Home - it’s an evocative word and one that has instant access to our emotions, whether that’s when Dorothy knocks together her shiny red heels and says there’s no place like home or when angelic children’s choirs sing I still call Australia home on a Qantas ad. The Bible culminates with an image of God at home with humanity. Home speaks to us of familiarity, safety, welcome, love. Yet home doesn’t just have positive associations. Some are home less while many have found their homes to be anythin...
Nov 23, 2023•57 min•Ep. 99
This week, Megan and Michael discuss the place of "civic religion" in Australian society. Defined as the implicit "religious" values of a nation - expressed through public ceremony, symbols, and rituals - our hosts ask if Australia even has a civic religion in the first place. They then turn their eyes to the place of the Welcome to / Acknowledgement of Country in Australia: specifically in the church. What does it mean that some churches have pushed back against this now largely normal part of ...
Nov 09, 2023•43 min•Ep. 98
Leisa Aitken joins Megan and Michael to discuss her dissertation on the psychology of Hope, and why the clinical definition of the word is missing the mark. On 'For Arguments Sake', our hosts discuss whether there may be a lack of hope within the church. Have Christians in the global west lost their eschatological hope? Finally, our hosts cast their eye over Christopher Noaln's blockbuster Oppenheimer. In true WADR style, they don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on its message....
Oct 26, 2023•49 min•Ep. 97
In light of the Barbie movie phenomenon, our hosts take stock of Greta Gerwig's divisive blockbuster, ponder its themes on humanity, and whether it will become an essential existential text. Old Testament expert Dr George Athas then joins the show to discuss the film, its relationship to the book of Ecclesiastes, and how death plays a role in our understanding of being human.
Oct 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 96
As the voting time for the referendum approaches, Michael and Megan are joined by Bundjalung woman Karen Mundine, CEO of Reconciliation Australia, and Peter Morris, General Manager of the Reconciliation Action Plan program of Reconciliation Australia. They talk through what a 'yes' vote might mean for Australian society, its citizens, and the church.
Oct 05, 2023•22 min
Welcome to season 8 of With All Due Respect! As Australians prepare to vote in a referendum on an Aboriginal Voice in parliament, Michael Jensen and (newly Reverend Dr) Megan Powell du Toit speak with constitutional law expert Dr Joel Harrison about what it might mean, legally speaking. They then discuss whether or not the church should be involved with politics at all - a thorny issue that Michael has had some recent experience with. Finally on 'Through the Wardrobe', our hosts cast their eye o...
Sep 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 95
In the season finale, Megan and Michael sit down with First Nations Christian leader Uncle Pastor Ray Minniecon to discuss the upcoming referendum in Australia concerning The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice (also known as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, or simply 'The Voice). Our hosts also sift through the responses from various groups to The Voice, casting a spotlight on who has - and hasn't - voiced support. Finally, on 'Through The Wardrobe', Michael and Megan keep things pol...
Apr 20, 2023•51 min•Ep. 94
This week on WADR, our hosts are living up to the aim of the show (conversations with respect and grace) with an Easter special on ... GRACE! Grace is of course a concept strongly associated with the cross of Christ. It is a word Christians chuck around - but do we have a good understanding of what it means? And can grace even be immoral? 'The Secret Life of Us' then makes a return, with Michael and Megan sharing episodes in their life when they had grace shown to them. Finally, on 'Through The ...
Apr 06, 2023•42 min•Ep. 93
This week, Megan and Michael delve into the mystery of 'time', and ask the question ... is time cursed? And how are eternity and time-related? On 'Through the Wardrobe', the pair cast their critical eye over the now cancelled Amazon series Paper Girls, a time travelling adventure drama that looks at how we might feel if we met our future selves. Plus, our hosts take some time to answer audience questions. Does pineapple belong on pizza? Do Michael and Megan actually disagree on anything? And wha...
Mar 23, 2023•41 min•Ep. 92
On a special edition of 'For Argument's Sake', Michael and Megan dissect the fallout from The Gospel Coalitions' recent endorsement - and swift recant - of a controversial extract from Joshua Butler's new book Beautiful Union, which drew parallels between the saving work of Christ, and sexual intercourse between husband and wife . Our hosts then explore why the article was published, the dangers of applying such theology within marriage, and what structural and cultural shortcomings the saga has...
