Brian Dijkema, President of Cardus, hops onto the podcast with Madi and Jon to discuss the importance of thinking deeply, humanism, and whether we should burn down or build up institutions and why. 

Leave a comment to join in on the conversation!

Interested in coming to Unreliable Instincts? Registration is open until March 25, 2026.

References from the Conversation:

• Cardus.ca 
• comment.org 
• Article: Essaying Discernment by Christina Bieber Lake
• Book: Intellectual Lives of the British Working Class by Jonathan Rose
• Book: The World Beyond Your Head by Matthew Crawford
• Book: Dominion by Tom Holland 
• Art: Vanitas & Veriditas by Josh Thiessen 
• Book: The Fabric of Character by Anne Synder

Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠
• Open House

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• ⁠Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program

Sponsors:

• Wycliffe College: Founded in 1877, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto is a graduate school of theology committed to preparing students for lives of practical ministry and theological scholarship. Rooted in the evangelical Anglican tradition, Wycliffe is home to students from a wide variety of denominations seeking to deepen their commitment to Christ and knowledge of the Gospel through study and community. Wycliffe offers diverse programs from part-time certificates to doctoral degrees, check out their website for more information at www.wycliffecollege.ca. 
• Stronger Philanthropy: Stronger Philanthropy connects the right donors with the right charities, facilitating the kind of strategic, targeted giving that leads to real and lasting social change. By providing advisory services that bridge the gap between donors and the charitable sector, Stronger Philanthropy plays a critical role in strengthening the impact of Canadian philanthropy. Learn more at strongerphilanthropy.ca
• The Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust: For over 25 years the Reid Trust has supported both creative and traditional initiatives in Reformed and Presbyterian theological education in Canada.

Marty Solomon joined for week 2 of Unreliable Instincts! Take a listen to the conversation Madi and Jon had with Marty that resulted in a debate about jazz music, talking about their favourite musicals, and understanding the differences between Empire and Shalom. 

Leave a comment to join in on the conversation!

Interested in coming to Unreliable Instincts? Registration is open until March 25, 2026.

References from the Conversation:

• BEMA Discipleship
• The Gospel of Being Human

Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠
• Open House

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• Read the Blog⁠
• Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program

Sponsors:

• Stronger Philanthropy: Stronger Philanthropy connects the right donors with the right charities, facilitating the kind of strategic, targeted giving that leads to real and lasting social change. By providing advisory services that bridge the gap between donors and the charitable sector, Stronger Philanthropy plays a critical role in strengthening the impact of Canadian philanthropy. Learn more at strongerphilanthropy.ca

• The Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust: For over 25 years the Reid Trust has supported both creative and traditional initiatives in Reformed and Presbyterian theological education in Canada.

Jon Berends kicked off our Winter Learning Series, Unreliable Instincts, with a talk titled, “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.” Here this bonus conversation where Jon and Madi talk about darkness and light, the role of knowing history and how it shapes our imaginations, and how people actually change. 

Leave a comment to join in on the conversation!

Interested in coming to Unreliable Instincts? Registration is open until March 25, 2026.

References from the Conversation:

• Iain McGilchrist
• C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• ⁠Read the Blog
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program

Sponsors:

• Stronger Philanthropy: Stronger Philanthropy connects the right donors with the right charities, facilitating the kind of strategic, targeted giving that leads to real and lasting social change. By providing advisory services that bridge the gap between donors and the charitable sector, Stronger Philanthropy plays a critical role in strengthening the impact of Canadian philanthropy. Learn more at strongerphilanthropy.ca
• The Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust: For over 25 years the Reid Trust has supported both creative and traditional initiatives in Reformed and Presbyterian theological education in Canada.
• International Justice Mission: Children, women and men face the reality of modern slavery, exploitation and abuse every day because people in power prey on the vulnerabilities that poverty creates. International Justice Mission Canada or IJM Canada is on a mission to partner with local communities to build a more just world where everyone can expect to be safe and protected. Together, we can build a safer, more just world. Learn more about getting your church involved at ijm.ca/churches.

