The Millis Podcast

In this episode, Simon chats to Dr David Daintree, who is the Director of the Christopher Dawson Centre for Cultural Studies, which is based down in Hobart in Tasmania. He is a classicist and medieval Latinist, with an MLitt from Cambridge and a PhD from the University of Tasmania. He has held visiting professorships at the Universities of Siena and  Venice, and a visiting fellowship at St John's College, University of  Manitoba. Most recently, David was President of Campion College in  Sydney. In this episode, we cover topics like the definition of  "Western" Civilisation, the significance of the historian Christopher Dawson, and the future of the humanities.   For more on David, see: https://daintree.academia.edu/  To connect with the Christopher Dawson Centre, go to  https://www.dawsoncentre.org/  Sign up for their newsletter here:  https://www.dawsoncentre.org/contact/email-signup/

In this episode, Simon is joined by Dr Bruce Pass to talk about the theology of Herman Bavinck.  Bruce is Lecturer in Christian Thought and History at Brisbane School of Theology. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He is the author of The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentricism in Herman Bavinck (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020), and is the translator and editor of a number of Herman Bavinck's theological orations, entitled On Theology (Brill, 2020). Bruce is also organising a conference on Herman Bavinck, being held in December in Brisbane. More information and registration links can be found here: https://bst.qld.edu.au/bavinck-conference/

In this episode, Simon chats to Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, who is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at Western Sydney University. Sarah is a graduate of the University of Sydney and Cambridge University. She is an intellectual historian, whose work has until recently focused on the interplay between British imperialism, natural science, and Christian theology. Her first book was published in 2008 with Routledge and is entitled Natural Science and the Origins of the British Empire. However, this episode focuses on Sarah's more recent research on the history of religious freedom, which was the topic of her 2020 Richard Johnson Lecture. We cover topics like the ancient Christian roots of religious freedom, the importance of conscience in the framing of modern human rights, the important role of Christian thought in the history of the concepts of rights, and the significance of history more generally. Sarah's personal website: https://www.stonebraker.com.au/ Watch Sarah's 2020 Richard Johnson Lecture here: https://www.publicchristianity.org/free-to-be-me-the-forgotten-story-of-religious-liberty/

This episode sees Simon sitting down with Greg Sheridan AO. Greg is the Foreign Editor at The Australian, is a respected newspaper, radio and TV commentator, and is one of Australia's leading public intellectuals. His career in journalism has seen him corresponding from Beijing, Washington, and Canberra. He writes a regular opinion column for The Australian. Greg is the author of a number of books, including God Is Good For You (Allen & Unwin), and his most recent book is Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in Our World (Allen & Unvin). Christians is a book that ranges over early Christianity, biblical criticism, apologetics, politics, and cultural engagement, and we meet Christians in China, Tanzania, the United States, Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Simon and Greg discuss Christians, the role of Christianity and Christians in art and literature, the faith of Scott Morrison (Australia's current Prime Minister), and the future of the West and of Christianity.

In this episode, Simon is joined by Luke Glanville and Mark Glanville to discuss their recent book Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics (IVP Academic, 2021). The episode ranges over the concept of kinship in the Old and New Testaments, the biblical imperative to welcome the stranger, Christian realism in international relations, and the challenge for Christians and nations to welcome refugees. It was a fascinating discussion, so tune in.

This episode sees Simon sitting down with Dr Michael G. Thompson from Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. Dr Thompson is Lecturer in History, and specialises in the intellectual history of American Christianity in the twentieth century. His first book is For God and Globe, with Cornell University Press. We discuss his own fascinating journey in the academy, the task of the historian of Christianity, and the changing intellectual authority structures in the Christian church in North America and Australia across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Information about the workshop mentioned in the show can be found here.

Simon is joined by Professor Patrick Nunn, of the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Dr Johannes Luetz of Christian Heritage College, to discuss their new edited collection, Beyond Belief: Opportunities for Faith-Engaged Approaches to Climate-Change Adaptation in the Pacific Islands (Springer, 2021). The episode ranges over issues related to the lack of sensitivity to religion and spirituality in environmental policy, the possibilities of science and spirituality in combatting environmental issues in non-Western regions, the importance of "worldviews", and the question of science and religion. 

This episode sees Simon sitting down with Dr Stephen Chavura to discuss his new book (co-authored with Gregory Melleuish) on Sir Robert Menzies. The book, published with Melbourne University Press, is The Forgotten Menzies: The World Picture of Australia's Longest-serving Prime Minister. The episode ranges over scholarship and tropes on Menzies, Menzies' 'cultural puritanism' and philosophical idealism, his mixed legacy, and the influence of Christianity on his political ideals.