Best Barnabas Aspray and Austin Stevenson Podcasts (2025)

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Thick & Thin Types of Nationalism - with Nick Spencer 52:57

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17d ago52:57

52:57

Stretchy definitions of ‘Nationalism’ can be a useful political tool, says Nick Spencer, senior fellow at Theos Think Tank. People can give a ‘thin’ definition while their actions suggest something ‘thicker’ and more like 19th century definitions. But all Christians want their country run according to Christian values, and no government can avoid h…

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#83 Balancing Local & Universal: What Catholic Nationalism Teaches Us - with Colt Anderson 40:51

1M ago40:51

40:51

"It is a Catholic axiom that in order to lead someone away from error, you must recognize the truth that gives power to the error." Thus writes Professor Colt Anderson in Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021). In this episode, we ask him how we can take that insight and use it to understand n…

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#82 Cruciform Political Power - with Mike Gorman 44:54

2M ago44:54

44:54

The power of the cross is weakness, according to the apostle Paul. How does that idea translate into the dog-eat-dog world of politics? In this episode we interview Dr. Mike Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University. He shares the content of a forthcoming book which explores, among oth…

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#81 Faith & National Politics w/ Stanley Hauerwas 27:41

3M ago27:41

27:41

In this episode we have the privilege speaking with Prof Stanley Hauerwas. He challenges the typical categories used in conversations about 'christian nationalism' and pushes us to redefine what it means to be political.

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#80 Christian Patriotism is not Nationalism - with James Walters 33:30

3M ago33:30

33:30

What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? Is one of them acceptable (even desirable) from a Christian point of view? In this episode we interview James Walters, Professor at the London School of Economics. As an ordained priest in the Church of England, he is the first person we've interviewed who belongs to an established state ch…

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#79 Whose Christianity? Which Nationalism? - with Elizabeth Bruenig 46:01

4M ago46:01

46:01

Not every Christian agrees on what a “Christian government” should look like. Whoever is in power will have to decide what form of Christianity to implement, and they are likely to claim it is the only valid kind. In this episode we chat with Elizabeth Bruenig, journalist for The Atlantic, on Christian Nationalism in the US. Does it really represen…

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#78 Nationalism is its own religion - with William Cavanaugh 41:53

5M ago41:53

41:53

Professor William Cavanaugh, author of Migrations of the Holy and The Uses of Idolatry, weighs in on the topic of nationalism. He argues that nationalism is a religion that rivals Christianity and is therefore not compatible with it. Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

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#77 - European Nationalism & Constitutions w/ Marietta van der Tol 52:02

6M ago52:02

52:02

How can national constitutions persecute religious minorities? What would motivate them to do so, and is this motivation really Christian? These questions and others are addressed by Marietta van der Tol in her book, Constitutional Intolerance (CUP, 2025). In this episode, Barney and Austin draw out some of Marietta’s key insights not only in this …

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#76 - Wrap-up the last series & introduce the next! 22:06

7M ago22:06

22:06

In this episode, Austin & Barney discuss the key takeaways and insights from the series on Exvangelicalism, and introduce the topic of our next series: Christian Nationalism! Watch this space for interviews with world experts across the spectrum of political opinions on this urgent and controversial topic! Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineerin…

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#75 The E(x)vangelical Imagination - with Karen Swallow Prior 51:27

7M ago51:27

51:27

Next up in our Exvangelicalism series, Karen Swallow Prior outlines some of the images that have shaped the social imaginary of evangelicals—for good and ill—and how that has impacted the experiences of exvangelicals . She is the author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2024).…

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#74 Loving & leaving Evangelicalism - with Sarah McCammon 48:56

8M ago48:56

48:56

Another episode in our Exvangelicalism series, Sarah McCammon shares her story and her research on those who leave the American Evangelical church, to produce a powerful and insightful insider account of the exvangelical experience. Today is the launch day of the paperback edition of Sarah's book, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the …

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#73 What is EXvangelicalism? - with Emma Feyas 48:06

9M ago48:06

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The second in our mini-series on Exvangelicalism. Emma Feyas is a PhD candidate researching exvangelicalism. She tells us about the history of the movement and provides insights both from scholarship and from her own experiences.

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#72 What is Evangelicalism? - with Mark Noll 41:33

9M ago41:33

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The first in our mini-series on Exvangelicalism. It makessense to start by asking what Evangelicalism is! Professor Mark Noll is one of the world’s leading experts onthe history of Evangelicalism. In this interview, we ask him questions like: When did Evangelicalism begin? How has the word “Evangelical” changed its meaning overtime? Why have people…

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#71 What is Exvangelicalism? 17:57

10M ago17:57

17:57

Over 400 million people in the world are classed as Evangelicals. In the USA, their association with the Republican Party has led to a lot of people rejecting thelabel and yet remaining quasi-Evangelical in their spirituality. Since 2016 they have come to be known as “Exvangelicals” or “Post-Evangelicals.” Who are they and why are they significant …

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#70 A Greater Challenge to Faith? 26:26

11M ago26:26

26:26

Is science or history a greater challenge to faith? In this episode, Austin argues that history is a far greater challenge than science. In that light, we review our long series on history and bring it to a close.

