Tent Talks with Dr Stephen Backhouse

Friend of the show Brad Jersak joins the Tent to talk about his new book A More Christlike Word. Any conversation with Brad is always a balm to the soul and a tonic to the mind, and this one is no different!All about Brad and his books can be found HERE.Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can get LOTS of extra good material and support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Harmony Smith is the Director of Worship for the Vineyard Movement in the UK & Ireland where she encourages, raises up, and trains worship and music leaders, and she also co-pastors Belfast City Church with her husband Andy. From her bio: "Harmony is a worshiper, songwriter and pastor whose heart is all about seeing people connect with Jesus in a lifestyle of worship. This passion is particularly clear in her songs, which can be found on several Vineyard UK & Ireland worship albums, including Creator, Spirit Burn, The Feast and most recently, Legacy – Live from Ireland. She has also just released ‘You Have Our Yes’ a call to unity in the face of increasing division, chaos and distraction, inviting the people of God to offer their 'yes' and their full allegiance to Jesus."  An alternate version of this interview, which focuses more on church music leaders and artists can be listened to at the PostConsumer Reports Podcast.You can watch the music video for "You Have Our Yes," featuring  Marc James and Cathy Burton HERE and stream the other music heard on this episode at Vineyard's Bandcamp page, or any place you stream music. You can watch Harmony's interview with Stephen HERE and listen to it HERE.Here is where you can download the chord chart and lyrics to "You Have Our Yes," and for other worship resources please go to:  //www.vineyardchurches.org.ukHas anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Obery M. Hendricks joins the Tent to talk about his searing new book Christians against Christianity. He is a visiting research scholar at Columbia University and has held positions at Drew University and Princeton Theological Seminary. He has also served as president of Payne Theological Seminary, the oldest African-American theological institution in the country.More about Hendricks and his work HEREHas anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

David Blower is a wordsmith, a singer songwriter, a host of the Nomad podcast and the author of some of the best political theology Stephen Backhouse has ever read. You can find out about David and how to find his words and music HERE. The Nomad podcast can be found HERE.The YoHo Journal can be found HERE . You can get 10% off by entering the code TENT10.Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Pete Enns and Jared Byas are the hosts of the Bible for Normal People podcast and the authors of a number of excellent books. We talked about the dangers of doing good theology in this crazy christianised age of ours, and, despite everything, the continued relevance and joy they find in the bible.Their podcast is HEREPete's books can be found HEREJared's books can be found HEREHas anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can get LOTS of extra good material and support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Leroy Logan is the UK's most highly decorated and well known black police officer. He is the founding member of the Black Police Association. He is the author of "Closing Ranks",  which detailed his time as a senior police officer in London. In "Red White and Blue", the dramatised version of his story directed by Steve McQueen, Logan was played by the actor John Boyega. More information about Leroy Logan can be found HERE.Today's conversation with Natasha Beckles comes to us with thanks to the Primrose Hill Lecture Series, which can be found HERE.Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

This is the fourth part of the full series which will be released for Patreon subscribers. You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Dolly Waddell is a mentor for individuals and a coach for organisations and teams. She is a veritable whirlwind of positive ideas, practical steps and encouragement, especially when it comes to developing female leaders.You can find out more about her work HERE.Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

This is third part of the full series, which will be released for Patreon subscribers. You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

Virginia Linzee and Andrea Lippke join the Tent for the second part of a deep discussion around abortion, adoption and raising Down Syndrome children. More about Andrea Lippke and her work can be found HERE.More about Virginia Linzee and her work can be found HERE and HEREVirgina has supplied the following notes of her research. Scroll to the end for a lovely tribute to her son. Additional statistics of note that are important background are (these are all USA): US Top Indications for Abortion: 74% Education, Work, or Parenting Responsibilities73% Financial Concerns48% Relationship Concerns13% Fetal Health12% Personal Health90% of Abortions are in the First TrimesterAccording to The TurnAway Study the Number one Reason women were seeking abortions was due to Financial Concerns about taking care of a child, but mostly taking care of ANOTHER child, because most women were already mothers. Some key findings are found on this page: https://www.ansirh.org/research/ongoing/turnaway-studyIn Europe, depending on the country the rate of Terminating Prenatally Diagnosed Unborn Babies with Down Syndrome is between 90-99%. In the USA the statistics float between 65-75%.Documentary: "A World Without Down Syndrome"https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.36b419de-2a5c-f5d6-ba36-666eea636c43?autoplay=1&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wbA study done in the 2000s on people 12 and up with Down Syndrome:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740159/Conclusions from this Study:"This study asks people with Down syndrome, ages 12 and older, about their self-perception so that their information could be shared with new and expectant parents of children with Down syndrome. We analyzed valid and reliable survey instruments from 284 people with Down syndrome on the mailing lists of six non-profit Down syndrome organizations around the country. Among those surveyed, nearly 99% of people with Down syndrome indicated that they were happy with their lives; 97% liked who they are; and 96% liked how they look. Nearly 99% people with Down syndrome expressed love for their families, and 97% liked their brothers and sisters. While 86% of people with Down syndrome felt they could make friends easily, those with difficulties mostly had isolating living situations. A small percentage expressed sadness about their life. In our qualitative analysis, people with Down syndrome encouraged parents to love their babies with Down syndrome, mentioning that their own lives were good. They further encouraged healthcare professionals to value them, emphasizing that they share similar hopes and dreams as people without Down syndrome. Overall, the overwhelming majority of people with Down syndrome surveyed indicate they live happy and fulfilling lives."Down Syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorderDown Syndrome Statistics According to The CDC:https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/downsyndrome/data.htmlThis article breaks down the injustice when it comes to research funding for Down Syndrome:https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/research-medical-care/poll-americans-overwhelmingly-support-government-programs-and-research-for-people-with-down-syndrome/From another article:"In 2001, NIH spent $29 million for Down syndrome research, a figure that plummeted to as low as $14 million even as NIH’s budget grew. Had funding tracked with that of NIH, spending on the syndrome from 2001 to 2017 would have more than doubled the $356 million allocated. Yet Down syndrome funding is likely to see a 22 percent decrease in 2018, from $27 million to $21 million, when the reality on the ground suggests it should be much greater." (  http://yadsa.org/2018/01/25/congress-should-give-it-up-for-down-syndrome-research/  )Study on Prevalence of Physical and Sexual Abuse related to Women Seeking Abortion:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901290/Abortions in the US have been in decline since the 1990's. Here are a few graphs showing abortion statistics: https://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/health/maternal-early-childhood-health/reported-abortions/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-Healthcare&gclid=CjwKCAjwxuuCBhATEiwAIIIz0daY5brGaX5tI9hOxa0Yd6wrbvbQYkryUnhwPBdkdsupo8Km3YsfgxoC22YQAvD_BwEhttps://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/health/maternal-early-childhood-health/reported-abortions/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-Healthcare&gclid=CjwKCAjwxuuCBhATEiwAIIIz0daY5brGaX5tI9hOxa0Yd6wrbvbQYkryUnhwPBdkdsupo8Km3YsfgxoC22YQAvD_BwEhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/225975/share-of-americans-who-are-pro-life-or-pro-choice/Potential Reasons/Data According to Why Abortion in the USA may have hit an all time low:https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2019/09/us-abortion-rate-continues-drop-once-again-state-abortion-restrictions-are-not-mainLower Pregnancies Generally, Increased Access to Free Contraception, More Use/Access To Long Term Contraception (IUD's), People having less Sex Generally, More At-Home Pill Abortions (self given, non-reported) Regarding her son, Virginia wrote this after the interview: “There’s so many blessings when it comes to my son, but one of the greatest opportunities is that Phineas is teaching both me and my husband how to live without being slaves to our egos. Phineas doesn’t have an ego, you see, everything about him is real and he confronts the things in us that aren’t, just by existing. In fact most people I’ve met with Down Syndrome don’t function out of ego. Can you imagine a world without egos?! What a transformation that would be! My husband’s ego was literally robbing him of his own life and those around him.. and of course I have my own ego issues as well. By saying yes to Phineas (and I think any form of otherness), we are receiving endless grace and truthfully salvation. Phineas’s very existence is saving us from ourselves… and it’s a gentle salvation that comes with the best snuggles in the world. Our little boy that we were told wouldn’t amount to much intellectually (and that was a parceled up as the main reason to abort him) has become our greatest teacher. Hallelujah.”Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.