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 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.
Episode 89: Congo crisis explained - Maurice Carney, Friends of the Congo
M23, the military descendants of Rwandan militias that caused chaos in the 90s, are currently just one of many militias making Congo’s East unliveable. But the mass displacements, killings and sexual violence in Congo can be traced further back. Maurice Carney of Friends of the Congo joins us to explain the history and complexity of the Congo crisis.
Episode 88: Jolyon Maugham KC - Good Law, better world
From fighting medical misinformation and climate change to holding the government to its pledges on drink spiking laws and tax loopholes, Jolyon Maugham and the Good Law Project are doing God’s work in Britain. We talk changing the world, facing establishment opposition and why none of us are actually drinking beer with a campaigning lawyer.
Episode 87: Nice, Churchy Patriarchy - Liz Cooledge Jenkins
Sexism and patriarchy in churches isn’t always aggressive, macho and overtly dominative. Sometimes it hides beneath niceness, and is accepted and enacted by otherwise nice people. But it is always damaging. And our guest this episode is educating people about it. We love her. Listen!
Episode 86: Post-march clarity - reflections on a Palestine protest
Suella Braverman calls them ‘hate marches’ but we went on one and it was wholesome and motivated by a love of justice, including Jewish people, Muslims, Christians and, we assume, pretty much every other faith perspective. This episode takes you inside (a bit).
Episode 85: Beer, hymns, refugees and Gaza - Steve Tinning, JPIT / Beer & Hymns
Beer and Hymns is one of our favourite things. That rhymes, like a good hymn should. Our guest on this episode is Steve Tinning, who helps make Beer and Hymns happen at Greenbelt festival, and who also works in issues like Asylum policy for JPIT and the Baptist Union.
Episode 84: Stand with Gaza - Palestine, Israel and justice with peace
Israel’s war on Gaza is already wildly disproportionate and affecting civilians who have nowhere else to go. We had to talk about it and show solidarity with Palestine because so many Christians seem to be ignoring what is really happening.
Episode 83: Greenbelt 2023 Review - beer, hymns, thems and us
Greenbelt Festival is a progressive, feminist, LGBTQI+ affirming, Palestine-solidarity, post-capitalist, Christian, spiritual festival of arts, justice, ideas and music. It’s way more fun than that makes it sound. This is our experience of it in 2023.
Episode 82: Trans and Christian- Alex Clare-Young, URC Minister
Trans and non-binary Christians exist. They are beloved and valuable parts of the Body of Christ. URC minister and former Goth Alex Clare-Young talks to Beer Christianity about their spiritual journey, their transition and how the two were intertwined. They also help us understand a bunch of stuff, from trans theology to how to be better allies.
Episode 81: Trans people in sport - Cleo Madeleine of Gendered Intelligence
Trans exclusion at the highest levels of sport ultimately affects more people than you may think. We hear from queer trans activist and educator Cleo Madeleine about the history of enforced gender binaries in sport, trans identity in faith communities and people of faith in queer communities.
Episode 80: Paul Northup on 50 years and the future of Greenbelt Festival
How are the origins of Greenbelt Festival (50 this year) linked to the Hippie movement? When and why did churches stop sending youth groups to Greenbelt? And why, now, might they start sending them again? Festival Director Paul Northup talks history, spiritual impact and how Greenbelt has always felt different from other Christian festivals.
Episode 79: Too Big to Fall (Part II): the Celebrity Christian Halo Principle & the love of kings
What can we learn from the latest scandal? ‘Not much’ according to one guest. But perhaps we CAN do better in future, if we understand why good organisations turn blind eyes to bad things. Listen to Episode 79 for a run-down on what we are calling the Celebrity Christian Halo Effect, and what you can do to combat it.
Episode 78: Too big to fall (Part I): Mike Pilavachi, Ravi Zacharias & broken icons
Why does this keep happening? How are popular leaders so prone to committing abuse (or behaving incredibly badly)? Who are the people who worked with them and how do they feel now? We try to answer some of these questions without trying to defend the indefensible or condemn human beings rather than actions.
Episode 77: The billionaire sub disaster (& what it says about us)
Laughing at the deaths of billionaires - we found it disturbing, but is it ever okay to make light of an oppressor’s misfortune? We ask listeners, hear from a talented comedian and consider the ethics of jokes, wealth and power in Episode 77 of Beer Christianity: The billionaire sub.
Episode 76: Memento Mitford
Fancy coming on a little tour of rural English graveyards? Too bad, you’re coming. We promise pretty epitaphs, a quest to find an author’s grave and just one story about an animal carcass in a churchyard. We’re dying to share it with you!
Episode 75: Coronation check-in
Why would Christians object to the coronation? What are the reasons some Christians dislike the monarchy in general? What kinda fascist things happened around the coronation and, more importantly, who are our hosts' favourite kings?