The Political Animals

Jonathan is joined by Gary Chartier for a critical dialogue about his forthcoming book, Christianity and the Nation-State: A Study in Political Theology. The book provocatively contends that states are fundamentally illegitimate and dangerous, notwithstanding many Christian attempts at justifying their existence, and that they can be replaced with a stateless world constituted by multiple forces o...

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession to the throne of King Charles III, Jonathan engages in a friendly debate with legal philosopher Joshua Neoh about Australia's constitutional monarchy and its republican alternatives. Joshua outlines his case for monarchy per se, and the British monarchy specifically, followed by Jonathan outlining his case for a minimalist republic. The conv...

Jonathan is joined by economist Dr Gordon Menzies for a deep dive on neoliberalism. They discuss the concept of free markets and the logic of extending free market thinking to aspects of human life that are not obviously economic. They examine and evaluate the neoliberal economic reforms of the 1980s, including floating the dollar, trade liberalisation and privatisation. They explore the causes of...

John Steenhof, Principal Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Alliance , joined Jonathan for another conversation about the kinds of cases he works in the religious freedom/discrimination space. The conversation was scheduled prior to, but coinciding with, the the eruption of the Andrew Thorburn case—the CEO of the Essendon Football club forced to resign his position just 24 hours after being appointed...

Holly Lawford-Smith returns to the show for a discussion about her new book, Gender-Critical Feminism (OUP). Following a quick tour of significant developments in the transgender space since Holly and Jonathan last spoke (December, 2021), the pair delve into gender norms, including their connection to sex, distinction from identity, cultural and political significance, the balance of nature versus...

In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Prof Greg Melleuish for a conversation about conservatism in Australia. They explore the dominant liberal tradition in Australian history and the place of conservatism in that tradition, the reasons why the language of conservatism emerges late in Australian political history, the general conservative nature of Australian settler culture, the evolution of the...

How did "Almighty God" come to be mentioned in the preamble to the Australian Constitution? Why and how did a whole provision (s116) find its way into the constitution setting out the Commonwealth's legislative powers in relation to religion? And what are the states' powers to establish religion and pass other laws relating to religion? Jonathan discusses these questions and much more with constit...

Sociologist Ruth Powell joins Jonathan for a conversation about religion and spirituality in contemporary Australia. They discuss the recent historic census which saw those identifying as religious drop below 50%, demographic trends within different Christian denominations, the growth of non-Christian minority religions, the surprising and growing interest in Christianity among younger generations...

In a first for the show, Jonathan hosts two guests. The topic? Woke theology. The trio explores the definition of woke theology before embarking on a critical engagement of three articles characterisable as woke theology: one on queering Jesus, one in feminist Christology and one on whiteness and Jesus. The three conclude with a discussion of how best to respond to woke theology. Dr Jacqueline Ser...

Dani Treweek joins Jonathan for a conversation about the place and role of sex and sexuality in contemporary Western cutlure. They examine Carl Trueman's work on the rise and triumph of the modern self, including expressive individualism, the psychologised self and the politicisation of sex. They then pivot to the place of marriage and singleness in the church, particularly against the backdrop of...

Jonathan is joined by economist and theologian Paul Oslington for a wide-ranging discussion on the intersection of economics and theology. The conversation begins with Adam Smith, the great father of economics, with a particular focus on his idea of the invisible hand and its allusions to providence. The conversation covers the reception, misreception and new (theological) reading of Smith, plus t...

Indigenous commentator Anthony Dillon returns to The Political Animals for a conversation about the mooted Indigenous voice to parliament and other aspects of the evolving culture around the place of Aboriginal people in contemporary Australia, including welcome to and acknowledgement of country, the idea of cultural safety, reconciliation, cancel culture in relation to Indigenous issues and the e...

Intellectual historian Sarah Irving-Stonebraker joins the show for a conversation about the history of religious liberty, exploring the emergence and development of the concept from its first explicit usage by the third century church father Tertullian to its more recent secular evolution towards the present. Key moments in the history of religious liberty are covered, including the medieval perio...

