Deeper and Wider

In a world longing for meaning, there is an invitation like no other...  But what makes this invitation different from what's on offer in the culture? Listen to find out...

In this episode, we delve into the teachings of Jesus from Matthew 6:19-24, exploring the profound message about what true treasure is, which in turn creates the upside down economics of the Kingdom of God.   Initially preached at C3 North Perth as part of our 'This Strange Life' series, this particular recording was re-recorded at my home. 

We delve into Jesus' often overlooked angle to the Gospel - that Jesus is teacher. Drawing wisdom from the Gospel of Matthew, we compare the teachings explore their implications against the backdrop of religious and political backgrounds of His time, and also the modern belief that a meaningful life can be achieved through wellness practices, morality, and self-awareness without a genuine commitment to God. Finally, this episode presents a helpful creed that encapsulates the essence of the gospel, and if you want to follow along with that, then read from here:  We as a people, believe in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in the Father, who out of love, alongside the Son and Spirit, created the Heavens and the Earth. We believe in Jesus the Son, who was predestined to rule among us, Conceived of the the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, Who followed in God's ways and invited all into God's ways. In whose Kingdom, decisive victory was in suffering under Pontious Pilate. He was crucified, died, and descended into death, Yet, this victory was truly made known three days later when He rose again from the dead, trampling sin and death, He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and will come from there to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and, with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. Who moves across the Earth, Dwells covenantally with believers, And mediates Christ's presence. Who enables God's growth, guidance, and gifts. Whose power is made known in signs and wonders, And is moving all things unto Christ's New Creation. We believe in the Holy catholic Church, Called to be shaped by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Family to one another, Who together seek to know God and make Him known, Resist evil, Live simple and communal lives, Make peace, And Wisely love their neighbours. Turn their heads towards the poor, Seek the common good in Jesus-shaped ways, And confess to each other when there is failure to live in such ways, offering grace and spurring each other on. We believe in the forgiveness of sins, The resurrection from the dead, And the life and the world of the age to come. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

What does it mean to "deny yourself and take up your cross"? against the backdrop of both avoiding burnout, and looking after oneself (AKA Self-care)? This is what is spoken about today, in conversation with Joel Seneque.    Joel (along with his wife Michala) are the pastors at C3 North Perth, which is an urban church just on the outskirts of Perth in Maylands, WA. Speaking personally, this is my church community- and I think it is wonderful. To find out more about C3 North Perth, feel free to check them out at https://www.c3northperth.com.au/  

What do we mean by the word "worship"? What is worship's relationship to the rest of life, how we orientate ourselves, and how we grow in union with God and with each other? We discuss this (and so much more, from revival, to spiritual formation, to the very nature of congregational worship) in what is another conversational episode with none other than Mwati Tembo.    Mwati is a young worship leader who has served in her local church for a few years. Mwati holds a Bachelor of Theology and is involved in different spheres of ministry inside and outside of the Church. With gifts in leadership, writing, and teaching, Mwati is also the founder of The Global Pursuit, a creative project for those in pursuit of a life of purpose. Through the many ways that God uses her to serve others, Mwati is especially passionate about followers of Jesus submitting their lives as a form of worship unto God, and cares deeply about the Church leading the next generation in true and proper discipleship.  To find out more, check out the links below...!  The Global Pursuit:  http://theglobalpursuit.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theglobalpursuit/ Mwati: https://www.instagram.com/mwati_tembo/

What the heck is meant by the words “Gospel”, “Kingdom of God”,  “Repent”, “Believe”, and “Follow”? It might not be what you think... And seeing these words in a new light might be the very thing that expands our view of the Christian faith beyond the I-got-my-ticket-to-heaven type of faith.  So enjoy me as I do a bit of a long-but-fun riff on these words. 

Today it is just me speaking, yet sharing a story/fictional conversation dipping our toes into the water of all things the end. 

