Stephen Backhouse

In this one, Graham and Mike are joined by Stephen Backhouse, lecturer in Social and Political Theology at St Mellitus College. The team continue their series on herecies, looking at marcionism. 

Graham and Jane are joined by Stephen Backhouse and Chris Tilling. They discuss how we understand and interpret the existence of inequality in the world, whether God reveals himself more to some people than to others and why the Crucifixion happened at a particular point in history.

Graham, Mike and Stephen are joined by Baroness Maeve Sherlock, Labour Peer and former Treasury special adviser. They discuss finding faith later in life, how Christianity transforms our worldview and the role of faith schools in Britain.

God encompasses the vastness of the universe, but chooses to relate to humanity in a personal way, on this apparently trivial little planet. What is the place of humanity in the purposes of God? And if there is life on other planets, is Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection valid for the whole cosmos? Secondly, what does Jesus mean when he says in Luke 10:18 that he “saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven,” and how do we interpret biblical language about the spiritual realm? And finally, should we, as individuals and as communities, respond to aggression by “turning the other cheek”?

How should the contemporary church engage with postmodernism? And what constitutes a successful church? Is there any encouragement for churches with small congregations and limited resources? Jane, Mike and Stephen discuss the church and mission, and also ask if there can ever be forgiveness without repentance.

Stephen Backhouse joins the resident theologians to discuss patriotism and citizenship in the context of the Christian faith. Who exactly is our neighbour? Author of a report for the Christian think tank Theos entitled ‘Red, White, Blue… and Brown: Citizens, Patriots and the Prime Minister’, Stephen explores the insights of the Danish philosopher-theologian Søren Kierkegaard on the relationship between nationalism and the Christian faith. And in this discussion of church and state, there is a new addition to the team – Chris Tilling, New Testament lecturer at SPTC, who joins the GodPod regulars for the first time.