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#69 Tradition with Anne Carpenter 1:01:38

12M ago1:01:38

1:01:38

What is tradition and how might it help us deal with both the good and bad in the history of Christianity? Dr Anne Carpenter is Danforth Chair in Theological Studies at St Louis University and the author of 'Nothing Gained is Eternal: A Theology of Tradition."

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#68 Colonialism with Willie James Jennings 47:45

1y ago47:45

47:45

What is colonialism and how should white Western Christians think about their own involvement in it? How do we respond, whether Christian or not, to the trajectories of power laid down by our colonial past? Prof. Willie James Jennings is one of the leading voices in postcolonial theology. We are hono(u)red to have him join us in our first discussio…

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#67 Religious apathy and religious violence - with Matthew Rowley 45:11

1y ago45:11

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Our second episode on religious violence, with Dr. Matthew Rowley , author of God, Religious Extremism, and Violence. Dr. Rowley talks about how we should criticize our own tradition first, approaching everything with curiosity and humility. He also questions ideas about what it means to be an "extremist" and whether that's really a bad thing? Than…

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#66 Religious Violence - with William Cavanaugh 54:13

1y ago54:13

54:13

Does religion cause violence? It's a common notion today, but Professor William Cavanaugh challenges it in an incisive way. Who stands to gain from this idea? Who benefits from laying the blame for violence at the feet of religion? And what definition of 'religion' is operative here?Thanks to Jamie Maule for editing this video!…

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#65 Improvising church to face challenges of today - with Mark Glanville 46:24

1y ago46:24

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An interlude (sort of) in the middle of our present series. It does not address a historical challenge, but starts from the other end. What can Christians do today in responding to these challenges? Barney interviews Professor Mark Glanville of Regent College, Vancouver, on his latest book, Improvising Church. We discuss questions like: How can the…

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#64 The challenge of the INQUISITION - with Dr. Dennis Castillo 53:34

1+ y ago53:34

53:34

Everyone has heard of the Spanish Inquisition. But how accurate is the popular understanding of it? What really happened and how does it reflect on Christianity? Is this an episode Christians should repent of? What lessons can we learn for the modern day? These questions and others are discussed in today’s episode. Austin and Barney are joined by D…

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#63 The challenge of the CRUSADES! - with Dr. Mike Horswell 1:02:56

1+ y ago1:02:56

1:02:56

Continuing our “Faith and the challenges of history” series, we turn from biblical history to later history. First of all we want to tackle the crusades, one of the most frequently mentioned in debates about the authenticity of Christian claims to bring peace and justice. We have invited Dr. Mike Horswell to join us in this discussion. He has spent…

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#62 Austin's NEW BOOK! - and the final episode on biblical history 40:35

1+ y ago40:35

40:35

It's a big event: our own podcast co-host's first published book: Austin Stevenson, The Consciousness of the Historical Jesus (T&T Clark: 2024). The book discusses questions like: What is the movement called 'the historical Jesus' and how should Christians think about it? How does our own way of doing history depend on our understanding of what it …

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#61 The history of the biblical text - w/ Dr Jesse Grenz 49:18

1+ y ago49:18

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Is our New Testament the same as the original texts written in the first century? How do we know which manuscripts to trust, and who does the work of deciding? What are the implications of the fact that the biblical text itself has a history? In this episode, we discuss these questions and more with Dr Jesse Grenz, Assistant Professor of Biblical S…

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#60 Women and the challenge of history - with Dr. Amy Peeler 56:51

1+ y ago56:51

56:51

Does the Bible value women? Does it make sense to call God ‘Father’ from a feminist perspective? Why did God create gender difference in the first place? These questions and many more are tackled by Dr. Amy Peeler, New Testament Professor at Wheaton College. Dr. Peeler has recently published Women and the Gender of God which goes into these issues …

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#59 Reading the New Testament Historically with Michael J. Gorman 43:07

1+ y ago43:07

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In this episode we talk with Prof Michael J Gorman, New Testament Scholar and author of nearly twenty books including several major works on Paul. In this discussion, Prof Gorman draws a distinction between historical criticism and the historical critical method. He argues that understanding the original context is necessary, but not sufficient whe…

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#58 Lessons so far: insights and takeaways from our Bible scholar interviewees 36:08

