The influx of pastoralists and land speculators into Victoria's grasslands was one of the fastest and largest land grabs in colonial history, but it begun with the only known formal land agreement between the First Peoples of Australia and British settlers. What was this agreement between Kulin leaders and John Batman's Port Phillip Association, and how did it usher in the end of the world as they knew it?

(Episode notes available here.)

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

By 1815, the extent of British colonisation in Australia is still a tiny speck on a vast continent, but that’s all about to change. From about 1820, a radical shift occurs in the British colonial project which leads to a world-shattering experience for Australia’s First Peoples. In this episode we focus on the key part that Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) plays in this story.

(Episode notes available here.)

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Was there war between First Peoples and the newcomers from Britain? If so, when did it begin, and how? This episode takes us beyond the limits of Sydney town to discover what was going on in the bush and the reasons for conflict. Who drove these developments, and where did they lead?

Note: some parts of this episode may not be suitable for younger listeners. (Episode notes available here.)

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

The arrival of the First Fleet and the establishment of a penal colony at Port Jackson meant a collision of worlds on an almost science fiction scale. Did these aliens from Britain think of themselves as "invaders"? How was their arrival received? How do the early years of this story set the trend and the tone for much to come? Jonathan and Jacob zoom in on Sydney town to find a surprisingly human story full of complexity and tension.

(Episode notes available here.)

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

There is probably no bigger fact for the Australian economic context than the fact that we are a settler colony, so it’s no surprise that colonisation is one of the most contested subjects in Australian politics today. But how many of us actually know the history of what happened? With both sides of the culture war seeming to prefer their own idealised stories, how should Christians begin to get a handle on things here? This episode marks the beginning of our deepest dive series yet for the MannaCast, so strap in – this one may ruffle some feathers!

(Episode notes available here.)

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Jonathan interviews Dr Siu Fung Wu about his book, Suffering in Romans. Siu Fung describes how his own childhood experience of poverty in Hong Kong led him to explore themes of suffering in Paul's letter to the Romans, and how understanding the economic hardship of many of the Roman Christians to whom Paul was writing helps us better understand these deep themes in his writing.

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Did the Mongolians kick start the modern world economy? Can Christianity work in a yurt? What can Australians learn from Mongolia? And why are Jonathan and Jacob talking about Mongolia anyway?

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

It’s an election year! But should Christian involvement in politics be limited to voting? Who should we vote for anyway? More than that, might there be a distinctively Christian way of negotiating our common life together? We bring our Christianity and politics series to a close with a frank discussion of where we find ourselves and forms of political witness in Australia today.

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

On part three of this four-part series we explore the lies, achievements, and compromises in Australia's political settlement. Believe it or not, Australia was once seen as the political laboratory of the world!

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

How did we get here? On this mammoth episode we try to tell the story of politics in "the Christian West" from about 330 AD - present. Sounds crazy? It probably is, but we need to understand where we've come from if we're going to understand where we are (and where to go from here). There's much to learn from this history, as well as things worth preserving if we can. 

Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.