Spiritual Misfits Podcast

In this episode Will Small interviews Jono Ingram, exploring his journey from being a pastor to finding his place in the world through nature, spirituality, and community development. Jono shares his experiences of feeling like a misfit within the church, the influence of his parents' faith, and how he integrates his spirituality with his current work in environmental social enterprise. Jono...

In this episode Will engages in a rich conversation with Liz Charlotte Grant, author of 'Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible.' They explore Liz's early relationship with the Bible, her journey through evangelicalism, and the evolution of her faith. Liz shares her insights on the importance of narrative in shaping beliefs, the complexities of trus...

Yo! Brand new podcast episodes will be coming your way in early 2025, but for now I'm pulling out a couple of great episodes to revisit from the back-log, like this chat with Carolyn Meers. This is a conversation about what it’s like to go through faith crises, deconstruction, dark nights of the soul. etc etc. while pastoring a church. This is not an easy road. And I have not heard many peopl...

Yo! Brand new podcast episodes will be coming your way in early 2025, but for now I'm pulling out a couple of great episodes to revisit from the back-log, like this chat with Michael Frost and Shane Meyer-Holt... Michael Frost (the kiwi version who hosts ' In the Shift ' podcast) and Shane-Meyer Holt joined me (Will) for a rich conversation exploring their own stories and experience...

In this Christmas special, Will Small is joined by Mitch Forbes and Ella Evans for an honest conversation about the complexities, frustrations, and hidden griefs of the Christmas season. Between music, conversation, and poetry, they explore: The tension between Christmas joy and real-world suffering The liturgical calendar as an alternative rhythm to the consumer-driven grind Finding hope in small...

In this episode Simon Nixon joins Will to discuss the challenges of navigating difficult conversations, especially during the holiday season, and the significance of recognizing emotions and setting boundaries. Simon highlights the need for self-awareness and understanding triggers while engaging in conversations with family and friends, advocating for incremental sharing and vulnerability. The co...

Dr Tanya Riches is the Director of Master of Transformational Development at Eastern College, and she has a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her interdisciplinary project with Aboriginal Pentecostal leaders (located at the intersection of development studies, anthropology, and Pentecostal theology) won the David Allan Hubbard Award from the School of Intercultural Studies. Her monograph entit...

Kelly Latimore is an artist whose modern day Icons have an incredible ability to challenge where we see Christ in the world. Some of his most known works reimagine the Nativity in contexts of modern suffering: amongst the homeless in a tent city, seeking safety as refugees, huddling beneath the rubble in Palestine. At the beginning of the season of Advent this is a powerful conversation about the...

Will Small, Joel Hollier, and Christine Redwood reflect on their experiences and insights from the inaugural Future Church Conference at the beginning of this year and look towards the next one on January 28, 2025. They discuss the importance of collaboration, the need for change within the church, and the significance of creating inclusive spaces for marginalized voices. They discuss trying to ho...

In this conversation, Tim Whitaker discusses the complexities of the recent political landscape in the U.S., particularly focusing on the impact of Trump and the role of Evangelicalism. He reflects on his personal journey and how The New Evangelicals began. The discussion highlights the challenges and contradictions within Evangelicalism and the need for a more progressive and compassionate approa...

I presume many of you, like me, are feeling a deep swirl of emotions coming out of a week where we have witnessed the re-election of Trump.  Honestly it feels so baffling to me that someone can so blatantly be a convicted felon, a misogynist, an authoritarian, completely void of compassion and empathy for vulnerable people…and with all this and so much more on full display and public record… still...

Tim Winton gave the Centre for Public Christianity’s 2024 Richard Johnson lecture. Will and his brother Joel went along. In this conversation they discuss Tim’s powerful words on toxic positivity, climate crisis, and the prophetic voices of young, environmental activists crying out for change.  Read an excerpt from Tim’s lecture here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/27/if-fossil...

