In this episode we dive deep into the idea of the wrathful God. Can we understand it in a different way? And what do we do with all the bits in the Old Testament where the almighty gets all smitey? Are the accounts of the tribal, violent, Old Testament God real? Or are they stories? And if they are, how do we read them? Meanwhile, Nick has been spending time with hundreds of dead people, and Joe thinks that all Independent Financial Advisors are out to get him.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Mid-faith Crisis Facebook Page
• Nick's Blog

Mentioned in this episode:

• Renovaré Life with God podcast Episode 275: Nick Page — The Bible as Holy Ground
• Inside Out 2
• Chaldon Mural
• Hythe Crypt (Ossuary)
• Mid-faith Crisis Episode 51: The Mystery of the Cross
• Mid-faith Crisis Episode 50: The Scandal of The Cross
• George MacDonald – The Consuming Fire
• William Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God:
• Nick Page, The Badly Behaved Bible

We're back! And after a long break there is a lot of catching up to do. Has Nick really stopped watching the news? Is there actually such a thing as a Purple Hairstreak Butterfly? Is the Mid-faith Crisis Podcast the Kendal Mint cake of spirituality? And what happened when Joe took Nick to the theatre?

Also - our friend Andy is carrying out some research looking at how podcasting is becoming a significant resource for those who are going through some sort of faith shift in their lives. Will you help by taking part in a short survey? Go here.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Mid-faith Crisis Facebook Page
• Nick's Blog

Mentioned in this episode:

• Take a short survey on how podcasting is affecting your faith journey
• No knead bread recipe
• Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
• News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier
• Sgroppino
• Church of St John the Baptist, Inglesham, Wiltshire
• Treecreeper
• Cathedral - Forest of Dean
• Wilding movie
• Purple Hairstreak
• The Book of Mormon
• Kendal mint cake
• Stacey Solomon - Sort Your Life Out

Joe interviews friend and fellow celebrant Claire Bradford about her experiences walking the Camino. They discuss the importance of doing things when you can, the Joy of Missing Out and and how the pilgrimage, far from being about solitary detachment, led to an amazing sense of community and connection.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Mid-faith Crisis Facebook Page
• Nick's Blog

Mentioned in this episode:

• Claire Bradford - Creating Ceremony
• Camino de Santiago
• Episode 212: An Interview with Oliver Burkeman
• The Way

Joe talks to friend of the podcast Dave Tomlinson about his book 'OMG, A Bad Christian's Prayer Book'. Dave also chats about prayer, and about the need for us to be committed to hope or, as he terms it, 'defiant imagination'.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Mid-faith Crisis Facebook Page
• Nick's Blog

Mentioned in this episode:

• Dave Tomlinson on Facebook
• Dave Tomlinson: The Holy Shed
• OMG A Bad Christian's Prayer Book

We discuss the concept of the sabbath, mainly because Nick has heard an interesting sermon on the topic. What if we see sabbath as the start of the week and not the end? How does it help us escape the world of 'things'? And is it obligatory to have a bath? Also, we touch on whether you can have 'Stage 4' churches, talk a bit about demons and exorcism, and ponder whether mysticism, far from being an escape from reality, actually helps you to see it more clearly.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Mid-faith Crisis Facebook Page
• Nick's Blog

Mentioned in this episode:

• Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man
• Rowan Williams on Mental Health

We carry on our discussion about churches and church leadership. Do churches need visible locations? How do we preserve their communal identity without creating barriers that keep others out? And, crucially, when Jesus said 'where two are three are gathered' does that include rabbits? Also, we reflect more on bad behaviour in the church – but in this case on how many clergy are on the receiving end of bullying by church members. Which is why we have declared this Sunday to be the international 'Be Kind to Clergy' day!

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine

Mentioned in this episode:

• Nick Page at St Andrews Literature Festival 22 June 2024, Great Missenden, Bucks
• Rowan Williams, Being Christian - Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer

In keeping with his theme, Joe has been nature churching. We discuss his experiences so far, what makes something 'church', the importance of your spiritual trellis and whether some churches turn the tricycle of faith into a unicycle.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine
• Nick's Blog - episode notes

Mentioned in this episode:

• Renovaré Podcast: Joe Davis and Nick Page — Disagreeing and Staying Friends
• Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov
• Johnny
• Uffington White Horse and Dragon Hill
• The Church of Tomorrow, John McGinley
• Liquid Church, Pete Ward

We have a think about Pentecost. What was it all about? Was it really the birthday of the church? Is it an eschatological thing? Actually, what even is an eschatological thing? Nick, has a three-point sermon, and naturally, each point begins with the same letter. Also an interview with Lisa-Jayne Lewis, our very own Eurovision correspondent.

• Support the podcast
• Contact the podcast through your email machine