The Natural Philosopher

Episode 61: All things new - eschatology and climate change

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:34:52 +1100

In this episode I reflect on how we read and misread Revelation, on God making all things new, and climate change action.

Episode 60: It‘s a COP out. Responding as a Christian to COP26

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 00:08:33 +1100

Was COP26 a let down for you? Looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan is a reminder both to continue to advocate for the Green Climate fund, but also an end to coal.

Episode 59: COP26 of serpents and trees

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 01:16:40 +1100

Fossil fuel industry at the heart of COP26 negotiations, while it is decided stopping deforestation is important. Sounds a lot like the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3: of serpents and trees.

Episode 58: The serpent the preacher and expert knowledge

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 23:42:58 +1100

Christianity is sometimes viewed as being inherently anti-knowledge, particularly anti-science. In this episode I hope to show that the serpent of Genesis 2-3 is no Prometheus, but that the original couple break their covenant relationship with God. Ecclesiastes is not anti empirical knowledge, but simply states that there are limits on what we can know.

Episode 57: No you are not entitled to your opinion

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 23:55:26 +1100

People often in argument take recourse to the view that they are entitled to their opinion, and can challenge experts on topics like vaccines and climate change. Christians can be the worst at this. But you are only entitled to what you can argue for, and need to respect expertise.

Episode 56: Climate Anxiety - Interview with Jessica Morthorpe

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:08:59 +1100

In a time of rapidly changing climate, people, especially younger people, are experiencing climate change related anxiety. The church has a role, particularly towards its own, to engage in pastoral care, and equip people to process this anxiety and express it positively in the form of activism.

Episode 55: Creation Care in the Uniting Church with Jess Morthorpe

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:41:13 +1100

The Uniting Church in Australia has creation care as an important part of its theology and praxis. In this episode, Jessica Morthorpe and I explore how this looks in her experience.

Episode 54: Five Leaf Eco-Awards - Interview with Jess Morthorpe

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 23:30:46 +1100

This episode is the first installment of a three part interview with ecotheologian and climate activist Jessica Morthorpe, discussing her Five Leaf Eco-Awards for Australian churches.

Episode 53: COVID, earthquakes, and the end of the world?

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:30:05 +1000

Conspiracy theories over the origins of COVID, vaccines, and masks have much in common with Christian end times thinking over earthquakes and other natural disasters. In this episode I deconstruct these ideas.

Episode 52: Philip Goff‘s Panpsychism, Climate Change, and Theism

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 01:04:28 +1000

In this episode I read Philip Goff's book Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness and reflect on theistic belief, and climate change.

Episode 51: Christian thought for life in a non-linear world

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:10:19 +1000

We try and understand climate change and COVID19 through a linear lens, but the world we live in is non-linear and given to rapid change. The bible provides us with some ways of thinking about this.

Episode 50: A Home For All Part 2 - Season of Creation with Brooke Prentis

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 17:59:11 +1000

Part 2 of a discussion with Aboriginal Christian leader, CEO of Common Grace, Waka Waka woman Brooke Prentis. We discuss what it means to mark Season of Creation 2021, A Home for All? on colonised lands.

Episode 49: A Home For All Part 1 - Season of Creation with Brooke Prentis

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 01:11:44 +1000

Part 1 of a discussion with Aboriginal Christian leader, CEO of Common Grace, Waka Waka woman Brooke Prentis. We discuss what it means to mark Season of Creation 2021, A Home for All? on colonised lands.

Episode 48: Tree Hugger - Reviews of The Oak Papers & The Heartbeat of Trees

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 01:26:10 +1000

Here, I engage with James Canton's The Oak Papers and Peter Wohlleben's The Heartbeat of Trees, encouraging us all to become tree huggers

Episode 47: A Christian Meteorologist Summarises the IPCC Report

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 23:08:28 +1000

In this episode, I pick out a few key points from the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Summary for Policy Makers.

Episode 46: Thomas Oord, Open Theism, and Climate Change

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:26:49 +1000

How does our theology of God influence how we live in the world. In this episode I look at Thomas Oord's new book Open and Relational Theism and think about this helps us address climate change.

Episode 45: Christ and the Camera Lens. A Theology of Wildlife Documentaries

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:13:42 +1000

Should Christians watch, or turn away from animal violence in wildlife documentaries? Of what value is watching predation? What kind of wildlife documentaries should we watch?

Episode 44: A Green Gospel: Good News for All Creation

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:52:06 +1000

In this episode, I suggest that the gospel is good news for all creation. Climate change and creation care are not a distraction from the gospel, properly understood.

Episode 43: Yonder is the Sea - Saving the Great Barrier Reef

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:14:48 +1000

The Great Barrier Reef may be listed as in danger. Why is this the case? Why are reefs so important, and what does the bible have to say?

Episode 42: Groaning with Creation

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:29:33 +1000

Paul tells us that creation groans in birthpains waiting for the resurrection. Christians should learn to hear the groans of creation, and groan with it.

