Centre for Christian Living podcast

Around 19 per cent of Australia’s population is of school age. A similar proportion—around 17 per cent—are seniors, if that’s defined as 65 and older. Are those percentages reflected in the time, people and resources that your church devotes to evangelising and ministering to these age groups?Most of us would admit that our church has put vastly more effort into youth and children’s ministry than we do into ministry to older people. But why is that the case? Is it just a natural focus on the next generation, or is it a blind spot and a huge missed opportunity?In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living Podcast with Ben Boland, chaplain for Churches of Christ Queensland, we think about the marvellous opportunities and challenges of ministering to older people.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Priceless People: Loving Older People and People Living with Dementia (Ben R Boland): available from Koorong, Reformers, The Wandering Bookseller, Word, 10ofThose and Amazon.Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Do you ever get that feeling that the teachings of the Bible, and the complex and painful things that actually happen in your life don’t always connect? Do you ever feel that when you’re in the midst of pain, grief and difficulty, you’re not exactly sure what the gospel has to say about it?Andrew Nicholls, Director of Pastoral Care at Oak Hill College in London, had exactly that experience as a pastor, trying to help his parishioners with the pain and grief of their lives, and finding that he didn’t have a whole lot to say to them. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Andrew speaks about this experience of having not much to say, and how it led to a turning point in his ministry and his whole view of what a pastor’s job is, as well as his understanding of how the gospel speaks to the realities of our lives.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Centre for Global Mission event: Embracing Hard Ministry: The Bible and the practice of Global Mission(Wed 23 July).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Have you ever had one of those moments of self-awareness when some relationship or perhaps some conversation has just gone badly, and for some reason, you stop and think, “Why did that just happen? What did I do? What attitudes, behaviours and underlying thoughts did I bring to that conversation that contributed to what just happened?”If you’ve ever managed to do that and also thought to yourself, “I really should do that more often and more thoughtfully,” then this conversation between Tony Payne and Caroline Spencer is for you. Also, if you’ve never stopped to think about yourself, your thought patterns and your behaviours, then this conversation is even more for you. It’s about healthy self-reflection and how we can develop good habits of self-reflection to serve others around you.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Getting Over Yourself: Developing a healthy self-reflection habit to serve those around you (Caroline Spencer).Centre for Global Mission event: Embracing Hard Ministry: The Bible and the practice of Global Mission(23 July).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

What does it mean to live the Christian life as a man or as a woman? Does whether we are men or women make any difference to living as a Christian and seeking to be a godly person in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Does godliness look any different for men as it does for women, or, for that matter, for young people as opposed to old people?These kinds of questions can often cause controversy. But they’re also hard to avoid if we reflect honestly on our experiences as men and women, as well as reflect open-heartedly upon the Scriptures. In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living Podcast, Tony Payne talks with Moore College lecturer Paul Grimmond about these complex and very important questions.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about Moore College’s Open Events.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Last year in 2024, Tom Schreiner, Associate Dean for the School of Theology, the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, delivered the Annual Moore College Lectures on the Book of Galatians.In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks with Tom about Galatians and how what God says in this marvellous letter directs the way we think and act as his people, and how it shapes the Christian life. Their conversation touches on the cross, justification by faith, the place of the law and of works in the Christian life, the role of the Spirit, and what the fruit of the Spirit looks like in those who follow Christ.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

In the past, people used to date by asking each other out and getting to know each other over coffee, a meal or some other activity. But these days, many people use dating apps as a way of meeting others. How should we navigate this area as Christians? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach? What are the dangers we need to be aware of?Jocelyn Bignill, Assistant Minister at All Saints in Petersham, Sydney, has been working on an unpublished article about dating apps, and in this episode, Peter Orr talks to her about the challenges and obstacles Christians might face when using them. It’s an important subject—not just for those who are in a stage of life where they may be using these apps, but also for those of us who have grown-up children who might need guidance in how to navigate this tricky area.(Please note: Jocelyn Bignill’s article on dating apps, which Peter Orr refers to in this interview, is currently unpublished.)For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Gospel ministry in our schools is incredibly important and strategic, and has changed many lives. But what does it mean for the gospel to do its work in a school? What sort of work does a school chaplain do? In addition, how does the ministry that takes place within our schools sit alongside, complement and relate to the broader ministry of the gospel that we’re used to seeing in our churches?In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr chats to Peter Tong, chaplain at Barker College in Sydney, Australia, about what that ministry looks like, why school chaplaincy is important, and how we can support it.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

What’s the place of mission in the Christian life? In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks to Tania Snowdon. Tania and her husband Mike spent a number of years on the mission field in Spain and have since returned. Tania speaks about the whole mission experience—why you would go; how to decide whether to go; how to decide where to go; the training you receive before going; what it’s like when you arrive and start speaking the gospel into a new culture; how Christians can support missionaries; and what it’s like to return from the field and re-enter your home culture.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-134/">visit our website.Find">http://moore.edu.au/ptc">Find out more about the Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC)Support the work of the Centre by making">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/donate/">making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

As Christians, we know that evangelism is important. But most of us feel that we’re not very good at it and that we don’t do enough of it.In this episode, Peter Orr speaks with Dave Jensen, who works as an evangelist for Evangelism and New Churches Sydney Anglicans. Dave helps us think about how we can increase in our fervour and ability for evangelism, and how we can do it as Christians together.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about studying at Moore Theological College.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

It seems if you talk to anyone and ask them how they’re doing, one of the most common things they’ll say is that they’re feeling tired. I think that’s true of Christian and non-Christian alike. What we all need is rest.In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Jocelyn Bignill about some recent thinking she did in a talk on rest, and how we can rest spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s a really helpful and challenging discussion, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.