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"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"—a phrase weaponised against anyone who dares to question harmful systems. International theatre-maker Jamie Garner transforms this warning into art with their play "Babies and Bathwater," which chronicles one woman's escape from religious coercion and her discovery of her own voice. Drawing from their own experience leaving evangelical Christianity, Jamie explores how purity culture grooms young women, how spiritual abuse mirrors domestic violence, and what it takes to rebuild yourself after losing everything—your community, your certainty, your sense of safety. This is theatre as testimony, art as liberation.

Content note: Includes discussion of spiritual abuse, sexual trauma, and religious coercion

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Thanks for joining us on The Theology Pod. We hope today's conversation has given you something meaningful to wrestle with as you continue your own spiritual journey.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform—it really helps other seekers find our conversations. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

For show notes, reading recommendations, and to join our ongoing discussion, visit us at TheologyPod.com. You can also follow us on social media @TheologyPod on Facebook for reflections and updates on upcoming episodes.

We love hearing from our listeners. Feel free to send us your questions, topic suggestions, or just let us know how these conversations are impacting your faith journey via our social media platforms.

Remember, theology isn't just an academic study—it's the lived experience of wrestling with the divine in our everyday lives. Keep asking the hard questions, keep seeking, and keep engaging with the mystery.

Until next time, may you find grace in the questions and peace in the seeking.

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What makes being a school chaplain "even more exciting than being an Archbishop"? In this episode, Alex sits down with Reverend Andrew Stewart at Mentone Grammar School to explore the unique world of Anglican school chaplaincy. With 25 years of experience ministering to what he calls "the least religious generation in Australia's history," Andrew shares insights on maintaining faith identity in diverse communities, building hope in young people, and navigating the complex relationships that make school ministry work. From the concept of "hopepunk" to creating an "architecture of meaning" for students, this conversation reveals how chaplains are on the front lines of mission to young people in our increasingly secular age.

Recorded on location at Mentone Grammar School, Melbourne

Thanks for joining us on The Theology Pod. We hope today's conversation has given you something meaningful to wrestle with as you continue your own spiritual journey.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform—it really helps other seekers find our conversations. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

For show notes, reading recommendations, and to join our ongoing discussion, visit us at TheologyPod.com. You can also follow us on social media @TheologyPod on Facebook for reflections and updates on upcoming episodes.

We love hearing from our listeners. Feel free to send us your questions, topic suggestions, or just let us know how these conversations are impacting your faith journey via our social media platforms.

Remember, theology isn't just an academic study—it's the lived experience of wrestling with the divine in our everyday lives. Keep asking the hard questions, keep seeking, and keep engaging with the mystery.

Until next time, may you find grace in the questions and peace in the seeking.

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In this compelling second part of our conversation with Father Chris Bedding, we dive deep into the intersection of faith, performance, and institutional power. Chris reveals how his award-winning comedy show Pirate Church - a work of "public theology" that toured nationally - became weaponised against him by those seeking to silence his advocacy work within the Anglican Church.

We explore Chris's journey from living "three separate lives" as priest, comedian, and activist to becoming "one person who fulfils different roles." This hard-won integration offers profound insights into authenticity and calling that challenge conventional boundaries between sacred and secular, serious and satirical.

Chris shares the absurd reality of being investigated for dressing as a pirate and singing sea shanties while serious institutional failures went unaddressed - a situation so ridiculous that "if you wrote this in a book, nobody would believe you." Yet this experience taught him that "everything is political," including comedy and church work itself.

We delve into the precarious legal status of faith workers as "office holders" rather than employees, leaving many clergy vulnerable to dismissal with minimal notice and no recourse to standard employment protections. Chris explains how new work health and safety legislation is beginning to change this landscape and why religious organisations must modernise their employment practices.

The conversation covers the Faith Workers Alliance's vision for reform - from ending the expectation that clergy work six days a week to addressing exploitation of students, First Nations workers, and overseas workers. Chris also reflects on his current season of ministry, training a new generation of activists while continuing his sacramental work as a "worker priest."

This episode challenges listeners to consider how institutional resistance to creative expression reveals deeper power dynamics, and offers practical wisdom about collective action, authenticity in ministry, and the courage required to bring your whole self to your calling.

Links mentioned: faithworkers.org.au | chrisbedding.com.au

Warning: Contains frank discussion of institutional trauma and systemic exploitation within religious organisations.

Thanks for joining us on The Theology Pod. We hope today's conversation has given you something meaningful to wrestle with as you continue your own spiritual journey.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform—it really helps other seekers find our conversations. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

For show notes, reading recommendations, and to join our ongoing discussion, visit us at TheologyPod.com. You can also follow us on social media @TheologyPod on Facebook for reflections and updates on upcoming episodes.

We love hearing from our listeners. Feel free to send us your questions, topic suggestions, or just let us know how these conversations are impacting your faith journey via our social media platforms.

Remember, theology isn't just an academic study—it's the lived experience of wrestling with the divine in our everyday lives. Keep asking the hard questions, keep seeking, and keep engaging with the mystery.

Until next time, may you find grace in the questions and peace in the seeking.