Here's our second Pentecost reflection for you. This time Alastair McIntosh reflects on how his understanding of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit has changed and evolved, from one of judgement to one of spiritual activism. Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as...
Apr 02, 2016•15 min
We've got a new Nomad Spirituality series for you, Pentecost for Progressives . Each week between Easter and Pentecost we'll be giving you a reflection from someone who's been through a faith shift/deconstruction, or who just views the faith with a critical eye. We asked them the question, what does Pentecost/Holy Spirit mean to you now? First up is Barbara Glasson. Enjoy! Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and ...
Apr 01, 2016•14 min
As well as our usual interview shows we like to give you some food for thought focussed around the Church Calendar. This Easter we've asked the Jesuit Priest, Father James Martin to reflect on how he relates to the suffering and resurrected Jesus. If you want more from Nomad, check out our website , and follow us on Facebook and twitter If you're looking for other people to share this journey with, then register on our Listener Map , and see if any other nomads are in your area. Nomad can only k...
Mar 26, 2016•15 min
Easter is upon us, so we thought it was a fine time to look at the atonement again. So we popped down to Bristol to chat with Alan Mann. Alan asks the question, what could the atonement mean for a society that doesn't consider itself sinful in any traditional sense. Rather than 'sin' Alan believes the issue we now face is shame and it is this that Jesus's death needs to set us free from. Tune in for an intriguing conversation. "I think people do understand that they're not doing this 'being huma...
Mar 24, 2016•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 118
Robin Parry is a theologian best known for advocating universalism (see our interview with him on this very topic). More recently he's turned his attention to writing about The Biblical Cosmos . In this book he systematically lays out all the weirdness of the biblical universe, with its flat earth, the dead residing underneath it and God residing above a solid sky dome. Oh, and there's sea monsters and angel-stars for good measure. The question is, then, how do we relate to a God who lives in th...
Mar 11, 2016•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 117
On Nomad we often talk about the changing nature of culture and how the church has changed (or not) in response. But rather than continuing to rely on our own anecdotal evidence, we thought it was about time we spoke with someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Grace Davie is a professor in the sociology of religion and wrote the influential book Religion in Britain . So she seemed like the perfect person to speak to about exactly what's going on. "In my view the church is at a tu...
Feb 25, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 116
Jamie Arpin-Ricci joins us on the latest leg of our Nomadic pilgrimage of hope. Jamie felt called to leave behind his comfortable middle class life and move to a high poverty and crime inner-city area. Obviously this presented many challenges, but none more so than being confronted by his own vulnerability. So we ask Jamie to reflect on what it means to make ourselves vulnerable before God and those around us, and how this can shape the community we're a part of. "I began to recognise how easily...
Feb 09, 2016•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 115
The UN said recently that 'Gender-based violence is perhaps the most widespread and socially tolerated of human rights violations.' We spoke to philosopher, sociologist and theologian Elaine Storkey about the reasons behind this, and how the church should respond. This led on to a fascinating discussion about what it really means to be a man. “Almost every society on earth practices some form of violence against women, which becomes institutionalised in that society. So for many [women] this is ...
Jan 25, 2016•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 114
Terry Waite travelled to some of the most dangerous places in the world, negotiating with the likes of Idi Amin and Colonel Gaddafi for the release of hostages. Then while working in Lebanon he was taken hostage by Islamic Jihadists. He was held for nearly 5 years, most of it in solitary confinement, was tortured and underwent a mock execution. Tune into the podcast for an incredible story of humility, grace and finding God in the darkest of places. “One of the good things about experiencing wha...
Jan 08, 2016•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 113
Last year we gave you our 12 Days of Christmas refections. We're adding to that series with a refection by the director of the missional community InnerChange , John Hayes. John reflects on the contradictions inherent in our modern celebration of Christmas. See you in 2016! If you want more from Nomad, check out our website , and follow us on Facebook and twitter If you're looking for other people to share this journey with, then register on our Listener Map , and see if any other nomads are in ...
Dec 22, 2015•14 min
On this edition of Nomad we thought we'd answer a few of your questions. Everything from 'Who are you two?', through to 'Is there a north-south divide in heaven?'. It's a marathon 2 hour something ride of beer fuelled banter and 'profound' insights! “Hold onto the hope that if you’re not praying and reading your Bible for a couple of years, and all you do in the evening – like me – is watch box sets and drink red wine, Jesus still loves you.” - Tim Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s ...