On this month's episode of Deeper and Wider we are talking all things beatitudes with internationally recognized specialist in practical Christian spirituality, Mark Scandrette. Mark is the founding director the ReIMAGINE Center for Living Wisdom, where he leads an annual series of retreats, workshops and projects designed to help participants apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life. His multidisciplinary studies in applied psychology, family health and theology have shaped his approach to learning and transformation. A sought after voice for creative, radical and embodied faith practices, he frequently speaks at universities, churches and conferences nationally and internationally and also serves as adjunct faculty in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary.   His most recent books include The Ninefold Path of Jesus (which, by the way, is THE book on the beatitudes), also three other book including FREE, Practicing the Way of Jesus, and Belonging and Becoming: Creating A Thriving Family Culture. Mark lives with his wife Lisa and their three young adult children in an old Victorian in San Francisco's Mission District. He loves walking city streets and discovering beauty in unexpected places. He is passionately engaged in sustainability practices and efforts to create safe neighborhoods for all people.   To find out more about the workshops that we spoke about today in the episode, head over to head on over to reimagine.org, go to the learning labs tab, and register your interest to be part of that. To learn more on Mark himself, he can be found at his website  www.markscandrette.com. 

On this more conversational episode, me and Matt Nash range from speaking about the simple life of C.S Lewis, to the celebrityism of the western church, to dreaming together about how we might move forward unto being the community of the people of God in these times we find ourselves in.  To learn  Kardia Community then follow Kardia on Instagram at @kardiacommunity, or check out their website at https://kardiacommunity.org. Kardia Community's desire is to journey with pastors and ministry leaders by providing the tools and experiences that help them flourish. The goal is to help men and women build resiliency and reignite their Kardia for ministry through spiritual practices and connection in community. Also, Matt Nash can be found on Instagram @matthewnash1, so give him a follow! 

Apologetics. For some people, the word evokes in the imagination people having rich dialogue about the big questions of life, faith, church, philosophy, and many more topics pertaining to God, in a good natured dialogue of wrestling with honest questions. But for some, the word evokes in the imagination people having petty arguments about God's existence, getting angry, not listening to those friends with sincere questions of faith, and having debates around secondary questions like how old the Earth is. So my question is this: is apologetics inherently bad? Are there ways of doing apologetics that avoid pettiness and getting into a ‘us vs them' posture? We'll be exploring this and a range of other things with Justin Brierley.   Justin has been working in radio, podcasting and video for almost two decades. He hosts the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast on Premier Christian Radio, as well as the Ask NT Wright Anything podcast. He is Theology and Apologetics Editor for Premier Christian Radio and occasionally contributes to other shows and podcasts from the London-based station. Justin was also editor of Premier Christianity magazine from 2014-2018, for which he continues to contribute articles. Justin's first book 'Unbelievable? Why, after ten years of talking with atheists, I'm still a Christian' (SPCK) was published in 2017.    To find out more about Justin, find more about him at http://justinbrierley.com or search him up on socials. 

This was preached at Sanctuary Church in 2019, and it comes from John 2, when Jesus turns water into wine. What does it look like to have subversive joy in a culture of despair?  

In this episode, I speak about church for this decade coming out of the heartache and dreaming of the young adults of the 2020's...   This will be the first of many episodes that will be released once a month, every second Friday. 

A sermon from Matthew 7. Ask, Seek, Knock. 

Another sermon from 2019, a week after Resurrection Sunday. 

Releasing an 'off season' episode of a sermon delivered in 2019, called Grief and the Resurrection. Enjoy. 

It's been a while since we have spoke- so I thought I'd give you an update on the show, including some significant changes and also a new posture to the show overall... 

We are exploring the intersection of comedy and faith, so we'll be speaking Father Chris Bedding. Father Chris is an Anglican priest, artist, and activist. He serves in a parish in the Perth hills, and has also served as an age care chaplain. However, he is also one half of a comedy duo known as Pirate Church. It's a comedy show about religion...And pirates.  needless to say, I thought you would be the perfect candidate to talk to about faith and comedy.   To find out more about Father Chris, follow him on social media @chrisbedding (IG and Facebook) and @FrChrisBeddinf (Twitter).  

