On the CCL podcast, we’ve been exploring the topic of “Neurodivergence and the Christian life” in a special three-part series. In Part 1, we opened up the issue and heard many wonderful and moving stories from neurodivergent people about their experiences, and the questions and issues that arise from their experiences—especially in relation to Christianity, the Christian life and church life. In Part 2, we looked at what the Bible has to say about these questions, and how to think about these things from the perspective of God and his revelation about his world and our lives through the themes of Creation and the Fall; ability, the Spirit and weakness; and community and the body of Christ.In this final episode of our series, we return to the experiences of neurodivergent people and to the questions we have about how neurodivergence affects our lives, families and churches as Christians, and we explore some paths forward.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.To ask questions or to get in touch with us about this series, send us a voice memo or email to ccl AT moore edu au.Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
On the CCL podcast, we’ve been exploring the topic of “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”. In our first episode, we opened up the issue and heard many wonderful, extraordinary and moving stories from neurodivergent people about their experiences, and the questions and issues that arise from their experiences—especially in relation to Christianity, the Christian life and church life.In this episode, which is Part 2 of 3 in our series, we will look at what the Bible has to say about these questions, and how we might think about these things from the perspective of God and his revelation about his world and our lives—through the themes of Creation and the Fall, ability, the Spirit and weakness, and community and the body of Christ.(Please note: Part 3 will be published in a fortnight’s time.)For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.To ask questions or to get in touch with us about this series, send us a voice memo or email to ccl AT moore edu au.Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Neurodivergence, such as Autism and ADHD, is increasingly identified and understood in our society. Almost everyone has experience of neurodivergence either in themselves or in close friends or family.How do we think about neurodivergence as Christians? What particular challenges and opportunities does being neurodivergent bring with it, especially in responding to the gospel and living as a Christian? How can we love all people in our families and churches?In this first episode of a special three-part series on neurodivergence and the Christian life, we explore and assess what neurodivergence is—the experience, questions and issues of neurodivergent people, as well as the experience, questions and issues of parents, friends and ministers of neurodivergent people. We also look briefly at medical, clinical and social perspectives on neurodivergence. Finally, we raise questions that we will attempt to answer in more depth in Parts 2 and 3 of this series.(Please note: Part 2 will be published in a fortnight’s time, while part 3 will be published in a month’s time.)For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.To ask questions or to get in touch with us about this series, send us a voice memo or email to ccl AT moore edu au.Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Moral progressivism is a feature of the best and brightest of our culture. It’s the idea that, just like technology, which is progressing all the time and getting better, so our moral beliefs, values and sensibilities are improving over time. There’s a relentless forward march to the moral status of humanity such that many of the beliefs and values we hold today will be seen as outdated and even irrelevant tomorrow.Christians are often wary of moral progressives and moral progressivism, because it frequently wants to declare that the long-held moral beliefs or standards we get from the Bible are not only outdated, but positively harmful or evil. Yet on the other hand, many of the causes that moral progressives espouse do resonate with us as Christians. We do want the world to be a more just, more peaceable and more compassionate place.So what is progressivism exactly? How do we come to be progressives in our modern culture? In addition, how should we think about this as Christians? Hear Tony Payne and Charles Cleworth consider these questions in this episode of the CCL podcast.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Next Priscilla & Aquila Centre evening seminar: A history of Complementarianism (Wed 13 Aug).Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Around 19 per cent of Australia’s population is of school age. A similar proportion—around 17 per cent—are seniors, if that’s defined as 65 and older. Are those percentages reflected in the time, people and resources that your church devotes to evangelising and ministering to these age groups?Most of us would admit that our church has put vastly more effort into youth and children’s ministry than we do into ministry to older people. But why is that the case? Is it just a natural focus on the next generation, or is it a blind spot and a huge missed opportunity?In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living Podcast with Ben Boland, chaplain for Churches of Christ Queensland, we think about the marvellous opportunities and challenges of ministering to older people.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Priceless People: Loving Older People and People Living with Dementia (Ben R Boland): available from Koorong, Reformers, The Wandering Bookseller, Word, 10ofThose and Amazon.Next CCL event: The smartphone disciple (Mon 27 Oct).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Do you ever get that feeling that the teachings of the Bible, and the complex and painful things that actually happen in your life don’t always connect? Do you ever feel that when you’re in the midst of pain, grief and difficulty, you’re not exactly sure what the gospel has to say about it?Andrew Nicholls, Director of Pastoral Care at Oak Hill College in London, had exactly that experience as a pastor, trying to help his parishioners with the pain and grief of their lives, and finding that he didn’t have a whole lot to say to them. In this episode of the CCL podcast, Andrew speaks about this experience of having not much to say, and how it led to a turning point in his ministry and his whole view of what a pastor’s job is, as well as his understanding of how the gospel speaks to the realities of our lives.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Centre for Global Mission event: Embracing Hard Ministry: The Bible and the practice of Global Mission(Wed 23 July).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Have you ever had one of those moments of self-awareness when some relationship or perhaps some conversation has just gone badly, and for some reason, you stop and think, “Why did that just happen? What did I do? What attitudes, behaviours and underlying thoughts did I bring to that conversation that contributed to what just happened?”If you’ve ever managed to do that and also thought to yourself, “I really should do that more often and more thoughtfully,” then this conversation between Tony Payne and Caroline Spencer is for you. Also, if you’ve never stopped to think about yourself, your thought patterns and your behaviours, then this conversation is even more for you. It’s about healthy self-reflection and how we can develop good habits of self-reflection to serve others around you.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Getting Over Yourself: Developing a healthy self-reflection habit to serve those around you (Caroline Spencer).Centre for Global Mission event: Embracing Hard Ministry: The Bible and the practice of Global Mission(23 July).Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