Mar 13, 2023•12 min•Ep. 92
It's family week on WADR. Michael and Megan chat through different perspectives on family, and in particular, adoption. They work through the good and the bad, how it can heal - but also compound - trauma, and what the Bible has to say about it. UK-based broadcaster, author, social entrepreneur, and adoptive father Dr Krish Kandiah then joins the podcast for a challenging discussion on fostering and adoption. Finally, on 'Through The Wardrobe', our hosts share their thoughts on the 2021 document...
Mar 09, 2023•51 min•Ep. 91
This week, Megan and Michael deep dive into the often heated relationship between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, examining what the recent death of former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI means for intra-church relations, and how Protestants and Roman Catholics can walk hand-in-hand in ministry (can they?). Catholic theologian Dr Elissa Roper joins the podcast to discuss a range of issues, including what the late Pope’s passing means, and what decade might hold for the Catholic Church. Then, on ...
Feb 23, 2023•46 min•Ep. 90
Megan and Michael talk about all things freedom - does true freedom exist, and are we really free in the 21st century? From overthrowing the yoke of human slavery (Israel's Exodus from Egypt) to Jesus' promise that “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”, the concept of freedom is at the heart of the Biblical story. But what does it mean for our everyday lives to be free? Are we truly free if we still feel the weight of ...
Feb 09, 2023•35 min•Ep. 89
Hospitality is a word that conjures up images of wine glasses and silver cutlery. It's the word for the hotel trade or the type of entertaining that looks good on Instagram: themed dinner parties and pretty hand soaps for the guest toilet. Yet hospitality is also a word that occurs in the Bible. Famously, Hebrews 13:2 urges, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." But exactly what are we being called to do...
Jan 26, 2023•50 min•Ep. 88
All of us as humans are embodied. We come into being through our bodies being formed in the womb, and when our bodies die, our lives in this world end. Christians have held different attitudes to the body over history - while the body has a central place in the Christian understanding of the life to come, at times the body has been seen as the source of sin. Megan Powell due Toit and Michael Jensen talk about a significant Christian concept - the flesh - and what it means for how we relate to ou...
Jan 12, 2023•51 min•Ep. 87
In this episode, Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen talk about the Dark Night of the Soul. It's a common phrase - one which describes someone going through a difficult time, particularly one in which God feels either absent or unloving. The WADR team investigates where it comes from, and then asks if it's as bad as it sounds? Then Megan and Michael talk to Dr Greg Clarke about two songwriters who have been known to include their honest struggle with faith in their songs - Nick Cave and Bono...
Dec 29, 2022•38 min•Ep. 86
In this episode, the WADR team talk about how to have better sex. No, this is not Megan and Michael's opportunity to present the evangelical version of the karma sutra. Rather, they want to talk about the ways Christianity has got sex right - or a lot of the time wrong - and what can be done better for everyone's sake. First up, Megan and Michael invite on to the show the co-author of the influential Christian book The Great Sex Rescue , Sheila Wray Gregoire. Sheila shares what she and her co-au...
Dec 15, 2022•51 min•Ep. 85
In 2016, following trends in many Western countries, a majority of Australians identified as Christian 52.1%. Five years later, that was down to 43.9%. Christianity is still the most common religion in the country, but for the first time no longer in the majority. Moreover, 38.9% of people now identify themselves as having no religion - a jump of almost 10%. Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen ask what this really means. And, more particularly, what should Christians do about it? The WADR te...
Dec 01, 2022•48 min•Ep. 84
Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit ask: is evangelicalism fractured beyond repair? Or as Mark Twain might say, have reports of its death been grossly exaggerated? The WADR team are joined by Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today to talk about what happened to evangelical consensus. And then Michael and Megan finish with a look at the spiritual themes in a tv series they basically think they had to do this season - Rings of Power. But don't tap off too soon! Michael and Megan ...
Nov 17, 2022•51 min•Ep. 83
In the final episode for this season, Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit are talking comedy. Their big question: does God have a sense of humour? When humans laugh, are we doing so as people made in the image of God? Or is this only a human response to the world? Or could laughter be a link to life in the next world? The WADR team tackle each of these questions together, then review a comedy whose central character Megan has often been compared with - can you guess which one? Finally, they ...