Who better than to kick off the launch of our Winter Learning Series, Unreliable Instincts, than Dr James K. A. Smith! This conversation launches our series on fostering an imagination, and it’s one you don’t want to miss. 

Jon, Madi, and Jamie talk about the stories we’re part of, disordered narratives, philosophy, liturgies, and the Gospel. We also dive into friendship, noble failures, hope, presence, and belovedness conquering fear. 

What a way to start off our series, Unreliable Instincts: The Case for a Robust Christian Imagination. Make sure you register to join in for the whole series starting February 18th, and going for 6 Wednesday evenings. The speaker line up is incredible. Check out our website to learn more and to register to be part of the conversation. 

Learn more about Dr James K. A. Smith here. 

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• ⁠Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program

Welcome back! Jon and Madi take a few minutes to share about the upcoming Winter Learning Series titled "Unreliable Instincts: The Case for a Robust Christian Imagination". Tune in learn more about the series.

Register here to let us know you're coming, and invite a friend to join you!

Check out last year's series, Six Acts in Six Sessions.

It’s time for another Porch Podcast! Our students have now completed their first term at Act Five, so we invited them to take a seat on the front porch with us to share some reflections and highlights from the fall. We hope you feel like you’re sitting on the front porch with us, hearing their stories firsthand. 

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• Residency Program

For the first time ever, we have three incredible Alumni Ambassador Interns! Our Alumni Ambassadors get the opportunity to visit schools, churches, camps, and conferences to tell their story as a student with us, and share more about Act Five. If you’ve had the privilege of getting to hear from them, you know how awesome they are!

Here is Hannah's story, who is a graduate from the class of ‘22.

Interested in being an Alumni Ambassador Intern next year? Stay tuned in the new year for the application!

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program
  

For the first time ever, we have three incredible Alumni Ambassador Interns! Our Alumni Ambassadors get the opportunity to visit schools, churches, camps, and conferences to tell their story as a student with us, and share more about Act Five. If you’ve had the privilege of getting to hear from them, you know how awesome they are!

Here is Zoe's story, who is a graduate from the class of ‘24.

Interested in being an Alumni Ambassador Intern next year? Stay tuned in the new year for the application!

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• Read the Blog⁠
• Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• Gap Year ⁠
• Residency Program
  

For the first time ever, we have three incredible Alumni Ambassador Interns! Our Alumni Ambassadors get the opportunity to visit schools, churches, camps, and conferences to tell their story as a student with us, and share more about Act Five. If you’ve had the privilege of getting to hear from them, you know how awesome they are!

Here is Daniel's story, who is a graduate from the class of ‘25.

Interested in being an Alumni Ambassador Intern next year? Stay tuned in the new year for the application!

Hear Daniel share a story on Episode 11 too.

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Winter Learning Series

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• Facebook⁠
• Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• Gap Year ⁠
• Residency Program

Tim Dichau is on the podcast! Tim was the pastor at Grandview Church for over two decades. He led the church to refocus its mission among the neighbourhood and for the good of the city.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of attention and collaboration in engaging where you are, and Tim shares many examples of how he’s experienced the significance of staying long enough to witness transformation. Tim also invites us to remember the role of repentance and the power of naming idols. 

Let us know what you think by commenting or reaching out.

Learn More about Tim:

• CityGate Vancouver
• Grandview Church
• Books Tim has Written

Join us this season by Open Doors Wider at Act Five! Learn more here or at actfive.ca/give

Upcoming Events:

• ⁠Open House⁠
• ⁠Winter Learning Series⁠

To connect with us, find us here:

• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠ 
• ⁠Facebook⁠
• ⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠
• ⁠Read the Blog⁠
• ⁠Ways to Give⁠

Applications:

• ⁠Gap Year ⁠
• ⁠Residency Program