Makerspace

This week I speak to Kevin Mirchandani, a teacher and researcher at Langley Christian School in Vancouver, Canada, whose work sits at the intersection of faith formation, network theory, and Christian school culture. His PhD research explores the often-overlooked who and where of faith development — arguing that identity, belonging, and purpose are shaped not just by curriculum or content, but by...

How do we understand the connection between God and the world? Is God close and involved or is he just watching us get on with it? This week we speak to theological heavyweight, Hans Boersma. Hans is a Dutch-Canadian theologian and prolific author, widely recognised as a leading voice in retrieving the wisdom of the early church for contemporary Christian thought. He holds the Chair in Ascetical T...

This week I get to talk with author, speaker and consultant, Mark Strom. Mark is the author of the popular books Reframing Paul, the Symphony of Scripture, and lead with Wisdom. He also served as principal of Laidlaw College in NZ FROM 2005 - 2009, where our paths crossed, despite never actually meeting. Mark is Pauline scholar, and so in this conversation we centre mainly on the thinking of Paul...

In this episode I get to speak with Leah Payne. Leah is an award-winning historian and Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary. She also is the author of God Gave Rock & Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music , which was the Christianity Today Book of the Year for History and Biography, and her research on religion, politics, and popular culture has appeare...

This week I get to chat with Edward David, the director of associateship and lecturer of ethics and values at King’s College London, as well as a research fellow at Oxford. Edward has recently lead a research team in a pioneering study into the spirituality of generation Z. Instead of just asking questions, this study uses story completion —letting young people finish the narrative to reveal the h...

This week our guest is Dean Ashenden, a former teacher, researcher, political advisor, and veteran observer of the Australian school system and the author of Unbeaching the Whale . Dean’s work cuts through the political noise to examine the structural bones of our education system. He’s a regular contributor to mainstream publications and one of the sharpest minds in the country when it comes to t...

Our first guest this season is a returning guest, Chris Watkin, author of Biblical Critical Theory and more recently, The State of Nature and the Shaping of Modernity. Chris speaks into a variety of areas, one of them being AI. He’s launching a course on the underlying philosophy of this, so we jump on to talk through some of the contours of the content. We go big picture here, not so much about h...

This week I’m joined by Jessica J. Schroeder, who has published a chapter recently about The Cult of Perfection and beauty standards. In this conversation I chatted to her about her ideas In it, and we discuss the pressures of appearance culture, and how Scripture redefines what it really means to be perfect and beautiful. We also tackled the complicated space of feminist theology and a little plu...

This week we welcome Dr Travis Stevick, a theologian, author, and ordained elder in the the Global Methodist Church. Travis earned his doctorate from the University of St. Andrews and has spent years bridge-building between the local church and systematic theology. He is the author of Encountering Reality, , a work that explores how we engage with truth at the intersection of theology and science....

This week I got to speak with Canadian theologian and prominent author, Dr Sylvia Keesmaat. Sylvia is a biblical scholar, obtaining her doctorate at Oxford University, studying with N.T. Wright. She is a professor of biblical studies and hermeneutics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. Sylvia is the co-author, with her husband, Brian Walsh, of the popular books Romans Disarmed and C...

In this episode I speak with Dr Justin Ariel Bailey, a prominent voice in Christian ministry and theological writing, Justin is a professor of theology at Dordt University in Iowa, and published a book, Interpreting Your World in 2022. In this conversation we talk about the changing nature of worldview studies, and how to find the balance between an appreciative and critical approach when Christia...

This I got to sit down with Dr Rod Thompson and Dr Ken Dickens, a couple of men that have been a significant part of our network for a number of decades. Rod as the coordinator of biblical foundations and lecturer in the National Institute, and Ken serving for a stint as the CEO of the network, principal of the national institute, and in more recent years, a lecturer too. Ken is part of a team tha...

This week I’m speaking to Diane Hockridge. Diane is an Australian educational designer and researcher, specialising in the design of online and distance-theological education, with a particular interest in spiritual and holistic formation of students. She is currently the Educational Designer at Ridley College in Melbourne and has a PhD in spiritual formation and online education. In this conversa...

