The Political Animals

Stephen McAlpine, author of the 2021 Australian Christian book of the year—Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn't—joins Jonathan for a conversation about the fate of the church in a hostile culture. "The church used to be recognised as a force for good, but this is changing rapidly. Christians are now often seen as the bad guys, losing both respect and influence. In our post-Christian culture, how do we offer the gospel to those around us who view it as not only wrong but possibly dangerous? And how do we ensure that the secular worldview does not entice us away with its constant barrage, online and elsewhere, of messages about self-determinism?"—Being the Bad Guys. Stephen McAlpine is a Perth-based pastor and author with over 30 years experience in Christian ministry. He has a background in journalism and writes on the intersection of church, theology and culture at stephenmcalpine.com.  The Political Animals is hosted by Jonathan Cole, an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersetion of religion and politics. He is the author of Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality.  You can follow Jonathan and the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Alex Naraniecki joins Jonathan for a conversation about multiculturalism. Among other things, they discuss the origins of Australia's bipartisan policy of multiculturalism, how that policy morphed from a strategy for managing migrant integration to a celebration of cultural diversity, the Cronulla riot and its fall out, the role of law in successful multiculturalism, the reasons why multiculturalism has fallen out of public discussion, Australia's "thick" and "thin" culture, the intersection of multiculturalism and political liberalism and the potential threat of civilisational states on Australia's cultural cohesion and security. Dr Alex Naraniecki is a researcher from the Institute for Ethics, Law and Governance at Griffith University’s Law Futures Centre. He did a post-doc at Deakin University on multiculturalism and is also a scholar of Karl Popper. The Political Animals is hosted by Jonathan Cole, an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersetion of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan and the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Martyn Iles returns to the show for a chat about the challenges of being a Christian in an age of deep political anxiety, from the stresses of covid and the increase in government power and control over life and death to the new religion of secular political power and the attendant temptation of political Christianity. Martyn Iles is Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, Host of The Truth of It and a prominent Christian commentator on theology, law, politics and culture. The Political Animals is hosted by Jonathan Cole, an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersetion of religion and politics. He is the author of Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality.  You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

In this episode, Jonathan chats to Kevin Donnelly about the degeneration of education. They focus on when, how and why education went into decline in Australia in both schools and universities, covering changes in pedagogy, the role of teachers, the purpose of education, the ideology of educators and academics, the corporatisation of the university and more. Dr Kevin Donnelly is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University and a regular commentator on education in the Australian media. He is the author of A Politically Correct Dictionary and Guide and the editor of Cancel Culture and the Left's Long March. In 2014, he co-authored a review into the national curriculum. You can read his articles and find out more about Kevin at his website: https://kevindonnelly.com.au/. The Political Animals is hosted by Jonathan Cole, an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersetion of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

Indigenous commentator Anthony Dillon joins the show for a discussion about indigenous affairs. Anthony provides a fresh perspective that is critical of what he calls "blacktivism," the grievance industry and the view that Australia is a racist country. Issues covered in the conversation include poverty, child abuse, incarceration, Aboriginal deaths in custody, indigenous incarceration rates, the infamous Bill Leak cartoon, Bruce Pascoe's Dark Emu and the fraught issue of Aboriginal identity. Dr Anthony Dillon is an indigenous commentator and behavioural scientist and researcher at The Australian Catholic University. Check out his website: www.anthonydillon.com.au. Host of The Political Animals, Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

The Centre for Public Christianity's (CPX) Natasha Moore joins host Jonathan for a conversation about public Christianity. They begin with an overview of the work of CPX, before moving on to the question of how to define and understand public Christianity more broadly, particularly in light of Christian division, denominational particularity and an often uninterested or hostile secular public. They then take a close and considered look at Marilynne Robinsons's Pulitzer Prize wining novel Gilead as an example of public Christianity. This sparks an unexpected and interesting detour into gender before the pair return to the question of public Christianity to close out the show. Dr Natasha Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined and, most recently, The Pleasures of Pessimism. She has worked for CPX since 2014 and written on topics that include books, movies, politics,
 food, domestic violence, Scripture in schools, war, Thanksgiving, and freedom of speech. Host of The Political Animals, Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. He is the author of Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

Ben Myers joins host Jonathan in this episode for a deep dive on the fascinating life, times and thought of John Milton (1608–1674). They cover everything from the English Civil War, regicide, political authority, republicanism, the Protestant Reformation, tyranny, censorship, theology, exegesis, the individual conscience, freedom, marriage and divorce, poetry and more.  Dr Ben Myers is Director of Graduate Research at Alphacrucis College and writes on the intersection of literature and theology. His international appointments have included visiting fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary and member in residence at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton. He is a Research Fellow of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre at Charles Sturt University and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland. He is the author of The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism, Christ the Stranger: The Theology of Rowan Williams and Milton's Theology of Freedom.  Host of The Political Animals, Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

In this, the second episode in the show's two-part series on European philosophy, polymath guest Wayne Hudson and host Jonathan Cole discuss the contribution and legacy of French philosophy. The enigmatic, controversial and influential thought of Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze serves as a springboard for a wide-ranging diagnostic conversation about contemporary politics, culture and education. Wayne Hudson is a Research Professor at Charles Sturt University. He is an intellectual historian and a social philosopher who works across the areas of philosophy, history, politics and religion. His research covers religious thought, utopianism and social reform, the Enlightenment and the postsecular. He is recognised as the English language expert on the Jewish German Philosopher Ernst Bloch and is also a leading historian of English deism. He delivered the first lectures on postmodernism at Oxford and taught philosophical anthropology for seven years at the University of Utrecht. Host of The Political Animals, Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook.

In this episode, the first in a two-part series on European philosophy, returning guest Prof Wayne Hudson examines the legacy of German philosophy. He explores the contribution of German giants Kant, Hegel and Schelling and explains the ways in which their thought has been misunderstood in the English-speaking world. He and host Jonathan then embark on a discussion about contemporary science and culture, civilisational decline, the cognitive evolution of the human being and the fate of humanity. Wayne Hudson is a Research Professor at Charles Sturt University. He is an intellectual historian and a social philosopher who works across the areas of philosophy, history, politics and religion. His research covers religious thought, utopianism and social reform, the Enlightenment and the postsecular. He is recognised as the English language expert on the Jewish German Philosopher Ernst Bloch and is also a leading historian of English deism. He delivered the first lectures on postmodernism at Oxford and taught philosophical anthropology for seven years at the University of Utrecht. Host of The Political Animals, Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Previously, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Facebook. 

Eminent constitutional scholar Nicholas Aroney joins host Jonathan in this episode for a wide-ranging discussion of life in the era of covid. They discuss the Australian Constitution, federalism, the legislative power of State and Territory governments, the legal basis of lockdowns and associated measures, legal challenges to lockdown measures, vaccine passports and mandates, the power of health bureaucrats, the place of death in our culture, the modern tendency to over-legislate and the impact of covid on our personal freedoms. Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Queensland. Professor Aroney has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters and books in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutional law and legal theory. He has led several international research projects in comparative federalism, bicameralism, legal pluralism, and law & religion. He is the author of The Constitution of a Federal Commonwealth: The Making and Meaning of the Australian Constitution (Cambridge University Press, 2009). He has held visiting positions at Oxford, Cambridge, Paris II, Edinburgh, Durham, Sydney, Emory and Tilburg universities. Host of The Political Animals, Dr Jonathan Cole, is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. He is currently Assistant Director of the Centre for Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University. Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst at Australian intelligence agency The Office of National Assessments. You can follow the show on Facebook and Twitter.