On the Way Podcast

How do we find a way back to one another, across shrill voices and opposing ideologies? How might we reclaim a democracy which appreciates the value of 'the other', creating community and living with tension in life-giving ways? With the recent release of the updated version of his classic book, "Healing the Heart of Democracy: the Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit", Parker Palmer rejoins the podcast to talk not just about the political landscape in the United States but how we all might take up the challenge and responsibility of a participative democracy in our local contexts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian priest, teacher and author, Eleanor O’Donnell joins the podcast to talk about the way we understand power, hierarchy and divinity. How do we talk about God when that word conjures a big other, looking down from a throne in the sky directing the traffic on earth? The language instead of a God who offers power “with” rather than power “over”, draws us into sacred relationship with one another and all creation. Abundant imaginative possibilities emerge in a life lived in the presence of the God who not only names us beloved, but invites our participation in the ongoing creation. To discover this is to step into a universe of abundance where the Spirit holds all in love and grace.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the UN reporting on acts of genocide in Gaza and the ongoing violent colonisation of multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic Palestine continuing, a global understanding and response to the situation is vital.  Eight million of the 15 million Palestinians are refugees or displaced peoples, excluded from their historical homeland by Zionist leaders whose actions indicate the desire for an ethnically cleansed state. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh joins the podcast and explains that despite the popular naming of the conflict as incredibly complex, the model is simply settler colonialism, the same motivation and mechanisms experienced by the Indigenous people of Australia. Professor Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian scientist and author, founder and Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. The Rev’d Dr Greg Jenks joins Dom and Sue in this important truth-telling conversation, listening and reflecting on some of the flawed narratives that dominate this conversation in the Church and the lack of political will to work for a just peace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Australia this year, one woman has been violently killed every four days. Increasingly we are aware of the way abusive behaviours form patterns over time to create and maintain power and dominance over another, whether emotionally, sexually, spiritually, or financially. This is not an isolated issue affecting a few but an issue that impacts everyone, across every social divide. Our culture and indeed our church so often misguidedly believe that love can still be present where one group or individual dominates another. The church has not only been silent, but in some of its teachings has actively supported structures of dominance and control. May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. Jenny Clark is the Domestic and Family Violence Project Officer for the Anglican Church Southern Queensland. She joins the podcast for this conversation that explores the power and misuse of power that is present in structures and teaching of the church, how this can enable abuse and what we can do about it.  If this podcast raises issues for you and you need to talk; 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) This is a 24-hour national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Details of other support services can be found at https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/helplines/ If you are in immediate danger call 000 for Police or Ambulance See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in turbulent times. Amidst the ecological, political, and economic crises dominating news headlines, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by a sense of doom about where this whole thing is going. Is it possible to face these very difficult realities with honesty and insight, while resisting both the fantasy of naive hope and the paralysis of complete despair? Brian McLaren is an author, activist, and teacher, returning to the On The Way podcast for the third time - but the first time in-person - for a conversation about his new book, Life After Doom. Recorded in Brian’s home town of Naples, Florida, this conversation explores a compassionate, creative, and courageous way of facing a complex future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amidst all our wrestling with the big questions of life, faith, and meaning, how do we move beyond our minds to a deeper, embodied experience of what it is to simply be loved? As Dom continues the podcast's Northern Hemisphere excursion, he joins Wm Paul Young (author of The Shack, Crossroads & Eve) in his home of Washington State for a conversation about the transformative power of being known and loved at the very centre of our being. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter, Sue and Dom sit down to share how these many conversations across 7 years with wise and thoughtful people from around the world and closer to home have shaped their thinking and their lives. What shifts have happened in the world and the church across this time and how did the conversations reflect such change? How does sharing our wonderings, both amongst friends and in the public square, help us navigate cultural and global change as we seek to be people “on the way”? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amidst the endlessly complex and varying longings, fears, passions, and possibilities that animate our lives, how do we find the courage and clarity to step into the path that’s truly calling to us?  Rob Bell knows this journey well. After many years as an author and speaker in the emergent faith space, Rob has followed the lure of life into a new path of fiction writing with the publication of his novel, Where’d You Park Your Spaceship? In this episode, recorded in Ojai, California, Dom & Rob share a conversation about the voices we choose to listen to, the freedom of leaving old lives behind, and the unknowing at the centre of it all.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Jungian analyst James Hollis, known for his insightful writings on the human psyche, as he delves into the call of the soul. He discusses the profound process of individuation, emphasizing the journey to reclaim one's true self amidst societal pressures. Hollis contrasts mere symptom treatment with depth psychology for genuine healing. He highlights the art of discernment in understanding our desires and the importance of aligning with our true selves to find authentic happiness. Get ready for a rich exploration of self-discovery and meaningful living!

Dom Fay is travelling and here once again from Pete Rollins' apartment in Belfast comes a special New Year podcast release to explore how the real object of our New Year's hopes may be found in our failure to achieve them. This is an existential crisis within an hour's listening enjoyment, teaching us that being human means that at the heart of our desires is the desire for desire itself. Instead of seeking to find a way out of the human condition, this is an invitation to find the life within it. Happy New Year! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.