The Russian war on Ukraine brings to light many of the wider social and political issues which have been bubbling away under the surface of western culture for the last decade. Our immersion in dramatic media hype has made many of us accustomed to widespread panic and anxiety over a range of issues. But the reality and severity of the conflict puts many of those concerns under the spotlight. How are we to think about this war within such a climate of fear? What do the initial responses in the West tell us about ourselves, and the things we do (or don't) hold dear? And what theological and missional concerns are raised here? How should the Church be praying within a conflict like this? If we pray for one side to "win", do we really know what we're asking God to "do"? Andy and Aaron discuss all this and more in another packed episode.

(Apologies for the minor sound issues in a couple of places in this episode; we were fighting technical gremlins whilst recording!)

We live in an age where grief is handled in bizarre ways, from sentimental cliches with little basis in reality to cold-hearted approaches that effectively see the passing away of a person as little more than the discarding of litter. Many people are caught in the tension between the implications of their own "secular" worldview and their innate desire for some form of religious hope in the face of death. How can Christians think, feel, and speak into this condition well? How can we offer words of comfort and challenge which don't just affirm the empty sentiments of our culture, but feel the real pain of loss whilst also pointing to the only true hope?

A new year often brings with a raft new intentions, motivations, and resolutions. In a secular culture, this always looks suspiciously "religious". What lies behind our continuous need to mark our time on this earth, to plan towards the future, and to make great resolutions for self-improvement (however quickly such resolutions are forgotten...)?

What kind of "resolutions" should the Church be making this year? What do we need to be especially aware of in light of the disruptions and/or madness of the last two years within western society? This episode, Andy and Aaron each do a live-reveal of their "top three" (without conferring!) and see if they can put them all together. Sounds like a challenge...

Enjoying Pod of the Gaps? Please help us keep going and growing (and enjoy some supporter-only-special perks!) at www.patreon.com/wkop

Climate change has dominated the headlines for a good while, particularly in light of the COP26 summit. There are clearly many serious issues to address on it, but are there also problems in how it's talked about? Secular activists tend to speak of the future of the planet in drastically apocalyptic terms, piling pressure on politicians and other leaders with a religious fervour not unlike that of Old Testament prophets.

As with many social issues in recent years, prominent Christian leaders often tend to parrot the perspectives already put forth in the mainstream media and political sphere. But given that we worship a God who is the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of the universe, shouldn't Christians have something a little more distinctive to say?

Aaron, Michael, and Andy wade into all this with their usual blend of cultural analysis, theology, and banter, with an environmentally friendly conversation on a topic that so often produces hot air!

Enjoying Pod of the Gaps? Please help us keep going and growing (and enjoy some supporter-only-special perks!) at www.patreon.com/wkop

It is popular today to suggest that men and women are fundamentally the same. Yet while this view may be popular among sociologists it is being challenged by some biologists who suggest there are real differences that cannot be explained simply by societal factors. We consider the arguments for this, ask what those differences might be and ask why it matters.

Join Aaron, Andy and Michael as they kickoff a mini series on the issue of gender by asking: how different are men and women?

How does the dominance of secularism affect how human beings understand death? With little hope beyond the grave, many Westerners often spend much of their lives merely trying to stay alive for as long as possible. Are there better ways to live life in light of death? In what ways might Christians speak into the social awkwardness around death with something beyond cliches and escapism?

Join Aaron, Andy, and Michael as they dive into this somewhat macabre topic with their usual candour and good humour.

Enjoying Pod of the Gaps? Please help us keep going and growing (and enjoy some supporter-only-special perks!) at www.patreon.com/wkop

Has our culture become too risk-averse? So much of our decision-making today (whether about public health, education, parenting, and virtually everything else) now seems to be filtered through the lens of "safety".

What's behind this trend in culture to try to eliminate any chance of risk, no matter how small? And in what ways has risk-averseness infiltrated the Church too? Isn't the Christian faith, at root, an inherently risky enterprise? After all, Jesus asks us to carry our cross, and nowhere suggests we ought to fill out a series of forms before we do so.