In this weeks episode we talk with Karina Kreminski on urban mission and urban spirituality.   Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski has worked in the fields of English teaching and journalism, and has also been a Senior Minister in the Church. She has a doctorate in missional formation, teaches at Morling College in Sydney, and also writes and blogs about spirituality, mission and theology. Karina has also authored a book called “Urban Spirituality: Embodying God's Mission in the Neighborhood”. She loves forming people for leadership and speaks regularly at churches and conferences on neighbourhood and community mission and activism. Her and her husband live in Surry Hills, an inner city village in Sydney, where they are committed to loving their local neighbourhood and seeing it flourish- working with the neighbourhood to bring about peace, justice and mercy in the ecology of the neighbourhood through Spirit-inspired relationships and initiatives.   To find out more about Karina and the work her and her husband do, then visit www.neighbourhoodmatters.com.au   

After a hiatus, I am finally releasing some episodes of Deeper & Wider! And for this episode, we are exploring the music act of worship by interviewing David Andrew.   Composer, Artist, Producer, Full Tilt Existentialist, and collaborator/producer with Gang of Youths, and sideman with Charlie Collins, and Joji Malani's (formerly Gang of Youths, now Founder of Broth Records) upcoming project, “Pae”. David has been creating contemplative piano works for the last few years as a response to the break-neck pace of modern existence. His newest project is a post-classical dance exploration, taking where he's been and directing it into a club at 3am, aiding people's return from the peak of the night, with cinematic clouds of sound and beats that make the body move on its way back down.   The interview itself was one heck of a rise! Check it out, and also check out David on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44nxpJ4QALHoSoUFpWiIQc?si=bJzSmPOnSQmmiwxWSB13mA    

In this weeks episode we talk with Shane Claiborne on intentional community living, especially in light of the Simple Way, which is a non-profit intentional community in Philadelphia. Current activities of The Simple Way include planting gardens, running a store, and working for food security in the neighbourhood as they seek to emulate Jesus.Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence. Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Executing Grace, his classic The Irresistible Revolution, and his newest book, Beating Guns. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame.To find out more about Shane and his work, check out his website at http://www.shaneclaiborne.com/ or follow him on either Facebook or Twitter @ShaneClaiborne. Follow the work of The Simple Way on either Facebook or Twitter @TheSimpleWay or on Instagram at @the_simple_way. Check out their website at www.thesimpleway.org

In this weeks episode we speak with Ched Myers on Sabbath economics. Not sure what Sabbath economics is? This is what this episode is about, as we seek to figure out an economics of the Kingdom of God.Ched Myers is an activist theologian who has worked in social change movements for more than 40 years. With a degree in New Testament from the Graduate Theological Union, he is a popular educator, animating scripture and building literacy in and engagement with historic and current movements for peace and justice. His books include Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus (Orbis, 1988/2008); Watershed Discipleship: Reinhabiting Bioregional Faith and Practice (Cascade, 2016); and the forthcoming Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization (with Enns, Elaine, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021). Ched’s publications can be found at http://www.ChedMyers.org. He and his partner Elaine Enns, a restorative justice practitioner, live in the Ventura River watershed in southern California, where they co-direct Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries http://www.bcm-net.org.

In this weeks episode we speak with Professor Ellen Davis on how scripture speaks of the connection between our relationship with God and our relationship with the land, and the implications that has for today- especially in light of our current ecological crisis.Professor Ellen Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. She’s the author of 11 books and many articles. Her books include Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry, and Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching.If you want to listen to her talk more on this topic then I encourage you to search her name on YouTube and watch her lectures. Also, her book Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible speaks a lot into today’s topic.

In this weeks episode we will be speaking with Aaron Niequist on having A Practiced Based Faith.Aaron is a liturgist, writer, and pastor currently living in NYC. After leading worship at Mars Hill Church and Willow Creek Church, he created A New Liturgy- a collection of modern liturgical worship recordings. Shortly after, Aaron started a discipleship-focused, formational, ecumenical, practice-based community at Willow Creek called The Practice. In 2018, he released a book about a practice-based faith called The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning, and he continues to create resources to help us all flesh it out, including his podcast The Eternal Current Podcast.To find out more about his work, follow Aaron on Facebook or on Twitter or Instagram @aaronieq. Also, check out his podcast The Eternal Current Podcast, as well as his liturgies at https://www.anewliturgy.com/

