Centre for Christian Living podcast

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being widely embraced across our society. When OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a large language model-based chatbot, the application became the fastest-adopted new tool in human history. Its impact—and the impact of AI more broadly—is only beginning to be felt. Many AI researchers are concerned that AI will harm humanity, with some even sounding the alarm about humanity’s future altogether. How should Christians think about AI? What does the Bible have to say about how we think about and use this new and important technology? Furthermore, how might it affect our faith? Akos Balogh, writer and researcher, spoke about technology, humanity and theology at this year’s March event. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-116/

In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living podcast, we talk with Andrew Sach, who has recently released a book with Jonathan Gemmell entitled, “Are You 100% Sure You Want To Be an Agnostic?” Andrew discusses the difference between agnosticism and atheism, and thinks about how we can share the gospel with our friends who might be agnostic or who might have other beliefs. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-115/

The last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, is a book that many of us are intrigued by. We read its symbolism and the different imagery, and sometimes we don’t know what to do with it. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks with Tom Schreiner, who has recently released a couple of books on the Book of Revelation. Tom helps us think about how we should read the book and talks about its relevance for the Christian life. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-114/

In our last episode, we heard from Lionel Windsor, who talked about his new book, “Truth Be Told: Living truthfully in a post-truth world”. In this episode, we’re going to focus in on one chapter in Lionel’s book, looking at how, as Christians, we can live truthful, godly lives in a world that is becoming more and more technologically complex. Technology is not all bad; you listen to this podcast through a variety of technologies. But it’s hard to know how to live in such a technologically complex world. Lionel helps us think through some of the core issues that are vital for us to grasp in a world like ours. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-113/

Jesus told his disciples that he is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). The truth is absolutely vital to us as Christians. But in an era of fake news, media spin and social media manipulation, it’s never been more important as Christians that we are clear on what the truth is and how we as Christians should live as truthful people. In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Lionel Windsor about his new book, “Truth Be Told”, which sees to help Christians live truthfully in a post-truth world. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-112/ Lionel's book "Truth Be Told" can be purchased from Matthias Media: https://matthiasmedia.com.au/products/truth-be-told

Matthew, Mark and Luke all describe Jesus ascending a mountain and then being transformed in front of three of his disciples (Matt 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36). This is the event that Christians call the “transfiguration”. But why is it such an important event? What does it actually tell us about Jesus? Does it have anything to do with the Christian life? In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Dr Patrick Schreiner of Midwestern Baptist Seminary in the United States. He’s just written a wonderful book on the transfiguration, and he shows us just how vital and important this event is for understanding Jesus and for living the Christian life. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-111/

How can we as Christians care for those who are on the margins of society? How can we share the hope of Jesus with those who, from a worldly perspective at least, look like they have the least reason for hope? In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks to Ben Gray, minister of All Saints Petersham in Sydney’s Inner West, about how as a church they reach out to the homeless with the hope of the Jesus. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-110/

Christians can often be caught off-guard by how difficult life can be. When grieved by loss, deserted by friends and family, faced with a hostile workplace culture or plagued by an existential crisis, it is easy for Christians to be tempted to give up or to doubt God’s goodness. Yet the Bible encourages us to persevere in the midst of hardship, reminding us that suffering is not a sign of God’s absence, but of his good presence. The storms of life we weather serve to refine our faith as we hope in his promises. But how can we build perseverance within ourselves? What does it mean to remain steadfast in our day-to-day walk in Christ? If we experience doubt, are we in danger of falling away? In this episode of the CCL podcast, which features the audio from our October 2023 event, Moore College principal Mark Thompson considers these things as he shows us how Christians can persevere even when we face trials of various kinds. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-109/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that when he was with them, he preached Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 1:23). The cross is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It’s the means that God uses to secure our salvation. But it’s also so much more than that. In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living podcast, Peter Orr talks to Rory Shiner about his book, “Forgiven Forever: Living in the death of Jesus” and how the cross is, to quote Rory, “A vast ocean of spiritual power and liveable truth”. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-108/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

At Moore College, we were recently joined by Professor Christopher Watkin to talk about his new book, “Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s unfolding story makes sense of modern life and culture”, which recently won Australian Christian Book of the Year. In this episode of the CCL podcast, we bring you the recording of an interview Peter Orr conducted with Christopher, as well as the Q&A that followed. Christopher introduces us to his book, and also demonstrates the power of the Bible for helping us to understand—and even lovingly critique—the culture we live in. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-107/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

It’s fascinating to read church history and learn about what God has done in the past. But how important is it for us Christians to be aware of church history? Is it just an interesting thing we can read about on the side, or does an awareness of church history actually help guard us from error and live godly lives in the present time? In this episode of the CCL podcast, Mark Earngey, Head of Church History at Moore College, shows us that it _is_ important, and that if we ignore church history, we can open ourselves up to all sorts of problems. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-106/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