1+ y ago36:08

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Austin and Barney go back over the last few episodes and share our thoughts. What did we learn? What did we disagree with? How do we compare and contrast the Bible scholars and theologians we've interviewed so far? What do YOU think though? Email us your thoughts at whatdoyouthink (at) faithatthefrontiers.com and we'll dialogue with you in future e…

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#57 Historically-sensitive Bible reading: A taxonomy with Matthew J Thomas 1:04:36

1+ y ago1:04:36

1:04:36

So many Bible scholars and methods claim to be ‘historical’, but are they all the same? In this episode, Barney and Austin interview Professor Matthew J Thomas, who has come up with a taxonomy of FOUR methods for reading the Bible that are currently prevalent in scholarship: Simple historical exegesis: interpreting the Bible with attention to its c…

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#56 Theology and the Historical Method - w/ Dr Seth Heringer 47:31

2y ago47:31

47:31

Austin and Barney interview theologian Dr Seth Heringer, who describes the development of modern historical methods and how these methods have impacted theology. We consider the ways in which not only the results of historical research, but the principles of the historical method themselves might stand at odds with theology. If history isn't as neu…

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#55 Challenging the challengers: on reasons to trust the biblical witness - with Prof. Iain Provan 48:46

2y ago48:46

48:46

Barney and Austin interview Old Testament Professor Iain Provan, who takes a different view to our previous guests on the historical reliability of the Bible. For him, there is every reason to trust the Bible's authors, and no reason not to trust them. Provan also suggests that: The very idea of history comes from the Old Testament There is no 'neu…

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#54 Faith and Old Testament historicity - with Prof. Hugh Williamson 52:06

2y ago52:06

52:06

Austin and Barney interview Professor Emeritus Hugh Williamson of Oxford University on how his faith relates to historical enquiry about the Old Testament. We discuss questions like: How does Prof. Williamson hold together his identity as a scholar and his faith as a Christian? Does he ever see a conflict between them? What does the historical stud…

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#53 History and the Old Testament - with Professor John Goldingay 45:06

2y ago45:06

45:06

Is the Old Testament historically reliable? What difference does that question make to our faith? What do we mean by 'historical' and 'reliable' anyway? In this episode, Barney and Austin interview Professor John Goldingay, a retired Old Testament scholar enormously influential in the Evangelical tradition. Prof. Goldingay shares his thoughts about…

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New series! ‘Faith and the Challenges of History’ 11:48

2y ago11:48

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Introducing the new co-host, Austin Stevenson, and our new topic for the next series. Austin and I will be wrestling with how the Christian faith relates to its own history. We'll be asking questions like: Do Christians have to believe the Bible is historically reliable? Is there evidence to suggest the Bible is historically reliable? How ought Chr…

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#52 Taking the conversation global: science and theology narratives in non-Western contexts 45:23

2y ago45:23

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Let's open the science & religion debate to include voices from beyond the White Western world! In this episode Barney interviews two Anglican bishops who are doing just that: Bishop Richard Cheetham, co-director for global engagement with ECLAS & a member of the Anglican Communion Science Commission. Bishop Joseph Galgalo, provincial secretary of …

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#51 Mitres and Microscopes: How church leaders think of science - with Dr. Thoko Kamwendo 29:37

2y ago29:37

29:37

Science is done in a society. Society affects not only what science is done, but how people understand it and its role. Dr. Thoko Kamwendo is part of a growing field of research called ‘sciencestudies’ which uncovers the social dimension of scientific research. She has studied in particular how church leaders approach science, and how they communic…

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#50 What it means to be human: the faith-enhancing power of science fiction 53:52

2y ago53:52

53:52

Do you love reading sci-fi or fantasy? Have you ever thought about its theologial potential? In this episode, Barney discusses the value of science fiction for exploring dimensions of the Christian faith, with: Revd Prof. David Wilkinson Revd Dr Lucas Mix Dr Amanda Rees Revd Prof. Alan Gregory If you like this episode and want to learn more, visit …

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#49 Where Science and Politics Collide: Black Majority Churches and the Covid Vaccine 26:10

2y ago26:10

26:10

Barney interviews Pastor Alton Bell about his experiences persuading his church congregation to take the Covid vaccine. This episode digs into the history of black peoples' engagement with white medicine, and is not always easy listening. But its message is important: science is always communicated by someone, and if that someone is the government,…

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#48 ‘A scientist and a priest walk into a church’: how churches lead on science engagement 40:17

2y ago40:17

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How can scientists enrich and enliven their local church communities? We’ve invited Professor David Wilkinson, Petra Crofton, and Deb Fozzard to explore the impact of the ⁠Scientists in Congregations project that shows just how much scientists can do. If you want to learn more, check out these free science and faith resources for schools and (churc…