Episode 41: Show Your Stripes as Common Grace

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 00:16:17 +1000

Recently I observed Show your Stripes day with Christian advocacy group Common Grace, by gifting scarves to politicians that tell the story of a warming climate. In this episode, I reflect upon that experience.

Episode 40: The Ecotheology of Ross Langmead

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 22:37:07 +1000

Ross Landmead was a Baptist ecotheologian who wrote about the need for evangelical theology to grapple seriously with non-human creation as part of its mission.

Episode 39: Being a Beast for World Environment Day

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 22:32:04 +1000

In this episode, I engage with Charles Foster's fascinating Being A Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide. Time to abandon a little human self-importance and get to know our nonhuman neighbours for World Environment Day.

Episode 38: Beyond conflict - Christianity, science, climate, and COVID

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:55:55 +1000

Christianity and science have often been pictured as opposed. In a time of climate change and COVID, we need to move beyond this conflict to fight the threat these issues present.

Episode 37: The future - the undiscovered country

Tue, 25 May 2021 01:31:39 +1000

Is history cyclical or linear, or both? Is it closed to our actions or can we shape the future? In this episode I argue the future is open to our actions, and the scientific and theological imperative is that we act to avert the worst of possible futures under climate change.

Episode 36: Why academic study in a time of climate emergency?

Tue, 18 May 2021 00:56:50 +1000

Is theological study a waste of time in the face of the climate emergency? Or does it prepare Christian scholars to motivate the church to stronger action and see it as part of their Christian duty?

Episode 35: Can Christians call the Earth Mother?

Tue, 11 May 2021 00:45:36 +1000

Can Christians call the Earth Mother? Is this just adopting ideas from elsewhere, or does it acknowledge the biblical picture of the Earth as a source of nurture, albeit not divine, partnering with God?

Episode 34: God's gardeners. Genesis 2-3 and creation care

Tue, 04 May 2021 00:03:25 +1000

In this episode, I rave excitedly about the idea that Genesis 2-3 portrays humans as both fundamentally made from and for the soil, and that we do so as king and queen priests in creation.

Episode 33: What is Forest Church, part 2

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:25:11 +1000

In this episode I continue my chat with Matt Stone about forest church, alternative forms of Christianity, and being with and learning from pagans.

Episode 32: What is Forest Church?

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 23:21:58 +1000

In this episode I talk with Matt Stone about issues with the traditional ways in which we do church. We then go on to discuss what Forest Church is in his experience.

Episode 31: Damn your denial and re-enchanting creation

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 00:36:50 +1000

In this episode, I condemn climate change denialism as a denial of the Christian valuing of truth. I also explore how we might re-enchant God's good creation and learn to see the divine presence in it.

Episode 30: Easter and the reconciling of all things to God

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 23:35:34 +1000

Easter sermons are often an appeal to individual repentance. But what if they described a bigger picture of new creation and God's reconciling all things to Godself?

Episode 29: Palm Sunday and climate refugees

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:36:56 +1100

Is Palm Sunday just a day of pious reflection, or is it a worthwhile thing to march for fairer treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. What if they have been displaced by climate change?

Episode 28: Australia's Overshoot Day and respecting limits

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 00:41:30 +1100

Australia ranks 12th in the date it uses its natural resource allowance for the year. What is the underlying logic of this that we need to repent of? How does an organization like Extinction Rebellion show the way forward?

Episode 27: Creation is sacred - understanding Genesis 1

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 22:43:58 +1100

Genesis 1 represents the divine defeat of the forces of chaos and the protological enthronement of God. Creation is sacred space. Likewise, the Sabbath day is the creation of sacred time. For the Christian, creation is sacred and should be treated with care.

Episode 26: Jesus appears to Mary. International Women's Day

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:22:57 +1100

On International Women's Day, I look again at John 20 and how in the project of the new creation how women have an equal standing with men.

Episode 25: The Day after tomorrow? The weakening AMOC

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 13:46:22 +1100

A recent paper has shown the overturning ocean circulation in the Atlantic is weakening due to climate change; it's weakest in over 1000 years. In this episode I explain why this is such a big deal.

Episode 24: Blues for a red planet: Mars, environmentalism, and faith

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 13:04:04 +1100

With the Perseverance mission just having landed on Mars, it's worth thinking about whether we should be exploring the planets while our own is suffering. Here I reflect briefly on issues such as money, exploration, technology, and the question of whether we are alone.

Episode 23: Pale Blue Dot: Carl Sagan, the bible, and ethics for the Anthropocene

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:10:59 +1100

Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot identifies the earth and humans as an insignificant speck in the universe, but encourages us to be kind to each other and care for the Earth. In this episode, I engage with his ideas theologically.

Episode 22: A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46 and ecotheology

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 01:27:49 +1100

Psalm 46 contains evocative language alluding to the Flood of Noah. This episode considers how we might apply this Psalm to thinking about ecotheology and the present ecological crisis.

