Drawing on Nietzsche, Professor Volf will explore two pervasive and mutually reinforcing nihilisms of our time—our misplaced search for meaning, and our wrongheaded pursuit of pleasure—and counter common critiques of religion by arguing that faith in God intensifies and deepens the enjoyment of the world, uniting both meaning and pleasure. Professor Volf will tie this in with his personal story, his speech at the UN at the time of 9/11, and his participation in the World Economic Forum’s Global ...
Sep 23, 2015•53 min
Drawing on Nietzsche, Professor Volf will explore two pervasive and mutually reinforcing nihilisms of our time—our misplaced search for meaning, and our wrongheaded pursuit of pleasure—and counter common critiques of religion by arguing that faith in God intensifies and deepens the enjoyment of the world, uniting both meaning and pleasure. Professor Volf will tie this in with his personal story, his speech at the UN at the time of 9/11, and his participation in the World Economic Forum’s Global ...
Sep 08, 2015•44 min
In this fourth talk Tony explores Hebrews 7-10 where Apollos brushes aside Moses' law as 'useless' and in its place paints an epic picture of Christ's grand entrance to the heaven of heavens after his ascension and his establishment of a new covenant between God and humanity, and his building of a true eternal tabernacle—a new created order in which matter and physicality can finally contain glory and thus commune with God freely. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.su...
Aug 12, 2015•1 hr 27 min
In this talk we move past the grand opening of Hebrews into the guts of the argument; how Jesus is superior to the entire religious system of the law but not only that—how he has totally eclipsed the religious system of law and Moses with the 'system of the resurrection'. All of these grand themes are crystallised in the strange governing theme of 'Melchizedek'. We unpack all of that in this talk—and we also confront the scariest passage in the NT along the way! May this bless you and help trans...
Jun 29, 2015•1 hr 12 min
Hebrews opens with two very important chapters that take Jesus out of the religious box, lifting him to the Maker of the Universe. From that lofty position, Apollos makes his biggest move and uses Psalm 8 to put humanity right there beside Jesus—ruling the cosmos. Through his explorations, Tony will translate these rich theological themes into in language that speaks to our world today. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe...
May 19, 2015•1 hr 35 min
The Epistle to the Hebrews breaks new ground in the debate over religion and grace. In this talk we look at who wrote it, and what problem it is trying to solve—really important questions since it is such an alien book to us modern people in many ways. We delve into the book of Acts in detail and uncover the deep struggle between Jerusalem and Rome that defined the faith in its early days. And we find in the writer to the Hebrews, the man who arguably took over the baton of thought leadership in...
Apr 30, 2015•1 hr 30 min
Dr Sarah Golsby-Smith will be giving her second talk on "Reading the Bible as Literature". In her first talk, she introduced us to the rich resources that a literary reading brings to the Bible. In this talk, she will take a deeper dive in Genesis and give us a more detailed picture of these exciting tools at work in a major book. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe...
Apr 07, 2015•56 min
Dr Sarah Golsby-Smith takes us on a journey to discover the riches of reading the Bible using the toolkits and methods of literary analysis. She argues that Christians tend to read the Bible as an instruction manual—not literature—and this narrows its richness and indeed our view of God. Instead, she opens up the more living and vast world of reading the Bible literature. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe...
Mar 16, 2015•1 hr 29 min
What do we mean when we say "The Bible is the Word of God"? Does the Bible itself make this claim? In today's postmodern world we cannot afford to make glib claims like this—we need to think through what we mean. In this talk, Tony goes back to literary and rhetorical theory to lay a much stronger foundation for how we should treat the Bible, and interpret it. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe...
Feb 01, 2015•1 hr 28 min
To wrap up the year we structured this event differently. Instead of a talk, we had a time of dialogue structured by the question, “What areas of interest and questions have Gospel Conversations raised for you this year?” We push the boundaries in Gospel Conversations, but often don’t have the time to explore the ideas further on the nights after the talks. We didn't aim to always arrive at clear cut answers since some topics may simply be too complex for us to come to easy conclusions about. Ge...
Dec 08, 2014•1 hr 37 min
Following three remarkable talks by Professor Edwin Judge, Mark has been tracing Paul’s role in three great shifts in western thought and life: from Closed Cosmos to Open Cosmos, from Closed Society to Open Society, and from Closed Heart to Open Heart. In this last session, Mark will focus on how Paul’s translation of the gospel ends the obligation to the law and the grip of morality, religion, and superstition. On the back of his implicit critiques of dualism (Closed Cosmos) rank and status (Cl...