Aug 11, 2022•42 min•Ep. 82
In this episode, Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen are talking about Christian Nationalism. Nationalism promotes the distinctiveness of the people of a nation. Christian nationalism goes one step further, defining a nation by its faith, and maintaining it should be protected by the state, enshrined in its laws, and actively maintained. But is this so? Is Christian Nationalism even compatible with the Christian faith? In a western society that is often spoken of as Post-Christian, the relat...
Jul 28, 2022•46 min•Ep. 81
While we have been dealing with a pandemic over the last couple of years, we have also been experiencing what some are calling a loneliness epidemic. Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen discuss how this new struggle has been reported across many countries, particularly in their home country. The Ending Loneliness Together report says that one in four Australians are experiencing problematic levels of loneliness, with one in two Australians feeling lonelier due to the pandemic in 2020. Why is...
Jul 14, 2022•46 min•Ep. 80
In this episode, Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen look at the vexed question of racism and the church. First up, they talk to African American pastor Thabiti Anaybwile about how he understands the way American evangelicalism has interacted with the question of racism. He has been a significant voice on this topic within conservative evangelicalism in the US. Then the WADR team come back to their Australian context to speak with pastor Grace Lung and her experience as an Australian-born Ch...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 79
Most of us wear clothes every day - Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit make a point of it! But as much as we might think we pay no attention to what we put on, most of us dress in accordance with the fashion of our day. And like it or not, what we wear communicates something about who we are. Very little thought is given over to Christian fashion. But the WADR team discover the one area that does get talked about is women dressing modestly - they immodestly think they have some helpful thin...
Jun 16, 2022•45 min•Ep. 78
Creative acts - and creative people - have sometimes been given short shrift within evangelicalism. Creative work can be seen as less significant than the work of a pastor or evangelist. But on the other hand, the Bible begins with an act of creation - the first and greatest of all creative acts. So Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen ask, 'Is creativity a waste of Christian time, or is it an essential vocation of the Christian?' In pursuit of an answer, the WADR team talk to the artist and ...
Jun 02, 2022•48 min•Ep. 77
In the run-up to this weekend's federal election, Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen get all economical. Jesus famously said, "You cannot serve both God and money," or wealth, depending on the translation. While Christian scandals often involve abuse of sex or power, love of money seems to be the sin we often tolerate. Is that because Christians in the west have been living under capitalism for some time now? Capitalism gets quite a bad rap these days, so the WADR team asks, Is it the root ...
May 19, 2022•40 min•Ep. 76
Now that the Prime Minister has called for an election, Christians will be bombarded by people wanting to win or influence their vote. Some of that campaigning will be based on what people THINK influences a Christian vote. But despite the rhetoric, the Christian vote is more diverse than is often realised. What issues are on Christian minds and hearts this election? Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen put that question out there and receive significant responses from Christian leaders as we...
May 05, 2022•41 min•Ep. 75
Several books have recently been released on the problem of narcissism in the church. When we mix this with some high-profile examples of pastors gone wrong, the ego-centric leader becomes an important issue to consider. While we may not have evidence of legions of diagnosed clinical narcissists in the church, we can all point to church leaders with ego problems - not that surprising when church leadership can come with attached power and status. So, Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen ask h...
Apr 21, 2022•44 min•Ep. 74
Black Sabbath - old-school heavy metal band or day in the Christian calendar? The Saturday just before Easter Sunday has been called various names but that hasn't kept it top of mind in religious circles. It tends to be ignored by many Protestants, stuck awkwardly between the mourning of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday. So Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit ask what was going on in that gap? And what spiritual significance does it have to people of faith today? Then the WADR team r...
Apr 07, 2022•43 min•Ep. 73
Soul. It's a word that continues to have a lot of resonance. We look for a soul mate, we say something is good for the soul, we engage in some soul searching and we bare our souls to each other. None of us wants to be soulless. But what is a soul? Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit discover that this is one subject even Christians, who are in the business of 'saving souls', are less clear on. The WADR team ask some searching questions - do we have a soul and what is it? - in For Argument's ...
Mar 24, 2022•40 min•Ep. 72
