Mid-faith Crisis

There are some really horrible bits in the Bible. How are we to read them? Should we just ignore them? Or is our very response to them telling us something from God? We discuss how to respond to passages which are violently opposed to contemporary attitudes today. Also we touch on the benefits of being kind to yourself, and propose a Midfaith Crisis devotional called ‘Carry on up Your Quiet Time’.

Episode 83: We need to talk about Jehovah

Episode 81: The Not-so-good Book

The Badly Behaved Bible on Amazon

The Badly Behaved Bible on Eden.co.uk

The Badly Behaved Bible on Hive.co.uk

The Badly Behaved Bible at Waterstones

Some deep questions this week. Do miracles actually happen? And what about prophecy? Can we actually experience God's love? Has Joe filled in a proper annual leave request form? And is it ever right to call down fire and brimstone on double-glazing salesmen?

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After waiting hours for some printing to get done we revisit our statements on the good news and ask a key question: where did it all go wrong? Have we misunderstood the good news? Or is it just that we look on things differently in our times? We talk about belonging, inclusion, love, forgiveness and food. All this, plus an appeal for grandparents for Joe.

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Have you been mis-sold your personal salvation policy? In the midst of some pretty bongo-filled weeks, Joe and Nick finally get around to their versions of the good news. But not before we share some more excellent stuff from listeners. Warning: contains pith.

• Onward
• Woman at War
• Rob Bell: Introduction to Joy
• Joe’s good news
• Nick’s good news
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Never has so much feedback been packed into one podcast. We’ve had so many responses to our question about ‘what is the good news?’ that we decided to do a bumper selection from all the emails. There's loads of great stuff in here, so enjoy some actual content from our wonderful listeners.

• Renovaré: Finding Good Words to Share the Good News
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Last episode Nick posed the question ‘what is the good news?’ This week - predictably – they completely fail to answer it. So this is just the start of the discussion. Is the gospel different things to different people? Is it more than just reserving a place in heaven for when we die? Meanwhile, Joe is preaching the gospel of courgettes, and Nick has done some nerdy Bible analysis and inventing words like doctrinification.

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Back after a short break and we begin with an argument over courgettes of all things. After that, there’s some great feedback, with more on staying in churches when it’s difficult, why faith is like a jigsaw and how the moments of failure teach us about ourselves. Also we talk about the homogenous unit principle, Lewis Hamilton the Musical, and whether irritation should be included in Strengthsfinder.

• Me and White Supremacy
• Sitting in Limbo
• Hamilton: The Musical
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Emma Watson interviews Reni Eddo-Lodge
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When is it right to leave a church? Is it ever right? Can you leave on good terms? A heartfelt email leads us into a discussion of how difficult it is to stay in a church when our fundamental beliefs change. Also, we talk about the need for personal encounter, what we can do when we no longer sense God, and the danger of elderflower-related injuries.

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Nick is being crushed by a deadline but fortunately we have feedback to come to our rescue. How do we deal people and churches who have caused us pain in the past? Are we often too cynical about the traditions from which we have come? It’s all about the importance of humility, kindness, compassion and finding community. Meanwhile, Joe has an Alan Partridge moment, and there are horrific revelations from the regions of Kingley Vale.

• Kingley Vale
• BBC: The Salisbury Poisonings
• BBC: Staged
• Me and White Supremacy

A great interview with Jeff Lucas. With his usual depth, humour and honesty, Jeff talks about prayer as a mix of gratitude and complaining, the need for honesty about our fragility and brokenness, and how disillusionment is gift to be cherished. Not to mention the difficulty of distinguishing between the voice of God and chicken tikka masala.

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