Spiritual Misfits Podcast

In this episode Will engages in a rich conversation with Liz Charlotte Grant, author of 'Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible.' They explore Liz's early relationship with the Bible, her journey through evangelicalism, and the evolution of her faith. Liz shares her insights on the importance of narrative in shaping beliefs, the complexities of trust within evangelical communities, and the need for inclusive and equitable spaces for dialogue about faith. Liz and Will explore the complexities of interpreting scripture, the significance of God's voice, and the importance of spiritual autonomy. They discuss the parallels between God's communication and whale song, the value of Jewish midrash in understanding biblical texts, and the need for personal interpretation in a world filled with diverse voices. Liz emphasizes the importance of approaching the Bible with a sense of wonder and astonishment rather than seeking facts and certainty, encouraging listeners to trust their own spiritual journeys and interpretations.'Knock at the Sky' is out now. Learn more here: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802883759/knock-at-the-sky/Get tickets to Future Church Conference coming up on January 28 now! Use SPIRITUALMISFITS at checkout for $10 off: https://events.humanitix.com/future-church-conference-2025/ticketsWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Yo! Brand new podcast episodes will be coming your way in early 2025, but for now I'm pulling out a couple of great episodes to revisit from the back-log, like this chat with Carolyn Meers.This is a conversation about what it’s like to go through faith crises, deconstruction, dark nights of the soul. etc etc. while pastoring a church. This is not an easy road. And I have not heard many people talk about it from the perspective of being a pastor. But I don’t think it’s uncommon. I hope that this conversation gives people a little more empathy for some of the tensions that many pastors deal with, trying to love a group of people with a diversity of opinions and perspectives, while going through their own process. If you are a pastor, I hope this makes you feel like your process is ok. And you too are not alone. Out of her own journey of change, Caro has shifted the way she leads and shapes church community. And in my opinion, what she describes sounds exactly like what I crave when I think of the church of tomorrow (which we’ve spoken a little bit about lately). It is well worth listening to this conversation just to hear how Caro approaches things like teaching the bible and nurturing community nowadays. Get tickets to Future Church Conference coming up on January 28 now! Use SPIRITUALMISFITS at checkout for $10 off: https://events.humanitix.com/future-church-conference-2025/ticketsWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Yo! Brand new podcast episodes will be coming your way in early 2025, but for now I'm pulling out a couple of great episodes to revisit from the back-log, like this chat with Michael Frost and Shane Meyer-Holt...Michael Frost (the kiwi version who hosts 'In the Shift' podcast) and Shane-Meyer Holt joined me (Will) for a rich conversation exploring their own stories and experiences around high control religious settings and their attempts to create much more open, gentle and generous communities these days. The conversation explores power dynamics, coercive control and the risk these things can pose to communities of all sizes - mega to micro. We also talk about embodiment, processing trauma and the kind of spirituality that embraces and listens to the body. There's so much good stuff in this one. Enjoy.Check out the excellent 'In the Shift': https://intheshift.com/Get tickets to Future Church Conference coming up on January 28 now! Use SPIRITUALMISFITS at checkout for $10 off: https://events.humanitix.com/future-church-conference-2025/ticketsWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

In this Christmas special, Will Small is joined by Mitch Forbes and Ella Evans for an honest conversation about the complexities, frustrations, and hidden griefs of the Christmas season. Between music, conversation, and poetry, they explore:The tension between Christmas joy and real-world sufferingThe liturgical calendar as an alternative rhythm to the consumer-driven grindFinding hope in small acts of kindnessThe radical nature of the incarnation storyGet tickets to Future Church Conference coming up on January 28 now! Use SPIRITUALMISFITS at checkout for $10 off: https://events.humanitix.com/future-church-conference-2025/ticketsWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

