In this one, Graham Mike and Jane have fancy new microphones (so a better audio experience for all). They talk about the Prosperity Gospel, whether the fall is an event or a process, and whether the Holy Spirit is a person, a force or a thing.
Mike, Jane and Graham are joined by Dr Chris Tilling, New Testament specialist, to look at some thorny problems in the Bible, such as 'being baptised for the dead' in 1 Corinthians, speaking and singing in tongues, and the status of the Apocrypha. There's an extra seasonal discussion on whether Christians should teach their kids about Father Christmas!
In this one, Graham and Jane are joined by Stephen Backhouse, expert on Kierkegaard and all things Canadian. They end up discussing whether the Holy Spirit is loved by the Father and the Son and the nature of eternity - is it like spending your whole life in church?
The original team, Graham, Mike and Jane, meet to discuss the Pope's visit to the UK, contemporary secularism and the relevance of the Nicene Creed to being a Christian today.
This one involves two special guests - Professor Miroslav Volf from Yale University and Professor David Ford from Cambridge University, in conversation with the usuals - Graham, Jane and Mike, recorded at the Holy Spirit in the World Today conference.
Charlie Mackesy, artist, preacher and very interesting chap, joins the regular team to talk about art, faith, and honesty in church.
Which Creed best sums up the Christian faith? Graham, Mike, and Jane discuss the Nicene Creed and other ecumenical and confessional creeds of the church. And in the second part of the GodPod they address the sensitive issue of death: what happens to someone who dies who has not been baptised, or who has committed suicide?
The regular team are joined by Paul Cowley of HTB and Matt Wilson of the Eden Project, to discuss their work in social transformation on the estates of London and Manchester.
GodPod turns 50! The original team celebrate to the sound of popping champagne corks. (Well, sparkling wine, at least.) And while sipping on their bubbly, Graham, Mike and Jane discuss their vision for theology at the heart of the church, one of the core values of St Paul’s Theological Centre. Plus... is there any humour in the Bible? And is there anything that God cannot do?
God encompasses the vastness of the universe, but chooses to relate to humanity in a personal way, on this apparently trivial little planet. What is the place of humanity in the purposes of God? And if there is life on other planets, is Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection valid for the whole cosmos? Secondly, what does Jesus mean when he says in Luke 10:18 that he “saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven,” and how do we interpret biblical language about the spiritual realm? And finall...
How should the contemporary church engage with postmodernism? And what constitutes a successful church? Is there any encouragement for churches with small congregations and limited resources? Jane, Mike and Stephen discuss the church and mission, and also ask if there can ever be forgiveness without repentance.
Nick Spencer, the author of 'Darwin and God', joins Graham, Mike and Jane, to discuss the relationship between Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution and the Christian faith. On the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species', Nick explores Darwin's own faith and the impact of Darwin's theories on Christian theology. [Recorded 18 June 2009]
Mike, Jane and Chris explore the strengths and weaknesses of different translations of the Bible, including the King James Version, the New International Version, and The Message. The team also addresses the question of what we are to make of apparent contradictions in the Bible. Can all such passages be reconciled with one another? Or are they reflections of the different concerns of their authors? And, finally, did the Holy Spirit reveal truths to the Church Fathers that hadn't been revealed e...
What do we understand by the 'unconditional love of God' for ourselves and for others? Does it affect how we live? And does the good news of Jesus Christ mean that everyone will ultimately be saved? [Recorded 23 April 2009]
Nicky Gumbel, vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, joins Graham, Mike and Jane to discuss the use of the Bible in public preaching and in personal spirituality. How are our different personality types suited to various approaches to spirituality? How can church leaders use the Bible in preaching and pastoral ministry? And what is the place of interpretation in our approaches to the Bible? [Recorded 19 March 2009]
GodPod’s resident theologians are joined by Dave Bookless and Will Campbell-Clause from the Christian environmental organisation A Rocha. What might it mean for us to be stewards of creation? [Recorded 26 February 2009]
Graham, Mike and Jane discuss prayer with Pete Greig, a founder member of the 24-7 Prayer movement and Director of Prayer at HTB. Covering the history of the movement, they look at the growth of new monasticism and the uniting of prayer with social justice. And what are we to do with unanswered prayer? [Recorded 22 January 2009]
Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, joins the GodPod team this week. How might Christians approach debates about ethical issues, such as euthanasia and abortion, in the public square? And what about the place of forgiveness and reconciliation between communities in troubled areas like Northern Ireland?
The resident theologians are joined by Luke Bretherton, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Politics, and Convenor of the Faith and Public Policy Forum at Kings College, London. Luke explores what contemporary urban spirituality might look like, and the team discuss the relationship between church and state in US politics, in the light of Barack Obama’s victory in the American presidential elections.
Should Christians be vegetarians for ethical reasons? The regular team debates this, and the question of how Old Testament laws fit into New Testament ethics.
Why didn’t Jesus write his own Gospel? Chris Tilling joins Graham, Mike, and Jane again to discuss the legacy of Jesus in the writing of the New Testament, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the institution of the sacraments. And can God answer the prayers of people who wouldn’t consider themselves Christians, or who follow other faiths? How might we think about the intercession of saints?
Stephen Backhouse joins the resident theologians to discuss patriotism and citizenship in the context of the Christian faith. Who exactly is our neighbour? Author of a report for the Christian think tank Theos entitled ‘Red, White, Blue… and Brown: Citizens, Patriots and the Prime Minister’, Stephen explores the insights of the Danish philosopher-theologian Søren Kierkegaard on the relationship between nationalism and the Christian faith. And in this discussion of church and state, there is a ne...
HTB leaders past and present gather together during the church’s unusually sunny annual week away to answer questions from the congregation. Graham is joined by current vicar Nicky Gumbel and associate vicar Archie Coates, as well as worship leader Tim Hughes and former vicar of HTB, Sandy Miller, with questions deftly fielded by Andy Emerton. What is the relationship between the church and the Kingdom of God, and do Christians have a monopoly on living out the Kingdom? How should the church wor...
Andrew Walker, Professor of Theology and Education at King’s College London, joins Graham, Mike, and Jane to discuss ecumenicism and the Holy Spirit. Taking us through the debates and councils of the early church, Andrew explains the background to the different understandings of the nature of the Holy Spirit between the eastern and western churches. He also adds a personal note, talking about his own journey of faith and his membership of the Orthodox Church.
Andy Emerton, Director of St Paul’s Theological Centre, joins the GodPod team for the first time. The team open the discussion this week with consideration of Christian ideas about souls and physicality, in contrast with Platonic and Gnostic thought. They continue with the issue of poverty and the church, and go on to look at differences in approaches to the Bible between the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestants churches, particularly the canonicity of the Apocrypha.
Our resident theologians discuss faith in the workplace with financier Ken Costa, Chairman of Lazard International and a Director of Alpha.
Graham, Mike and Jane offer us an insight into their own spiritual walks, chatting about how they themselves approach prayer.
Paul Woolley, Director of Christian think tank Theos, joins Graham and Mike to discuss the place of religion in secular society and matters of environmental and medical ethics. They consider the growth of the global church, as well as the privatisation of faith in the context of secular humanism and world religions. How should Christians be involved in the political sphere and the criminal justice system? And how does what we believe about life after death influence what we think about cremation...
Graham, Mike and Jane consider the different approaches of the Catholic and Protestant Churches to personal transformation, looking at the place of sacraments and the doctrine of Purgatory. They also address questions of the reliability of the Bible and the revelation of God in scripture.
Tim Hughes, worship leader at HTB and formerly of Soul Survivor, joins our resident theologians to discuss worship in the local church.
