Another Life with Joy Marie Clarkson

Why an issue on money? What is money for? Peter and Susannah discuss. They begin with the story of Pinianus and Melania, two married Roman patricians who gave away their enormous fortune in obedience to Christ’s commands. What was the world of the early church that would have made this seem like an appropriate thing to do? And what did Saint Augustine say about it? They discuss his complex role in...

In an interview with Plough, Eugene McCarraher discusses Christianity’s compromise with mammon and how to resist modern capitalism.

After her father died, Esther Maria Magnis thought she found freedom from her pain in nihilism. In that emptiness, eventually, God found her.

Marianne Wright discusses C. S. Lewis’ prescient science fiction novel. Peter Mommsen’s sister comes on the pod with Pete and Susannah to discuss That Hideous Strength, the third book in Lewis’s space trilogy, and its eerily accurate critiques of transhumanism. From questions of academic vocation to Arthurian legend to tame bears to head transplantation, this novel is a rich exploration of what it...

Lisabeth Button describes her friendship and shares letters from Ellen, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Hannah Nation tells the story of Wang Yi and the Chinese house church movement. How has the ramp-up in persecution of the church in China affected pastors and congregations? Hannah, who is editing the ongoing prison writings of the house church pastor Wang Yi, tells the story of these churches. She focuses in particular on the story of Pastor Wang. A classical liberal human rights lawyer, he conve...

James Mumford asks why even God seems to fall silent when depression takes hold.

A philosopher examines the theological implications of mental illness and its treatment. James Mumford tells his own story of the philosophical inadequacy of much contemporary therapy, and asks: What if some of the philosophical presuppositions of materialist therapy actually end up making depression worse? Could it be that depression can be exacerbated by bad philosophy? And if so, how can we bri...

Brewer Eberly shows how doctors may receive valuable insights from their most difficult patients.

Benjamin Crosby discusses the failure of mainline churches to speak clearly on Canada's euthanasia regime. The Canadian government, several years ago, legalized euthanasia, and Canada now is home to the most permissive euthanasia regime in the world. Ben, an Episcopalian priest in Canada, discusses the failure of the Church to talk about this honestly, and instead its capitulation to the idea that...

Julian Waldner, a young Hutterite, considers the legacy of his Anabaptist forebears.

Jason Landsel, author of a new graphic novel, Jason Landsel, author of a new graphic novel, talks about the Radical Reformation and its legacy. Peter and Susannah give a brief but lively summary of the story of the life of Felix Manz, one of the original Radical Reformers who was a founder of what would become the Anabaptist movement. His story, bound together with the story of Ulrich Zwingli, the...

Benjamin Crosby asks where the voice of the church is in Canada’s MAID and euthanasia experiment.

A philosopher reflects on human uniqueness. Peter and Susannah speak with L. M. Sacasas, the philosopher behind The Convivial Society newsletter, about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and what it means to be human. What are the new ChatGPT large language models? Is this AI? What’s the relationship between the philosophical questions regarding AI and other philosophical questions about whet...

Eleanor Parker reflects on the Anglo-Saxon poem, The Dream of the Rood.

An Oxford medievalist discusses the Anglo-Saxon poem The Dream of the Rood. Peter and Susannah bring on Eleanor Parker to discuss this poetic portrayal of the crucifixion from the point of view of the cross. They discuss the medieval vision of the world, linked as it was to the cycles of the seasons, and talk about the way that nineteenth century speculations about the Pagan roots of Easter reveal...

Rick Warren, a pastor, reflects on how we should respond to our own suffering and pain and that of others.

It’s the most famous story in history. Alastair Roberts helps us read the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ death with fresh eyes.  First, he looks at the parallels to the Exodus, and examines what it means for Christ to be the Passover Lamb. Then, he looks at the Passion as apocalypse, as nativity, as romance, as enthronement, and as rebirth. Then, he examines the truly scandalous nature of the Crucifi...

Navid Kermani reports from south Madagascar, where farming families battle to survive a lethal drought caused by climate change.

Joy Clarkson and William P. Hyland discuss why the Oberammergau Passion Play disappoints and how artists have imagined Jesus’ crucifixion. The hosts and guests also discuss Joy’s visit to the Oberammergau passion play, its history, and the antisemitism that had marred it. They talk too about the most recent rewrite: the scriptwriter, as he removed the antisemitism, chose also to remove also any su...

Randall Gauger, a pastor at the Bruderhof, lost his son to cancer. He writes about his search for answers to the problem of pain.

How did the crucifixion of Jesus change how humanity thinks about suffering? Peter Mommsen speaks with the well-known historian about the way that Christianity challenged and transformed classical ideas about suffering and the good life. They discuss the contrast between the story of Laocoön and of the crucifixion of Saint Peter, as portrayed in two contrasting artworks in the Vatican. Then they d...

Louise Perry writes that the threat of climate change makes some people hesitant to have children.

C. S. Lewis is an imaginary guest as the hosts consider the problem of pain. Peter and Susannah take Voltaire as an interlocutor first, considering the nature of the challenge of suffering. Then, they look at Lewis’ first response: The Problem of Pain, which takes an apologetic or intellectual approach. The hosts examine the Christian origin of the problem – why was this not a problem in the Class...

My hometown debunks the idea that family-friendly neighborhoods are a thing of the past.