity leads many fathers to abdicate their responsibility for their children, and for those around them. Men are regularly condemned for aspiring to the virtues that once inspired good men to be good fathers. What do we lose when fatherhood is reviled? What is the impact of feminism on how fatherhood is seen today? How can churches encourage and teach fathers to model good fatherhood well?
RESOURCES:
Warren Farrell, "The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It"
Nancy Pearcey, "The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes"
Doug Wilson, "Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families"
**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop **** -
Some Christians (including some prominent leaders!) have begun to desscribe the Biblical depiction of God the Father as "problematic". Whilst there are many who find the idea of God's fatherhood difficult to accept due to their own negative experiences of human fatherhood, what do we risk by projecting those negative experiences onto Scripture?
Is it now inescapably difficult to accept God's fatherhood because of its connection to "patriarchy"? Can God be seen just as much as our mother as our father? Would it matter if we dispensed with God's male pronoun and began describing Him as a "She" or an "It"? What is the wider impact of all of these questions upon how we interpret the authority of Scripture in the life of the Church today?
Join Andy Bannister and Aaron Edwards as they dive into this issue with their usual mix of wit and wisdom, the Bible and banter.
** The cover image for this episode is the oil painting "The Return of the Prodigal" by Rembrandt ** -
A shift seems to have begun to occur in recent years regarding religion. As many public intellectuals have seen the philosophical and moral foundations of western society crumbling away, a new yearning has begun to arise for a greater, more transcendent story to make sense of life. This trend is increasingly leading people to reconsider Christianity.
On this special episode of Pod of the Gaps, we interview well known Christian broadcaster and author, Justin Brierley, about his new book, "The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God". Justin has been discussing these topics on his show with atheists, agnostics, and Christians for almost two decades. Over the years he has interviewed high profile guests including Richard Dawkins, Douglas Murray, Louise Perry, Tom Holland, and Jordan Peterson, each of whom contribute fascinating perspectives on religion, and on the surprising appeal of Christianity in our time.
Find out all about Justin's new book, including how to pre-order it, at: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/
**** Pod of the Gaps depends wholly on the support of its listeners to pay the costs of the podcast! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop **** -
Amidst a flurry of new developments within the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) many are wondering about the future effects of this kind of technology upon our societies. There are ongoing concerns about negative effects upon people's jobs as well as deeper issues around human identity itself, and even our survival. Whilst there are many efficiency benefits to AI programmes such as ChatGPT, are we sufficiently aware of the disadvantages? What do we lose, for example, when we allow machine learning to do our writing, speaking, and thinking for us? Whilst tech companies continue spending billions on AI development, are they receiving enough theological or ethical pushback in the process? Can we trust the secular values which often lie behind these brave new worlds being "created" before us? Have we so elevated the life of the mind and the life of the spirit that we've lost sight of the importance of our embodiment as humans? How might the Church speak into the inevitable shortcomings of AI to overcome the deepest challenges we face as human beings? All this and more on our latest episode!
SOURCES
- Sherry Turkle: https://www.sherryturkle.com
- Nick Bostrom, "Superintelligence" (2014)
- https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/
- Paul Kingsnorth, Alexandria: A Novel (Graywolf Press, 2020)
- David Noble, "The Religion of Technology: The Divinity of Man and the Spirit of Invention" (Penguin, 1997)
- C. S. Lewis, "The Great Divorce" (1946)
- https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/
- https://slaynews.com/news/wef-ai-rewrite-bible-create-religions-actually-correct/ -
At a time of significant socio-political unrest across the western world, many Christians today are asking the question about the extent to which Christians should or shouldn't be involved or invested in political issues.
A recent (and somewhat controversial) political conference on small-c "conservativism" in the UK has sparked fresh debates about the role Christianity has in helping to address the key political challenges facing western civilisation.
But what is the Church's actual role in this supposed to look like? Isn't it dangerous when churches wade too far into politics? Where can it go wrong? Equally, given that the public square is never "neutral", what happens if Christians stay out of politics altogether? What about the likes of William Wilberforce and others, whose faith informed their politics and radically transformed society? How can we allow the Gospel to speak into complex political issues without losing our way in the process?
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For Andy's new book, mentioned at the start of the episode, see: http://solas-cpc.org/httaj - Show more
