Mid-faith Crisis

Cheer up everyone, it's an episode all about hell. We reflect on the Staying Defiantly event that Joe hosted earlier in the week. In other news, Joe's been to Bristol, Nick has been to IKEA, God is love and beer is good.

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Nick has been useless. Joe has been watching an eagle. We discuss the role of imagination in faith, whether wishful thinking is always bad and the heroic doubt of Thomas. Also how to replace defensiveness with love.

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Joe isn't feeling Eastery yet. Nick's valves are burning out. Meanwhile we talk about how we want to be when things go wrong, how Christianity really needs two symbols, and in what ways theology can be dangerous.

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Happy Easter! And while we're at it, Happy New Year and Happy Nard-day! Joe is back from his travels and Nick is in a cupboard. We talk about what Easter means to us and reflect on how the shape of the week reflects the shape of our existence. Also Joe has a new theme for the official MFC new year. And Nick has been inhaling the New Testament.

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Just a very quick update. Joe is in Mexico and Nick is in a dangerously low house. We talk about recognising our need for sleep as part of our spiritual life. Warning: dubious quality sound but that's what you get when one of you is recording on his iPhone over dodgy internet.

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We talk a bit about politics this week, particularly the conflict between private morality and public leadership. Can we learn to listen to people with vastly different views? And should those views automatically debar them from certain roles? Meanwhile, in one of the worst 'support the podcast' segments ever, we end up wondering whether those who donate should really have less to listen to. And all this while Joe is ready to escape.

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Joe is enjoying his birthday. Nick has been immersed in art. And we discuss the difference between judgement and condemnation, whether tradition and religion are necessarily bad, and what enables us - well, one of us - to remain part of the established church.

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Nick's life is chaotic. Joe has escaped a fire. And meanwhile, we discuss whether to choose a local or non-local church, how do we actually have a relationship with God, and whether we need a spreadsheet to measure how like Jesus we are.

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Life is heavy. Life is stressful. It's hard to respond wisely, when anger is easier. In this episode we talk about responding to stress, Christianity as an eastern religion, the power of patience, and the way in which Jesus critiqued power. Also, we reflect on the current terrible events in Turkey and Syria. And Nick blesses BP and Shell with a new liturgical gesture of blessing.

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We discuss the crucial questions: Is God just some kind of cosmic life-force? Was Jesus just God in a man-shaped onesie? How do we avoid weaponising our language? Why are we suddenly so popular in Denmark? And, what kind of bird did that? Oh, and we've decided to celebrate the MFC new year in March. Just like they did in 1752.

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