This conversation with Sally Longley was first published in October, 2024. We're bringing it back because it feels timely and relevant. 

In a world that is loud, violent, and relentless, Sally Longley offers something quietly radical — a way of being present to the chaos without being consumed by it. We talk about Sally's commitment to nonviolence forged in apartheid-era South Africa, the transformative power of silence, Ignatian spirituality, deep listening, and what it might mean to build communities where people can come exactly as they are. 

Connect with Sally's work at longley.com.au

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It's Easter Sunday, and for the first time in Spiritual Misfits history, Caro and Mitch are in the same conversation. To mark the occasion, we're wrestling with the question that sits at the heart of the Easter story: did the resurrection actually happen — and does it matter how we answer that? Will, Caro and Mitch explore the tension between resurrection as historical event and resurrection as metaphor, why Good Friday can feel more honest than Easter Sunday and what it means to be a person of the resurrection. Whatever you believe about the resurrection there's room for you and your curiosity in this conversation. 

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Carolyn Meers guides us through a contemplation for autumn. As the leaves turn and fall from the trees, what might we let go of? Caro shares her observations then leads us through an embodied practice you can do almost anywhere (even if you're driving or walking your dog while you listen). 

Future Church Conference | May 28, Parramatta Town Hall

Spiritual Misfits listeners can get $10 off tickets now, using the code SPIRITUALMISFITS at check-out. 

Come be part of a conversation about climate justice, embodied spirituality, AI vs human wisdom and how the church ought to respond when the world feels like it's on fire. With guests like Uncle Ray Minniecon, Tanya Riches, Sally Douglas, Simon Buckingham-Shum, Jione Havea and others, we'd love to see you there. More information and tickets via https://futurechurchcon.com/

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Ken Scott D is an author and thinker exploring the evolution of human intelligence, faith, and relational capacity in an age of rapid technological change. His work examines AI and modern technologies as extensions of human perception, and invites the church into a renewed vocation as a steward of relational and spiritual intelligence during times of transition.

In this conversation we explore his framework for reading the Christian story not primarily as a moral system but as a map of human consciousness maturing — and what that means for how we understand the Bible, the church, Paul, Jesus, and the arrival of AI.

We get into:

• The Fall as the moment binary consciousness enters the human story
• Why the Law was necessary but was never the destination
• The difference between how Jesus and Paul think — and why that difference may be one of the most important theological questions of our time
• How the church might think about AI and the moment we find ourselves in

Follow Ken’s substack: https://substack.com/@kscottdavidson

Keep an eye out for Beyond Binary when it lands.

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This episode, we're taking you into the room for the launch of Edgewalkers: Reimagining Faith, Church and Theology — a new collection of memoir theology from At the Edges Publishing, featuring 20 contributors writing about what it looks like to practise faith from the fringes.

Will hosted the contributor panel on the night, 'speed-dating' several of the book's contributors. You'll hear excerpts from chapters on mysticism, communion, digital church, kenosis, and more — plus a song written specifically for the evening by Frankie that will resonate deeply with many 'spiritual misfits'. 

Buy 'Edgewalkers' here.

Learn more about At the Edges here.

Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.

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This is a replay of one of our highlight conversations from the archive. Originally released September 2024.

Amy Kenny, author of 'My Body Is Not A Prayer Request,' joins Will for a discussion about disability justice and ableism in the church. She shares her experiences of being prayed over for her disability to be erased and the harmful treatment she received in the church. Amy emphasises the importance of recognising the image of God in disabled bodies and reframing our understanding of healing and curing. She challenges the ableist language, assumptions, and practices that exist in churches and calls for a more inclusive and holistic approach to faith. The conversation explores the themes of inclusivity, disability in scripture, and creating communities that fully receive the gifts of all members. Amy shares her journey of accepting and being proud of her disabled identity and how her theology has evolved to embrace disability. She emphasises the need to move beyond tolerance and charity towards celebrating and learning from disabled individuals. Amy also discusses the importance of unlearning ableism, creating cultures of access, and developing a community care network for disabled members. The conversation concludes with final thoughts for both disabled and non-disabled listeners.

Amy's website: https://amy-kenny.com/

Amy's book: 'My Body is not a Prayer Request'

Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.

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Brad Watson spent years as a Salvation Army officer — humanitarian disaster responder, senior leader, insider. He's also gay. In this conversation, Brad shares what led him to research the lived experience of LGBTQ+ officers within the Salvation Army, and what he found: stories of moral injury, religious trauma, and quiet resilience, gathered from officers who trusted him with their experiences.

We talk about the Salvation Army's unusual dual identity as both beloved welfare organisation and conservative evangelical church, the concept of moral injury, and what genuine allyship actually requires when the cost becomes real. But we also go looking for hope — and find it in authenticity, unexpected ministry, and a theology of grace that refuses to stay within its own boundaries.

Brad's book Queer Blood and Fire is available now:

https://www.queerbloodandfirebook.com/

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Andrew Cox is a Filipino-Australian poet, performer, and the facilitator of Canberra Poetry Slam. In this conversation, we explore how poetry spaces can function as alternative spiritual communities — places of transcendence, vulnerability, and belonging outside traditional religious frameworks.

Andrew shares his journey from earnest young performer to community curator, wrestling with questions of colonial identity, the tension between certainty and conviction, and what it means to create spaces that are genuinely safe while still allowing for healthy challenge and growth.

Connect with Andrew:

https://andrewcoxpoetry.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/andrewcoxpoetry

https://www.instagram.com/canberraslam

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Justine Toh is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX) and a writer whose work appears regularly in The Guardian. In this conversation, Will and Justine explore the crisis of attention in our digital age — what we lose when our attention is fragmented, what it costs to reclaim it, and if the concept of 'a hidden life' might help us. This conversation doesn't offer simple answers, but genuine wrestling with how to live consciously within the systems we're part of.

Articles referenced:

• Justine Toh, "As the year begins, don't look away from the headlines, look better and deeper" — The Guardian
• Justine Toh, "A hidden life in the era of social media can still change history, as the story of Jesus shows" — The Guardian
• Justine Toh, "The world is burning. Who can convince the comfortable classes of the radical sacrifices needed?" — The Guardian

Books referenced:

• Johann Hari, Stolen Focus
• Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
• Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation
• Justine Toh, Achievement Addiction

Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.

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What if the beliefs you were taught don't all have to stand or fall together? James McGrath, a New Testament scholar who went through his own faith reconstruction, joins Will to talk about what comes after deconstruction. Using the metaphor of DIY home renovation, James explores how we can take ownership of rebuilding our worldview without guilt - recognising that even the most conservative Christians are already "picking and choosing," doing it thoughtfully is what matters. We discuss the time machine thought experiment that revealed what's actually load-bearing in James' faith, why certainty and conviction are fundamentally different things, and how early Christian apologists actually sought to integrate the best of secular philosophy rather than argue against it. James makes the case that the most basic question about God — does ultimate reality exist? — is actually less debatable than we think, freeing us to focus on the more important questions about attributes, meaning, and how we live.

Order James's book: Beyond Deconstruction: Building a More Expansive Faith Available February 3, 2026 https://eerdmans.com/9780802884596/beyond-deconstruction/

Connect with James: 

Blog: Religion Prof (patheos.com/blogs/religionprof) 

X/Twitter: @ReligionProf 

Instagram: @jamesfmcgrath 

TikTok: @ReligionProf

Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.

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