On the Way Podcast

What does it mean to be human? Pope Leo XIV addresses this question in his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas , a letter addressed not only to all the Catholic faithful but to "all men and women of goodwill". In addressing the challenges, threats and possibilities of AI, how do we ensure we do not lose what matters most about human life?Human limitations, suggests the letter, are not weaknesses to be corrected but inherent to creative communion and human flourishing. How do we, in a fast moving technological landscape, design how AI could serve human dignity rather than work against it? And how do we protect truth, freedom, work, social justice and human rights? Father Frank Brennan SJ AO, Jesuit Priest and human rights lawyer joins the podcast to discuss AI, Magnifica Humanitas and the wisdom and clarity it offers humanity and the Church in our time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been interest and renewal of contemplative practice amongst the Christian church in recent decades. Rather than just a comfortable solace in a busy world, there is an urgency in such practices that seek transformed and transforming ways to be and to live in a time of such complexity and rapid change. What habits and practices might enable us to relate truthfully to ourselves and to the world, attending deeply to that which is most real? Contemplative church, centred on silence and listening, places the greater emphasis not on knowing about God but being known by God, on letting go rather than possessing. The Rev’d Dr Sarah Bachelard rejoins the podcast to explore how contemplation can suffuse all of our life and worship. She is the founding Director of Benedictus Contemplative Church, a theologian and teacher with the World Community for Christian Meditation and author of several books, including her latest book, Pools of Grace: The Gift and Call of Contemplative Church. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does faith show up in the everyday? How might we bring intention and focus to living out our faith in the everyday micro-moments of our lives and relationships? It is easy to remain in relational habits that are encultured or habituated by social patterns that are so often 'win-lose' and resistant to change. Restorative Practices are broadly a set of processes that enable people to work together to make decisions about what matters most to them and respond to situations of harm in ways that set relations right. Seeking to understand each context and bringing individuals safely into processes to make sense of what is happening in group relationships can help everyone involved move forward together with greater understanding. While sometimes to talk about things can seem daunting, as we learn the skills, the great gifts of deeper community and stronger relationships emerge. At the heart of restorative practices is intentional attention to one another, practicing curiosity and sharing what gives us life. David B. Moore and Alikki Vernon are consultants and facilitators who work in a variety of contexts in Australia and many other parts of the world. Their book is titled "Setting Relations Right in Restorative Practice" and is published by Routledge as part of the global series, Contemporary Issues in Restorative Practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where is the Church calling Australian society to accountability in the face of experiences of escalating racism and hatred against First Nations people? This is a question Professor Anne Pattel-Gray asks as she recalls the times of church support for land rights and justice for the Stolen Generations, leaning into a Gospel message that proclaims equality and the dignity of all. Anne joins the podcast with a summons to a renewed commitment to addressing historical injustices and speaking truth to power. As the first Aboriginal person to gain a PhD in religious studies from an Australian University, Anne's prophetic voice has for decades been calling on the churches to own their past and present complicity in colonisation and commit to a reconciliation based on truth-telling and justice. Professor Anne Pattel-Gray teaches a theology founded on Aboriginal sovereignty and shaped by her experience as a Bidjara follower of Jesus. Author of the acclaimed text, 'The Great White Flood: Racism in Australia', Anne's new book, 'Red Ochre Theology' has just been published by ATF Press and is available now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often we hear colonialism spoken of as something that happened in the past. At other times in public discourse the term attracts heated resistance and the voices of the colonised are frequently not heard. If colonialism is not just the past but remains in the air we breathe, we can miss the ongoing effects in areas of diverse as class, economy, gender relationships and race. Dr Kwok Pui-lan joins the podcast to bring a global perspective to how colonialism is at play in political, religious and domestic relationships of power and in the legacy of social harm and intergenerational trauma. This means that colonialism is a current dynamic to which we need to be alive and alert if we are to work towards the healing of relationships through the ways of peace and justice. Dr. Kwok Pui-lan is a Scholar at Episcopal Divinity School, past president of the American Academy of Religion and has authored and edited numerous books on Asian and Asian American feminist theology, biblical interpretation, and postcolonial criticism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are plenty of reasons right now that we may feel inclined to despair. The news brings to us all the violence of the world and a sense that the all we have known is fundamentally changing. Dom, Sue and Peter gather for this 'check in' conversation on how we are adjusting to the shifting of the powers in the world and the unmasking of systems that have been for some time working against life and the flourishing of all. How do we find ways to navigate this time in life-affirming ways resting on a spiritual foundation that insists on the love and dignity of all in the midst of crisis? This conversation is a reminder of the power of community and of the love that holds us, and which faith reminds us, will have the last word. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What soil did you come from? There is no self-made person and perhaps this is a lesson that emerges with greater clarity in the garden than in many of the other spaces and ways we live and work. Our sacred texts are rooted in agrarian cultures and the Gospels are full of Jesus' stories of green and growing things, yet we often hear a Christianity preached that seems more comfortable with the spiritual world than our embodied lives. Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer and found himself at Princeton Theological Seminary's "Farminary"-a working farm where students learn to cultivate the earth while examining life's biggest questions. In his book "Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand" Jeff writes about how such rhythms of death and life, growth, decay and regeneration can be our greatest teachers, revealing the grace of our interdependence and the love at the heart of everything. Jeff joins the podcast for this live conversation during his recent visit to Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if reconciliation is resistance? John Na'em Snobar, a Palestinian Christian and former Australian Diplomat, joins the podcast to speak from his lived experience both in diplomatic circles and on the ground in Israel/ Palestine of how speaking the truth is, in itself, a nonviolent response. John speaks of the whole truth as that which names antisemitism as a centuries-old vile and violent hatred, along with its complex impact in the region, and shares his story to shed light on the current plight of Palestinians in Gaza. John Na'em Snobar is a former Australian Diplomat and the Director of Advocacy for Palestinian Christians in Australia. He also is the grandson of the first Palestinian Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem. In the tradition of Christian liberation theologies, John shines a light of hope on the steadfast refusal to dehumanise even enemies in living out nonviolent resistance and working for peace with justice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To be human is to find oneself bound to multiple things that are conflictual yet at the same time compelling. The interplay of desire and morality creates one such 'double bind'. It is possible to follow desire and disregard the claims of morality in such a way that you can ruin your life. Equally it is possible to devote oneself to morality and disregard the voice of desire and ruin your life. Desire is fundamentally central to being human, forming in unique ways in each of us, and we are also responsible fundamentally for others in the choices we make. Dr Peter Kline rejoins the podcast for a conversation that explores the unresolvable tensions of the human condition, why the idea of balance is so unhelpful and how freedom and joy can be found within the anxieties and complexities that attend every human life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While society has advanced in its understanding of mental health, with advances in treatment, wider awareness and a reduction in stigma, there seems to be no abating of the mental health crisis. Tracing the history of modern psychotherapy, and the systematic approach taken by the medical sciences, Jim Schirmer returns to the podcast to reflect on the academic heritage of psychotherapy and the therapeutic direction of our understanding of human mental health and wellbeing.While recognising the enormous gains and gifts of medical precision, diagnosis and classification systems, is it possible that something could be gained from greater inclusion of other traditions that think deeply about the human condition? And how does Christian faith with its central image of the cross speak to an age which seems to pursue the goal of eliminating suffering and pursue individual happiness as the highest good? And where, in all of this, is there space for the mystery of the human soul? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who describes an experience with the sacred will find themselves often struggling for words because they find the sacred is not a 'thing', nor a set of beliefs, but rather an encounter in open and vulnerable relationship which requires a far more humble and receptive form of knowing. Dr Iain McGilchrist, neuroscientist, philosopher and author, joins the podcast for a second conversation, this time in person in Australia with Dom, Sue and Peter. Those familiar with Iain's work about the two hemispheres of the brain will know that there is a connection traced between the way we attend to reality and a more utilitarian left hemisphere way of seeing and being which has become more culturally dominant in the West. The right hemisphere, Iain contends, is better equipped for perceiving the whole, appreciating paradox and engaging with the sacred. Thinking that we know it all is characteristic of the left hemisphere, robbing us of the sense of awe and wonder which makes life both beautiful and meaningful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So often we think of leaders as born rather than made, or at least as having some kind of specialist predisposition such as charisma or perhaps an extraverted, more dominant personality. Dr Donna Ladkin joins Dom, Peter and Sue to explore the idea that maybe leadership is much more complex and may be better understood as a lived experience rather than a checklist of traits or behaviours. While recognising that individuals do matter, this conversation explores the idea of ‘a leadership moment’ that happens when context, purpose, followers and leaders align. How a leader is perceived, but also how the context and meaning of any given moment is understood all contribute to linking these four factors that come together in the moment. This thoughtful conversation about the making of leaders is of critical importance in current global contexts, but also in our own where understanding the nature and importance of leadership is vital for healthy and thriving communities. Dr Donna Ladkin is the Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Graduate School of Management, Plymouth University, and the author of many books including “Rethinking Leadership: A new look at old leadership questions”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if dignity is a way of seeing that changes the kind of attention we pay to each other and to our world? Authenticity, human dignity and the courage to confront difficult truths are a common thread in the writing of Dr Beth-Sarah Wright who joins the podcast for this conversation during her recent visit to Brisbane. The Latin root of the word 'respect' is to look again. Everyone is worthy of respect, but sometimes we need to 'look again' to see beyond what we think we know about one another. Using 'dignity' as a lens has the power to shift conversation, prompting us to something different from our normal patterns and bridging the gap between what we say we believe and what we do. Beth-Sarah contends that, "Authentic people build authentic communities, creating a more just and dignified world for all." Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr Beth-Sarah Wright has over 27 years of experience in education, organisational culture and senior leadership, and is a sought after speaker for organisations as they seek to assess integrity and remain authentic to their identity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special cross-over podcast episode between Spiritual Misfits and On the Way, recorded at 'Words For Those Who Wander' at West End Uniting Church in Brisbane. In this conversation, Will Small, Dom Fay, Sue Grimmett, and Peter Catt explore what happens when the old spiritual maps stop working and we need to become cartographers for our time. Together they wrestle with profound questions: What if we're all exiles seeking belonging? How do we build community when our frameworks for understanding are themselves lost? And what would we write on 'the map' for those who come after us? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We do everything we do in this world through our embodiment. There remains a pervasive myth that we move through this world working and creating without leaving any trace of our own lived experience upon our moving and interacting, commenting and creating. With such a mythology the dominant voices become normative, and can be associated with objective truth, obscuring the understanding and experience from the margins. In biblical scholarship, whiteness is so often unarticulated in its effect on biblical translation, that it is as if in their interpretation scholars have left no imprint of their own lived experience and perspectives. The Rev'd Dr Wil Gafney is an Episcopal Priest and Biblical scholar, specialising in a Womanist interpretation of the Bible. Womanism is an American Black women's feminist way of seeing; a lens centred in the lived experience of Black women, and especially interested in the well-being of those who are vulnerable and often exploited. In this conversation Wil speaks with Dom and Sue about the importance of attending to the multiple cultures and contexts of every text that we may be aware of dynamics of power in both the time of the text and in our own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 50 years of working with leaders globally, Margaret Wheatley, argues that leadership has never been more difficult. In the face of a multicrisis of climate and human created catastrophes, Meg points to the compelling need to awaken the human spirit and create “islands of sanity”: spaces of possibility and refuge created by people's commitment to forming healthy communities to do meaningful work. Peter and Margaret recall working together in past decades and return to this conversation with Dom and Sue in this critical time when a life-affirming vision of what it means to be most fully human is more critically important than ever. Author of thirteen books including Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time and Restoring Sanity: Practices to Awaken Generosity, Creativity and Kindness, Meg Wheatley has trained countless leaders and activists. You can keep up with Meg’s work here; https://margaretwheatley.com/library/current-thinking/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring a curious story that she thought might be “knotty and weird”, of two comedians from her student days who converted to Christianity and decided to become Anglican priests, journalist Lamorna Ash unearths a recurring phenomenon of a new generation discovering religion for themselves. Lamorna sets out on a journey that takes her across Britain to talk with Gen Z-ers wrestling with Christianity today. In some remarkable conversations and surprising encounters, Lamorna brings insightful perspectives to every kind of Christian expression from monastic movements to Evangelical youth festivals. The result is her new book, “Don’t Forget That We’re Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion”. The writing style is lyrical and beautiful, full of wisdom that also emerges in this first conversation with Dom, Peter and Sue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sooner or later, everything falls away." With these words, author Parker J. Palmer begins his much-loved poem exploring the landscape of loss, grief and letting go. In this conversation, Parker reads the poem and reflects on the transient nature of reality and the great tapestry that holds all things together. Dom joins Parker in his living room in Madison, Wisconsin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alongside being the title of Pádraig Ó Tuama's recently released collection of poetry, Kitchen Hymns is also an informal term referring to the hymns sung in Irish homes that weren't allowed in formal church contexts, due to their being in the Irish language rather than Latin. It is this rebellious and honest flavour of sacred expression that has been at the heart of Pádraig's work for many years, and informs his new collection of poems exploring an embodied, liberated, and deeply human life of both faith and doubt. Dom joins Pádraig in his New York apartment for this conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the midst of our busy lives, we can so easily miss the sacred shining through every moment. Children are instinctively drawn to bewilderment and astonishment at the wonder of life, and yet it is a way of seeing that often fades as the rigours and responsibilities of adult life take over. Barbara Brown Taylor has been exploring the idea of reverence in her work for decades through her beloved books, such as An Altar In The World and Learning To Walk In the Dark . In this conversation, she speaks of the gifts of both reverence and irreverence in rediscovering a more attentive and alive way of being in the world. Barbara and Dom share this conversation in Atlanta, Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.