Dec 17, 2015•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 112
As if building a church of 10,000+, producing an international bestselling DVD series, writing critically acclaimed bestselling books , producing a hugely popular podcast , and having his own TV show wasn't enough, Rob Bell has decided to write a novel. And much to the frustration of all us lesser mortals, it's really rather good! But what does Milliones Cajones reveal about Rob's own struggle to find himself amidst all this success? “The tradition is growth. The tradition is not just repeating ...
Dec 11, 2015•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 111
Ever felt awkward and uncomfortable in Church, like you just don't fit in? Well, according to Jonny Baker that could well be the gift of pioneering. Jonny was pioneering before pioneering was a thing. Most notably he founded the alternative worship community Grace , and more recently he's pioneered a training course for pioneers . So if you're dreaming that things could be different, then tune into the podcast, Jonny might just be the person you've been waiting to stumble across. “A lot of peopl...
Nov 24, 2015•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 110
At the core of author and teacher Brad Jersak 's faith is the belief that God looks like Jesus. Simple enough, right? But what about the violent 'God of the Old Testament'? What about the parable's of Jesus that liken God to an angry king? And what about all the suffering in the world that God seems to simply stand by and watch. How do these look like Jesus? We caught up with Brad in Telford, and asked him to explain. “There’s something in us sometimes that wants a vindictive God because we’re v...
Nov 10, 2015•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 109
Dave Andrews has lived and worked in intentional communities with marginalised groups of people in Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. Through these experiences he developed a passion for seeing Christians and Muslims learning together what it means to follow Jesus. To this end, he proposes that we all observe the Jihad of Jesus. We caught up with Dave at the Greenbelt Festival to uncover what exactly this means! “Once we understand that the heart of ‘jihad’ is a non-violent strug...
Oct 23, 2015•56 min•Ep. 108
The recent image of a drowned child washed up on a Turkish beach brought the refugee crisis into sharp focus. So to help us better understand the complexities of the situation and how best to respond, we've asked Dave Smith to send us a reflection. Dave is the founder of the Boaz Trust , a charity that houses, supports and speaks up for the most vulnerable and destitute refugees in Manchester. “Can anyone desperate enough to pay several thousand dollars to traffickers and risk a journey in a cro...
Oct 09, 2015•26 min•Ep. 107
Every now and then we treat you to Nomad Spirituality , a guest meditation based around the Church calendar. So we thought a reflection on Harvest might be in order. Bruce Stanley seemed like the man as he's a forager, owns a small holding, pioneered the Forest Church movement, and wrote the book on it. But rather than giving thanks, what harvest prompts Bruce to do is ask some challenging questions. If you want more from Nomad, check out our website , and follow us on Facebook and twitter If yo...
Oct 03, 2015•12 min
The idea of beauty has shaped Joanna Jepson's life and ministry. Born with a jaw defect she was mercilessly bullied through her childhood and into adulthood. But after successful surgery she then had to figure out how her internal self related to her new external self. She then went on to issue a legal challenge against the late abortion of a foetus with a cleft lip and palate. And later she became a chaplain to the London College of Fashion. So we asked Joanna to tell us what she's learnt about...
Sep 25, 2015•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 106
10 years ago Marina Cantacuzino began to interview people who had suffered all sorts of trauma, abuse and wrongdoing, but who instead of choosing vengeance chose forgiveness. It's easy as Christians to think that we've cornered the market on forgiveness, but listening to these stories from people from a range of faith traditions and none is deeply challenging and inspiring. So we asked Marina to share the wisdom she's gained from working on The Forgiveness Project . “Some people will say you ear...
Sep 10, 2015•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 105
Robert Song is a professor in the department of Theology and Religion at Durham Uni. He recently wrote 'Covenant and Calling', in which he challenges traditional ideas of straight and gay marriage, having children and celibacy and proposes a whole new category called 'covenant partnerships'. And he reaches these conclusions not by looking to Genesis, or pulling out proof texts, but by looking to what life will be like when God's Kingdom fully comes. So brace yourself for some serious thinking! “...