In this episode Simon Nixon joins Will to discuss the challenges of navigating difficult conversations, especially during the holiday season, and the significance of recognizing emotions and setting boundaries. Simon highlights the need for self-awareness and understanding triggers while engaging in conversations with family and friends, advocating for incremental sharing and vulnerability. The conversation concludes with practical strategies for preparing for difficult discussions and managing emotional responses.Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Dr Tanya Riches is the Director of Master of Transformational Development at Eastern College, and she has a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her interdisciplinary project with Aboriginal Pentecostal leaders (located at the intersection of development studies, anthropology, and Pentecostal theology) won the David Allan Hubbard Award from the School of Intercultural Studies. Her monograph entitled Worship and Social Engagement in Urban Aboriginal-led Australian Pentecostal Congregations was published in 2019 with Brill. It investigated links between urban Aboriginal-led congregations’ worship practices and their social justice initiatives.In this episode Tanya Riches and Will Small explore the intersections of spirituality, community, and social justice within the context of Pentecostalism and Australian culture. They discuss the importance of reconnecting with nature, the role of grief and lament in faith, and the influence of Aboriginal spirituality on Pentecostal practices. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by Pentecostal communities in Australia, the shifting landscape of spirituality, and the need for practical theology that engages with real-world issues. Towards the end of the conversation they reflect on the season of Advent and the presence of God in unexpected places.Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Kelly Latimore is an artist whose modern day Icons have an incredible ability to challenge where we see Christ in the world. Some of his most known works reimagine the Nativity in contexts of modern suffering: amongst the homeless in a tent city, seeking safety as refugees, huddling beneath the rubble in Palestine. At the beginning of the season of Advent this is a powerful conversation about the role of religious art, the places where God is located in our neighbourhoods, and the ways we might learn to see anew. Kelly shares some of his personal story, and how he began to experiment with Iconography. Will and Kelly discuss the reactions to some of these pieces, the tensions between tradition and progress and the way communities can use art to better represent the image of God in their midst. Connect with Kelly's work here: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Will Small, Joel Hollier, and Christine Redwood reflect on their experiences and insights from the inaugural Future Church Conference at the beginning of this year and look towards the next one on January 28, 2025. They discuss the importance of collaboration, the need for change within the church, and the significance of creating inclusive spaces for marginalized voices. They discuss trying to hold both optimism and grief in the current state of faith communities, as well as emphasising the necessity of organising for change and the value of small, local initiatives. Get a ticket for Future Church conference here (use code SPIRITUALMISFITS for $10 off): https://futurechurchcon.com/Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

In this conversation, Tim Whitaker discusses the complexities of the recent political landscape in the U.S., particularly focusing on the impact of Trump and the role of Evangelicalism. He reflects on his personal journey and how The New Evangelicals began. The discussion highlights the challenges and contradictions within Evangelicalism and the need for a more progressive and compassionate approach to faith. Tim and Will then explore the complexities of community, identity, and faith in a digital age. They discuss the importance of grappling with one's heritage, the role of digital communities in fostering connections, and the challenges of finding embodied faith communities. The conversation also touches on the need for systemic change within the church, the discovery of new theological perspectives, and the motivation to resist harmful ideologies like Christian nationalism. Connect with The New Evangelicals here: https://www.thenewevangelicals.com/Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

I presume many of you, like me, are feeling a deep swirl of emotions coming out of a week where we have witnessed the re-election of Trump. Honestly it feels so baffling to me that someone can so blatantly be a convicted felon, a misogynist, an authoritarian, completely void of compassion and empathy for vulnerable people…and with all this and so much more on full display and public record… still be worshipped and adored and actively chosen by a majority of voters. And one of the most disturbing realities is how many white Evangelical Christians unashamedly throw their support and indeed their votes behind this man. There’s a strong argument to be made that Evangelical support for Trump in 2016 has been one of the major catalysts for people deconstructing faith and leaving the institutional church. The #exvangelical movement can largely be traced back to that election.White Evangelicals aren’t solely responsible for Trump — and why he had such a clear majority of support in this election is beyond my ability or this podcast’s ability to answer. And yet, this disturbing confluence of politics and religion and the questions it raises has obviously been very real and personal for many of us. And so this week I actually wanted to replay an earlier podcast conversation from a couple years back now, with David Gushee (that I think remains very relevant).   David has been one of the voices that has helped me understand the history that led to what American Evangelicalism is today. He has also been a strong advocate for defending democracy — and my second of two interviews with him was discussing his book ‘Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies’. You may want to go back and listen to that though I understand if the wound feels too fresh right now (though of course the need to defend democracy only increases after this election result). But I actually wanted to revisit my first conversation with David, in which we mainly spoke about his book ‘After Evangelicalism’ which asks where do you go when you’ve seen the ugliest manifestations of Evangelical Christianity and want none of that…but you still want a faith that makes sense and approaches the world in ethical, compassionate, just ways? David speaks so well about this.I’m reminded this week — as I often am — that the most important choice is not between theism or atheism. Between religious or non-religious. Christian or not Christian. The choice is what kind of Christian will I be? What kind of human will I be? What kind of neighbour will I be? Evil arrives under the guise of many labels. So too does love. And when we fail to see love through the most powerful leaders in this world — we might want to throw our hands up in despair. Yet, I think it only becomes more essential that we choose the alternate reality — the truer reality — of self-giving love lived out in our lives and neighbourhoods Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com