My conversations about Christianity in a post-truth world

Listen to or watch my latest conversations with experts in fields including law, science, literature, and hermeneutics. Learn how Christianity interacts with these subjects in a post-truth world.

Sep 22, 2024

I’m typing as my kids watch Bluey. Above me on my browser are over 20 tabs open. Yes, not quite 40. This morning I’ve come from church, and this evening I will return. On the way, I might play a podcast. I’ll also pray.

This is the life of faith in the modern world. Flanked, surrounded by information. Turning our hearts and minds to God, while trying to silence the noise, and interpret the chaos.

As a pastor, I get to experience wonderful moments with people—moments where people discover the transformative nature of God’s love revealed in Christ, and what that means for their lives. I also see the gospel getting drowned out by a hyper-information-soaked world. Even for those who want to engage with it.

All of this is the reason I’ve been playing around with this Substack.

At the end of 2022, I realised I had missed writing. Sometimes what we love aligns with our gifts. Sometimes one just needs to just try doing something to see what comes of it. I guess that’s what I’ve been doing.

Recently I also realised how much I have missed the interviewing I got to do when I was working in journalism. I love the chance to draw out of someone the many profound thoughts that are lying there, ready to be exposed to the world. In my experience, that’s true of anyone. Everyone has good things to say.

My ministry supervisor encouraged me to have some outlets for writing and engaging with culture from a Christian worldview. These things are not my primary work, and not part of my job as a pastor. I cleared the idea of doing an hour or two on these things every so often with my boss.

I do this work on the side. When my household have gone to bed. On my phone’s notes folder waiting for a train. Mid-jog when thoughts come to me. Even while my kids watch TV.

I find these activities relaxing. It’s kind of like the satisfaction one gets from conquering a pile of washing up, or mowing the lawn. (Not everyone can relate to those analogies perhaps but you get the idea).

So I made some arrangements in the loft above my lounge room. Alongside our stored items, I kitted it out as a basic studio for some writing and webcam interviews. I picked up a cheap gaming desk on Facebook Marketplace. When I got it home on the roof of my car—strapped with the legs facing up—I realised it had flashing, colourful, light-up sides. And a cup holder. Perfect for my 3am sessions of Minecraft. I’m joking. I don’t play video games. But it would be great for that.

I also picked up one of those ring lights with a mobile-phone spot in the middle. I jerry-rigged a makeshift iPad holder. And, voila. Low-fi studio complete.

You, my Substack subscribers can take a look at the first few interviews that I’ve just released. I have more planned in the future. I’m aiming for monthly-ish.

How would I describe them?

They are…

Take place at the intersection between people’s academic expertise and Christian faith.
Broad in scope.
Involve me asking simple, basic, maybe naive questions. But I believe such questions often bring important answers.
Are meant for those are not-religious or not-Christian—to show something of the wisdom of the Christian faith.
Are meant for Christians—for encouragement and training.

Take a look. Tell me what you think. Please feel free to share them around if you like them. There are both video and audio versions of the first four episodes. Videos are below. Audio versions are uploading to all major podcast apps.

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