Alexandre Christoyannopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Loughborough University.   He’s of French and Greek parentage and without a religious upbringing arrived out of curiosity at the door of Christian anarchism and ended up writing his PhD thesis on the topic.

Alex’s book, 'Christian anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel' brings some of the most important thinkers together in one volume.  Alex's book highlights the underlying revolutionary intention of the gospels that gets so lost in the business, ideologies, and the financial exchanges of the church.  

Alex joins me to discuss the radical character of the Jesus Way that has shaped Christian Anarchist thinking

Dr Matt Frizzell (former Dean of the Graceland University Seminary) and I get deep and animated about theology.

Theological conversations by their very nature are porous, expansive and self-reflexive.   Theology is all about breathing in the mystery and letting the mystery discover the words that have always pulled at our souls.  Theology is profoundly intimate and deeply transformative, wonderfully elusive, and ever-changing.   

But, it's ideal to be trained in theology, as our robust discussion reveals!

Brenda Nicholson joins me to discuss the social life of women in the FLDS church where she grew up under Rulon and Warren Jeffs.   She’s since left the sect and fiercely argues that there is no way, that polygamy benefits anyone. 

Women, she argues are dehumanized in a system that was designed, as Section 132 intends, for the glory of men. More recently Brenda has made some interesting connections between Hulu’s Gilead in the Handmaids Tale and the social hierarchy in the FLDS community.

David Ostler is a former LDS Bishop, a Stake President and a Mission President.  David has been kept awake at night by questions of what good pastoral care or ministry to those who question and doubt might look like.

But, rather than guess (as is often the case), he went to both those in faith crisis and to those in leadership and he collected data.  From that data his book ‘Bridges; Ministering to those who Question’ emerged, and the results are fascinating.


This episode is co-hosted with Nathan McCluskey.