In this week episode we are speaking with Lisa Sharon Harper on decolonising the gospel in order to get back to the true gospel proclamation message, or what Lisa calls- and is also the name of her bestselling book- “The Very Good Gospel”. For some of our listeners, words such as “decolonising” might be new to you, or might even be something that sounds worrisome- and for other listeners this might sound like liberation. Regardless of your reaction, may I ask you to breathe deeply and trust me as we go into this episode and talk about The Very Good Gospel with Lisa Sharon Harper.Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a ground breaking consulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian whose writing, speaking, activism and training has sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. Lisa’s book, ​The Very Good Gospel​ was named 2016 “Book of the Year” and the Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day., or Instagram and Twitter @lisasharper. Also find her at her website at www.lisasharonharper.com. Also, check out the work of freedom road at https://freedomroad.us/.To find out more about Lisa, follow her on either Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/lisasharonharper.page#TheVeryGoodGospel #TheGospel #DeclonizingChristianity

In this weeks episode we are going to be talking about a sensitive topic: we are talking about Domestic family violence. Within this topic, we will address how the church has sometimes got their response wrong, and also where the church has done the right thing, and also how the church can do better. We will also be exploring how to navigate domestic family violence in light of faith in God. I do also talk about how things like forgiveness and verses like “turn the other cheek” have been weaponised, and how we might understand such topics and verses in light of Domestic Family Violence. In exploring these questions, I had this conversation with Erica Hamence.Erica initially trained to be a human rights lawyer, with a BA/LLB from The University of Melbourne. But she found herself drawn to express the same desire for justice within the church. This eventually led her to ministry in Sydney. She is a senior assistant minister at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Broadway (Barneys to everyone), where she mostly works to support and raise up leaders. She is also the spokesperson for Common Grace's Domestic and Family Violence Justice Team. The team works to highlight and address the problem of domestic and family violence within the church and within Australian society, and to provide resources and support to people who have experienced domestic and family violence, and those who love them. Common Grace is a movement of about 47,000 who love Jesus and justice.To learn more about what Common Grace does in relation to seeking domestic and family violence justice, visit https://www.commongrace.org.au/domestic_violence. Also, check out https://www.saferresource.org.au/, which is a resource to help Australian churches understand, identify, and respond to domestic and family violence.If today’s episode has prompted you to seek help in response todays episode topic, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 737 732.

In this weeks episode will be talking about a more beautiful Pentecostalism with Jonathan Martin. Some people have had a complicated relationship with Pentecostalism, and yet, on the far side of these Pentecostal experiences the question is: is there a Pentecostalism that’s healthy & beautiful?Jonathan Martin is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Prototype and How to Survive a Shipwreck, with a third book on the way. He has a podcast called The Zeitcast, where he has interviewed a wide variety of guests. Jonathan’s work and words have been featured in places like the New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, Newsweek, Vox, Sojourners, The Huffington Post, and Relevant Magazine, and he has published in scholarly journals, like The Journal of Pentecostal Theology. Currently, he lives in Oklahoma City, where he serves as the Lead Pastor of The Table. Finding God at the intersections, He moves fluidly between secular and religious contexts, between the academy and the Church, and between local churches with pipe organs, B-3 organs, and electric guitars. Wherever he goes- whether it be at church’s like Elevation Church, Willow Creek Community Church, or universities like Princeton Theological Seminary- the message is always the same: no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done—God is at work, to bring beauty out of your brokenness.To follow the work of Jonathan Martin follow him on either Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jonathanmartinonline), Instagram @jonathanamartin, or Twitter @theboyonthebike. Also check out the church he pastors at https://www.thetableokc.com/ and follow his podcast “The Zeitcast”.

What does it mean to be lead by the Holy Spirit? How can we know it’s God speaking to us? How can we become aware of the Holy Spirit in us and all around us? These questions are more will be discussed today as we talk with Mark Godfrey.Mark, alongside his wife, Belinda, are the Directors & Founders of BEYOND, A missional and prophetic ministry organisation that impacts communities both locally and overseas. BEYOND is called to be an inspirational voice to empower leaders, organisations and everyday people to live out their God designed story.Mark holds a bachelors degree in social science, majoring in applied counselling. speaking personally, he is one of the most down to earth people I know. From what I have seen, Mark has a passion for seeing the Kingdom of God come in a holistic way- ways that include social justice, breaking down church walls, yet also seeing deeply personal transformations in people. Mark marries the two spheres of public faith and personal faith into his deep belief in the Holy Spirits intentional leading in our life and in the life of the church.To follow Marks work, follow him on Insagram at mark.godfrey.75 and to follow the work of the ministry known as beyond, follow Beyond on either Facebook or Instagram with the handle at beyond.empower.

