More Than Theology

Dr Richard Goodwin joins Tim Wilson on Newstalk ZB for a 10-minute conversation about nativity movies — and why the nativity story is far bigger and grittier than the Christmas card version. 

What happens when national identity trumps Christian identity? Richard talks Christian Nationalism with Old Testament scholar Michael Rhodes, both in the context of Michael’s native America and his adopted New Zealand. Drawing upon scripture, Michael explains how believers should think about their national identity in light of the Kingdom and the King.

Two centuries ago, a handful of Christ-followers had a radical idea: meeting together as believers without denominational trappings. This movement, which eventually became known as the Open Brethren, subsequently spread all over the world—including to Aotearoa NZ. Rosie talks to Dr. Ian Payne and Dr. Richard Goodwin about their recent trip to the birthplace of this 200-year-old movement (Dublin), what they learnt while celebrating its bicentenary, and what the lessons are for us today.#PathwaysBibleCollege #OpenBrethren #MoreThanTheology

In anticipation of our upcoming faith-and-film event, ICON, we’re digging back into our archives. In this episode, Pathways' Academic Dean, Grace Chamberlain, chats with our own Dr. Richard Goodwin about his recent book, Seeing Is Believing, and how the Spirit of God can speak to us in surprising ways—even through movies.

⛪ What is church for? It sounds like a straightforward question, but because our understanding of church (ecclesiology) is usually taught only implicitly, not explicitly, it’s one that is actually surprisingly complex. Richard interviews a panel of guests—Jeremy Suisted, Sophia Sinclair, and Nick Goodwin—about the reasons for church. And if this whets your appetite for more, then you might like to head along to CCCNZ’s ecclesiology workshop, (Re)Assembly: History and Hopes: https://www.cccnz.nz/events/

Many Christians long for a closer personal relationship with Jesus, yet often struggle to know how to foster genuine spiritual growth. In this episode, Rosie interviews Sam Harvey about transformative spiritual practices modelled by Jesus himself. Sam shares practical insights on how to nurture a richer prayer life - without the burden of just ’trying harder’. Sam pastors at Bay Vineyard Church in Napier and is National Director of 24-7 Prayer NZ. For resources and to find out more, visit https://www.24-7prayer.nz/

Modern society often ties productivity to success. But what if spiritual formation is less about efficiency and more about the patient cultivation of a flourishing garden? In this episode, Rosie sits down with Dr Maja Whitaker (Academic Dean at Laidlaw College and ordained Pastor) to explore the challenge of practicing contemplative spirituality in our fast-paced world - and what to do when a traditional, structured approach feels out of reach.

Most of us use digital media and technology all the time—but is it something churches and ministries really need to focus on? According to digital strategist Karl Udy, it’s essential that we think carefully about how we use digital tech. In this episode, Karl is interviewed by Richard about why churches should care about digital media and how they can begin to become more digitally proactive.To connect with Karl, you can reach him at [email protected]

How can leaders stay mentally healthy? Richard is joined by counsellor, former pastor, and founder of Mind Health, Richard Black, to discuss how leaders in the church can stay emotionally healthy even amid the immense pressures of ministry.

Violence for Jesus? As absurd and oxymoronic as it sounds, there exists in our world extremists willing to perpetrate violence in the name of their religion—including Christians. This might seem like a remote possibility for the New Zealand church, but in a rapidly changing society, we can’t afford to be complacent.  Richard interviews a world-leading expert on the topic, Doug Pratt, about religious extremism, how to spot it, and what to do if someone you know starts flirting with taking their faith to violent extremes.

The recent Church Life Survey revealed a disturbing truth about the New Zealand church: it’s ageing. Why is that a problem, and more importantly, what can we do to reverse that trend? Rosie is joined by Jake Mulder (author of Growing Young) Laura Hewett (youth pastor) and Mike Crudge (Baptist Union comms director)  to discuss helping churches to “grow young” by attracting young people. Get inspired about engaging younger generations to ensure that the Kiwi church survives and even thrives in the future. (Pssst! If your church didn’t participate in the Church Life Survey this time, let them know you want to do it next time—the greater the participation, the better the data! And if you want to read more of Mike’s musings on the survey, check out https://baptist.nz/church-life-survey-first-response/)

The recent Faith and Belief Survey gives us a brilliant insight into the spiritual landscape of Aotearoa. No doubt, you’ve heard the news: religion is on the decline. But did you know that most non-religious Kiwis still have some sort of spiritual beliefs. Chris Clarke, CEO of the Wilberforce Foundation, discusses this valuable research with Richard and explains what it means to live missionally as the church in New Zealand.

The Church Life Survey was recently conducted to give an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the church in Aotearoa. One of the key findings? The church in NZ is ageing - and that’s an ominous sign for the future. One of the masterminds behind the survey, Peter Lineham, joins Richard to discuss what this means for the church now and in the future. Due to Lineham’s background in the Open Brethren Heritage movement, he digs deep into data especially relevant to those churches. 

Unless you've been living under a rock this year, no doubt you've heard the buzz about Artificial Intelligence. The sudden arrival of AI in the public consciousness signals a step into a brave new world. How should we navigate that world as followers of Jesus? Media and technology guru Stephen Garner joins Richard and co-host Aaron Hodgson to discuss the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

How do you revive a dying church? Richard's guest in this episode, Russell Grainger and his team took on a small, ageing congregation and helped it grow into a vibrant, healthy church. Find out from Russell's experience how an ailing church can be nurtured into a thriving church.

