Mid-faith Crisis

More on metaphors. We talk more about the idea of Jesus as 'Lord', and discuss how changes in culture, society or even technology might change our understanding of long-standing human metaphors. Also we talk about ritual and sacraments and how so many of them are simply heightened versions of everyday human activities. Meanwhile, Nick's preaching has some unexpectedly dramatic consequences and Joe thinks everyone should wear a tiara.

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Happy Candlemas to one and all. In this episode we talk a lot about baptism: what is it, where did it come from and does it still matter? And did Nick really write a book on it without realising? Also we have more on the neurodiverse approaches to church, we touch on different ways of understanding justice, and we think about whether laying down your life for others means denying who you truly are. Finally, we have a worship song about Worthing and we launch the mystical experience helpline.

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Lots of interesting feedback this week, including more reflections on worship songs, our calling to attend to our own 'small' world, the difficulties of Bible translation (and food translation come to that) and why, for the Goths, Jesus was head of the household. Also we talk about neurodiversity and churches. How can we attend to different ways of thinking and different learning styles? Must one size fit all? Oh, and lots of TV watching homework because, as Joe says, 'Life's too short to not watch a lot of TV'.

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Joe has forgotten how to count and Nick is bewildered by a worship song. We discuss whether the metaphors we use are helpful, how God is always 'in translation' and what we can do to avoid reinforcing unhelpful patriarchal systems. Also, we touch again on the subject of judgment, and think about relationship, restoration and reading the Bible more in sorrow than in fury.

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We return to the Bible this week, to the thorny topic of how we deal with difficult Bible verses, particularly verses about eternal punishment and divine vengeance. As our correspondent puts it, it's like Biblical whack-a-mole: you hammer one passage down, only to see new ones pop up. So we talk about the inadequacy of systematic theology, the need to recognise contradiction and mystery and how everybody, frankly, is whacking their moles. Most importantly, we consider how, despite the difficulties, we can continue to engage with and be inspired by the scriptures.

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Happy new year (although, as we all know, the official Mid-faith Crisis New Year isn't until March). Anyway we're back, and in this episode we mark a special anniversary - 45 years since Nick became a Christian. So, what's changed? How did we understand 'conversion' back then and how do we understand it now? And how do we see our purpose today, all those years later?

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Happy Christmas! In this festive episode we share – and then judge – our Christmas micro-sermons. Also we think about the practices that will nourish us this Christmas and reflect on how the darkness and worry of the nativity stories does not diminish the life and hope. Remember everyone – you're still alive, and that's a wonderful thing!

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After a brief debate about which of us is the more miserable, we discuss whether social media can help us engage with our shadow, detaching from the news without feeling guilty, and how hate actually tethers us to the object of our hatred. Also, as we enter Advent, where do we look for the hope? And what can we do to add to the hope and love that is really all around us?

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In this episode, we talk about the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and, more specifically, about the systems of thinking which lead almost inevitably to coercion and abuse. How can we challenge systems like this? Is there any hope? And is God relying on us to be the answers to prayer?

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Joe talks to award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant, the 'shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen' from North Carolina. As well as sharing their story of growing up in the evangelical church, they talk about the need to trust peoples' experiences and how, so often, we have a view of God who 'doesn’t love very well'. Along the way, Flamy talks about mystical encounters, dealing with opposition and abuse and why, in the end, it's all about joy.

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