Conversations about a vision of life that is truly good news for us, for our neighbours, and for the world. On the MannaCast we discuss the intersection of Christian faith, ecology, and economics.
Episodes
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Monday Feb 26, 2024
For the first three hundred years, Christianity was a minority religion on the margins of ancient Roman society. Only half a century later, it was the state religion for a quarter of the world's population. How did this happen, and how should Christians understand this profound shift?
In part one of this series, Jonathan and Jacob try to straighten out the history of the first Christian Emperor—Constantine—and lay the foundations for a debate about Christendom, Church, and state which continues to today.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
In part one of this double episode, we suggested contemporary concepts of Christian vocation often suffer from being too thin or too narrow. In part two, Jacob and Jonathan get stuck into what the “counter-cultural ethical content of the gospel” might mean for thinking about vocation in a variety of Aussie circumstances. How might a richer understanding of the call of Christ on our lives play out in the everyday?
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
If we’ve heard and believed the good news of Jesus, what are we then supposed to do? If Christian faith is a call, what are we called to? These are the questions of Christian vocation, but if we’ve never heard a voice from God, does this mean we can simply do what we like? Are there things Christian should not do? Are there things we should all be doing?
In part one on this topic, Jacob and Jonathan dig into the history and meaning of the Christian call and sketch a bigger vision.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
How do Christians go from the economic ethics of Jesus to endorsing the competitive pursuit of wealth? How does 'Christian Europe' end up being driven by an economic paradigm of endless accumulation, and what role did the Reformation play? Are Protestants responsible for global capitalism?
Jonathan and Jacob dive into the history to discover how we got here and some implications for Christians today.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Saturday Jun 17, 2023
Saturday Jun 17, 2023
Australians are amongst the wealthiest people on the planet, but very few people feel that way. Not only have high levels of consumption failed to translate into a sense of wellbeing, we are increasingly confronted with the fact that they cannot be sustained. This podcast is an exercise in new political imagination, arguing that downshifting the Australian economy to a lower consumption, higher wellbeing model is not only desirable but also well within reach.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
'Technology' doesn’t have to mean just ‘tech’! Hammers, money, writing… all these things are technologies. How do we use them well? If we don’t get our relationship to our tools right, they might just use us instead.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
What role can churches play in tackling climate change? Where have we fallen short? What unique opportunities are there? What can we do when we're overwhelmed? Is it all about sacrifice, or do we gain by the changes? What needs to happen next?
These are just some of questions we ask Jane Kelly of Common Grace and Jessica Morthorpe from Five Leaf Eco-Awards.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
The same year Marx and Engels published their Communist Manifesto, three Christians met together seeking to improve the lot of industrial workers in Britain—without wholesale revolution. Their work sparked a multi-generational movement whose political and economic legacy can still be felt. These were the Christian Socialists. What can we learn from them? And how might their ideas find expression today?
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Friday Jan 06, 2023
The Catholic Church has a rich history of deep thinking and diverse social action toward a bold, Christian economic vision. On this episode, we dip our toes into this amazing resource. From the Middle Ages to Pope Francis, Jacob and Jonathan discuss some of the ways Catholics have sought to apply the gospel to life in society and how all Christians can continue to do the same.
Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.