Jonathan is joined by historian David Furse-Roberts for an exploration of the faith, political philosophy and political career of Australia's longest serving prime minister, Robert Menzies (over 18 years). They explore the Christian theological influences that shaped the faith of Menzies and his worldview, the way his Christian faith shaped his understanding of and approach to politics, society an...

Intellectual historian Wayne Hudson rejoins the show for a fresh look at the thought and impact of Karl Marx. They look at Marx's philosophy of freedom, the German intellectual tradition in which Marx arose, Marx's view of utopia, the negative impact of eschatology in Marx's thought, his poor philosophy of history and politics, his reception (or misreception) in Russia, China and the West, the Chr...

In this episode, Jonathan talks to bioethicist Ben Mitchell about transhumanism. They discuss the origins, philosophy and goals of the transhumanist movement, the movement's desire for a post human future, the impact of technology on the human being, including the possibility of uploading consciousness to a computer, or merging the human brain with technology, and finally what it actually means to...

In this episode, Jonathan tackles Anglicanism with recently retired Anglican bishop and theologian Stephen Pickard. They explore Anglicanism's long struggle with unity, through the prism of history, ecclesiology, theology, Scripture and the pressures, tumult and anxieties of contemporary secular culture, in relation to both the national church in Australia and the Anglican communion globally. The...

Jonathan is joined by biblical and systematic theologian Graham Cole for a discussion about men, women, the Bible and the church. They explore complementarianism, egalitarianism, Male headship and the place of women in the church according to the Bible and theological doctrines such as the Trinity. They also discuss the views and applications of these doctrines in different institutional settings,...

In this episode Jonathan talks to Dr Mark Durie, author of The Qur'an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. They explore the theological relationship between Christianity (and Judaism) and Islam, with a particular focus on explaining the large presence of Biblical material in the Qur'an and whether this constitutes theological continuity or discontinuity. The pa...

This episode covers all things euthanasia, from the origins and drivers of the pro-euthanasia movement, to the medical, social, cultural, economic, political, legislative and ethical circumstances surrounding it. The episode, however, is much more than merely a deep dive on euthanasia; it is an exploration of death, existential crisis and the way Western liberal democracies handle (and mishandle)...

Former Queensland Premier and Liberal Democrats Senate Candidate for Queensland, Campbell Newman, joins Jonathan for a chat about Australian politics and the 2022 Federal Election. They discuss Newman's decision to leave the Liberal Party and join the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Democrats' Freedom Manifesto, libertarianism in Australia, differences between libertarians and conservatives on mora...

Intellectual historian Wayne Hudson rejoins the show for a discussion about atheism and modern philosophy. The discussion covers the history of atheism, shifts in its meaning over time and place, the purported role of the enlightenment in its rise, the difficulty of understanding what people actually mean today when they declare themselves to be atheists, common mistakes made by both atheism and t...

Mark Spencer, Director of Public Policy at Christian Schools Australia , joins Jonathan to discuss the difficult cultural environment in which Christian schools now must operate. They cover the history, nature and purpose of Christian schools in Australia, the tension between discipleship and mission, the way state-based curricula are taught from a Christian perspective, the place of Christian edu...

Lyle Shelton discusses the sorry saga that led to the dissolution of the Christian Democratic Party in NSW, the lessons to be learned from it and future strategies for Christians seeking to make a difference in the political arena.  Lyle Shelton is Director of Campaigns and Communication for the Christian Democratic Party . He is a former Managing Director of the Australia Christian Lobby, a...

Historian Michael Gladwin joins the show for a conversation about the role and impact of Christianity on the European settlement and foundation of Australia. They look at the role of clergy in the early colonial period, the relationship between church and state and the cultural and political impact of Christians in the formation of Australia. They also discuss the failure of Australian historians...