The Equip Project Podcast

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We live in a society that has turned history into a battleground. And that should set alarm bells off in the minds of Christians, because we hold to an historical faith. Christianity is not a philosophy. It isn’t just a set of speculative ideas. It claims to be truth revealed in history. We claim that the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are real, historical facts. The Bible itself is packed full of historical narrative. 

In this episode we discusshow society’s view of history has changed over time, and think about how the current cultural view of history has infected evangelicalism.

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We are continuing to think about the big elements that make up our society. And one really important element in modern culture is Islam. There are about 3.5 million Muslims living in the UK. That’s about 5.5% if the population, and that percentage is growing fast because of a disparity in birth rates. In some London boroughs, over 30% of the population is Muslim. So there is no doubt that the face of modern Britain is changing very fast. The rise of Islam in Europe is perhaps the most important factor in social change for countries like France and the UK. 

How can we best share the Gospel with Muslim friends and colleagues? And how should we think about Western society's approach to Islam?

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Language, and how we use it, has become an immensely powerful factor in how we engage with this culture. It’s as if society no longer has a shared, stable, language. There is this increasing pressure to learn a new language, because this new language is the passport we need to engage in the modern world. To refuse to learn the new language is a decision to be iced out of your social network.  We should be curious about how we have ended up here...

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In this special bonus episode, recorded by Christian Unions Ireland (CUI), Jim Crookes is joined by world renowned author and social critic Os Guinness, to discuss the Christian and politics.

The world watched in shock at the events that unfolded on January 6th outside the Capitol building in Washington DC. Protesters held signs that said “Jesus Saves” as they rampaged through one of the greatest symbols of democracy in the world.

In both Ireland and the US, evangelicals are confused and dismayed by the astonishing speed with which their culture has rejected its Judeo–Christian roots. Some are tempted to fight politically in defence of a Christian Nation; at the same time, tens of thousands of young adults from evangelicals are moving into agnosticism or liberal post–evangelical communities. 

How can we, as Christian students respond? How should we engage effectively with a post–Christian world in a way that honours the Lord Jesus Christ?

With Special thanks to CUI for their permission to share this content. 

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In this episode, we discuss the role of the media in society. 

There is no doubt that organisations like the BBC or CNN have a massive impact on western societies. The tabloid newspapers in the UK have been credited with winning elections for both New Labour and the Conservative party over the past few decades. 

More recently, we’ve seen the rise of fake news. And we’ve also seen a huge increase in the popularity of conspiracy theories like Q Anon. Something really fundamental has started to breakdown in how society understands itself.  

We explore the power of the media and its impact on our culture. 

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This week we talk about social justice. The concept of social justice has evolved a lot over the past two hundred years. Today, the conversation about social justice is dominated by an ideology called Critical Theory. 

Critical theory says that the world is unjust because every society is structured the same way. There is always an oppressor and then there are oppressed minority groups on the margins of society.

We examine this theory from a Christian perspective.

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Season 3 has arrived! 

This season we’ll be thinking about the ideas and philosophies that have impacted all the building blocks that make up society. Things like social justice, language, education, the media, and the family. 

In this first episode we think about 'The Rise of the Self'.  Grasping just how radically our self-understanding has been transformed over the past two centuries is crucial to understanding what’s going on in this cultural moment.  

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A couple of weeks back I asked Jim if he’d be willing to record a brief Christmas refection for us, as we come to the end of a tough and uncertain year. 

I hope this short message is a blessing to you as we stand on the brink of 2021. 

Thank-you for sticking with us and encouraging us throughout this year. We can’t wait to walk alongside you again the coming months, as we seek to think through more of the cultural and intellectual challenges to the Christians Faith.  

All that remains is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and God’s richest blessing for 2021. 

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In this second series of the Podcast, we've thought about the challenges that young Christians will have to face over the next thirty years. We looked at the rise of the Green religion and new spirituality. We thought about the thousands of young adults who are leaving evangelicalism, who are de-converting. The we thought about how evangelicalism will fragment, and how Christians may experience marginalisation throughout the 2030s. We discussed Jordan Peterson. We then thought about the rise of the machines, the challenge to Christian thought that will come from Artificial Intelligence and Biological Engineering. And last week we stared into a future where euthanasia is a common, legal facility available even to people who’ve just grown tired of life.

Now, when you put those elements together, it does create a picture of the future that might seem a bit scary and depressing.  So we've called this final episode “Be Not Afraid”, as we express why, despite all the trouble, Christians having nothing to fear. 

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In this episode we discuss euthanasia and assisted suicide. Should we have the right to decide when and how we die? What are the dangers of legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide? What about only in the most serious cases, such as those suffering with MND? How should we think about these major issues as Christians?