PODCAST · religion
Rector’s Cupboard Podcast
by Rector’s Cupboard
Conversations about Hopeful Faith, Hopeful Theology.
Episodes
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What Might the Church Become? with Angela Reitsma Bick
What happens when the stories we’ve inherited about the church no longer fit with what we know about its history, or with our own experiences of faith? And what might it mean to move forward when going back is no longer possible—or even desirable? In this episode of Rector’s Cupboard, we’re…
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When Christianity Seeks Power with André Gagné
What if some of the most significant changes happening in Christianity are happening in places we aren’t paying much attention to? What happens when movements that many Christians might think of as fringe are actually becoming increasingly influential in the places where religion, culture, and...
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Mend with Jodi Spargur
What does it mean to repair something that has been broken? Where do we begin when the harm is larger than any one of us? And what if reconciliation is less about finding the right answer and more about learning how to be in right relationship? In this opening episode of Season 8, we welcome Jodi...
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This Week in God: Host Episode
The final episode of Season 7 of Rector's Cupboard. Do you remember Stephen Colbert's This Week in God segment from the early days of The Daily Show? Inspired by that idea, the hosts gather to reflect on a handful of recent stories from the world of religion. What on earth is happening with...
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I Get to Be Alive with Ken Best
What happens when we look back at the faith communities that shaped us and ask, Where are those people now? Have they remained where they started, or have their experiences led them somewhere unexpected? And what can we learn when we listen to the stories of those whose journeys have unfolded...
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A Conversation About MAID with Ken Bell
In this episode of Rector’s Cupboard, Allison, Amanda, and Ken sit down for a thoughtful and deeply human conversation about MAID — Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada. Drawing on Ken’s work as a Spiritual Health Practitioner at Lions Gate Hospital, we explore what MAID actually is, how the...
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A Short History of Evangelicalism: Live Recording
In this episode, we’re sharing a live recording from one of our Tasting Room Theology gatherings—informal, in-person evenings where we pair something tasty (in this case, doughnuts from Lucky’s Doughnuts) with thoughtful theological reflection. We welcome you into a conversation exploring a short...
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Addiction, Faith, and the Whole Person with Dr. Quentin Genuis
Faith always has a public facet. It is lived out in the public sphere, in our day-to-day lives, our families and friendships, in those we encounter as we walk down the street, as we think about how the most vulnerable amongst us are treated and valued in society. We see this in the current...
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Good Friday 2026
Good Friday again. Jesus gives his life for the life of the world. The hosts of Rector’s Cupboard sit down to talk about Good Friday in the world today. What does Jesus’ sacrifice mean in the midst of all of this? So much spinning around, so many examples of a quest for power, even within…
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Reckoning with Faith with Barrett Sprowson
When you think back on your religious past, are there memories that make you cringe or worse? Perhaps you recall speaking in ways that you now find upsetting or even abhorrent. Maybe it’s a youth group skit that you remember with embarrassment. For many people, there are more troubling aspects of...
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Theological Healing with Dr. Marty Folsom
In this episode, the phrase “theology matters” is not a slogan but a warning. The ways we imagine God shape the ways we live in the world, how we see the world around, how we see the people around us. At the moment, political leaders are explaining a real military conflict in theological…
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Recovering History with Matthew Stewart
If you grew up in the evangelical church you may know that there are particular ways of interpreting history in evangelical culture. That is, like any sub-culture, evangelicals tend to tell one another particular stories about the past. In most of those stories, Christians are cast as the good...
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Engaging the World with Dr. John Martens
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. John Martens, Director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at UBC, for a reflective conversation about faith, public life, and hope in a fractured world. Drawing on his Mennonite roots, his journey into the Catholic tradition, and…
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Religion Against Democracy with Katherine Stewart
In this episode, we welcome back journalist and author Katherine Stewart, whose work has become a trusted guide for us as we continue to think about the intersection of politics, religion, and public life. Over the years, we’ve often found ourselves returning to her writing and asking, “What…
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Revival and Reflection, a Conversation with David Goa
The Cupboard is pleased to welcome back longtime friend, mentor, and Orthodox theologian David Goa for a reflective conversation about the recent rise in church attendance among young people, particularly within Orthodox Christian communities. We explore what might be happening beneath the…
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Christmas Special 2025
In this annual Christmas episode of Rector’s Cupboard, the cupboard is opened for seasonal tasting, spirited conversation, and a few holy disagreements. Over glasses of wintery mead, the hosts reflect on Christmas songs they love and those they would happily never hear again, exploring how...
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Hello Unknown with Jonathan Wright
We recently had a storytelling evening in our garage studio. In this episode, we share a recording from this event featuring writer and lawyer Jonathan Wright, host of the podcast Hello Unknown, which has just released its second season. Jonathan invites us into the hidden layers of the human...