Episode 21: Seven Weddings and Funerals: How the resurrection challenges our theology

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:43:43 +1100

Issues polarize, and Christians sometimes polarize into "Conservative" and "Progressive." What can we learn about this from Jesus' challenge to the Sadducees over resurrection in Luke 20?

Episode 20: Have yourselves a materialistic Christmas

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:26:28 +1100

In the last episode for the year, I look at what Christian materialism is, based on a reading of John's gospel. This is our guide to having a truly Merry Christmas

Episode 19: The Fall and the Anthropocene

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 23:57:29 +1100

Christian thinkers throughout the ages, from Augustine to Walter Wink have discussed and argued about the nature of The Fall. In this episode, I conduct a brief survey of some of this work and its implications for how we understand the Anthropocene.

Episode 18: The Sea is Eating the Ground: A Theology of Climate Change

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 09:49:15 +1100

Sea level rise due to climate change threatens millions, yet Christians often argue that the promise to never flood the world again in Genesis 8 means we can ignore the science. In this episode, I examine why a proper understanding of the flood and the language of chaos means this isn't the case.

Episode 17: The Self-Emptying Godhead and an ethic for the Anthropocene

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 23:29:20 +1100

God is Trinity, and hence love as expressed by an eternal loving relationship, and self-emptying as demonstrated on the cross. This provides us with a profound ethical basis for acting in lovingly and sacrificially in the Anthropocene.

Episode 16: A Christian Humanist Manifesto, or something

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 23:44:45 +1100

With Evangelicalism being a tarnished brand for some, is it time for a different way of thinking about the Christian faith in the increasingly non-Christian west? Here I tentatively offer the idea of Christian Humanism as an alternative.

Episode 15: ET and the Anthropocene - do aliens tell our fate?

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:45:32 +1100

Do aliens exist, and if they do are they also at risk of self-annihilation due to destroying their planets? In this episode I look at this question as a "theological thought experiment" through the work of theologian and physicist John Polkinghorne.

Episode 14: The book of Revelation and a theology of the future

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 23:25:09 +1100

In an age of climate change, artificial intelligence, and political chaos, does the book of Revelation tell us that things can only get better, or worse? Or does it tell us that God is in charge of history, and that we have a job to do?

Episode 13: The image of God and our vocation of the soil

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 23:37:02 +1100

What does Genesis 1-2 have to do with growing food, and why should Christians get into the garden?

Episode 12: Does history have a future? Human vocation & divine mastery in the Anthropocene

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:47:40 +1100

This episode looks at the idea of tipping points in society, and how keeping the Sabbath provides us as a way of tipping history in the right direction.

Episode 11: Beauty will save the natural world

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 23:44:35 +1100

This episode examines the role that beauty or aesthetics can play in developing an ecotheology that drives us to care for the natural world, or creation. See the paper at: https://www.academia.edu/30035805/_All_Things_Bright_and_Beautiful_Toward_an_Aesthetic_Ecotheology

Episode 10: Local politics and community living

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 22:27:36 +1100

Part 2 of Mick's discussion with climate activist Claire Harvey on running for local politics and trying to establish "the digs," an example of community living.

Episode 9: Ecological conversion and motherhood

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:11:14 +1100

Mick sits down to talk to writer and activist Claire Harvey about ecological conversion and motherhood in an age of climate crisis.

Episode 8: Learning to love the night

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 23:11:08 +1000

Mick reviews Matt Gaw's Under the stars: A journey into the light (part 1) and the reflects on the night sky and human significance in Psalm 8 (part 2).

Episode 7: Loving your neighbour in a warming world part 3: Challenging empire.

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 23:57:15 +1000

The backstory of the Parable of the Good Samaritan points to the role of empire land unjust structures. Christians in the modern world are called to challenge the empires of our day, especially those driving the climate crisis.

Episode 6: Loving your neighbour in a warming world part 2: Works above purity

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 00:16:01 +1000

The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that climate change activism is more important than our fears about doctrinal purity. The parable gives us all we need to act biblically to help those in need.

Episode 5: Loving your neighbour in a warming world part 1: What is justice?

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 23:56:39 +1000

What is justice? Is it law and order or social justice, or both? This episode looks at the Hebrew idea of restorative justice.

Episode 4: Preaching to the Birds part II: Mission, narrative theology, and creation care

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 21:59:33 +1000

Creation care is a form of mission. Following the biblical narrative of creation to new creation, I give examples of what this looks like in practice.

Episode 3: Preaching to the Birds part I: Mission, narrative theology, and creation care

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 23:33:38 +1000

Eco-missiology sees mission in terms of reconciliation at all levels. It recognizes
that the God who creates is also the God who redeems all that God has made.

Episode 2: Why should a Christian care about Climate Change?

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 22:18:48 +1000

This episode looks at seven reasons why Christians should care about climate change, arguing from the bible and Christian tradition.

Episode 1: What is a natural philosopher?

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 02:00:42 +1000

A podcast on science, the environment, and the Christian faith. Series introduction and What is a natural philosopher?