Ridley College Podcast

🎙️ S4 S7 — Inside Ridley: End of Financial Year Special with Rhys Bezzant & Bec Muir   Episode Description In this special end-of-financial-year episode of Inside Ridley ,  Rhys Bezzant sits down once again with faculty member Bec Muir as they wrap up a full semester at Ridley. They reflect on the Archbishop's landmark lecture on raising leaders for the Diocese of Melbourne, before turning to...

🎙️ S4 E6 - Discernment and Partnerships: Renewal for the Diocese of Melbourne with Abp Ric Thorpe The Anglican Institute Lecture 2026   Episode Description What does renewal look like in a diocese? And what role does theological training play?  In this lecture, Archbishop Ric Thorpe explores the importance and shape of renewal in the Diocese of Melbourne, and the pivotal role that theological coll...

🎙️ S4 E5 —  AI, Young People & the Church with Anna Davy, Dave Chiswell & Joshua Millard   Episode Description In this special episode, Ridley student and youth leader Anna Davy facilitates a rich and wide-ranging conversation on Artificial Intelligence or AI, born out of Ridley's annual Children's and Youth Ministry Training Day. Joining her are Dave Chiswell (Lead Trainer at Youth Minist...

🎙️ S4 E4 Raising Up the Next Generation of Leaders with Sam Oldland   Episode Description In this episode, Rhys Bezzant sits down with Sam Oldland, the minister overseeing traineeships at St Jude's Carlton — a church right across the road from Melbourne University — for a deep and practical conversation about raising up the next generation of gospel workers. As Sam puts it, when it comes to church...

🎙️ S4 E3 Inside Ridley: Books, Graduation & the AI Question with Hannah Craven & Mike Bird   Episode Description In this episode of our Inside Ridley sub-series, faculty members Hannah Craven and Michael Bird sit down for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about what's been happening at Ridley. Mike shares highlights from his OSP — including finishing a new book on the Roman Empire and th...

🎙️ S4 E2 — Tools for a Lifetime of Ministry with Tim Johnson In this episode, our Principal, Rhys Bezzant , sits down with newly appointed faculty member Tim Johnson for a rich conversation about life, ministry, and what it means to be well-equipped for the long haul.  Tim shares his journey from growing up in a minister's home in Sydney's western suburbs — with no intention of ever becoming a pas...

🎙️ S4 E1 — Confident in the Lord with Rhys Bezzant & Bec Muir Episode Description In the inaugural episode of the Ridley College Podcast, Principal Rhys sits down with New Testament faculty member Bec for a warm and wide-ranging conversation about life at Ridley. They dive into Bec's PhD research on suffering in the book of Hebrews, the new off-campus evening classes running at Glen Waverley A...

🎙️ S3E14 — The Alf Stanway Lecture in Mission 2025 Australian Churches and Intercultural Communities: At Arms-length or Embraced? Guest Speaker: Dr Enqi Weng & Revd Associate Professor Darrell Jackson   Episode Description Are Australian churches part of, set apart from, or a form of resistance to their cultural context? What does multiculturalism mean in Australian churches today, given globa...

🎙️ S3E13—  Paul, Papyri, and Prayer: A Conversation with Dr Gillian Asquith Episode Description In this episode of the Ridley College Podcast, Dr Gillian Asquith, Academic Dean at Melbourne School of Theology , joins Revd Dr Mike Bird, Deputy Principal, to explore the fascinating intersection of archaeology, ancient letters, and biblical language. Drawing from her recent Leon Morris Lecture and up...

🎙️ S3E12— Unveiling the Song: Kamina Wüst on Love, Desire, and Divine Jealousy Episode Description In this compelling episode of the Ridley College Podcast, faculty member Hannah Craven sits down with biblical scholar Kamina Wüst to explore the Song of Songs—one of Scripture’s most enigmatic and provocative books. Drawing from her PhD research and recent teaching at the Ridley Preachers Conference...

🎙️ S3E11— Translating the Word: A Conversation with Dr Andrew Abernethy Episode Description In this episode of the Ridley College Podcast, former principal, Dr Brian Rosner welcomes Dr Andrew Abernethy, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and former Ridley faculty member, for a deep dive into the art and challenge of Bible translation. From revising the Christian Standard Bible to shapin...

🎙️ S3E10— The Leon Morris Lecture in New Testament Studies 2025 Theme: Paul and Papyri Guest Speaker: Dr Gillian Asquith Episode Description Archaeological excavations in Egypt have unearthed thousands of ancient everyday papyrus documents written in the same kind of Greek as the New Testament. This lecture will demonstrate how these “voices from the sand” shed exciting new light on Paul’s letters...

