The Dispatches

Is there such a thing as good horror? If so, what deeper purpose does it serve? Last week, Christian commentator Allie Beth Stuckey sparked an online debate by suggesting that the horror genre is not compatible with Christianity. In this episode I dissect the question of whether Christians should watch horror and offer some key principles that I believe can help us to think more deeply about this...

Houston we have a problem... and none of our leaders seem to want, or even know how to talk about it despite the gravity of the issue we are now facing. In this episode we explore the collapsing global fertility rate that the leaders of both of New Zealand’s major political parties struggled to give compelling answers to during last week’s leaders debate. We also discuss the suggestion, made by a...

In the latest episode of The Dispatches Podcast I sat down with longtime friend James Bergin to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly about artificial intelligence. James isn’t just a good mate, he also brings a wealth of professional expertise to this issue as a Strategic Foresight Architect and Executive GM in Tech Research. In this episode we discuss the potential benefits of AI, the serious...

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 Terror Attacks which brought down the World Trade Centre. In this episode I speak to Kiwi pastor Jason Winslade about his personal story of being present at ground zero in New York City, on Tuesday 11th of September 2001 as the terrorist attacks unfolded immediately above and around him. This isn’t just a personal account of surviving one of the dea...

A failed attempt at a leadership change, the loss of a skilled and virtuous MP, and a speedily approaching election where the race is much tighter than it really should be. In this episode I share my thoughts about the crisis of leadership in the National Party that is still just as bad today as it was before this week’s firestorm. ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   www.thecounterculture.substac...

I discuss an extremely disturbing story that has appeared in the NZ media as part of a new campaign to expand our ‘assisted dying’ laws to make it possible for even more people to be euthanised by the NZ state. The incident and the emotionally manipulative way it is being reported is troubling enough, but what is truly disturbing is the premise that this campaign wants us to accept about what auth...

The issue of COVID era policy making and its impacts has returned to the public square in a major way this past week with attempts to subject Dr. Anthony Fauci to official scrutiny in the United States. In this episode I share my thoughts on why I believe this scrutiny matters, and why seeking to downplay problematic aspects of Fauci's conduct keeps us trapped in an unhealthy state of affairs. ❤️...

Last weekend I went to see Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey. In this episode of The Dispatches I take a deep dive and share my unfiltered thoughts about why I don’t think it is Nolan’s greatest movie; why it is both spectacular and lifeless; and why the Law of Zeus is not a reflection of the Christian vision of reality but Odysseus’ shame about Troy is. ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:  ...

Frank Ritchie hosts a weekly talkback show on Newstalk ZB; he founded a Christian chaplaincy organisation to minister to journalists and others who work in the NZ media; and until relatively recently he was also a Protestant pastor. Then, in Easter 2026, after many years of profound grappling and contemplation, he swam the Tiber and entered the Catholic Church. After 15 years of back-and-forth on...

In this episode I sit down with Simon O’Connor for a candid conversation about his life and views on the times we find ourselves living through. We discuss everything from conspiracy theories, to his political betrayal, to being a politician during the Ardern regime, the current state of NZ politics, and whether he regrets not going out to meet with the organisers of the COVID anti-mandate protest...

Last week a Louisiana court issued a significant ruling about how abortion pills can be accessed in their state. Within days that ruling had escalated all the way to the US Supreme Court. In this episode I explore how we got to this point and where the legal battle currently stands. I also explain the good reasons why I think that even pro-choice people should be in favour of the Louisiana ruling,...

Several weeks ago a respected ethics journal published a paper arguing that every pregnant minor should be subjected to a forced abortion, and that not doing so is a serious injustice and failure to provide proper care. In this episode I discuss and dissect the major flaws in this vacuous and reprehensible claim. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substa...

In this episode we discuss the deeper cultural crisis behind the shocking case of a grieving UK mother scheduled to have her life ended at a Swiss euthanasia centre and how this incident is also a prophetic call to the Christian Church. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   www.thecounterculture.substack.com  

The sixth and final episode in a special podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. In this episode we discuss why AI is not like other previous technological advancements; the different types of harms arising from AI that we need to be aware of; and, most importantly, what practica...

The fifth episode in a special 6 part podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. In this episode we focus on the backstory of AI; some key facts and definitions about AI; and some examples of morally good uses of AI that contribute to human flourishing. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter...

The fourth episode in a special 6 part podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. In this episode we talk about Christian anthropology, power, science, technology and morality. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   ww...

The third episode in a special 6 part podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. In this episode we begin exploring the issue of technology and morality. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   www.thecounterculture.sub...

Last week a self-styled conservative women’s magazine announced, along with some rather surprising promotional visuals, that its next edition was going to be the “Sex Issue’. However well-meaning their intentions might be, their statements and claims about sex and conservatism see the return of an age old false dichotomy, and they miss the mark in some fundamentally important ways. ❤️ Become a Pat...

The second episode in a special 6 part podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   www.thecounterculture.substack.com  

In this special 6 part podcast adaption of a lecture series that I was asked to present at an event in January 2026, we explore the issue of Artificial Intelligence in the light of Christian anthropology. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack supporter at:   www.thecounterculture.substack.com  

Today's episode features my presentation from last week's Voice For Life national conference about two important paintings that hang in our home, and offer profound meaning about the culture of death we find ourselves living in, and the counterculture of life which offers the true path to human flourishing. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon.com/LeftFootMedia   ❤️ Become a Substack sup...

Some serious thoughts, questions, and important Christian doctrinal considerations about the morality of the US war with Iran. In this episode of The Dispatches I pose some (hopefully) sober and consideration-worthy thoughts and questions about the US war with Iran. I was initially hesitant to broach this topic in a podcast, but the persistent and strident false dichotomies that have dominated onl...

A reflection for the modern and wearied seeker of truth... It is my contention that we are now living in the most propagandised era in human history. In this episode I reflect on why this is so, and, more importantly, share some wise insights that might help us to better navigate the polyphonous preponderance of propaganda we are all now bombarded by. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. Patreon...

Father Thomas Joseph White is a Dominican Priest; a founding member of The Hillbilly Thomists - a bluegrass band comprised entirely of Dominican Friars that has appeared on stage with the likes of The Zac Brown Band - and the Rector of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, an institution which boasts Pope John Paul II, and Pope Leo XIV amongst its alumni.  In this episode we d...

Over the weekend, Ben Shapiro delivered a blistering rebuke of Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and others during his speech at the Turning Point AmericaFest 2025 event. Tucker Carlson then used his speech to respond to Shapiro. In this episode I share my thoughts, my frustrations, and my sense of who won this round of the civil war playing out on the US right. ❤️ Become a Patreon supporter at: www. P...