Despite sexuality being part of our human makeup, we don’t talk about it, and instead there is often shame around sex & sexuality. However, God made sex, God made sex good, and there is a whole erotic love poem in the Bible. And as we will come to see, the connection between sex & spirituality is deeply interwoven in the scriptures. To do this, we are going to talk with a sexologist who is also a Christian: Sandra Basham.Sandra is a Christian, and an accredited pastor for the Foursquare Church of Western Australia. A practising counsellor, and is also a qualified forensic sexologist. She is currently undertaking Phd to further her research into sexology. She has a private practice where she specialises in sexual trauma and abuse, and relational sexual problems. Previously, she has been a senior lecturer in humanities and social science, and was previously on the board for the Western Australian sexology society. She also knows quite a bit of Hebrew, and you’ll hear her incorporate Hebrew into the topic as it pertains today.

In honour of National Reconciliation Week, I had the absolute pleasure to have a conversation with Brooke Prentis; hearing her story, and learning about both reconciliation, and also what it means to be both Aboriginal and Christian.As we go through todays episode, we’ll be covering questions like:-What is it like to be aboriginal in the Australian church context?-What does reconciliation look like?-How has your Aboriginal identity shaped the ways Aboriginal people see the gospel?-How do we read the Bible with Aboriginal eyes?-What can non-indigenous Christians learn from our indigenous brothers & sisters?And so so much more, from questions on reconciliation, forgiveness, theology, cultural engagement and even stories about how God has been working in these lands well and truly before white people came along.Brooke Prentis is an Aboriginal Christian Leader from the Wakka Wakka peoples. Brooke is the CEO of Common Grace, a growing movement of over 47,000 Australian Christians passionate about Jesus and Justice. Brooke is also the Coordinator of the Grasstree Gathering a growing network of over 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders. Brooke is a founding Board Member in Australia of NAIITS: a Global Indigenous Learning Community of Theologians. Brooke works ecumenically speaking on issues of Justice affecting Australia and sharing a message of Reconciliation as friendship.To learn more about Reconciliation Week, visit https://www.commongrace.org.au/reconciliation_week_2020. Here you can sign up here for their series which includes daily devotions and creative ways to engage with National Reconciliation Week. Also, please sign up for church resources for Sunday 31 May.To learn more about Grasstree Gathering, visit www.grasstreegathering.org.au.Also, follow Brooke Prentis on Facebook and Instagram @brookeprentisgrasstree and Twitter @bprentis.

How can the Kingdom of God inform journalism and the way we engage in social media? In todays episode we are going to hear from Stephen Roach Knight as we unpack the topic “Kingdom Journalism: Storytelling and the Magnalia Dei”.We explore questions like…-What is Kingdom journalism?-Why is kingdom journalism so important?-How does kingdom journalism challenge the powers that be in our world?-What are better ways we can communicate online in a way that aligns with the Kingdom of God?And more!Stephen Roach Knight is passionate about media, technology, justice, and the future of faith. He is the co-founder of Transform Network, and he also currently serves as Special Assistant to Rev. Dr. II and also as the Internal Communications Manager for Repairers of the Breach. Stephen is also the former National Faith Organiser for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival which he is still heavily involved with at the national level. To find more information on our guest today find him at stephenroachknight.com. He is also on facebook at Stephen Roach KnightAnd on twitter, and instagram at knightopia.To find out more information on the June online moral march on Washington that Stephen was speaking on, then head to https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/june2020/.Also, check out transformnetwork.org. Transform network is which is a network with a mission to to resource, train, and mobilize people and communities of faith to discern and join what God is already doing in the world with transformational church and social justice. They are also running online classes at transformclassroom.online.And also find out more information on Repairers of the Breach by going to breachrepairers.org. This is an American not-for-profit organization that seeks to build a moral agenda rooted in a framework that uplifts the deepest moral and constitutional values, to redeem the heart and soul of the United States

