Mid-faith Crisis

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Mid-faith Crisis

Nick Page & Joe Davis

A podcast for every Christian who has ever asked ‘Is that it?’

37 minutes 48 seconds

Episode 324: Baffled in a Christlike direction
We're back! Joe has returned from Mexico and Nick has returned from an unfortunate act of wire-cutting. We catch up on how things are going with our themes, discuss how life (and theology) keeps adding complexity, and think about how we respond to fear when, inevitably, it arrives. Also we talk a little more about the need to embrace uncertainty, and the importance of telling yourself some good stories. Meanwhile does Nick have a poltergeist or just a very clean rodent? And what is a squidgy goat?
Mentioned in this episode:
5 April 2025, 12:15 am
37 minutes 28 seconds

Episode 323: An interview with Bekah Legg
With Joe away in Mexico we have an interview with Bekah Legg. She talks about the work of Restored with the victims of domestic abuse, and shares a little of her own story of loss and grief.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Restored
- DR Congo conflict: Mobile phones, coltan and the fighting - BBC News
22 March 2025, 1:15 am
43 minutes 41 seconds

Episode 322 : I would like to be your spiritual Stacey Solomon
It's our annual themes episode! We talk about our themes for the year, and reflect on how last year's themes worked out. And Joe has received an encouraging birthday card. Church notice: we're taking a brief break, so the next podcast will be in two week's time.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 279: Focus and … er… something else
- Sort Your Life Out
8 March 2025, 1:15 am
37 minutes 40 seconds

Episode 321: Stuck in a telephone box with only one headlamp
We discuss how culture shapes art, and especially, how the culture of the time affects the Bible. How do the cultural norms and assumptions affect the text? Can we give power to the powerless within the story? And what about our own cultural lenses? We touch on creating our own sacred texts and ask the crucial question: can we still watch Carry On Films? Also Nick has had a dream. A very worrying dream, as it happens.
Mentioned in this episode:
1 March 2025, 1:15 am
36 minutes 28 seconds

Episode 320: ‘Women are this, and men are that’
Or not. Because in this episode we delve into some follow-up to last episode's interview with Danielle Strickland. How can we address some of the deep, ingrained attitudes which affect all of us? What does this mean for ideas of femininity and masculinity? And how do we respond to loss of power and prestige without lashing out? Also the boys have had a business meeting in a place called Upham. No, really.
Mentioned in this episode:
22 February 2025, 1:15 am
47 minutes 42 seconds

Episode 319: An interview with Danielle Strickland
This week, Joe interviews author and speaker Danielle Strickland, about patriarchy – the male-centring and male-ordering of the world. They discuss the challenges of calling it out, the heretical concept of the male-ness of God, and the way in which patriarchal thinking and theology affects the world and the church. Most importantly, they talk about some practical things we can all do to make a difference.
Mentioned in this episode:
15 February 2025, 1:15 am
42 minutes 16 seconds

Episode 318: Inside we’re all princesses
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.
Mentioned in this episode:
8 February 2025, 1:15 am
42 minutes 37 seconds

Episode 317: The Candlemas episode
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.
Mentioned in this episode:
1 February 2025, 1:15 am
43 minutes 11 seconds

Episode 316: The neurodivergent church
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'.
Mentioned in this episode:
25 January 2025, 1:15 am
40 minutes 45 seconds

Episode 315: Mandatory biblical metaphors
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.
Mentioned in this episode:
18 January 2025, 1:15 am
34 minutes 15 seconds

Episode 314: Whacking our Biblical moles
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.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Wicked
- Dune: Part One
- Dune: Part Two
- Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible
- Gregory Macdonald, The Evangelical Universalist
- Midrash
11 January 2025, 1:15 am
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