Spiritual Misfits Podcast

Following last week's collaborative conversation between Spiritual Misfits and On the Way podcast, this episode features the poetry that bookended our special evening at West End Uniting Church in Brisbane, performed by Will Small and Boy Renaissance.Related EpisodesSpiritual Misfits, On the Way (Live from 'Words for Those Who Wander') - The panel conversation from this eventA Non Binary God & a Fluid Faith with Boy Renaissance - Previous conversation with Boy RenaissanceWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

A special cross-over podcast episode between Spiritual Misfits and On the Way, recorded at 'Words For Those Who Wander' at West End Uniting Church in Brisbane. In this conversation, Will Small, Dom Fay, Sue Grimmett, and Peter Catt explore what happens when the old spiritual maps stop working and we need to become cartographers for our time.Together they wrestle with profound questions: What if we're all exiles seeking belonging? How do we build community when our frameworks for understanding are themselves lost? And what would we write on 'the map' for those who come after us? Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

In this episode, we explore what it means to live faithfully during times of political and social upheaval with systematic theologian from Princeton Theological Seminary Hanna Reichel, author of "For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional."Drawing on lessons from the Confessing Church's resistance to Nazi Germany, Hanna challenges us to move beyond simple answers and moral purity toward what they call "tolerance for complexity." We discuss why tradition can actually fuel progressive resistance, the difference between staying morally pure versus taking responsibility, and how joy becomes an act of resistance.  Get Hanna's new book, 'For Such a Time as This': https://www.eerdmans.com/9781467470575/for-such-a-time-as-this/Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Danny Bryant joins Will to discuss his book Unless a Seed Falls to the Ground: Welcoming the Death of the Whiteness Gospel. Part memoir, part theological critique, Danny's work traces his journey from growing up in a fundamentalist cult to becoming a pastor who now practices what he calls "hospice ministry", allowing cancerous forms of American Christianity to die.In this deeply personal conversation, Danny shares about:Growing up as a "misfit among misfits" in a cult that prided itself on exclusionHow patterns of control and superiority infected even "mainstream" churches he encounteredHis reimagined TULIP framework diagnosing the cancer of white American ChristianityWhy he believes certain forms of faith need to die—not be reformedThe difference between violent destruction and the natural death that leads to new lifeWhat it means to "side with the seeds" in our current momentHow his own motivation for ministry evolved from anger at harm to being grounded in loveWhat St. Mary of Bethany Parish looks like as a "field hospital" for the spiritually woundedDanny draws on voices like James Baldwin, Howard Thurman, Willie James Jennings, and Abraham Joshua Heschel to imagine what might grow after the death of Christianity-as-empire. This is a conversation about grief, hope, and the spacious places that await us when we stop clinging to what needs to die.About Danny Bryant: Danny Bryant is a pastor and priest at St. Mary of Bethany Parish in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also offers spiritual direction. He lives with his wife Rebecca, their four children, and several pets.Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Joyce Tangi is the Culture of Safety Pastor for the Uniting Church NSW & ACT Synod, and she cares deeply about building communities where everyone can thrive.In this conversation, we explore what safety actually looks like beyond policies and procedures, how to navigate power dynamics in faith communities, and why deep listening might be the most radical act we can practice.Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

David Gate joins Will Small to discuss his new book "A Rebellion of Care" and what it means to stay tender in a world that often seems to demand hardness.David Gate is a poet, writer, and visual artist who grew up in London and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina. His work centres around care for the individual and the nurture of community, and his Instagram poetry has touched thousands with its accessible wisdom and raw honesty. This conversation explores the poems and essays within David's book as well as the process and thought behind them. Read the Book: "A Rebellion of Care: Poems and Essays" by David GateFollow David: Instagram @davidgatepoet | Website: davidgatepoet.comWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Bradley Jersak, a theologian and author known for his impactful works on faith transitions, shares his transformative journey from a Baptist background to Mennonite and Orthodox influences. He discusses the reinterpreting of controversial theological concepts like penal substitutionary atonement and the nature of God as fundamentally loving. Jersak advocates for a hopeful universalism, emphasizing Jesus' reconciliatory role. He also explores interfaith dialogue, the virtues of liturgical practices, and the importance of navigating contemporary spiritual tensions with humility.

About This Series Over six weeks, we're sharing keynote talks and discussions from the second Future Church Conference, held at the Tram Sheds in Glebe. This gathering brought together church leaders, pastors, and Jesus-followers passionate about creating safer, more inclusive faith communities.Whether you're leading church, leaving church, unsure about the whole thing, or just curious about what the future might hold, these conversations explore what it means to reimagine church for everyone.Conference Posture Future Church Conference invited participants to adopt three key postures:Lean in - Sit with discomfort and ask why certain ideas trigger usListen - Hear vulnerable ideas from speakers and connect with each otherLook forward - Focus on future possibilities rather than past woundsWhat You'll Hear in This Episode: The closing panel discussion of Future Church Conference exploring how the church might move beyond divisive culture wars toward more constructive engagement with complex social issues.About the Panelists: Will Small is joined by Jarrod McKenna (nonviolent activist and Common Grace founder), Josephine Inkpin (transgender priest and activist), and Mikenzie Ling (Wiradjuri woman and First Nations consultant in the Uniting Church of Australia) to discuss why and how the Church ought to transcend Culture War rhetoric and embody a better way forward. Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

About This Series Over six weeks, we're sharing keynote talks and discussions from the second Future Church Conference, held at the Tram Sheds in Glebe. This gathering brought together church leaders, pastors, and Jesus-followers passionate about creating safer, more inclusive faith communities.Whether you're leading church, leaving church, unsure about the whole thing, or just curious about what the future might hold, these conversations explore what it means to reimagine church for everyone.Conference Posture Future Church Conference invited participants to adopt three key postures:Lean in - Sit with discomfort and ask why certain ideas trigger usListen - Hear vulnerable ideas from speakers and connect with each otherLook forward - Focus on future possibilities rather than past woundsWhat You'll Hear in This Episode:Josephine Inkpin's keynote on what it means to 'trans' the Church beyond gender alone. A powerful closing poem from Boy RenaissanceAbout the Speaker: Josephine Inkpin is a priest and activist, and a leading voice in Australia for LGBTQ+ inclusion in faith communities committed to a genuinely ecumenical approach. Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

About This Series Over six weeks, we're sharing keynote talks and discussions from the second Future Church Conference, held at the Tram Sheds in Glebe. This gathering brought together church leaders, pastors, and Jesus-followers passionate about creating safer, more inclusive faith communities.Whether you're leading church, leaving church, unsure about the whole thing, or just curious about what the future might hold, these conversations explore what it means to reimagine church for everyone.Conference Posture Future Church Conference invited participants to adopt three key postures:Lean in - Sit with discomfort and ask why certain ideas trigger usListen - Hear vulnerable ideas from speakers and connect with each otherLook forward - Focus on future possibilities rather than past woundsWhat You'll Hear: Jarrod McKenna makes the case for nonviolence as central to following Jesus amidst the serious challenges of life on planet earth in our current moment. About the Speaker: Jarrod McKenna is a peace activist, pastor, and founding director of Common Grace. He's a co-host of the Inverse podcast and a pastor at Steeple Church. He challenges the church to embrace Jesus' radical call to nonviolence in a world marked by conflict and division. Listen to more of Jarrod's story on this episode of Spiritual Misfits. Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com