We hear Cate’s story and we explore things like…-What it is like being a Christian woman in leadership-What are the unique challenges of being a Christian woman in leadership-The prevalence of patriarchy within the church-How a theology of complementarianism & rigid gender roles emerged (and why it’s wrong)-Learning about (and embracing) the divine feminine within Christianity as part of a more multifaceted faith-How we can challenge both implicit & explicit patriarchy both within the church and the wider society-What could a genuine egalitarian church look likeAnd more!Born in the US and raised between Canada and Australia, with a faith tradition spanning Anglican, Baptist, Church of Christ, Uniting, Mennonite and independent Pentecostal expressions, Cate has learned to be comfortable moving in liminal spaces. Cate's undergraduate degree is in Social Work, and her graduate degree is in Divinity; she is also a trainer and assessor. With a background in working with at-risk youth in inner city contexts, in outdoor educational programs on a Ranch in Canada, in the prison system and in a Seminary overseeing the online learning program and training people for pastoral ministry, Cate is driven by a relentless pursuit of the unfolding, naming and shaping of the Kingdom of God in every context. Cate is a terrible gardener, loves single malt scotch and will beat you at the traffic lights every time.Cate can be reached at www.catevose.com where you can connect with her writing, speaking and consulting practice.

Part 2 of 2 of our conversation with Jarrod McKenna as we continue to tackle some of the big questions of the nonviolence of Jesus and its implications for us.Pastor & Author Brian Zahnd says of Jarrod that “has the keen mind of a theologian, the warm heart of a pastor, and the dauntless courage of an activist. And as a skilled communicator all three of these attributes are evident as he seeks to form people in Christlike peacemaking. I have the highest respect for Jarrod McKenna and his work.“ Jarrod’s nonviolent activism has twice been awarded the Quaker’s Donald Groom Peace Fellowship. He is the Founding CEO of CommonGrace (Which is a movement of over 45,000+ Christians in Australia working for ‘beauty, generosity and justice’ in the public square), the co-initiator of #LoveMakesAWay for refugees which has become the largest faith based civil-disobedience movement in Australia’s history, is the former National Advisor for Faith and Activism for World Vision Australia, and for over 15 years has shared his home with refugees, people returning from prison and those doing it tough in the context of two neo-monastic communities including “First Home Project” which assists refugees and asylum seekers to find housing and employment.You can follow Jarrod on facebook by finding him under his name, or on Twitter and Instagram at jarrodmckenna (all one word). Also listening to his podcast Inverse podcast- where him and his mate Drew Hart explores ways the Bible can turn the world upside down (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inverse-podcast/id1358332600).

We tackle some of the big questions when it comes to the nonviolence of Jesus and its implications for followers of Jesus today. In doing this, we’ll hear from my mate Jarrod McKenna as we hear his story and explore things like…-What is non-violence, actually?-What is non-violence trying to achieve?-What does non-violence look like on the ground?-What do we do with the larger questions of non-violence as it pertains to problems in our world? What are the different forms of non-violence that exist in the world?And more!Pastor & Author Brian Zahnd says of Jarrod that he “has the keen mind of a theologian, the warm heart of a pastor, and the dauntless courage of an activist. And as a skilled communicator all three of these attributes are evident as he seeks to form people in Christlike peacemaking. I have the highest respect for Jarrod McKenna and his work.“ Jarrod’s nonviolent activism has twice been awarded the Quaker’s Donald Groom Peace Fellowship. He is the Founding CEO of CommonGrace (Which is a movement of over 45,000+ Christians in Australia working for ‘beauty, generosity and justice’ in the public square), the co-initiator of #LoveMakesAWay for refugees which has become the largest faith based civil-disobedience movement in Australia’s history, is the former National Advisor for Faith and Activism for World Vision Australia, and for over 15 years has shared his home with refugees, people returning from prison and those doing it tough in the context of two neo-monastic communities including “First Home Project” which assists refugees and asylum seekers to find housing and employment.You can follow Jarrod on facebook by finding him under his name, or on Twitter and Instagram at jarrodmckenna (all one word). Also listen to his podcast Inverse podcast- where him and his mate Drew Hart explores ways the Bible can turn the world upside down (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inverse-podcast/id1358332600).

