In a feedback-fuelled episode, we chat about heresy, gratitude, and the circuit board of love. Is heresy just speculation that is not the official speculation? Do we have to score 100% on our exams to get into heaven? Also, we think about whether sin is better viewed as separation and Nick gets rather agitated about how we read the Bible. Again.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Spotted Flycatcher
• Eurovision Song Contest
• Pilgrimage
• Positive News
• The Good News Hub
• Do You Have a Stepford God?
• The Stepford Wives
• Sara Pascoe reads a hilarious letter asking for clarity on God's Law

Brian McLaren talks about his new book, 'Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart'. He and Joe discuss how denial is exhausting, why our enemies are not people, but systems and how we all need to exercise our power to show up. 'Once you discover the God of love you fire all your other gods'. Also, remember, humans are a mess, but the birds are awesome.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Nick Page: How to be wise: Confessions of a recovering idiot
• Clangers
• Clangers on QI
• Brian McLaren
• Centre for Action and Contemplation
• Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart

This week we discuss the relationship between human skills and endeavour and the work of God. Or as Nick put it, 'Why does God get all the praise when I did all the work?' Does the fact that we live in a God-filled universe mean that the Divine should get all the credit? Or, by dismissing humanity's input are we actually devaluing the fact we are made in the image of God? And if that sounds too deep, there's a lot of custard.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Custard
• Freud's Last Session
• C. S. Lewis on praise

There's a lot about depth this week. We talk about dusting off the Bible and reading more deeply, and how the mid-faith crisis can be accompanied by different emotions, including the desire to go deeper. Oh, and Nick has been down a well. As if that wasn't deep enough we discuss our target demographic, Joe's bulging portfolio and the way in which so much of the church has taken Jesus' teaching on leadership and done the complete opposite. Warning: contains anger, bewilderment, grief and elephants.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Let There Be Light
• Little Gidding

We thought it was time to revisit the stages of faith – which is really what this podcast is all about. Joe takes us through his understanding of the six stages, but as well as exploring the crisis itself, we also look at the signs which tell us that we might be emerging into a newer, deeper faith. Also, Joe has a theme and Nick might still be recovering.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Let There Be Light
• Redstart
• Borscht
• The modern myth of the Easter bunny
• Ostara and the Hare
• The Long Table
• Nick Page, The Dark Night of the Shed
• Brian McLaren, Faith After Doubt
• Richard Rohr, Falling Upward

It’s our new year themes episode. Joe’s had a bad week so is behind with his homework. Nick has broken his Lenten fast from anger in a spectacularly ill-judged way. And we have thoughts about beetroot.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Staying Defiantly – The Conversation
• Barbie
• Ostara and the Hare: Not Ancient, but Not As Modern As Some Skeptics Think
• Beetroot
• The State of the Culture, 2024
• Liquid Church
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Previous theme episodes

• Episode 98: New year, new theme
• Episode 142: 'Own Your Nickness'
• Episode 184: 'Sort it Ahhht!'
• Episode 185: A Worthing Pier experience
• Episode 227: Service and Wisdomness
• Episode 235: Too much nard

It's Easter! And we reflect on what Easter means for us this year and how we can see our own faith journeys patterned in the events of Holy Week. Meanwhile, Nick is impressed by Hot Cross bun technology and Joe has discovered the word 'heuristic'. Happy Easter everyone.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Flaming June
• Sideways: Brain Strain
• Heuristic

As the song goes, 'Praise him on the trumpet, the psaltery and harp!' But why? In another of our excitingly named Moderately Interesting Questions, we explore the nature of praise. Does God demand it? How do we approach it? And what the heck is a psaltery anyway? We talk about praise as gratitude and heightened appreciation, how it needs to be based on intellectual content, and why attempts to do mood-altering worship never really work. Yes, it's worship on the dancefloor, so you'd better not kill the timbrel.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Baldred of Tyninghame
• New Year's Day
• Cornish Pasty Association
• Harry Baker Tour
• OMG A Bad Christian's Prayer Book