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"Love and Love's Energy" with Tara Boothby
In this episode, we’re joined by Tara Boothby, a registered clinical psychologist, working in BC and Alberta for nearly 20 years. She is an Experiential Attachment Focused Therapist and a certified Emotionally Focused Couples, Family, and Individual Therapist and Supervisor. She is also currently...
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Nevertheless, Hope with Julian Davis Reid
We are very happy to welcome back returning guest and friend of the podcast, Julian Davis Reid. Julian is a gifted writer, musician, speaker, theologian, and pastor and spoke with us about his new album, Vocation, in particular the song Moan: For Hearts of Flesh. Julian’s work is deep and thought...
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Faith and the Land, Part Three: Regenerative Farming at the End of the World
For the final instalment of our Alberta mini-series we visit Happiness by the Acre a regenerative farm run by Marcus and Sarah Reidner. Rector’s Cupboard met Marcus and Sarah three years ago and things were tough then in the farming world. We hear about what has changed since and about what the...
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Faith and the Land, Part Two: Everything Can Be Transformed
You have likely noticed that hope is apparently in short supply these days. Talk of politics, rising authoritarianism, and political unrest reveals a present despair felt individually and collectively. Stories of effective hope can change the world. Land of Dreams is changing the world for many...
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Faith and the Land, Part One: Winter is Coming
Rector’s Cupboard in Alberta, Canada. We set out on a road trip to visit some regenerative farmers we first met three years ago. In this episode, Todd and Allison and Amanda speak about the trip and about a visit to the Pine Haven Hutterite colony. It is the season of harvest, the autumn. Winter…
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Charismatic Christianity and American Politics with Dr. André Gagné
Welcome to season 7 of Rector’s Cupboard! Do you sometimes feel like all we do is talk about America? While many Canadians would see Canada as distinct from the States, we are influenced by our neighbours to the south. In Alberta, the provincial government is supporting the banning of books. Some...
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Blessed are the Undone with Angela Reitsma Bick
In our final episode of season 6, we are pleased to speak with Angela Reitsma Bick, editor of Christian Courier and co-author of the newly released book Blessed Are the Undone, which explores faith deconstruction in the Canadian context. Angela joined us while in Vancouver on the national tour…
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Hope Instead of Fundamentalism with David Goa, Part 3
This is our third and final instalment of our series with Orthodox theologian and friend of the Cupboard, David Goa. This series has focused on the topic of fundamentalism, how it is expressed within the church, from several sides. If you haven’t listened to the first two episodes in this series,...
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Hope Instead of Fundamentalism with David Goa, Part 2
This is the second of three conversations we had with friend of the Cupboard, David Goa, on the topic of fundamentalism. If you haven’t listened to part one, we’d encourage you to do so before diving into this conversation. In this conversation, Todd and David consider the question, If not...
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Hope Instead of Fundamentalism with David Goa, Part 1
You have likely heard, and perhaps said, that we live in a world that is very polarized. Too often, communities of faith have contributed to this polarization rather than offered help or healing to a divided world. David Goa has been, and continues to be, a formational voice for Rector’s Cupboard...
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Preaching In a New Key, a Conversation with Mark Glanville
Those in Christian circles have likely spent many a Sunday morning sitting in a pew (or, perhaps, a more comfortable seat) listening to someone preach. While the length of sermon or its place in a service may vary from denomination to denomination, or pastor to pastor, the act of hearing the Word...
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Good Friday 2025
Today is Good Friday. In Christian faith, today and Easter Sunday are two of the most important days of observation. We often, on Rector’s Cupboard, refer to what is happening in the world, the news, politics, culture. In Christian faith, Good Friday is always more than news of the week. It is at...
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Live Recording: An Evening of Conversation and Music with John Swinton
A special episode. Recorded live at the Rector’s Cupboard studio. John Swinton is Professor of Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen. Before becoming a mental health professional and then a writer (of at least four books) on faith and mental health, John wanted to be a rock star. He...
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Vocation and Church with Matthew Brough
It might be that being a full-time pastor is now untenable. It is a job that pulls in so many directions that it becomes virtually impossible. One of the things that can help is accepting that for pastors, spiritual energy often comes from outside of the church in which they work. We speak with...
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Biblical Storytelling with the Ven. Dr. Rob James
We are pleased to speak to the Ven. Dr. Rob James (which he said we could shorten to Rob), about his latest publication, 50 New Testament Stories for Storytellers, a new illustrated, beautifully illustrated we might add, children’s Bible. Rob is an Associate Professor and the Director of Anglican...
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"Money, Lies, and God" with Katherine Stewart
In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His followers what power is like in the kingdom of God. He says that real greatness is servanthood and that we ought not aim to “lord it over” others. There is a movement in the United States, and in many countries around the world, that...
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The Need for a Christian Christianity with Jonathan Rauch
Jonathan Rauch is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution. His most recent book, out this week, is called Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy. We speak with Jonathan about the book, about why...