Do you compare yourself to other people? As a Christian, do you look at your Christian friends and think, “They’re much more godly than I am. They’re better at prayer. They’re more patient. They’re better evangelists than I am.”? Maybe you look at your non-Christian friends or family and think, “Their lives are so much simpler than mine” or “I wish I have what they have”. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Susan An, Dean of Women at Moore College, helps us think through some of these issues in the light of Proverbs 31 and the godly woman it describes, so that we can learn to think correctly about ourselves. This episode is particularly geared to Christian women, but contains lots of application for all of us. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-105/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

In an age when authenticity, personal potential and the fulfilment of that potential is so highly valued, the virtue of self-control seems counterintuitive. In contrast to the world, the Bible tells us that the good life is not located in unbounded self-expression, but in purposeful self-restraint. Why is self-control so necessary to the Christian life? What does the Bible say about it, and how can we cultivate it within ourselves? Furthermore, does the deliberate curbing of desire really play a key role in our self-actualisation? In this episode, we bring you a recording of our recent event in our series on virtue in the Christian life in which Moore College lecturer David Höhne helps us think through how to live as Christians, living self-controlled lives in a world that so values self-actualisation. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-104/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

What does John’s Gospel have to say about the Christian life? Famously, John tells us why he wrote at the end of his Gospel: so that we might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). We can easily read John’s Gospel and think that it’s only about understanding who Jesus is and believing in him. Those are important, but the problem is we might not think that John’s Gospel is a rich resource for living the Christian life and thinking about Christian ethics. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Tom Habib, lecturer in New Testament at Moore College, helps us to think about what it means to live the Christian life from the perspective of John’s Gospel. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-103/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

What is the value of the Old Testament for the Christian life? It might seem like an obvious question. We read the Old Testament, we draw comfort from the Psalms, and we can read the Ten Commandments. But in this episode of the CCL podcast with Professor Desmond Alexander, we’re going to focus on the first five books of the Old Testament and think about how they help us to understand the person and work of the Lord Jesus, and how they help us to respond appropriately to him. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-102/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

The Christian life is filled with all kinds of challenges and trials that easily raise questions about the goodness of God and what it means for us to continue on in faith, even in the face of hardship. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Chase Kuhn and Peter Orr discuss how good our God is and why we can entrust ourselves to him as we continue in the life of faith. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-101/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

Narcissism and vanity characterise the spirit of our age—particularly when it comes to social media, where we’re tempted to promote ourselves, make ourselves look good, and present a certain image of ourselves to the world. But when faced with the glory of God, Scripture calls upon us to exhibit a different attitude: humility. What does it mean to be truly humble? What does it mean to humble oneself before the Lord? If we’re serious about giving all glory to God, what should this look like in the Christian life? In this special edition of our podcast, we bring you the audio from the recent lecture Professor David VanDrunen gave for the Centre on “The glory of true humility” on 7 June 2023. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-100/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

Our most recent live event from our series on “A virtuous life” focused on true virtue in an age of virtue signalling. Our presenter was Professor David VanDrunen of Westminster Seminary California. In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living podcast, Professor VanDrunen joins us again in a special follow-up episode to answer some of the questions that arose during the event. I hope that this discussion will be of good help to you as you continue to reflect on what it means to walk in the newness of life that we’ve been given in Jesus. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-099/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

In the information age and the advent of cancel culture, public morality has taken an interesting turn. Virtue is signalled by what we approve publicly or cancel publicly. The deep irony is that this virtue signalling is most often not backed by _true_ virtue. This is seen in the fierce and cutting remarks too common on social media. The danger for Christians is that they follow the culture and become no better than whitewashed tombs. At this cultural moment, it’s all the more pertinent for Christians to cultivate true virtue. The Bible often encourages believers that their character is to match their calling. In this special edition of our podcast, we bring you the audio from our recent live event from our 2023 series on “A virtuous life”. In this episode, we hear from Professor David VanDrunen about “Virtue in an age of virtue signalling: Christian culture in a characterless society”. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-098/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/

Motherhood is not something that we all know directly in our lives, but we all, at least, experience it indirectly: we’ve all been born of a woman. This is something common to humanity and is one of our deepest bonds with Jesus, our brother, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Motherhood can be viewed poorly. It can be seen as something to be endured, an interruption to life and a career, or something terribly painful and questionable in its goodness. But when we think about motherhood theologically, we see it differently. It’s something that God has designed with great purpose and goodness. It’s a beautiful thing that marks one of the distinctive roles of women in society. It’s something to celebrate, even in its pain and risk. Furthermore, in the expectation of life that pregnancy holds, there is a great picture of our expectation of eternal life. In this episode of the CCL podcast with Jodie McIver, we consider God’s purposes in pregnancy and birth. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-097/ Send us your ethical questions using the contact form on our website: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/contact/