Australia is gearing up to reach its 80% 16 plus vaccination rate, with some states ahead of others. The news has been dominated by both federal and state plans for what reopening will look like with COVID present in Australia. Within that, Christians have had particular concerns. What will be the rules around face-to-face church gatherings, and how should we as Christians respond to the risks and freedoms of reopening? Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit ask epidemiologist, Prof Greg Fox to answer questions from a public health perspective, and then the WADR team talk about a theologically informed response for churches. We finish with a novel that explores what one church did during a plague: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.

With All Due Respect

The Delta Mandate

As the ancient saying goes, you can't go to bed if someone is wrong on the internet. Social media can involve a lot of different communication types but it certainly does seem to have a lot of scope for arguing. In fact, it seems that one of social media's key contributions is polarisation and pitched debate. Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen discuss how this has ramped up over COVID - the virus situation is ever-changing and the stakes as we respond to it are high. It seems like it would be a good time to know how to argue well and persuasively.The WADR team looks at the 'how to' of arguing. Then they move that into the deeper question over whether argument can ever be holy. And finally, a review of a new series set in one of today’s battlegrounds - academia.

How to have an argument

The Christian world has always had its prominent believers, right down to the present day. Though the advent of the Internet has given them a reach and influence like never before.Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen take a hard look at Christian celebrity - from luminaries like Tim Keller to Mark Driscoll - and ask what can be learned from our elevation of different believers.First up, it's an interview with Mikey Lynch, experienced church planter and Campus Director of the University Fellowship of Christians, University of Tasmania, about his personal experiences with Mark Driscoll and the revelations of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast.Then the WADR team delve deeper into the phenomenon of Christian celebrity and what it means for the Church. Finally, it's a sharing of insights into a film about a flawed preacher which came out about the same time Driscoll started Mars Hill - The Apostle.

Christian Celebrity

Last season the With All Due Respect team brought you an interview with a Christian Liberal and former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. So Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit thought it would be good to speak to a Christian Labor politician, Senator Deborah O'Neill. Senator O’Neil is a Labor senator for new south wales who has been a politician since 2010, first as an MP in the Australian parliament and then as a senator.  She is currently Vice President of the New South Wales Labor Party, a position she has held since 2011. She is also a committed CatholicThe WADR team then discusses the question of whether Christians have to be conservative, before reviewing a recent film based on the memoir of Christian social justice activist Bryan Stevenson.

God and the ALP

In some circles preaching is the one thing you can't skip at church. For others, it is an outdated practice. It can have a bad rap. We say to people, "Don't opreach at me!" Yet when Christian podcasts first started, the sermon was the first genre, and during covid, we have found ourselves listening and watching an endless supply online.But what makes for good preaching? Preaching is something both Megan and Michael have been doing for decades, so listen in as the WADR crew turns a critical eye on not only other preachers but their personal styles as well. Then it's off to Gilead to examine the preaching style of one of Marilynne Robinson's key characters.

Preaching

With All Due Respect's Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit examine masculine Christianity in the United States and question what effect it might be having down under.The episode kicks off with an interview with Kristen Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne, a publication that discovers the worship of Alpha Male role models in the American church.Megan and Michael then examine the presence of Alpha Males in the Australian context, specifically the iconic Man From Snowy River.And finally, our WADR hosts entertain us with a 'For Argument's Sake' about the effects such considerations have on the Australian Christian context.

Jesus and John Wayne

With All Due Respect's Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen examine masculine Christianity in the United States and question what effect it might be having down under.The episode kicks off with an interview with Kristen Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne, a publication that discovers the worship of Alpha Male role models in the American church.Megan and Michael then examine the presence of Alpha Males in the Australian context, specifically the iconic Man From Snowy River.And finally our WADR hosts entertain us with a 'For Argument's Sake' about the effects such considerations have on the Australian Christian context.

This episode is a Q and Q episode - no answers, just more questions. Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit open by discussing whether questions are bad for your faith.  They then get personal and vulnerable by talking about the questions of faith they have that remain unresolved and why. Despite coming from different Christian traditions, do they share any?And finally, it's a Marg and Dave segment on the poetry of a questioning man of faith - Christian Wiman.

How To Question Your Faith

In the wake of Refugee Week, Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit talk to Regent College's Mark Glanville about the book he has co-written with his brother, Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics.Mark Glanville brings the biblical scholarship of a respected theologian, while his brother Luke adds the insight of an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Australian National University.Then the WADR team examines Australia's attitude to refugees and how it mirrors an international approach that is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about personal and national security, economics, and culture.Finally, it's time to examine the new television series Stateless, and how Australian actor Cate Blanchett interprets life in an immigration detention center.

Kinship And Refugees

Jenny Salt is offering ten free books to the first ten listeners to send a picture of a Salt review to salt@smbc.edu.au.It's that simple!

Ten free books for the first ten reviews

Is the mass media biased against Christianity? Or are we partly responsible for the misinformation problem? Megan and Michael engage with the issues.

Media and Christian Responsibility

What's wrong with the boys? Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen investigate the rise in toxic masculinity.

The Problem of Masculinity

Is the cross still the central symbol of Christianity or, as we approach Easter, has it become a topic of shame for God's people?

The Cross-centred Christian

What is 'public theology'? Why is it important? And are you doing it without knowing it? Let the WADR team clue you in.

God in the Public Square

What are the essential marks of a friend? What separates Christian friendships from secular mates? Do Christians do old-young, male-female friendships better?

Friendship

Less agro, more conversation. Is it even possible to have a deep discussion without it descending into chaos? Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit think yes, and want to show the rest of us how to do it. There’s plenty of things they disagree on: free will, feminism, where you should send your kids to school and what type of church you should go to. But there are also plenty of other things that they have in common. They want to talk about all these things with conviction. But they also want the conversation to be constructive. Tune in to find out if that’s possible.

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With All Due Respect

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