Being Human

The world is changing. It can feel like it’s changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up. Things we once thought were true or good or right are now either up for questioning or seen as downright wrong. Our culture has changed so much that it can feel like we’re living in exile even in our homeland.  Our culture today tells a story of individual expression, where being human is fundamentally about l...

Are all of our disagreements about justice in the world simply power struggles? Our global and neighborhood communities seem to constantly clash over imbalances and injustices. It seems as if we are watching a stage play where different actors constantly switch the roles of victim and oppressor.   The standard of true justice in the God story is not contingent upon the shifting sands of power stru...

What does it mean to live in relationship? Culture today governs our relationships through the ideas of choice, consent and contracts. As individuals, we relate to ours on our own terms and break relationships when they fail to meet our needs. We see these stories bubble up in marriages, international commitments and through the latest hashtag #cancelculture.  The God story invites us into covenan...

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted so many of our personal liberties and limited our daily choices. Does that mean we are no longer free? Join hosts Peter and Jo in this week’s episode of Being Human as we look at a foundational God story of what it means to have freedom.  The great novelists always seem to worry human beings risk losing their freedom, but they don’t always agree what that will...

Being human in a networked world - Part 2 Are conspiracy stories the real pandemic of 2020? Stories like QAnon have spread with just as much vigor and speed as the novel coronavirus. What parables can Christians hear in recent events?    Mark Sayers, author, thinker, speaker, podcaster, and pastor from Melbourne, Australia, joins Jo and Peter for a two-part conversation around what it means to be...

S2E03: The problem is me What’s wrong with our world? What drives us apart? Things get gritty in this week’s episode of Being Human, as Peter and Jo wrestle with the conflict driving our story forward. We all seem to know something is off, but in the stories we listen to, what carries the plot along? If conflict is the engine, who is driving the car? Are we the heroes in the stories we tell oursel...

Being human in a networked world - Part 1 The COVID-19 virus has shown us all just how connected our world has become. Just like a tiny virus can spread across the globe, our connected societies have shown us that stories can travel with just as much speed and impact. Mark Sayers, author, thinker, speaker, podcaster, and pastor from Melbourne, Australia, joins Jo and Peter for a two-part conversat...

S2E02: Foundation stories What are the stories that we build our lives on? Are they strong enough for us to build our purpose, identity and behaviour upon?  Join us for a new episode of Being Human as our hosts Jo and Peter examine the different stories that are trying to frame the deepest parts of who we are. Some of the narratives promoted by public figures in our culture—from David Attenborough...

S2E01: Whose lives matter? Through the global pandemic, black lives matter and political crises, why does it feel like the protection and affirmation of human rights is a zero-sum game? Diving in at the deep end, Jo Frost and Peter Lynas are back for a new season of the Being Human podcast. In this episode we compare two very different stories that offer an answer to the question, whose lives matt...

Being Human in lockdown; special edition. Peter and Jo are back! With a series of specials looking at the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the fundamental questions we ask about who we are and how we are to live. In this episode we look at dignity and the value of life.

Episode 8: I'm only human after all. Jo and Peter, separated thanks to the coronavirus, chat through the series so far. Reflecting on some of the bigger stories we've looked at, from Love Island to China, from Augustine to Donald Trump we are asking what does being a person of freedom look like when we live through times of extreme restriction. As well as looking back, we also look forward to conv...

Episode 7: Free speech. Through issues surrounding no platforming, cancel culture, Donald Trump and hospitality, Peter and Jo discuss many of the stories that have been hitting our news feeds recently. Exploring the idea of freedom of speech, and the role of control, we chat about how we can extend hospitality to those we disagree with.

Episode 6: Freedom, justice and jubilee. Jo and Peter discuss stories and ideas around the massive ideas of forgiveness, reconciliation, power and retribution. With a minor diversion to tech and social media and some misquoting of the Bible, we look at the intractable relationship between freedom and justice, issues of the misuse of power in places like Myanmar and how poverty feeds injustice. We...

Episode 5: Freedom, liberalism and democracy. Jo and Peter geek-out exploring the critical role of the public square. From Reith lectures, through pelagianism, with a brief stopover with Harry and Meghan, to Tim Farron and the current state of political parties. Throughout it all we're asking "Is liberal democracy under threat and should we care?"

Episode 4. Freedom of religion, China and AI. How does technology and the control of data affect our freedom? Peter and Jo discuss China’s global influence, advances in AI and the implications for freedom of belief and religious and minorities persecution.

Episode 3. Peter and Jo discuss Facebook, Tinder, and data mining. They explore how we as followers of Jesus can seek the presence of God in a culture where image shapes identity and technology is a significant driving force shaping the story in our society today.

Episode 1. Jo and Peter explore the meeting place between what our culture talks about in terms of being human and what the Bible says. When we talk about ideas of freedom, identity, purpose, meaning, do we mean the same thing? Jesus offers life in the fullness, Paul wrote it is for freedom that we have been set free. Does the picture our culture paints of what freedom looks like, match the bigger...

Episode 2. How does Love Island or dating apps form, reform and deform our desires? What impact does that have on our understanding of, and access to, freedom? We are storied creatures, stories shape who we are. The story of the world appears to be one of individual freedom - I get to be who I want to be and date or sleep with whom ever I like - that is being free. But freedom isn’t about choice,...

Join Jo Frost and Peter Lynas for a conversation asking what does it mean to be human. We will be looking behind the headlines, into the stories that form and shape us, exploring how we can ensure that it’s God’s story that ultimately defines being human today. Find out more at eauk.org/beinghuman