It’s not something you notice until someone points it out, but food has a central role to play in the life of faith. So we’ll hear from baker and writer Kendall Vanderslice as we hear her story and explore questions like:-What is the relationship between food and faith?-What role does (and can) food play in the life of faith?-What does church communities incorporating food in their worship look like?-How will the church be different if we did worship over a meal?And more!Kendall Vanderslice is a baker and writer from Durham North Carolina, and she writes on the intersection of food and faith. She is a graduate of Wheaton College (BA Anthropology), Boston University (MLA Gastronomy), and Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies). She writes for Christianity Today, Christ and Pop Culture, Religion News Service, and Faith & Leadership and is the author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God. Check out her website at http://kendallvanderslice.com/ and follow her on either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @kvslice. And get a copy of her book available on Amazon and also on Audible at https://www.amazon.com.au/We-Will-Feast-Rethinking-Community/dp/0802876307

We hear Tara’s story and we explore what it means for the church to do community engagement…-So, what is community engagement?-What is the churches role of engaging community?-How might this be the wider role of God’s salvation of the world?-What’s the difference between a church doing charity, and a church engaging the community?And more!Tara describes herself as a community engagement strategist, social change enthusiast, perpetual student of theology and a cautious agitator for the common good. For 5 years Tara led a church in transition, learning and experimenting with better ways to be a transformed people transforming our world. In 2020, Tara has taken on a role with Hillsong Perth leading a new Campus in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. In addition to her current role at Hillsong Church, she has lead a number of community engagement initiative in the past, she has also previously been the state coordinator for community engagement for the movement known as Australian Christian Churches (ACC) and has a passion to see a society more shaped by equity.Follow Tara on either Instagram (@taraconradt) or Twitter (@Pastor_Tara). Find out about Hillsong Perth North at www.hillsong.com/perth/north

We hear Brads story and we explore things like…-What an inclusive view of Jesus’ salvation is (and how it’s distinct from other views)-Making the case for Christian inclusivism-Common misconceptions of Christian inclusivism-Addressing some of the common pushbacks against Christian inclusivism-What saving faith actually is-People having experiences with Jesus without them even knowing it-How the Holy Spirit is working across all cultures, people, and places to move people towards the knowledge of God-What about those who have a deeply bad experience in their previous faith? How could Jesus be working there if there was so much darkness? And more!Dr. Brad Jersak is an author and teacher based in Canada. His books range from Christian Spirituality and Theology to Political Philosophy to illustrated Children's works. He is the Dean of Theology & Culture at St. Stephen's University (New Brunswick Canada) and on Core Faculty with the online Institute for Religion, Peace and Justice. His most recent books are “A More Christlike Way: A More Beautiful Faith” and “IN: Incarnation & Inclusion, Abba & Lamb”. These two books can be found at https://www.amazon.com/More-Christlike-Way-Beautiful-Faith/dp/1889973335 and https://www.amazon.com/Incarnation-Inclusion-Abba-Lamb/dp/1082461733.Follow Brad Jersak on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook at https://twitter.com/bradjersak, or https://www.instagram.com/bradjersak/, https://www.facebook.com/BradJersak/

We hear Steve’s story and we explore things like… -What Jesus-shaped justice is-How the justice of the Kingdom of God is different from other versions of justice-Why we are to care about justice-Reading the Bible through the lens of the poor -Jesus giving us a justice that goes deeper than either end of the political spectrum -How we can engage in justice in our everyday life-what the church will look like if we took justice seriouslyAnd more! Steve McKinnon is the state manager for Prison Fellowship and the Western Australian coordinator of TEAR Australia. He has a background in youth work, pastoring, chaplaincy and community development. He believes he is called to build a bridge between the church and the streets. This means to firstly provide a Christ-like community of transformational love for marginalised people and secondly to challenge the church to reach out to the poor and marginalised and thus be transformed also. For more information on Prison Fellowship Australia visit https://prisonfellowship.org.au/ and for more information on TEAR visit https://www.tear.org.au/

Check out this sneak preview of our guests for Deeper & Wider...!This season includes Steve McKinnon, Brad Jersak, Tara Conradt, Kendall Vanderslice, Jarrod McKenna, Cate Vose, Sandra Basham, Erica Hamence, Jonathan Martin, and Mark Godfrey.We will be tackling topics ranging from Jesus & justice, an inclusivist salvation, church & community engagement, food & faith, a nonviolent faith, woman in Christian leadership, sex & spirituality, tackling domestic violence in the church, a more beautiful Pentecostalism, and being led by the Holy Spirit.Click subscribe and share far and wide...! See you in 2020.

Before any interviews occur, I want to share with you the vision for this podcast through talking about boxes and glasses. Yep.You heard correctly. So listen to this 'episode 0' introduction to Deeper & Wider... Interviews coming soon...