Anna Robinson is a regular co-host on Nomad podcast , and the founder of LiveLight|DwellDeep . She describes herself as "a contemplative, deeply drawn to the mystics and misfits, those who feel at home in the wilderness." In this conversation, Will and Anna explore the themes of wonder, contemplative spirituality, and the journey of rediscovering a deeper connection with the divine. They...

In this episode Sally Longley shares her journey from a belief in violence to embracing pacifism and Ignatian spirituality. Sally shares her experiences in South Africa during apartheid, her theological studies, and the transformative power of silence and imagination in spiritual practice. The conversation delves into the complexities of nonviolence, the role of anger and grief, and the importance...

Jack Turner joins Will and Mitch at the virtual pub to discuss Christianity and political engagement.  Do Christians typically care more about meeting the needs of the poor than asking why they're poor in the first place?  Was Jesus a communist?  Should we be capitalists? Socialists? Something else-ists? Crack a drink and join us as we throw around ideas, and occasionally say something wise b...

Hello fellow misfits, friends, humans of all kinds!   An absolutely delightful conversation awaits you with Scott Erickson . He’s a painter, author, performance speaker. His instagram bio says ‘Curator of awesomeness’. And I think that’s absolutely accurate. We had a great chat about Scott's creative process, the role of visual art In forming how we see the world and the paradoxical nature of...

Mitch, Hannah and Will crack a drink and throw around various questions from Spiritual Misfits listeners (submitted in the Facebook group ) Questions/topics discussed include:  Is there a role for hedonism and pleasure in connecting us with the divine? Who is responsible for creating safety within a community?  What place should lament have in faith...and when does it turn into wallowing? Do churc...

Scott Parker comes on the podcast to discuss 'Hillsong Boy ': a theatrical exploration of the highs and lows of growing up queer in a megachurch, based on Scott’s real life.  Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survi...

Jason John is a fascinating human being with a very interesting story doing very interesting things. He’s an ordained minister in the Uniting Church, has a PhD in zoology and is, amongst other things, a ‘forest chaplain.’ In this conversation we talk about evolution, sexual ethics, eco-faith communities and poetry. At the end of this episode Jason shares a couple of his poems — which in my opinion...

Amy Kenny, author of 'My Body Is Not A Prayer Request,' joins Will for a discussion about disability justice and ableism in the church. She shares her experiences of being prayed over for her disability to be erased and the harmful treatment she received in the church. Amy emphasizes the importance of recognizing the image of God in disabled bodies and reframing our understanding of heal...

This is the fifth and final episode in our mini-series produced in collaboration with the Pulse team from Uniting Mission and Education. And in my opinion, this one was such a profound, vulnerable and meaningful conversation. Sarah Bishop and James Aaron joined me to explore mental health and loneliness in the context of faith and spirituality. When I was sitting with Sarah and James having this c...

Take a quick moment to think about how much technology has changed during your lifetime? What was the height of tech when you were a kid? Can you divide your life up into before and after internet connection? The pace of technological change can be hard to keep up with — but without a doubt it has an impact on our lives, our communities — and our spirituality. In this episode, Aditee Vora, Somerse...

Hello good people,  Welcome to the third conversation in our five episode mini-series with UME’s Pulse team. Over the last two weeks we’ve explored generational divides and climate crisis, eco anxiety and the like.  This week another big conversation. What does it mean to keep faith in a world of racial injustice? Are people of faith in Australia today able to honestly grapple with racism in our h...

Hello again good people! This is the second in our series of 5 collaborative conversations hosted by Spiritual Misfits and the Uniting Mission and Education Pulse team, exploring major challenges in our world today and the kind of faith that doesn’t shy away from them or just respond with unhelpful platitudes. And this week we’re delving into a huge topic. If faith doesn’t have something to say ab...

Spiritual Misfits and Uniting Mission and Education's Pulse team have collaborated to bring you a series of conversations about 5 pressing challenges we face on planet earth today, and the kind of faith that may help emerging generations to navigate and engage with them. In this conversation a Boomer (Ken Day), Gen X (Joanna Drayton), Millennial (Will Small) and Gen Z (Ella Evans) discuss gen...