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#47 Angels, Demons, and Scientists: How Charismatic & Pentecostal Churches engage with Science 36:03

2y ago36:03

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What do Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians think of science? Two of their number discuss the distinctives of their tradition on this question: Chris Done, Professor of astrophysics at Durham University Simo Frestadius, executive director of the institute for Pentecostal theology Among their many insights are that: Charismatics place a lot of emphas…

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#46 Why teach science in seminaries? - with Revd Dr Lucas Mix & Revd Dr Katy Hinman 39:14

2y ago39:14

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It may sound like a strange idea to teach science in seminaries. But after recording this episode, it made much more sense to the hosts! Lucas Mix (ECLAS) and Katy Hinman (AAAS) help run help run ECLAS’ ‘Science for Seminaries’ programme, in which future pastors, priests, and church leaders get to learn what it’s like to engage in science and with …

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#45 The True Story of the Science-Faith ‘Conflict’, from the Galileo affair to Draper and White 52:57

2+ y ago52:57

52:57

What is really at stake in seeing faith & science as in conflict with each other? What are the origins of this conflict narrative and what were the theological motivations behind it? These questions and others are the driving force behind today's episode, the first in our ECLAS series. We interview David Hutchings and Dr Amanda Rees for their persp…

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introducing the next series 2:30

2+ y ago2:30

2:30

News from Faith at the Frontiers: We’re at the end of the Faith & Economics series. What a thought-provoking series it was! Goodbye to Carmody! She has had to step down because she was too busy to keep it up. A new co-host will be joining us in the series after next. Introducing the next series: in partnership with Equipping Christian Leadership in…

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#44 How Christianity transforms the most fundamental economic principles - with Prof. Paul Williams 1:00:53

2+ y ago1:00:53

1:00:53

For our final episode on faith & economics, we’ve invited Prof. Paul Williams to share his vision for a Christian transformation of economics. Prof. Williams has studied economics and theology, and worked as both an economist and a theology professor for many years. He is uniquely qualified to give insight on our question and this episode is a powe…

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#43 What we really think about capitalism and other things - a reflection on recent episodes 32:13

2+ y ago32:13

32:13

Carmody & Barney pause to reflect on our recent episodes and the opinions presented by our guests. We appear to have invited quite a few capitalists recently without intending to over-represent one viewpoint. So most of this discussion is our own reflections on the varieties of capitalism that we’ve encountered from our guests. We reflect on things…

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#42 Christian Finance: Creating a Virtuous Circle - with Pete Gladwell 47:21

2+ y ago47:21

47:21

Carmody and Barney interview Pete Gladwell, who works for one of the largest investment companies in the UK. Pete explains how he views investment as a community service and tries to make investments that will benefit society rather than only making money for himself or his company. This episode is really interesting to compare to the previous one …

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#41 God, Mammon, and Ethical Investing - with Robert Netzly 52:59

2+ y ago52:59

52:59

Barney and Carmody interview Robert Netzly, founder and CEO of Inspire Investing. Robert recently made the decision to withdraw all ESG investment on the basis that it has been overtaken by a Marxist agenda. We ask Robert about his understanding of faithful Christian investment and the principles on which he founded his business. Thanks to Jamie Ma…

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#40 The power of the free market to create wealth - with Dylan Pahman 41:42

2+ y ago41:42

41:42

Barney and Carmody interview Dylan Pahman on whether there is any such thing as ‘Christian economics’, or whether economics is a value-neutral space like mathematics. We discuss questions like: Is the free market the most natural and universal economic system? Should theologians stay out of economics? Should economists stay out of theology? What sh…

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#39 Transforming economic theory through the Christian tradition - with Helen Alford 58:37

2+ y ago58:37

58:37

We interview Helen Alford, one of the leading voices in Christian economics. Helen offers an amazing array of insights. Helen had a transformative experience upon reading the following article: Howard Rosenbrock, 'Engineers and the Work People Do', in The Experience of Work, ed. Craig Littler. The key insight was that 'If engineers could think of p…

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#38 Freedom and Loneliness: Reflecting on recent episodes 20:20

2+ y ago20:20

20:20

Barney and Carmody respond to feedback and reflect on the last two episodes (with Ondrej & Jared, and with Adeel Malik). Themes that appear include: What role does freedom play in an economic system ? Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

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#37 Investing in your success: Islamic economics and the role of community - with Professor Adeel Malik 51:34

2+ y ago51:34

51:34

Carmody & Barney invite Adeel Malik of Oxford University to discuss the Islamic view of economics and finance. We discuss questions like: Why is lending money at interest banned in traditional Islam, Judaism, and Christianity? Why can economics never be separated from morality and religion? Why is community a neglected dimension of economic theory?…

Barnabas Aspray And Austin Stevenson Podcasts