This week our guest is Dean Ashenden, a former teacher, researcher, political advisor, and veteran observer of the Australian school system and the author of Unbeaching the Whale. Dean’s work cuts through the political noise to examine the structural bones of our education system. He’s a regular contributor to mainstream publications and one of the sharpest minds in the country when it comes to the politics of the classroom.

This conversation is a challenging one, as Dean presents us with big questions to ask of Australia’s education system, and the inequalities present within it.

Our first guest this season is a returning guest, Chris Watkin, author of Biblical Critical Theory and more recently, The State of Nature and the Shaping of Modernity. Chris speaks into a variety of areas, one of them being AI. He’s launching a course on the underlying philosophy of this, so we jump on to talk through some of the contours of the content. We go big picture here, not so much about how to use AI, but asking the questions that need to be addressed before we do.

This week I’m joined by Jessica J. Schroeder, who has published a chapter recently about The Cult of Perfection and beauty standards.

In this conversation I chatted to her about her ideas In it, and we discuss the pressures of appearance culture, and how Scripture redefines what it really means to be perfect and beautiful. We also tackled the complicated space of feminist theology and a little plug for more women to get involved in theology itself..

https://jessicajschroeder.substack.com

This week we welcome Dr Travis Stevick, a theologian, author, and ordained elder in the the Global Methodist Church. Travis earned his doctorate from the University of St. Andrews and has spent years bridge-building between the local church and systematic theology. He is the author of Encountering Reality,, a work that explores how we engage with truth at the intersection of theology and science.

What Travis and I are trying to do in this technical conversation, is pinpoint what difference Jesus makes to knowledge and how we know things. We’re constantly coming back to the idea that language can only go so far, and that means we need humility with our ideas. We also keep coming back to the fact that the incarnation changes everything because it is God making truth known to us, not just giving us facts to believe. We’re drawing on Scottish Reformed theologian, TF Torrance for this stuff. I hope that if this sort of thinking is important to you, you’ll find thinking through this connective work helpful.

https://travisstevick.substack.com

This week I got to speak with Canadian theologian and prominent author, Dr Sylvia Keesmaat. Sylvia is a biblical scholar, obtaining her doctorate at Oxford University, studying with N.T. Wright. She is a professor of biblical studies and hermeneutics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. Sylvia is the co-author, with her husband, Brian Walsh, of the popular books Romans Disarmed and Colossians Remixed, both books highlighting how the gospel challenges dominating powers and invites alternative, justice‑oriented ways of life both in the first century and today.

In this conversation we talk about her work that centres around hearing Paul’s letters in their socio-political terms, about his anti-Empire language and what that means for us today. We also talk about hope and lament, and how we need to be forming communities that are grounded in the place they’re in, as well in important teachings.

In this episode I speak with Dr Justin Ariel Bailey, a prominent voice in Christian ministry and theological writing, Justin is a professor of theology at Dordt University in Iowa, and published a book, Interpreting Your World in 2022.

In this conversation we talk about the changing nature of worldview studies, and how to find the balance between an appreciative and critical approach when Christians engage with culture. We chat through the history of the term "worldview" and what it might mean to lead students in important conversations now.

This I got to sit down with Dr Rod Thompson and Dr Ken Dickens, a couple of men that have been a significant part of our network for a number of decades. Rod as the coordinator of biblical foundations and lecturer in the National Institute, and Ken serving for a stint as the CEO of the network, principal of the national institute, and in more recent years, a lecturer too.

Ken is part of a team that is putting together a history of our network to be released early next year, and I thought as part of the lead up to the book, I would sit down with him and Rod to get a sense of what it’s been like to have been part of the ongoing character and story of CEN. This is an extended episode because we cover a lot here, from the beginnings of the network including its underlying theological commitments, through to the growth phase, interactions with other groups and networks, and challenges looking forward. It was a really nice way to get a snapshot of what has made us who we are and capture something of these two guys as the pass on the baton.

This week I’m speaking to Diane Hockridge. Diane is an Australian educational designer and researcher, specialising in the design of online and distance-theological education, with a particular interest in spiritual and holistic formation of students. She is currently the Educational Designer at Ridley College in Melbourne and has a PhD in spiritual formation and online education.

In this conversation we discuss the challenges and opportunities of online education, focusing on supporting students through diverse learning experiences and leveraging their existing contexts. We talk authentic learning, service-based assignments and reflective practices to foster student growth. We also explore the future of theological education, considering the role of new technology and AI.

This week I’m joined by Dr. Maja Whitaker. Maja is a New Zealand-based theologian, academic, and ordained pastor. She’s currently the Academic Dean and a lecturer in Practical Theology at Laidlaw College in Christchurch, New Zealand. She pastors Equippers Church in Timaru alongside her husband, Dave, and is a mother to four daughters.

Maja’s research interests explore body theology, pastoral theology, spiritual formation, and disability theology. In this conversation we explore a lot of this, chatting through the resurrection and how to think through body ideals, how to think carefully about body difference, and how to let disability teach us.

This week I’m joined by Josh Taylor. Josh is an Anglican priest from the Diocese of Christchurch in New Zealand. He has experience in youth ministry, as a spiritual director, and several years as a Vicar in Timaru, New Zealand. He has just submitted a PhD through the University of Otago. His thesis is titled: “Speaking of Sin in 21st Century Aotearoa.”

It’s his PhD that I’m talking to him about today. We explore why sin can feel like a foreign and awkward concept these days and then track other ways people have tried to express it. We talk about big ideas like total depravity and original sin and try to build a picture of thinking about the concept that’s actually hopeful, especially in light of cultural approaches to morality. This is a really helpful chat to help guide young people in a world that is pretty confused about what sin is and how we see God.