Aug 25, 2015•52 min•Ep. 104
Nomad started out with a group of people wanting to explore new forms of church, so after six years we thought we'd once again explore this idea. Kelly Bean grew up in traditional church and never questioned its practices or structure. But over time she began to realise that the house group she led felt a lot more like church than what happened on a Sunday. So when her Church closed down, her house group became her church. So we asked Kelly what she's learnt along the way. “If you’re in a place ...
Aug 10, 2015•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 103
Jewish blogger, Robert Cohen is back on the show, sharing with us lessons from his faith journey. So if you're interested in knowing more about the connection between faith, ancestry and land, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, interfaith marriage, what a Jew makes of church, and what a true prophet looks like, then this is the episode for you! “I think we’re all asking the same questions really. We might have a different language and a different liturgy to try and answer them. But fundamentally,...
Jul 24, 2015•57 min•Ep. 102
Eve Tushnet is a freelance writer and blogger. And she's gay, Catholic and celibate. So we ask Eve to tell us the story of how she went from atheist lesbian, to Catholic and celibate. And what she learnt about love, friendship and what it means to commit to the Church. “To the extent that the discussion of sexuality and same-sex relationships draws out what are the kinds of love that are open to you if you are gay, that I think is a really crucially important and fascinating question. If it’s ab...
Jul 10, 2015•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 101
With yet another terrorist atrocity in the news, this time leading to the deaths of at least 38 people in Tunisia, people are again asking, 'Is Islam inherently violent?' We ask Carl Medearis, an international expert in Muslim-Christian relations who has lived, worked and travelled in the Middle East for the last 30 years, to help us unpack this question. “If you say, ‘Is Christianity violent?’ we might say, ‘Well, no. Of course not. Jesus taught love and peace.’ But that’s not the question. We ...
Jul 01, 2015•24 min•Ep. 100
Tom Wright is unquestionably one of the most influential New Testament scholars of our generation. It's hard to overestimate the influence he has had on the Church's understanding of Jesus and Paul. But what makes this great man tick? We asked you what you'd like to know about the man behond the theology. As a result, we ended up asking him everything from what his favourite childhood book was, to how he manages his work/life balance, through to which three people he'd most like to invite for di...
Jun 25, 2015•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 99
It's quite popular these days to refer to yourself as an activist. But Alastair McIntosh is the real thing. He's taken on major corporations, and won! Why? Because he believes much of the modern world is threatening our sense of place, which he believes is vital for humans to fully flourish. Tune in for a fascinating conversation! “On the one hand, the sense of belonging to place is hugely important. On the other hand, we need to embed that in a deeper spiritual sense of belonging where the whol...
Jun 10, 2015•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 98
Rachel Held Evans is a hugely successful and influential progressive Christian blogger, author and speaker. We talk to Rachel about her journey from a conservative evangelical faith characterised by certainty, to wrestling with questions, doubt, cynicism and despair, through to a new kind of faith. And we discuss the trials and tribulations of embarking on this journey under the gaze of social media. It's a fascinating and insightful story. “You’re allowed to ask questions, but only up to a cert...
May 23, 2015•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 97
Mike McHargue describes himself as a Christian turned atheist turned follower of Jesus. That's right, Mike was a fully-fledged conservative evangelical Christian, but his faith crumbled away and he found himself in the rather awkward position of being a Church deacon who no longer believed in God! Then Mike rediscovered faith, but in a very different way. Now he teaches on science, faith, atheism, doubt and knowing God. It's a great story. Enjoy! “I know many people who are happy, healthy, well-...
May 08, 2015•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 96
What on earth are we meant to do with those passages in the Bible where God commands genocide, the stoning to death of rebellious children or poems about dashing the heads of babies on rocks?! Well, according to theologian, author and artist, Derek Flood, the answer is pretty straight forward, we just read the Bible like Jesus did. “Jesus represents the way of ‘faithful questioning’ and the Pharisees represent the way of ‘unquestioning obedience’...And the way of ‘faithful questioning’ we see in...
Apr 24, 2015•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 95
Another General Election is upon us. Levels of apathy and disillusionment are at an all time high, and popular figures like Russell Brand are urging us to have no part in what he sees as a corrupt system. So the question we're wrestling with is: Why Bother Voting? To help answer this we've turned to Paul Bickley for help. Paul has experience working in parliament and public affairs and is currently Director of Political Program at Theos Think Tank, a Christian think tank working in the area of p...
Apr 16, 2015•26 min•Ep. 94
