Gospel Conversations podcast

This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rikk Watts is one key thinker leading this new appreciation of Mark and of Mark's role, in giving the world its greatest every story.But can we believe the story?Is it myth or history?And if we can believe it, how do we read it intelligently?How can we get back behind two thousand years of culture to read like the world Mark wrote it for?How do we get a new conversation going with Mark's gospel?Most importantly what does Mark tell us about Jesus?Does he really claim that Jesus was the Son of God? If so, what did he mean by this?Rikk will build us a breathtaking picture of Jesus, as viewed by Mark. He will peel back the layers of tradition and put us squarely in the first-century world that was first rocked by this story. But we won’t stop there, we will also ask the ‘So what?’ question.What are the consequences of this story?How should we then live?We will answer these questions through three minds. Rikk, Mark Strom and Tony Golsby-Smith have been talking about this ‘so what’ world for years together, and this is our first opportunity to get on the same stage together. So Rikk will address it from the perspective of Mark’s gospel. Mark Strom will then address it through the window of history (How did the story change the world of the first and second centuries?). And Tony will address it through the world of a twenty-first-century business consultant encouraging large organisations and their leaders to redesign themselves. We three believe that we have put the gospel in a religious box for too long and it is time to take it out. After all, we believe that this big story changes EVERYTHING, not just church and religion. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rikk Watts is one key thinker leading this new appreciation of Mark and of Mark's role, in giving the world its greatest every story.But can we believe the story?Is it myth or history?And if we can believe it, how do we read it intelligently?How can we get back behind two thousand years of culture to read like the world Mark wrote it for?How do we get a new conversation going with Mark's gospel?Most importantly what does Mark tell us about Jesus?Does he really claim that Jesus was the Son of God? If so, what did he mean by this?Rikk will build us a breathtaking picture of Jesus, as viewed by Mark. He will peel back the layers of tradition and put us squarely in the first-century world that was first rocked by this story. But we won’t stop there, we will also ask the ‘So what?’ question.What are the consequences of this story?How should we then live?We will answer these questions through three minds. Rikk, Mark Strom, and Tony Golsby-Smith have been talking about this ‘so what’ world for years together, and this is our first opportunity to get on the same stage together. So Rikk will address it from the perspective of Mark’s gospel. Mark Strom will then address it through the window of history (How did the story change the world of the first and second centuries?). And Tony will address it through the world of a twenty-first-century business consultant encouraging large organisations and their leaders to redesign themselves. We three believe that we have put the gospel in a religious box for too long and it is time to take it out. After all, we believe that this big story changes EVERYTHING, not just church and religion. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rikk Watts is one key thinker leading this new appreciation of Mark and of Mark's role, in giving the world its greatest every story.But can we believe the story?Is it myth or history?And if we can believe it, how do we read it intelligently?How can we get back behind two thousand years of culture to read like the world Mark wrote it for?How do we get a new conversation going with Mark's gospel?Most importantly what does Mark tell us about Jesus?Does he really claim that Jesus was the Son of God? If so, what did he mean by this?Rikk will build us a breathtaking picture of Jesus, as viewed by Mark. He will peel back the layers of tradition and put us squarely in the first-century world that was first rocked by this story. But we won’t stop there, we will also ask the ‘So what?’ question.What are the consequences of this story?How should we then live?We will answer these questions through three minds. Rikk, Mark Strom, and Tony Golsby-Smith have been talking about this ‘so what’ world for years together, and this is our first opportunity to get on the same stage together. So Rikk will address it from the perspective of Mark’s gospel. Mark Strom will then address it through the window of history (How did the story change the world of the first and second centuries?). And Tony will address it through the world of a twenty-first-century business consultant encouraging large organisations and their leaders to redesign themselves. We three believe that we have put the gospel in a religious box for too long and it is time to take it out. After all, we believe that this big story changes EVERYTHING, not just church and religion. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rikk Watts is one key thinker leading this new appreciation of Mark and of Mark's role, in giving the world its greatest every story.But can we believe the story?Is it myth or history?And if we can believe it, how do we read it intelligently?How can we get back behind two thousand years of culture to read like the world Mark wrote it for?How do we get a new conversation going with Mark's gospel?Most importantly what does Mark tell us about Jesus?Does he really claim that Jesus was the Son of God? If so, what did he mean by this?Rikk will build us a breathtaking picture of Jesus, as viewed by Mark. He will peel back the layers of tradition and put us squarely in the first-century world that was first rocked by this story. But we won’t stop there, we will also ask the ‘So what?’ question.What are the consequences of this story?How should we then live?We will answer these questions through three minds. Rikk, Mark Strom and Tony Golsby-Smith have been talking about this ‘so what’ world for years together, and this is our first opportunity to get on the same stage together. So Rikk will address it from the perspective of Mark’s gospel. Mark Strom will then address it through the window of history (How did the story change the world of the first and second centuries?). And Tony will address it through the world of a twenty-first-century business consultant encouraging large organisations and their leaders to redesign themselves. We three believe that we have put the gospel in a religious box for too long and it is time to take it out. After all, we believe that this big story changes EVERYTHING, not just church and religion. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

Edwin Judge interviewed by Tony-Golsby-Smith:What does it mean to be a human being?What does it mean to be a good human being?Edwin will challenge some of our basic assumptions around these 2 central questions. He will challenge the view that the immortality of the soul is a basic Christian belief and the view that all values are much the same and arise from mere common sense. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Tony Golsby-Smith interviews Professor Edwin Judge on the history of the open society that we take for granted. He argues that without understanding the origin of our freedom, we are in danger of losing it. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

This month Tony Golsby-Smith interviews Edwin Judge. As one of Australia’s most admired History professors, Edwin offers us an invaluable perspective on one of the most important and misunderstood topics of our time—the fraught relationship between science and faith. He turns the tables upside down on the commonly accepted view that the Greeks gave us science but Christianity screwed that up with the myths of faith. This rich philosophical talk is a must for anyone who suspects that you can believe without losing your mind… but would like some more facts to be sure. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

Ron finishes his series on Tzimtzum with a stunning and simple talk on Jesus as the ultimate expression of God's 'Tzimtzum' character. But Tzimtzum is about more than character—it is about how God works. So Ron paints a gorgeous picture of Jesus as Governor of the created order—and our invitation to sit beside him. This is rare and profound material. Ron's framework of God could well have spared the early church their vexed debates on exactly what the 'divinity' of Jesus means. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

Ron continues his talk on Tzimtzum. With an introduction from Tony, we look for an articulation of the wonder of what Christ has done with a logic that is not rooted in sin and redemption. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe

This talk will expand your horizons and blow your minds—in a good way. Ron, building on his Jewish heritage, begins with Job and the complexity of life. It isn't straightforward or fair. He then traces how the great Jewish thinkers combed through the OT for centuries looking for answers to Job's big questions. They came up with the brilliant concept of 'Tzimtzum' around the 11th century AD. In essence—it means God's greatness manifests itself in containment and concealment, not explosive 'power'. Elijah's still small voice. We finish with a picture of God that seems to point straight to Jesus and the mystery of the Cross. You will have to listen a couple of times!! Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe