Constitutional scholar Nicholas Aroney joins Jonathan for an examination of the legal meaning and implications of the proposed new s129 in the Australia Constitution that establishes the Voice, and which is the subject of a referendum on 14 October. Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Queensland. He has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters and books in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutional law and legal theory. He has held visiting positions at Oxford, Cambridge, Paris II, Edinburgh, Durham, Sydney, Emory and Tilburg universities. You can read Nick's co-authored submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice here and something he has written on First Peoples and the People of Australia here. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authorityand Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email Jonathan at polanimalspod@gmail.com.

Jonathan is joined by Iain Benson for a conversation about values and virtues. They discuss the triumph of technique over purpose in our contemporary culture, the problems with adopting "values" as our primary moral language and the need to recover the ancient moral language of virtue. Iain Benson is Professor of Law at Notre Dame University, Sydney, Australia. He is an academic, lecturer and practicing lawyer in constitutional law and human rights, with a particular focus on freedoms of association and religion, the nature of pluralism, multiculturalism and the relationships between laws, religion and human rigths. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authorityand Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email Jonathan at polanimalspod@gmail.com.

Clive Hamilton joins the show to discuss his left-wing critique of wokeness published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the found of The Australia Institute and the author of many books, including Defiant Earth: The Fate of Humans in the Anthropocene, Silent Invasion: China's Influence in Australia and Provocateur: A Life of Ideas in Action. The article discussed in the show is "Wake up, lefties, and reject wokeness." The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authorityand Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook and Twitter.

In this episode, Jonathan engages in a conversation about conservatism with political philosopher and radical feminist Holly Lawford-Smith. They do so by discussing Burke's classic text, Reflections on The Revolution in France, which they both read (Holly for the first time) in preparation for the podcast. The conversation ranges across reform versus revolution, the strengths and weaknesses of liberalism, the role and function of religion in society, social hierarchy and more. Dr Holly Lawford-Smith is an Associate Professor in political philosophy in the school of historical and philosophical studies at the University of Melbourne. Her latest book is (with Angie Pepper): Is it Wrong to Buy Sex? A Debate (Routledge, 2023). She is also the author of Gender-Critical Feminism (OUP, 2022). The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authorityand Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook and Twitter.

Brendan O'Neill, journalist and Chief Political Writer at Spiked, discusses free speech, cancel culture, linguistic tyranny, and the Orwellian assault on reality in Western societies. Topics include the boundaries of free speech, copyright and the right to be wrong, the progressive view of education, the limitations of 'cancel culture', propaganda's impact on truth, the rise of pronouns and the trans movement, the perversion of cultural ideas, and the importance of free speech and making moral judgments.

Jonathan is joined by Russian-Australian scholar Andreas Berg for a deep dive on contemporary Russia. They cover the anarchic chaos of the 1990s transition from communism, the rise of Vladimir Putin, the nature and operation of Putin's regime, the complex and fraught relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the current war in Ukraine, the would-be rebellion of Evgeny Prigozhin's Wagner PMC and the fate of Russia post-Putin. Dr Andreas Berg is an intellectual historian with a PhD from Griffith University on the interplay between the Enlightenment and mystical discourses in eighteen century Russia. For over a decade, he taught the humanities at Griffith and Bond Universities and he is currently pursuing post-graduate study in international relations at the Australian National University. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority and Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Jonathan is joined by Pieter Valk for a conversation about how churches that adhere to traditional Christian teaching on sexuality and sexual ethics can care for and support gay and trans Christians. Pieter Valk is the founder and director of Equip, a consulting ministry aimed at helping churches to be places where gay and LGBT Christians can thrive in line with the church's traditional and historic sexual ethic. Valk is also the founder of the Family of Brothers, an organisation aimed at fostering family and community among men called to vocational singleness. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority and Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Jonathan is joined by conservative commentator Gray Connolly for an examination of the good, the bad and the ugly of contemporary conservatism. They cover the traditional conservative understanding of government, authority, society, family, duty, inheritance and culture and the many libertarian (and populist) heresies perverting this understanding amongst so-called "conservatives." Gray Connolly is a Barrister in Sydney, Australia. He has a broad public law and commercial law practice, including constitutional law, energy and resources law, and admiralty/shipping law. In particular, Gray has advised the Australian Government on national security law and public law matters. Gray also lectures in constitutional law and he also serves part-time as a Senior Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of the Commonwealth of Australia.  Gray served previously as a Naval Intelligence officer in the Royal Australian Navy in the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, East Timor, and the Middle East, including service in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Gray writes on what interests him at his blog “Strategy Counsel” and in various publications. Gray’s Twitter is @GrayConnolly. Please note that all of Gray’s opinions are his opinions only and not those of any Australian Government entity. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority and Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

John Milbank, a prominent figure in political theology, discusses the challenges for Christian contribution in today's politics, critiquing the secular perversions of political ideology. Topics include the evolution of political theology, redefining political reality, the relevance of Christianity in a secular society, and the impact of extreme biotechnology on humanity and society.

Knox Peden returns to the show to discuss his interesting, and by today's standard unusual, journey from secular intellectual influenced by Spinoza and Marx to practicing Catholic. Dr Knox Peden is an intellectual historian who has taught philosophy and history at the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and the University of Queensland. He has published widely on French philosophy and on a variety of topics in intellectual history, including Spinozism and Marxism. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority and Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram.