Irreverend: Faith and Current Affairs

In this special interview, CofE rev with a difference Jamie Franklin sits down to talk with pastor, Old Testament scholar and author Benjamin Giffone about his new book A House Divided: Technology, Worship, and Healing the Church After COVID. Topics discussed:- The downsides of online worship and why church leaders were wrong to embrace it so uncritically.- Elitism in the church hierarchy which contributed to "laptop class" style response.- A better way to approach the question of experts and expertise than simple capitulation. - Hope for the future of the church and moving beyond the events of five years ago.That and much more as ever. Enjoy!Buy Benj's Book! https://amzn.to/3SiqFbKRead Benj's Blog! https://thinkhardthinkwell.com/Buy Jamie's Book! THE GREAT RETURNPlease Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). To make a direct donation or to get in touch with questions or comments please email irreverendpod@gmail.com!Notices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com Support the show

Rev with a difference Jamie Franklin sits down to review the big events in church and state. This time: the death of Pope Francis, experiments to dim the sun in the name of climate change, the King's slightly woke Easter Message, and further reports of a Christian revival in Britain. All this interspersed with a very special feature-length interview with pastor and Old Testament scholar, the Rev'd Dr Benjamin Giffone about his new superb book A House Divided: Technology, Worship, & Healing the Church after COVID. Listeners to this podcast will find much interest in what Benj has to say about the failures of the Church during Covid and what the future has to bring. Buy Benj's Book! https://amzn.to/3SiqFbKRead Benj's Blog! https://thinkhardthinkwell.com/Buy Jamie's Book! THE GREAT RETURNPlease Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). To make a direct donation or to get in touch with questions or comments please email irreverendpod@gmail.com!Notices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com Support the show

Church of England revs with a difference Thomas Pelham, Jamie Franklin and Daniel French sit down to talk about the biggest news in church and state. This time, we look at the biggest "Holy Week Fails" on social media and discuss a recent report by the Bible Society which appears to indicate that Christianity is growing in the UK, particularly among young men. The Bible Society are calling this "The Quiet Revival".ORDER NOW JAMIE'S NEW BOOK THE GREAT RETURN!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). To make a direct donation or to get in touch with questions or comments please email irreverendpod@gmail.com!For The Quiet Revival: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival Notices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com Support the show

With reason, argument and inconvenient facts, Church of England rev with a difference Jamie Franklin EXPLODES historian David Starkey's recent assault on Christianity which he gave on Andrew Gold's Heretics podcast.ORDER NOW JAMIE'S NEW BOOK THE GREAT RETURN!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). To make a direct donation or to get in touch with questions or comments please email irreverendpod@gmail.com!Notices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com Support the show

Join rev with a difference Jamie Franklin, as he comments on Justin Welby's most recent public appearance alongside Laura Kuenssberg and notes the surprising influence of the hit Netflix show Adolescence within the Church of England!ORDER NOW JAMIE'S NEW BOOK THE GREAT RETURN!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). Notices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com Support the show

The hosts dive into the provocative themes of the hit show 'Adolescence', questioning if it sheds light on social issues or simply stirs controversy. They tackle the troubling persecution of Christians in Syria, highlighting the deafening silence from mainstream religious institutions. The conversation shifts to the watering down of assisted suicide legislation, raising ethical alarms about its implications. Finally, they stir debate over a local school's decision to cancel Easter celebrations in favor of other religious events, sparking concerns about the representation of Christianity.

Rev with a difference Jamie Franklin tackles the Diocese of Norwich's anti-racism toolkit debacle and Giles Cohen's piece on giving up atheism for Lent. Then a special interview with home education activist Randall Hardy on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the concerns that it presents to home educators. All that and more as always. Enjoy!ORDER NOW JAMIE'S NEW BOOK THE GREAT RETURN!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). Links: No Nationalisation of Our Kids – Taking a stand against Educational Bureaucratshttps://northshropshe.wordpress.com/The Blob Has Sunk to New Depths in Its Quest to Destroy Educational Freedom – Randall Hardy, The Daily Sceptichttps://dailysceptic.org/2025/02/06/the-blob-has-sunk-to-new-depths-in-its-quest-to-destroy-educational-freedom/Phillipson is Letting the Blob Run Rings Around Her – Randall Hardy, The Daily Sceptichttps://dailysceptic.org/2025/03/07/phillipson-is-letting-the-blob-run-rings-around-her/Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024 – The HE Bytehttps://he-byte.uk/cws-bill-2024-england/Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: more questions than answers | Defend Digital Mehttps://defenddigitalme.org/2024/12/17/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-more-questions-than-answers/Policy | Defend Digital Mehttps://defenddigitalme.org/policy/policy/Two Dangerous Bills | Reclaim Rights for Childrenhttps://rightsforchildren.uk/two-dangerous-bills/Educational Freedomhttps://educationalfreedom.org.uk/Ed Yourselfhttps://edyourself.orgNotices:Daniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.coSupport the show

Church of England revs with a difference Tom Pelham and Jamie Franklin sit down to talk about the biggest stories in church and state. This time we talk about the Church of England comms team's strange decision to release a video about Climate Change on Shrove Tuesday after which we get our teeth into the major geopolitical events of the week: Starmer's visit to the White House; the apocalyptic clash between Trump, Zelenskyy and JD Vance; the US pausing of military aid to Ukraine; Zelenskyy coming back to the table with Trump; and Trump's mega address to Congress in which he claimed Lesotho was a place nobody had ever heard of. All that plus much much more as ever!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. You can now support us on Substack! https://irreverendpod.substack.com/. Or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). Notices:Pre-order Jamie's new book The Great ReturnDaniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.comSupport the show

The three Church of England revs with a difference are back to talk about the biggest issues in church and state. This time:Trump's recent IVF orderProposed change to assisted suicide law extending eligibility to twelve months from sixDid anything interesting happen at General Synod? Our next pick for Archbishop of CanterburyAnd the mysterious withdrawal of the anonymous appointee to the See of DurhamAll that and much much more as ever. Please enjoy!Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. Please support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). Notices:Thinking Slow at the Thinking Coalition: https://thinkingcoalition.orgPre-order Jamie's new book The Great ReturnDaniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.comSupport the show

Church of England rev with a difference Jamie Franklin pulls no punches as he analyses JD Vance's excoriating speech to a group of European leaders at a security summit in Munich. In a reversal of expectation, Vance claimed that the greatest threat to European security was not Russia but was the internal degradation of European society itself. He also took aim at the attack on free speech in the form of the monitoring of ostensible thought crime in Britain. Rev Jamie considers his assertions and contrasts them with the rebuttal given by Labour Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds who also claims to be speaking from a Christian perspective.After that viewers can partake of a full-length interview Rev Jamie gave for the Thinking Slow podcast on the subject of his new book The Great Return: Why Only a Restoration of Christianity Can Save Western Civilisation.Please Support the Podcast!You make Irreverend possible. Please support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend) or Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend). Notices:Thinking Slow at the Thinking Coalition: https://thinkingcoalition.orgPre-order Jamie's new book The Great ReturnDaniel French Substack: https://undergroundchurch.substack.com/Jamie Franklin Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.comIrreverend Substack: https://irreverendpod.substack.comFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/IrreverendPodFind me a church: https://irreverendpod.com/church-finder/Join our Irreverend Telegram group: https://t.me/irreverendpodFind links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.comSupport the show