Generous Faith

Series 2 Episode 3: Magic and Mystery

Guests: Dr Shanon Shah and Max Gordon

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life - a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

We begin season 2 with a magical conversation. Is magic evil? Can you believe in God and magic? Is it all the same? Join me, Georgia Ashwell, as I interview two guests, Max Gordon, a tarot reader, astrologer and psychic from the U.S, who has been reading professionally for over thirty years. And Dr Shanon Shah, a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King's College London (KCL). He conducts academic research on minority religions and alternative spiritualities at the Inform, an educational charity affiliated with KCL.

Together we talk about the binary of faith and magic – why was faith always displayed as good and magic bad. But doesn’t magic occur in the bible? Christianity has at the centre of the faith – the Holy Spirit – could it be that magic and faith are not so polarised. Maybe all magic is from God.

Generous Faith

Episode 6: Prophecy and the Church

Guests: Rev Giles Goddard and Rev Chantal Noppen

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

In this final episode of season one, Georgia talks with returning guest, Rev Giles Goddard, author of Generous Faith – that this podcast is named after – and one of the organisers of the conference – Generous Faith: our wound is our word. A new guest Rev Chantal Noppen, a priest in the church of England with over 10 years of working on Estates, now the National Coordinator for Inclusive Church, and working with Giles to produce the Generous Faith conference. The theme of the conference is prophecy and so, Georgia and guests talk about prophecy, what it is and what it might be. Join them as they venture into conversations on fortune telling, witchcraft, palm reading, mediums (yes, they’re in the Bible). Is this prophecy? Or is the work of the prophet to speak truth to power? Or both? Do we have prophets today? Where are they and who are they? Listen to find out more.

And come along to the Generous Faith: our wound is our word conference at St John’s waterloo on Saturday 22nd March. Tickets here

This is the last episode for series one, but Georgia will be back for another series soon. If you have any thoughts, comments, ideas or asks, let her know on georgia@stjohnswaterloo.org

Generous Faith

Episode 5: Sexism, Misogyny and the Church

Guests: Rev Martine Oborne and Dr Sharon Jagger

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

In this episode Georgia is joined by two guests, Rev Martine Oborne, and Dr Sharon Jagger. Martine is vicar of St Michaels Chiswick and Chair of WATCH – Women and the Church, a charity that campaigns for equality for women and men in the Church of England, Sharon is associate Professor at York St John university and researcher in feminist theory and religion.

Both guests hold a deep passion for justice and equality for women in the Church. Unfortunately, this is still something that is being fought for and there are still restrictions on women in the Church. In this episode Georgia and guests talk about why these discriminations exist, the history of women in the Church, the impact this discrimination has on women both lay and ordained and what is being done to try and change this. Listen now and, as ever, get in touch if you have any questions.

Further information on The Five Guiding Principles can be found here.

Generous Faith

Episode 4: Generously Religious

Guests: Dr Shanon Shah, Dalia Elariny

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

In this fourth episode of season one, Georgia is joined by Dr Shanon Shah and Dalia Elariny as they talk about their holding together of both Islam and Christianity. Both guests have had a multi-faith upbringing and have been faced with the question – so which one will you choose.
In true Generous Faith style, instead of moving towards one or the other, this episode discusses how all is held together, how each religion can inform and connect with the other, rather than opposing.

Once again, Generous Faith moves into the space between the binaries and looks into religious life beyond the place of choosing and into the places of embracing. Dalia is doing a PDH on Navigating Multiple Religious Belongings in London and so is perfect to come and speak more on this subject. Shanon is a member of St John’s Waterloo, he is director of Faith for the Climate a multi-faith climate justice charity, he an author, and teaches the Study of Islam and interfaith relations at the university of London divinity programme.

Generous Faith
Episode 3: The Place for Politics
Guests: Grey Collier & Abigail Oyedele

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

On this month’s episode Georgia and guests, Rev Grey Collier, Curate at St John’s Waterloo and Abigail Oyedele, community organiser at Citizens UK, talk about how politics and faith merge, or don’t they?

This is not just a conversation about party politics, but politics as a whole. For some people with faith there is a binary of the secular and sacred and never do the two come together. Does this binary exist? What is found in the space between these binaries? And, where is the place of politics within a world of faith?

Grey speaks from his perspective as a former human rights lawyer, as well someone who didn’t hold a faith for some years, before now being ordained in the Church of England. Abigail speaks from her position as a community organiser, who engages with politics on a daily basis and who also grew up in the Church. What is their advice to anyone who is not yet engaged in politics? And, indeed, is everything political…

Generous Faith

Episode 2: Let’s Talk About the Soul

Guest: Dr Deborah Watkins

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

In this second episode, Georgia is joined by Dr Deborah Watkins, mental health nurse and qulified counsellor, she has a doctorate in education, and is a treasured member of St John’s Waterloo. Her research explores the space where mind, body and spirit meet – with a focus on how this supports mental health nursing. This episode will delve into the place of the spiritual within our lives and within ourselves as we question the mystery of spiritual being. Together, they talk of the importance of love and forgiveness within their own faith, and the place of the divine feminine.

St John’s Waterloo are hosting Exploring Spirit this October and November. Exploring Spirit is a series of interfaith talks and discussions on the spiritual. They are talks that will help illuminate the spirit within life and ourselves and will cover topics such as spirit and beauty, spirit and justice, spirit and death, spirit and creativity.

Generous Faith

Episode 1: Let’s Talk About Generous Faith

Guests: Reverend Giles Goddard and Halima Gosai Hussein

Generous Faith is a series hosted by Reverend Georgia Ashwell, a podcast that celebrates the curious and the questioning. In these challenging times we’re thinking about how to live a good life – a life which embraces questions and explores a generous way to understand faith, life and the world. Join Georgia and featured guests each month to seek those spaces found between the binaries, spaces where beauty and mystery often dwell. This podcast is produced by St John’s Waterloo in collaboration with Morley Radio.

In this first episode, Georgia is joined by Reverend Canon Giles Goddard, vicar of St John’s Waterloo, and author of the book ‘Generous Faith’, alongside, Halima Gosai Hussain, founder and trustee of the Inclusive Mosque Initiative, who also features in the book. ‘Generous Faith’ is described as a book for anyone who dreams of a more generous, more colourful, more courageous, and more daring faith. This episode will delve into the response Giles received after the book’s release, followed by a discussion with Halima around the book’s topics, such as Muslim prayer, sexuality, hurt, and loss.

Sensitive Sections to Avoid

6:30 – 12:40

15:27 – 19:07

23:29 – 24:00

28:00 – 34:56