What does it mean to live the Christian life as a man or as a woman? Does whether we are men or women make any difference to living as a Christian and seeking to be a godly person in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Does godliness look any different for men as it does for women, or, for that matter, for young people as opposed to old people?These kinds of questions can often cause controversy. But they’re also hard to avoid if we reflect honestly on our experiences as men and women, as well as reflect open-heartedly upon the Scriptures. In this episode of the Centre for Christian Living Podcast, Tony Payne talks with Moore College lecturer Paul Grimmond about these complex and very important questions.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about Moore College’s Open Events.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Last year in 2024, Tom Schreiner, Associate Dean for the School of Theology, the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, delivered the Annual Moore College Lectures on the Book of Galatians.In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks with Tom about Galatians and how what God says in this marvellous letter directs the way we think and act as his people, and how it shapes the Christian life. Their conversation touches on the cross, justification by faith, the place of the law and of works in the Christian life, the role of the Spirit, and what the fruit of the Spirit looks like in those who follow Christ.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
In the past, people used to date by asking each other out and getting to know each other over coffee, a meal or some other activity. But these days, many people use dating apps as a way of meeting others. How should we navigate this area as Christians? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach? What are the dangers we need to be aware of?Jocelyn Bignill, Assistant Minister at All Saints in Petersham, Sydney, has been working on an unpublished article about dating apps, and in this episode, Peter Orr talks to her about the challenges and obstacles Christians might face when using them. It’s an important subject—not just for those who are in a stage of life where they may be using these apps, but also for those of us who have grown-up children who might need guidance in how to navigate this tricky area.(Please note: Jocelyn Bignill’s article on dating apps, which Peter Orr refers to in this interview, is currently unpublished.)For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Gospel ministry in our schools is incredibly important and strategic, and has changed many lives. But what does it mean for the gospel to do its work in a school? What sort of work does a school chaplain do? In addition, how does the ministry that takes place within our schools sit alongside, complement and relate to the broader ministry of the gospel that we’re used to seeing in our churches?In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr chats to Peter Tong, chaplain at Barker College in Sydney, Australia, about what that ministry looks like, why school chaplaincy is important, and how we can support it.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about our May ethics workshop: “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
What’s the place of mission in the Christian life? In this episode of the CCL podcast, Peter Orr speaks to Tania Snowdon. Tania and her husband Mike spent a number of years on the mission field in Spain and have since returned. Tania speaks about the whole mission experience—why you would go; how to decide whether to go; how to decide where to go; the training you receive before going; what it’s like when you arrive and start speaking the gospel into a new culture; how Christians can support missionaries; and what it’s like to return from the field and re-enter your home culture.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-134/">visit our website.Find">http://moore.edu.au/ptc">Find out more about the Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC)Support the work of the Centre by making">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/donate/">making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
As Christians, we know that evangelism is important. But most of us feel that we’re not very good at it and that we don’t do enough of it.In this episode, Peter Orr speaks with Dave Jensen, who works as an evangelist for Evangelism and New Churches Sydney Anglicans. Dave helps us think about how we can increase in our fervour and ability for evangelism, and how we can do it as Christians together.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Find out more about studying at Moore Theological College.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
It seems if you talk to anyone and ask them how they’re doing, one of the most common things they’ll say is that they’re feeling tired. I think that’s true of Christian and non-Christian alike. What we all need is rest.In this episode, Peter Orr talks to Jocelyn Bignill about some recent thinking she did in a talk on rest, and how we can rest spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s a really helpful and challenging discussion, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
Our culture is obsessed with identity: we’re often told, “You do you” and encouraged to live according to our “true and authentic self”, expressing publicly how we feel about ourselves internally.However, the very concept of personal identity is inherently slippery. It encompasses things like ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, belief, educational background, profession and personality, but it’s not fixed: it can change through time, circumstance, and even through self-invention.So as Christians, how should we regard identity? God created us as unique individuals; how does our creatureliness affect who we are? Furthermore, as sinners redeemed and sanctified by the Lord Jesus and adopted into the household of God, how does Christ’s work change the way we view ourselves? How does the encouragement to “find your identity in Christ” actually play out in the complexities of competing sources of identity?At our final event in our series on “Culture creep” in October 2024, Rory Shiner, Senior Pastor of Providence City Church in Perth, showed us how losing ourselves for the sake of the kingdom will help us find ourselves once and for all (Matt 10:39).For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.
