The Beer Christianity podcast has been around for a few years. This website not so much. We’re in the process of adding all previous episodes, but that will take a while because we are all very busy and also very lazy. More (well, all) episodes at our old, ugly Libsyn site (and on all good podcast platforms).
Latest episodes:
Episode 109: The true meaning of Christmas - Yuletide, Luigi and our new magazine
“Talking about the NYC CEO shooting is not very jingle bell rock of you.” Well, we also talk about whether Christmas has been appropriated and what it might or should mean to us, and spend an inordinate amount of time talking about a magazine we just launched. You’ll be fine, Rudolph.
Episode 108: Tony Campolo - remembering with archive interview
“If you’re going to preach the Scripture in today’s world, you have to ask: what is the dominant socio-economic structure? It’s Pax Americana. It’s America.“ - Tony Campolo, Baptist preacher, author and justice campaigner who died this week. Episode 108 is our way of remembering him and features an interview from around 2012.
Episode 107: Helen Paynter - resisting the rise of the Right: the Bible and fascism
Fascism and its near predecessors are on the rise. If Christianity should oppose this kind of hate, we must understand it and how it relates to and co-opts our faith. Revd Dr Helen Paynter helps us do just that in this excellent episode.
Episode 106: Brian McLaren - hope for uncertain futures
Brian D McLaren is a hugely influential author, speaker and thinker within post-evangelical Christianity, a kind of figurehead for the deconstruction movement — although he disputes this. In Episode 106, he talks to us about everything from Elon Musk interviewing Donald Trump to harm reduction voting and hope for the future.
Episode 105: S(H)ORT - October 8th and everything after - with Christians for Palestine UK
It's been a year since Israel began collectively punishing Gaza, and now Israeli forces are killing people in Lebanon, too. We went to the latest Palestine march in London and caught up with some Christians speaking out.
Episode 104: David Benjamin Blower - art, anarchism and not deconstructing
You may know David Benjamin Blower from his music, his time on the Nomad podcast, his incredible substack or what he calls his 'shit art'. If you do, you'll know he is thoughtful, creative and smart. IT was a privilege to chat to him on this thoughtful episode of Beer Christianity.
Episode 103: Steve Chalke - the only Oasis interview you need
Steve Chalke is a big deal in the UK Christian scene. He's the founder of Oasis, a former high-profile broadcaster and a controversial figure among conservative churches and leftists. We only argue with him a little bit.
Episode 102: Flamy Grant - Drag, Christian music and authenticity
Flamy Grant was the first drag artist to top the iTunes Christian music charts. She has made at least one Beer Christianity host cry. It's mostly laughs, tho, in this interview recorded at Greenbelt 2024.
Episode 101: Greenbelt 2024 review
Greenbelt 2024 was lovely. Here's our rundown of what we loved. What was your Greenbelt like?
Episode 100(!): Paul Northup - Greenbelt, deconstructing and reconstructing
Greenbelt is the best festival in the world. Maybe even the UK. And the Creative Director joins us at his busiest and most stressful time of year to talk festivals, guests, art and spirituality in a hope-filled episode that also happens to be our 100th.
Episode 99: Election special, with Bella Cross - queer Christian political educator
We’re always told to vote for ‘the lesser of two evils’. But what if we don’t want to vote for evil at all? We’re told to vote for ‘harm reduction’, but does that have any meaning when both parties seem to condone genocide? Election talk on Beer Christianity, episode 99.
Episode 98: Jürgen Moltmann (1926-2024) - archive interview with the theologian of hope
Remembering legendary theologian Jürgen Moltmann, who died recently, with an archive interview about faith, politics, economics, the environment and art. The gang discuss the great man’s answers and what they could mean for us.
Episode 97: Deconstruction (Part I) - deconstructing and reconstructing our faith
Deconstructing is the process of unpicking learned, usually conservative faith, to move into a different experience of religion (or its rejection). It’s kind of a big deal. And kinda weird we’ve never spoken about it before.
Episode 96: SHO(R)T - Christians and Palestine - why it matters and why we should care
Some musings, thoughts and assertions about Palestine and how one Beer Christianity host thinks Christians should view the situation.
Episode 95: Nakba Day at the Oxford Palestine solidarity encampment
You’ve probably heard about the campus protests ninthStates, but have you heard from the students at encampments in the UK? Here’s your chance. Laura goes into the Oxford Gaza solidarity encampment to talk to protestors and ear their hopes, concerns and demands.
Episode 94: The Devil's Passion with Justin Butcher
A play about the capture and killing of the radical preacher and populist demagogue Y’shua Bar Yessuf leads to a discussion of the banality of evil and the cascading effects of selfishness and systemic injustice, with actor, activist and playwright, Justin Butcher. Taking a Satan’s-eye-view of Easter as a starting point, Jonty and Justin talk spirituality, ethics, politics, Palestine and the play.
Episode 93: Belonging - feeling at home, finding your people
Do you feel like you belong in church? Have you ever? Do we even need to belong for church to be good? And what the hell is church, anyway? Episode 93 of Beer Christianity talks church, home groups, belonging and community.
Episode 92: Leonard Cohen and Saint Paul - with Matthew Anderson
Leonard Cohen was a Jewish Buddhist with what some have called an obsession with Christ and his crucifixion. Our guest on Episode 92 believed the legendary singer had a lot in common with the Apostle Paul, a key figure in the birth of Christianity. Matthew R Anderson geeks out with Jonty about their favourite Leonard Cohen lines and discuss the spirituality they may have shared.
Episode 91: AI, ethics and dangers
AI is going to kill us all. Or save the world. It’s going to make all out jobs easier and, quite possibly, steal our jobs. What are the real dangers, ethically, spiritually and societally, of Artificial Intelligence? Our guest on Episode 91 brings a fresh perspective.
Episode 90: Christian Socialism? Matt McManus, lecturer in Political Science
Is Socialism inherently anti-Christian? Do Socialists want to destroy the witness of the Church? IS Christianity compatible with Socialism? What is it that Socialism offers Christians that should appeal to us? We ask these kinds of questions to Matt McManus, a lecturer in Political Science at the University of Michigan in episode 90 of Beer Christianity.