Episode 94: The Devil's Passion with playwright, activist and actor Justin Butcher

Is evil structural, spiritual, or a bit of both? Do acts of selfishness or sin have cascading effects that reverberate through history? Can we shine a light on contemporary Western politics by imagining how our politicians would react to a figure like Jesus and the movement he inspired? All these questions and more (mostly about Israel and its war on the people of Palestine) are covered in this discussion between Jonty and Justin Butcher, Author and star of The Devil's Passion, which you can watch in London on Palm Sunday 2024. The Devil's Passion is a one-man play that blends historical timeframes and spiritual metaphor to present Jesus as a threat not only to the earthly status quo but to the spiritual realms of darkness. Beer Christianity got to watch a performance recently and loved it. You should check it out too, if you're in Italy or London over the next few days, or get hold of the play's text here.  Watch The Devil's Passion in London on Palm Sunday, 24 March 2024 .  More info about Justin and the play.      New to Beer Christianity?  Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, anti-imperialist, post-post-post-evangelical podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, helpful and entertaining. Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters. He updates it according to his own wildly inconsistent neurodivergent schedule, but it's a good read. Sign up to the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.  Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and, probably, loads of other places. We love hearing from listeners. You can email us at beerchristianity AT yahoo DOT com. We often respond to mails we get on the show. And if you leave us a voicenote on Insta we might air your question on an episode. There's also a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and random chat. Support Beer Christianity... Putting the show together costs a bunch of money in hosting fees, editing software, equipment and time. If you can, please help out by donating via Buy Me a Coffee (or in our case, a beer) where you can make one-off donations or do the membership thing. Other things… Malky's design work has graced many good magazines and music videos. You can find his stuff and even commission him if he's not too busy, here. Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not literature but it's quite fun if you like Supernatural, Africa or the Goth scene. We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be, while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.