Peter Orr speaks with Jocelyn Loane about her new book on Christian motherhood from Matthias Media: Motherhood: How the gospel shapes our purpose and priorities. In the book and in our conversation, Jocelyn helpfully shows how the gospel, more than anything else, should shape Christian motherhood. It’s very easy to read parenting books that contain a lot of helpful things, but in this conversation, Jocelyn shows us how key gospel truths are the most powerful things for thinking carefully and properly about Christian motherhood.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.Please note: The episode transcript on your podcast platform may have been generated by AI and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.
The Centre for Christian Living exists to bring biblical ethics to everyday issues, and on each episode of our podcast, we seek to do exactly that. But every now and then, we like to share stories of how God’s people seek to apply biblical ethics to the everyday and specific issues in their own lives.In this episode of the CCL podcast, we get to know yet another member of our student team: a Moore Theological College student named Michael Parker. Michael grew up in country Australia in Victoria, and in some ways, his path to ministry and Moore College was quite typical. But in many ways, Michael’s journey was not typical at all.It is our hope and prayer that as you hear Michael’s story, you’ll come away encouraged—encouraged and eager to pray for and support not just Michael and his future in ministry, but also the College as it carries out its vision of seeing God glorified by men and women living for and proclaiming Jesus Christ, growing healthy churches and reaching the lost.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.
For centuries, theologians have debated the doctrine of total depravity, the belief that people are wholly and naturally corrupt due to original sin. In this episode, Peter Orr speaks with Jonny Gibson, who has edited a 1,000-page book on this topic. They talk about why it’s important for Christians to have a clear grasp of sin, and what can go wrong if we don’t.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-128/">visit our website.Complete">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/podcastsurvey/">Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making">https://ccl.moore.edu.au/donate/">making a tax-deductible donation.
In this episode, Peter Orr chats with Nick and Dorothy Jones about their life as a family—particularly loving and caring for their son William, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Nick and Dorothy reflect on how their Christian faith sustains and strengthens them as they love and care for William, and they offer some very helpful insights not only about caring for a child with a significant disability, but also about how Christians can support people in a similar situation in our churches.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.
The world is becoming wealthier and wealthier. Since the turn of the century, the net worth of many countries in the West and in Asia has tripled, poverty rates have fallen, and life expectancy has increased by more than six years.At the same time, the divide between rich and poor has increased, with the richest one per cent owning almost fifty per cent of all the world’s wealth. Five to ten per cent of people still live in extreme poverty, even in the most affluent nations. Furthermore, while money can buy happiness, it can only do so up to a certain point, and wealthier people are more likely to be less generous and less kind to others.How as Christians should we think about affluence? Is material prosperity a blessing or a curse, or both? Given the state of the world and income inequality, what are we to do with the riches God has given us? At our 2024 August event, Michael Jensen, rector of St Mark’s Anglican Darling Point, helped us to see our earthly treasure the way our heavenly Father does.For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website.Complete our podcast listener survey.Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation.
William Collier
Very interesting. On same topic, I'd recommend a book, Competing Spectacles by Tony Reinke.
T J
Great podcast. It's a nice, convenient length, and the content is both scripturally rich and relevant. Would love to see an introduction to theology series from these guys.