Crikey. We’ve done three hundred episodes of this podcast. Who’d have thought it?
Anyway, this week, Joe and I talk about some of the things we’ve learned along the way and, indeed, are still learning. This is my list…
What have I learned?
- That there are a lot of people out there who are in this situation.
We're still going and the audience is still growing. So there are a lot more people out there who identify with mid-faith crisis than we imagined. And pretty much every week I meet and talk to people who are decluttering their faith in one way or another. - That the title doesn't tell the whole story.
I still really like the name of the podcast. But it doesn't tell the whole story. Because many of us are no longer in crisis, we have settled down to a new understanding of our faith. - That people need places for faith and doubt
More than ever, churches and faith communities need to encourage and facilitate open, non-judgmental and non-defensive discussion. People leave churches because they feel their doubts are not being heard or, worse, that they cannot even be voiced. A mature church will surely provide a place for us to talk honestly without heavy-handed correction. - That it ain't necessarily so.
I meant this one about doctrine, really. One of the most exciting things I've discovered over the eight years we have been doing the show is that there is a diverse range of doctrine out there. The idea that there is one set way of understanding things like salvation, heaven, hell, etc. is simply not true. There are and always have been, different ideas and opinions. Some things, of course, I hold as core. But not half as many as I used to. - That the word of God is still powerful although not in the way you think.
I read the Bible differently these days. And I wrote a book about it. - That Jesus is more important than ever.
Ultimately I always want to make sure we recognise the 'Christ' in Christian. Christianity, we know, has a history of behaving in very un-Christlike ways. But that is or should be, our calling. And not out of fear but because it is fullness of life. I still believe that being a disciple of Jesus is the greatest invitation in life, and I'm still trying to live up to it.
Anyway, that was some of mine. Joe had some really good stuff as well. Thanks to everyone who listens. We’re very humbled and grateful to still have an audience. And the best thing is that our 300th episode coincides with International Negroni Week. Cheers!