Nov 04, 2014•1 hr 33 min
Last month Mark began his series building the picture of the apostle Paul’s extraordinary contribution to the shape of western thought and society. These are legacies in which we all live whatever our convictions. This month Mark focuses on how grace opened the way for a society without the markers of ethnicity, gender, status or religion, marked instead by love and gifting. Mark will also outline why he reads Paul, contrary to many scholars, as a radical advocate on behalf of women. Get full ac...
Sep 22, 2014•1 hr 57 min
More and more philosophers recognise that the three giants of classical thought, and the shapers of western thought down to our day, are Plato, Aristotle and—Paul. In large part, Plato and Aristotle refined and codified a tradition much older than themselves. But Paul represents the great turning point of western thought away from the hold of classical tradition. In three recent seminal talks, Professor Edwin Judge demonstrated how the story of Jesus implied three great shifts: from Closed Cosmo...
Sep 15, 2014•49 min
More and more philosophers recognise that the three giants of classical thought, and the shapers of western thought down to our day, are Plato, Aristotle and—Paul. In large part, Plato and Aristotle refined and codified a tradition much older than themselves. But Paul represents the great turning point of western thought away from the hold of classical tradition. In three recent seminal talks, Professor Edwin Judge demonstrated how the story of Jesus implied three great shifts: from Closed Cosmo...
Aug 26, 2014•57 min
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Aug 19, 2014•1 hr 5 min
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Aug 19, 2014•39 min
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Aug 19, 2014•46 min
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Aug 19, 2014•48 min
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Aug 19, 2014•15 min
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Aug 19, 2014•58 min
This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rik...
Jul 16, 2014•46 min
This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rik...
Jul 16, 2014•1 hr
This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rik...
Jul 16, 2014•1 hr 6 min
This month we welcome Rikk Watts from Regent College, Canada to talk on Mark's Gospel. In Gospel Conversations, we like to peel back the layers and get close to the core of what we believe. You can’t get closer to the core than Mark’s Gospel—the shortest and the first of the four biographies of Jesus. It used to be viewed as the simplest and least sophisticated of the gospels but that has changed in recent times, and now Mark is viewed more and more as a great literary text in its own right. Rik...
Jul 16, 2014•1 hr 20 min
Edwin Judge interviewed by Tony-Golsby-Smith: What does it mean to be a human being? What does it mean to be a good human being? Edwin will challenge some of our basic assumptions around these 2 central questions. He will challenge the view that the immortality of the soul is a basic Christian belief and the view that all values are much the same and arise from mere common sense. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe...
Jun 17, 2014•1 hr 13 min
Dr Tony Golsby-Smith interviews Professor Edwin Judge on the history of the open society that we take for granted. He argues that without understanding the origin of our freedom, we are in danger of losing it. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe
May 13, 2014•1 hr 53 min
This month Tony Golsby-Smith interviews Edwin Judge. As one of Australia’s most admired History professors, Edwin offers us an invaluable perspective on one of the most important and misunderstood topics of our time—the fraught relationship between science and faith. He turns the tables upside down on the commonly accepted view that the Greeks gave us science but Christianity screwed that up with the myths of faith. This rich philosophical talk is a must for anyone who suspects that you can beli...
Apr 01, 2014•1 hr 26 min
Ron finishes his series on Tzimtzum with a stunning and simple talk on Jesus as the ultimate expression of God's 'Tzimtzum' character. But Tzimtzum is about more than character—it is about how God works. So Ron paints a gorgeous picture of Jesus as Governor of the created order—and our invitation to sit beside him. This is rare and profound material. Ron's framework of God could well have spared the early church their vexed debates on exactly what the 'divinity' of Jesus means. Get full access t...
Mar 01, 2014•1 hr 6 min
Ron continues his talk on Tzimtzum. With an introduction from Tony, we look for an articulation of the wonder of what Christ has done with a logic that is not rooted in sin and redemption. Get full access to Gospel Conversations at gospelconversations.substack.com/subscribe
Dec 06, 2013•1 hr 25 min
This talk will expand your horizons and blow your minds—in a good way. Ron, building on his Jewish heritage, begins with Job and the complexity of life. It isn't straightforward or fair. He then traces how the great Jewish thinkers combed through the OT for centuries looking for answers to Job's big questions. They came up with the brilliant concept of 'Tzimtzum' around the 11th century AD. In essence—it means God's greatness manifests itself in containment and concealment, not explosive 'power'...
Nov 03, 2013•1 hr 4 min