This week I’m joined by Dr. Maja Whitaker. Maja is a New Zealand-based theologian, academic, and ordained pastor. She’s currently the Academic Dean and a lecturer in Practical Theology at Laidlaw College in Christchurch, New Zealand. She pastors Equippers Church in Timaru alongside her husband, Dave, and is a mother to four daughters. Maja’s research interests explore body theology, pastoral theol...

This week I’m joined by Josh Taylor. Josh is an Anglican priest from the Diocese of Christchurch in New Zealand. He has experience in youth ministry, as a spiritual director, and several years as a Vicar in Timaru, New Zealand. He has just submitted a PhD through the University of Otago. His thesis is titled: “Speaking of Sin in 21st Century Aotearoa.” It’s his PhD that I’m talking to him about to...

In this episode I speak to Tony Golsby-Smith. Tony is the co-founder and chairman of Second Road, a strategy and innovation firm. He is also behind Gospel Conversations, a theological discussion group behind various events and with numerous online resources . This conversation is a dense one, as we cover Tony’s journey through teaching into consulting, and then the relationship between Jesus, know...

We kick off this new season with a return guest, the godfather of Christian education himself, David I. Smith. David is probably best known for his book, On Christian Teaching, and he’s just released a follow up to this, called Everyday Christian Teaching. This book is a more practical exploration of some of the concepts of the former book, and is full of suggestions for practices for the classroo...

This episode is a bit different! A little while ago I got to speak with Tenielle Neda, a Christian singer songwriter from Western Australia. Tenielle has just released her new album, The Way of Love. This chat is a chance to showcase some of her new music, but also talk about some of her journey, from appearing on Australian Idol, to making the music she does now. We talk through some of the songs...

This week I get to speak to Dr Chris Marshall, a pioneering scholar working in the intersection of biblical theology and restorative justice. Chris has worked as a New Testament lecturer and lecturer in religious studies. He’s also worked with those involved in the criminal justice system and is the author of 7 books. In this conversation we talk about restorative justice, shame, and atonement the...

This week I got to have a conversation with Mark Barnard, an Anglican priest and educator from Auckland, New Zealand. Alongside his church leadership role, Mark is also employed by the Karuwhā Trust, an educational organisation focusing on telling New Zealand’s bicultural story. This is an important conversation that explores engaging in indigenous thought well, addressing different ways of seeing...

In this episode, we speak with Dr Christa McKirland. Christa is the dean of faculty at Carey Baptist College in NZ, where she also lectures in systematic theology. She obtained her PHD at the University of St Andrews and she has a wide range of published academic work. In this quite dense conversation we talk through a theology of authority and power, tracking closely with the new testament's conv...

In this episode I got to speak with Grafton Tanner. Grafton is an American author and academic. His work focuses on Big Tech, nostalgia, neo-liberalism, and education. He is the author of books, Babbling Corpse, The Circle of the Snake, The Hours Have lost their clock, and more recently, Foreverism. In this conversation we chat about our culture's current obsession with nostalgia in media, politic...

In this episode I get to speak with Dr. Lynn Swaner. Lyn is the President of Cardus , a think tank in the states to dedicated to strengthening institutions for the common good. She is the editor or lead author of numerous books, including Future Ready, MindShift, and Flourishing Together. She holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and is a good friend of CEN, having spoken at a number of o...

Michael is an Australian biblical scholar, Anglican priest, and the Deputy Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne. He is the author of over thirty books including his latest one, Jesus and the Powers, cowritten with N.T. Wright. In this conversation, we continue in our discussion around difference by unpacking his new book, exploring nationalism, current cultural tensions, power, and veggie tale...

In this episode I ask Kara Martin questions based on her book, "Keeping Faith: How Christian organizations can stay true to the way of Jesus." We talk about power, mission drift, leadership beyond niceness, risky faithfulness and how organisations can meaningfully enact grace, forgiveness and confession. There is a lot here for school leaders to mull over, so it could be a good one to share! Here'...