By Jonty Langley
5
11 ratings
The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.
One year on from the attacks of October 7th 2023, and from the disproportionate Israeli campaign of violence that followed, it is more important than ever for Christians and all people who care about human rights and political justice to stand up and speak out against genocide, occupation and collective punishment.
That's why people like Christians for Palestine are such an essential witness.
We caught up with them on the most recent march in solidarity with Palestine.
Follow Christians for Palestine UK on Instagram now.
David Benjamin Blower is a musician, poet, podcaster and theologian who you may have encountered on the Nomad podcast, his Messianic Folklore podcast or the Common Era podcast (described as 'conversations between a Catholic Priest and a post-evangelical poet').
With all that in mind, it was very kind of him to join us on Beer Christianity and we liked him very much.
On this episode, David talks to us about art and being an artist, deconstruction and why he wouldn't describe his own journey using that term, as well as anarchism and a little theology.
Jonty also gets to fangirl a little about a particular Benjamin Blower song and find out what kind of space David creates to write. Join us ofr a fascinating, thoughtful meander through the mind of an important figure in the post-evangelical scene.
You can find more of David's work at davidbenjaminblower.com
Listen to David Benjamin Blower's music here!
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer)
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…
Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
Did we make a joke about the reunion tour? Definitely maybe.
Steve Chalke is founder of Oasis, a hugely significant charity most famous for its youthwork initiatives and other social impact subbrands. He's also been a controversial figure in the UK Church, ever since, as a Baptist minister, he came out against Penal Substitution as an image of Christ's atonement, and came out in favour of equal marriage for gay couples.
In this episode, Malky, Laura and Jonty chat to Steve about Paul and Jesus, the Church's hang-ups about sexuality, honest assessments of the professional youthwork experiment and how he guards against Beloved Founder Syndrome bleeding into problematic areas.
We don't agree with Steve on everything, but we hope the tone is of critical friends offering helpful challenge, as we really enjoyed talking to Steve and we love his pastoral vision of an inclusive, loving Church.
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer)
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
Flamy Grant is the first drag artist ever to top the iTunes Christian charts, with her soulful songs about growing up queer in the Bible Belt of the US and navigating faith, Scripture, gender and sexuality with honesty.
[there would ordinarily be an image here but Libsyn is a bit ropey today]
We caught up with Flamy at Greenbelt festival and talked about God, the Bible, personal authenticity and why she still makes Christian-friendly music. It's a lot of fun, you should listen.
The episode was recorded out in the wild, so expect some background noise and for us to be quieter than Flamy, because THIS ISN'T ABOUT US, OKAY? If we're quiet it is because we are good allies choosing not to centre ourselves (and not because we were so concerned about making sure we got Flamy we kinda forgot about ourselves) (also not because Jonty can't find the backup recording where we might be louder) (why would you even think that? shut up).
Flamy's latest single, If you ever leave, is out now. Find out more about her and what she's doing at flamygrant.com and check out Greenbelt's helpful payment plans for 2025's festival if you want a cool way to spread the cost.
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
The greatest festival in the world did not disappoint in 2024.
Greenbelt: Dream On was lovely, and we're here to tell you why.
If you were not there (or if you've never been to Greenbelt) we're here to tell you why we loved it again this year. If you were there, let's compare notes!
We loved:
Join us on this special episode for Greenbelt 101. Contains rollerblades. And crazy goat.
Thanks again to the people who put this lovely festival together. And thanks to you for listening.
You should book now for Greenbelt 2025, there are amazing monthly plans!
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
Warning: This podcast just got that big dawg in it!
On Beer Christianity's 100th episode, we are joined by Paul Northup, Creative Director of Greenbelt Festival, to talk about the challenges facing festivals in 2024, some of his memories of festivals past and what he's looking forward to at Greenbelt 2024.
We also talk to him about the community that ebbs and flows around Greenbelt, advice for those deconstructing, and the idea of reconstructing.
On the way, we also talk about the riots, beer and nicknames bestowed by podcasts. It's a lovely chat with a truly lovely man. Listen now! And buy your Greenbelt ticket today!
Here's the article by Simon Cross Paul mentioned. And you can listen to the Simon Cross episode of Beer Christianity here.
Cheers!
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
It's election time in the UK and USA, that magical season when people of conscience and intelligence are told to hold their noses, ignore the stink of corruption and compromise, and vote for one of two parties that are both pro-capitalist, tough on those fleeing danger, and, this year, apparently okay with genocide.
Meeerrrry shitmas!
To 'celebrate' the season, we decided to talk politics, parties, key issues on people's minds and why people think voting for evil is okay, just because it's 'lesser'.
Bella Cross is a community organiser and activist whose day job involves educating younger people to understand politics better. They are also a Christian, trans, nonbinary, deeply insightful and a lot of fun.
They join Malky, Laura and Jonty to talk about trans rights, Palestine, the environment, asylum and migration and why voting is not the most important part of politics.
We also end up speaking about giving blood, passing out and Scottish football more than you might expect.