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Christmas Special 2024
Our annual hosts only Christmas special. Cupboard Master Ken Bell presents his take on a B5-2, using Nocciola, a hazelnut liqueur from one of our favourite local distilleries, The Woods Spirit Co. We ask one another three questions about Christmas: 1. What do you miss about Christmases past? 2....
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Defrocked and Excommunicated with Thomas Jay Oord
We speak with theologian and philosopher Thomas Jay Oord about his church trial and his book Open and Relational Theology. Thomas, who was a minister for many years in the Church of the Nazarene, faced a trial for being inclusive on matters of LGBTQ+ and church participation and blessing. Thomas...
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The Changing Nature of Christianity with Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart
We speak with friend of the show Ross Lockhart about his recent book (and PhD work) called West Coast Mission: The Changing Nature of Christianity in Vancouver. The book takes an in-depth look at 12 churches and two faith-based organizations in the Vancouver area. It takes up themes that are...
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All of You is Welcome Here with Elise Girardin
Mental health and matters of spiritual and mental wellness are often topics we address on Rector’s Cupboard and so we were very grateful to speak to Elise Girardin, Executive Director of The Woods Arts & Wellness, a North Vancouver based therapy practice addressing the well being of...
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The Particular Approach of Alpha with Shaila Visser
Shaila Visser is the National Director of Alpha Canada and the Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International. She is the Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016), and currently holds a position on the Board of the Damascus Road...
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Religious Moderation with Dr. Aurelian Crăiuțu
Dr. Aurelian Crăiuțu is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Adjunct Professor in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropic Studies at IUPUI, Indianapolis. He is also affiliated with the Russian and East European Institute, the Institute for West...
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Host Only: Summer Recommendations
As we close season 5 of Rector’s Cupboard and begin summer, Rector’s Cupboard hosts, Todd, Amanda, and Allison have gathered to talk about what is on our summer reading/watching/listening lists this year that we think you might find interesting. We hope that you are able to find time for beauty…
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Changing Your Mind About Important Issues with Benjamin Perrin
Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the University of British Columbia, Peter A. Allard School of Law and a senior fellow in criminal justice at the Macdonald Laurier Institute of Public Policy and the author of several books including Indictment: the Criminal Justice System on Trial and Overdose:...
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Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics with Dr. Marty Folsom
We were pleased to speak again to Dr. Marty Folsom about his latest work, Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics For Everyone, Vol 2 – The Doctrine of God: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners and Pros. Marty Folsom has taken up an expansive work of outlining the main points and the structure of Karl…
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Host Only, A Conversation About Hope and Fear
This week on Rector’s Cupboard, we gather the Cupboard hosts, Todd, Allison, and Amanda, as well as Cupboard Master, Ken, to discuss what we’re watching and reading right now, as well as few articles that speak about the apocalypse, hope, fear, and changing understandings of faith. Ken mixed us a...
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The Church In-Between Times: A Conversation with David Goa
This week on Rector’s Cupboard we are pleased to offer a collaboration with our good friend, David Goa. David has been on the podcast a number of times through the years and in 2022 we partnered with David to record a series of conversations about the Church, the “ecclesia,” asking “who is she?”...
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COP 28 and Stories of Doom and Hope with Deb Walker
We speak with United Church Minister Deb Walker about her attendance at the COP 28 Climate Conference in Dubai. 85,0000 people attended the event, which was held in a country often referred to as a Petrol State. Deb’s attendance was officially as a Faith Observer as a part of the Christian…
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The Art of Spiritual Memoir with Richard Lischer
Do you have a testimony? If you are familiar with the culture of evangelical church, you will know what is being asked. Maybe you heard someone give their testimony at church, or at camp. In this context, testimony meant a personal account of your life or background with an emphasis on your...
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Historical Theology with Dr. J. Warren Smith
Dr. J. Warren Smith is Professor of Historical Theology at Duke Divinity School. Professor Smith is a great guide in helping us to see hope for the future in listening to voices of hope from the past. We talk with him about how some sayings, perspectives, and experiences of those who lived many...
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A Visit with David Goa
At least once a season, we speak with David Goa, a spiritual friend and mentor. David is a writer, professor, and theologian and has been a great help to us as we hope to articulate a hopeful vision of faith and theology. When we speak with David, we tend to ask about life and faith in relation…
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Vocation, Spirituality and Design with J Alkana
We are pleased to speak with J Alkana about his work in architecture and design. J thoughtfully asks questions of meaning, humanity and faith in relation to the work that he does. What is vocation? What gives your work meaning? Various understandings of work in relation to faith historically have...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Conversations about Hopeful Faith, Hopeful Theology.
HOSTED BY
Rector’s Cupboard
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How many episodes does Rector’s Cupboard Podcast have?
Rector’s Cupboard Podcast currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Rector’s Cupboard Podcast about?
Conversations about Hopeful Faith, Hopeful Theology.
How often does Rector’s Cupboard Podcast release new episodes?
Rector’s Cupboard Podcast has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Rector’s Cupboard Podcast is created and hosted by Rector’s Cupboard.
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