🎙️ S3E9— The Peter Corney Lecture in Youth Ministry 2025 Theme: Can I Buy Myself Flowers? Speaking grace and truth to girls growing up in a complex and conflicting world. Guest Speaker: Dr Fiona Isaacs Episode Description In as much as girls are told they are full of girl power, the experience of being a girl is often one of powerlessness, fraught with conflicting pressures and expectations placed...

🎙️ S3E8— The Charles Perry Lecture in Melbourne Evangelical History 2025 Marvellous Melbourne: A Representative Denominational Society in the Nineteenth-Century Evangelical World Episode Description This lecture highlights the distinctive evangelical character of “Marvellous Melbourne” in the nineteenth century. As the richest city in the world at the time, Melbourne’s denominations embodied a vis...

🎙️ S3E7 — Gender, Sexuality, and the Church - Sam Allberry   Episode Description This episode features Sam Allberry, who preached on Gender, Sexuality, and the Church at Ridley Chapel on 20 May 2025.  https://samallberry.com/ Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us...

🎙️ S3E5— Pursuing a PhD for God’s Glory Episode Description Pursuing a PhD for God’s Glory is a two part series where Dr. Mike Bird sat down with two recent Ridley PhD graduates – Dr. Joseph Byamukama (Fount Church and Team Leader at Veracity Fount, Kampala, Uganda) and Dr. Amber Dillon (Denver Seminary, Colorado, USA) – to discuss their experiences at Ridley College, their journeys into scholarsh...

🎙️ S3E6— Pursuing a PhD for God’s Glory Episode Description Pursuing a PhD for God’s Glory is a two part series where Dr. Mike Bird sat down with two recent Ridley PhD graduates – Dr. Joseph Byamukama (Fount Church and Team Leader at Veracity Fount, Kampala, Uganda) and Dr. Amber Dillon (Denver Seminary, Colorado, USA) – to discuss their experiences at Ridley College, their journeys into scholarsh...

🎙️ S3E4— Impacts of Pastoral Supervision with Kate Beer Episode Description In today’s podcast, Kate Beer met with a panel of members from the 2023 Pastoral Supervision training cohort. The panelists share what led them to apply for supervision training, their experiences during the training and how the training has impacted their work in their respective ministries. The group also discuss the joy...

🎙️ S3E3— What can early church history teach us about trauma and recovery with Scott Harrower Episode Description Revd Dr Scott Harrower talks with Andy Judd about his new book, Trauma and Recovery in Early North African Christianity . While many see church history as a dry compulsory subject, Scott's trademark pastoral approach helps us see how God has worked in the lives of Christians like us ac...

🎙️ S3E2— What’s next in ministry amongst children’s and young people with Kristina Kettleton Episode Description What's next in ministry for children and young people in Australia? This episode reflects on the current state of ministry among children and young people in Australia today, some of the challenges we’re facing, and what could be done to overcome them. Graham Stanton , Director of the R...

🎙️ S3E1— Meet the new Principal of Ridley College   Episode Description Revd Canon Dr Rhys Bezzant begins this year as the tenth Principal of Ridley College. He sits down in this interview with Andy Judd to talk about how he went from a 14-year-old debating against the resurrection of Jesus to training men and women for Christian ministry. He also shares his insights into what makes a good theolog...

Brian Rosner's Farewell as Principal Public Lecture Strengthened By The Gospel: The Purpose of Romans and the Future of Ridley College This is a recording of Brian Rosner's farewell as principal public lecture, held on the evening of Wednesday, 16 October 2024. His lecture theme was “Strengthened by the Gospel: The Purpose of Romans and the Future of Ridley College.” About Brian Rosner Brian is a...

Episode Description Dr Katherine Firth was a guest speaker at our 2024 Women's Writing Retreat and joins us on the podcast to share her new book " Writing Well and Being Well for Your PhD and Beyond: How to Cultivate a Strong and Sustainable Writing Practice for Life " (Routledge, 2023). Dr Firth is head of Lisa Bellear house, a residential hall at Melbourne University, and author or co-author of...

Song of Songs: A metaphor for God and the church or a celebration of sexuality?   Episode Description One of the most beautiful parts of the Bible, Christians often do not know what to do with the Song of Songs. Is it a metaphor for God and the church? A celebration of human sexuality? Or something else? In this panel discussion, Dr Kamina Wüst and Dr Lindsay Wilson help us appreciate this preciou...

Episode Description Tamie Davis was at Ridley for this year's Alf Stanway lecture in mission . In this episode, Hannah Craven sits down with Tamie to learn a bit more about her research, to dig a bit deeper into the "Mafanikio" theology of Tanzanian Christian women, and to reflect on the value of missiological thinking in our Christian lives and ministry. About Dr Tamie Davis:   Dr Tamie Davis is...