Centre for Christian Living podcast

In this episode, Peter Orr chats with Nick and Dorothy Jones about their life as a family—particularly loving and caring for their son William, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Nick and Dorothy reflect on how their Christian faith sustains and strengthens them as they love and care for William, and they offer some very helpful insights not only about caring for a child with a significant disability, but also about how Christians can support people in a similar situation in our churches.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.

The world is becoming wealthier and wealthier. Since the turn of the century, the net worth of many countries in the West and in Asia has tripled, poverty rates have fallen, and life expectancy has increased by more than six years.At the same time, the divide between rich and poor has increased, with the richest one per cent owning almost fifty per cent of all the world’s wealth. Five to ten per cent of people still live in extreme poverty, even in the most affluent nations. Furthermore, while money can buy happiness, it can only do so up to a certain point, and wealthier people are more likely to be less generous and less kind to others.How as Christians should we think about affluence? Is material prosperity a blessing or a curse, or both? Given the state of the world and income inequality, what are we to do with the riches God has given us? At our 2024 August event, Michael Jensen, rector of St Mark’s Anglican Darling Point, helped us to see our earthly treasure the way our heavenly Father does.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.

In this episode of the CCL podcast, we hear from Susanna Baldwin, a Bible translator in Darwin. She speaks about her work on the Plain English Version, the challenges of Bible translation, and also helps us to think through what questions to ask when we are considering which English version to read.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous portion of the Bible. It’s a psalm that has brought comfort to Christians throughout history. In this episode, Peter Orr speaks to David Gibson, who has released a book that walks through the psalm in detail—“The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus our shepherd, companion and host”. David shows us that there are wonderful depths that are easy to miss, and how, in so many ways, this psalm encapsulates the entirety of the Christian life.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-124/

In this episode of the CCL podcast, we speak to Jackie Gibson about her book, You are Still a Mother. The book recounts how Jackie and her husband Jonny lost their daughter Leila just before she was due to be born. Through this terrible experience, Jackie came to appreciate the comfort of the Lord Jesus.We hope this episode is of comfort to you if you’ve experienced this kind of grief, or that it helps you to care for a friend or family member who has gone through something similar.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.

Artificial intelligence or AI is one of the most important concepts that people are discussing today. It’s something that, as Christians, we need to think carefully about. Akos Balogh spoke about AI at our March event earlier this year. In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Stephen Driscoll about his new book on AI—“Made in Our Image: God, artificial intelligence and you”—particularly looking at how the gospel helps us to engage with AI and think about it positively and critically. Stephen’s book is an excellent resource for thinking about AI. We hope this conversation gives you a taster of the subject and helps you to begin to think about this important concept.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-122/

The sexualisation of society is not new. But the untethering of sex from all relational foundations has posed new problems. No longer is sex between a man and a woman, or even between a boyfriend and girlfriend, and nor is it even with another person you’ve met through an app; sex in our culture can now be with whomever you want, in whatever way you want—even with non-human devices. Obviously these practices are ruled out for those of us who are Christians. But we’re still immersed in that same cultural space. Our ideas of sex and sexuality can be easily and subtly shaped and changed by the world around us. So how do we engage these topics in this new cultural landscape? How do we cling to what God in his word says is good for sex and sexuality? How do we respond to those who say that it is time to let go of our beliefs in the name of progress? At our 2024 May event, Philip Kern, Head of New Testament at Moore College, brought us back to what the Bible says about relationships, about our bodies and about sexuality. In this episode, we bring you the audio from that event, minus the Q&A segment, which you can find on our website: ccl.moore.edu.au. We hope you find Philip’s talk helpful. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-121/

Michael Jensen discusses his book 'Subjects and Citizens', exploring the intersection of theology and politics through the gospel. They delve into Christian perspectives on affluence, income inequality, and the role of human governments, emphasizing the importance of engaging in politics from the lens of Jesus' lordship for a politics of mercy and justice.

Andrew and Kath Bruce share personal, theological, and medical insights on living with chronic health issues. They discuss the challenges of managing ongoing illnesses, self-advocacy, impact on ministry work, and the importance of pastoral care for congregants with health concerns.

In the latest episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr has a chat with Paul Ritchie, a pastor in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, about his long-term struggle with different mental health challenges and how he thinks about these as a pastor. They also discuss Paul’s book, “Is it Unspiritual to be Depressed? Loved by God in the Midst of Pain”, the relationship between the medical and the spiritual, intrusive thinking, the importance of receiving medical help, and the role of the church in looking after people with mental illness. We hope you find Paul’s insights—drawn from both his own experience and his understanding of God’s word—helpful. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-118/