Andy, Michael, and Aaron take the risk of diving into this crucial topic to explore it in the usual Pod of the Gaps style. Join them for a fast-paced mix of insight, discussion, wit, wisdom, and banter.

*** Please help us keep Pod of the Gaps going and growing by supporting the show. Visit www.patreon.com/wkop to find out how you can do that, and get some great bonus content as a thank you. ***

This was the book Andy mentioned about parenting:

Lenore Skenazy, "Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry")( San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010)

The latest James Bond movie, "No Time To Die" has deeply divided audiences given its controversial interpretation of the globe-trotting super spy. Fresh from the cinema, still smelling of popcorn, Andy, Aaron and Michael use the 25th episode of Pod of the Gaps to explore the deeper cultural issues raised by the 25th Bond movie: from toxic masculinity to gender confusion, from nihilism and the absence of hope to the rewriting of history. Join our three intrepid podcasters for the usual mix of culture, theology, banter in a podcast that will leave you shaken *and* stirred.

** Warning: the episode does contain some spoilers about "No Time to Die". You may want to watch it after you've seen the movie; or just put your fingers in your ears and sing the Bond theme at the appropriate point in the episode! **

PS, the book that Michael mentioned towards the end of the episode was:

Tom Shippey, "J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century" (London: HarperCollins, 2000)

****** SPECIAL BONUS *****

After we recorded this episode 25 we thought we'd set ourselves a challenge. Could we go through all 25 Bond movie titles and find a link between each of them and some aspect of the Bible? Well, it was 1am, so high on caffeine and sleep deprivation we gave it a go.

A special treat for Pod of the Gaps supporters, "The Bible in 25 Bond Movie Titles" (or sign up to support the podcast for as little as £1/$1 a month) is available here: https://www.patreon.com/wkop

We live in an age of unprecedented access to interesting things to read. Millions of books, blogs, and streaming articles lie a click away. Most people are barely able to sift through the very latest stuff, let alone to read anything from previous generations. The temptation can therefore be to only try to keep up with the latest ideas, cutting us off from the time-tested wisdom from the past.

What do we miss by overlooking important books from before our time? How might our reading of authors of different eras help to diagnose the problematic ways of thinking which we find it harder to spot in our own time? Is it possible that reading old books might actually help us to read new books better?

As always, Aaron, Michael, and Andy discuss these important issues with their unique blend of cultural, theological, and missional insight, served up with lashings of healthy banter. They also offer up three recommendations each of old books that might be worth a read!

Please remember that Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported show — so a big thank you to the small group of folks who've got behind us. If you love the podcast, please consider supporting us — as little as £1 or $1 a month all helps us keep it going. Find out how to help at https://www.patreon.com/wkop

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Here are the book choices mentioned at the end:

Boreham, F. W., "Mushrooms on the Moor"

Chesterton, G. K., "Orthodoxy"

Irenaeus, "Against Heresies"

Lewis, C. S., "The Abolition of Man"

Luther, Martin, "The Bondage of the Will"

Macdonald, George, "The Princess and the Goblin"

Orwell, George, "Politics and the English Language"

Roseveare, Helen, "Count It All Joy"

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr, "The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956"

Homeschooling is often seen as being more than a little bit weird. Many instinctively object to it as a slightly cultish pastime that results in naive and geeky young people who are sheltered from the real world. For Christians in particular, doesn’t school present a better way for our kids to be missional? And how can families afford to homeschool when both parents have to work?

But could there be a case to make for the benefits of choosing homeschooling, especially in the light of how many schools have become hotbeds of political indoctrination?

In this episode, Andy, Aaron and Michael re-examine the case for homeschooling and explore why, whatever option we ultimately choose, we need to think more deeply about the educational choices we make for our kids given the challenges of our current culture.

Please remember that Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported show — a big thank you to the small group of folks who've got behind us. If you love the show, please do consider joining them and supporting the show — as little as £1 or $1 a month all helps us keep it going. Find out how to help at https://www.patreon.com/wkop