This is a pretty UK-focused episode, but the themes we're discussing will, we think, be relevant to anyone disheartened with their political choices.
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up for the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
The sad news of the passing of Professor Jürgen Moltmann prompted us to revisit the richness of his thought and the gracious wisdom of his style with this interview from 2013.
From concerns that are very much of the time (the New Atheism and its influence) to issues that are more relevant now than then (the need for Christians to be involved in politics to combat far-right extremism), this wide-ranging interview covers politics, economics, art, environment and what it's like to be one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century.
Join Laura, Malky and Jonty as they discuss Prof Moltmann's answers, muse of Christian Rap and examine why Malky still has a certain picture on his wall.
Prof Jürgen Moltmann has been described as perhaps the greatest Protestant theologian of the 20th Century. Best known for his 1972 work The Crucified God, and for 1964's Theology of Hope, Moltmann had a huge influence on western theology, but was not without detractors. In this quote from Donald McLeod in Themeleos, one can sense the author's frustration perhaps as much as one can feel oneself warming to Moltmann based on the critique:
"How does Moltmann satisfy himself that something is true? More important, how does he convince the reader that something is true? The two means of verification normally open to Christians are Scripture and tradition. Neither of these seems particularly important to Moltmann. He has a decidedly smorgasbord approach to the canon; and his respect for fathers and reformers is scant, to say the least. His real criteria lie elsewhere. In order to be true, a doctrine must offer a viable theodicy (it must shed light on Auschwitz); it must advance Jewish-Christian dialogue, bearing in mind that Jews were ‘sufferers’ and Christians ‘perpetrators’: it must meet the ecological concerns of humankind; it must give a platform for Christian political activism; and it must both illuminate and be illuminated by the preoccupations of feminism. Above all, theological statements must be validated by experience. Even what looks like his fundamental theological principle, crux probat omnia (‘the cross is the test of everything’) is itself accepted only because it conforms to these criteria."
What's not to love?
Moltmann's writing style is complex, dense and almost poetic rather than analytic, which itself has drawn criticism. But in this interview with a young and not terribly smart pseudojournalist, the good Professor is clear, concise and frankly quotable. Listen out for his response to the apocalyptic view that Christians need not care about Creation!
We are sure we have not done his thought and legacy justice, but we are pleased to potentially introduce some folks to Prof Moltmann's legacy.
Thanks to Mark at BMSWM for the permission, years ago, to use this material, long before we ever envisioned a podcast like this. And thanks to all the friends of the podcast who shared (or almost shared) their insights about the great man.
Please remember Prof Moltmann's family and friends in your prayers.
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up to the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
Christian deconstruction: depending on your theology, it's either a dangerous movement of postmodernism in the Church, seducing young people away from orthodoxy, or a new Reformation of Christistianity, replacing certainty, dogma and control with honesty, love and a messy approach to faith.
In this episode (Part I of II), the gang talk deconstruction, what it means to us, what we've gained and what we feel we might have lost because of that journey. We also feature the stories and reflections of special guests (one more special and less guesty than the others) who discuss whether they feel they have deconstructed and why.
Listen for some laughs, some thoughts about what deconstruction offers and means, and also for Jonty's niche conspiracy theory about Trent Reznor #reversesatanicpanic.
Please share this with your deconstructing friends (and friends who fear the deconstruction movement), and message us with your thoughts on and experiences with deconstructing.
Part II is coming soon!
About Beer Christianity
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up to the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Support Beer Christianity…
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. Laura doesn’t want us to post her BookTok until she’s posted more videos. She may have prayed for the app to be banned just to avoid it.
Beliefs…
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
No Laura, Malky or Drabs, just Jonts and a bottle of melktert liqueur. If that's what you're into. He's discussing things like:
Why should we care about Palestine when so many other terrible things are happening in the world? Did Palestine exist? Doesn’t Israel have a right to defend itself? What about Hamas? Is Israel a vassal state of the USA or is it the other way around? What does resistance look like when you’re abused for decades, and what do we think Jesus wants to happen in Gaza right now?
Jonty is no expert, but he has been writing, speaking and demonstrating about Palestine for a long time, and he has the experience of living in an Apartheid state that called all resistance terrorism. Plus, he’s a middle aged white guy with a podcast, so he’s gonna share his thoughts. No shade if you decide not to listen. Episode 44 with Illan Pappe is a great alternative.
If you already know all there is to know about Palestine and have heard all the arguments, or if you mainly listen to Beer Christianity for the bants or the guests, skip on past this one.
To hear from people who truly know about the struggle, visit and donate to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
You can listen to Episode 96 anywhere: at your parents’ house while having a glass of wine, at your VERY creaky desk drinking milktart flavoured booze, while making plans to attend a demonstration, and right here.
Also:
New to Beer Christianity?
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it’s a good read. Sign up to the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode.
There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat.
Support Beer Christianity...
Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing.
Other things…Malky’s design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he’s not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it’s quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene.
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.
The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.
279 Listeners