Were the early missionaries to New Zealand a positive or a negative for our country? Everyone agrees the missionaries were central to New Zealand's colonial history, but opinion about their legacy remains divided. Richard discusses this with historian Luke Goodwin by examining his original research into the life and relationships of Alfred Brown, missionary to Ngāti Hauā.

Have you ever had a sacred moment while watching a movie, almost like you were experiencing God? Our own faculty member Dr. Richard Goodwin has—and so he has written a book about it. In this episode, Grace Chamberlain interviews Richard about how we might encounter God through film, its imagery, and the emotions we feel in response. They discuss how we can receive divine revelation in surprising places...even in a movie theatre.

Has "internship" become a dirty word? With the recent media scrutiny of church-based internships, how can we run healthy internships? In this episode, Richard talks with pastor Isaac Pettersen from Crossroads Church in Palmerston North about how to run an effective, enriching internship programme, including how to recruit, mentor, and care for interns. With the right ethos and approach, a ministry internship can be a life-giving experience.

How can the church make a greater impact on the culture of Aotearoa New Zealand? In this episode, Richard interviews renowned religious historian Dr. Peter Lineham about his book Sunday Best, exploring how the church has shaped our national culture—and vice versa—as well as what lessons our history might teach us for how we influence society today.

How should we respond to a culture that is increasingly hostile towards the church? Richard talks with communications specialist Sophia Sinclair about resisting the impulse to adopt a warring or defensive posture, and instead learn to cultivate a winsome, appealing presence in our current context.

What are we talking about when we talk about worship? How do we align the musical techniques a band uses with the goal to empower our congregations to participate in sung worship? Rosie, our School of Worship Leading co-ordinator chats with Grant Norsworthy (More Than Music Mentor) about his story and thoughts around using music in worship.

Tucked away towards the end of the New Testament, 1 Peter is an easy book of the Bible to overlook. But 1 Peter also has major relevance to followers of Christ today. Former Pathways faculty member Jordan Chapman recently finished his doctoral thesis focusing on 1 Peter. Jordan has a deep knowledge of this important book and discusses with Richard how it can influence us in the present.

Few books of the Bible are as tricky to understand as Revelation—and yet our interpretations of this challenging book continue to have implications for how we follow Jesus in the present. In this podcast, Richard interviews NT scholar, and former Pathways faculty member, Jordan Chapman about how to read Revelation well. His views may be challenging, but will certainly be thought-provoking.

In the past few years, more and more churches have been gathering online - sometimes that has been our only way to connect as a community. Today, whether that’s preparing services curated for online, or streaming live services for those who cannot attend in person, leading worship online is re-shaping the role of a worship leader. How does gathering online impact the way we lead worship? How can we still encourage participation and create meaningful spaces for worship? Yvonne will be speaking into this as well as how to record and film songs for online services - and it gets better - she'll teach you how to do it on any budget.

Contemporary life often feels like an assault of appointments, deadlines, emails, social media, and headlines. Is it possible that this frenetic, crazy-making pace of life might be compromising our spiritual health? In this episode, Richard talks with Bible teacher Mark Forrest about developing a slower, more reflective rhythm of life and ways we can use that to make greater room for God.

Open Brethren churches have their own lexicon of traditional, old-timey words—like "assembly", "fellowship", and "meeting". But these old-school words often express ideas that are theologically rich and remarkably contemporary. In this episode, Richard interviews lifelong Open Brethren Bible teacher, Brian Goodwin, about these distinctive terms, what they tell us about these churches—and what they can teach us about following Jesus today.

Are we facing a crisis of character? In recent years, we've witnesseed leaders abroad, inside and outside the church, demonstrate an often remarkable lack of character—and, in many instances, ordinary believers being happy to cheer them on. It seems that virtue is in short supply. So how do we develop Christlike character? In this episode, Richard talks with veteran Bible teacher, pastor and missionary, Brian Goodwin, about cultivating the practices that gradually give rise to genuine, godly character.

The pandemic has forced churches to gather in homes. But what if that was our permanent way of "doing church"? Sarah and Nick Field, founders of "The Way" home church network, talk about home churches and the massive benefits they hold for discipleship, community and "everyday mission".

Join Ben, our Pathways Online Courses Manager as he talks about conversational evangelism with Dave Mann from the Shining Lights Trust.   In this podcast, Dave reveals who his evangelism hero is, how to find freedom in evangelism, and some tips on how to approach evangelism in 2021 during a worldwide pandemic.   Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a special giveaway.   Helpful resources:   https://alltogether.co.nz

Join Rosie, our School of Worship Leading Co-ordinator, as she chats with Malcolm Gordon about the journey of worship and reframing our understanding of liturgy. Malcolm unpacks his thoughts on how to lead in a way that honours both our emotions and our intellect, and treasures the new as well as the old. Malcolm redefines liturgy and how it adds value to gathered worship and our lives as a whole.  Tune in to hear Malcolm share some of his story and how he became passionate about seeing worship leaders thrive and bringing together the 'best of both worlds’ from the traditional and charismatic church movements.Malcolm is a lecturer and teaches on creativity and artistic expression in worship at Laidlaw, Carey and the Knox Centre. He’s an accomplished songwriter and is currently doing his doctorate in the area of lament. Helpful resources to find out more: www.onevoice.org.nz illustratedgospel.org

Welcome to the More Than Theology Podcast.   In this weeks episode, Rory shares some thoughts around the Internet, big tech and shares his story and how that led him to launch Safe Surfer.   Safe Surfer is an incredible platform that helps family's keep safe in the digital surf.  Rory shares about what Safe Surfer is and we preview some basic usage of the app and desktop platform at 20:04.   To find out more, head to www.safesurfer.co.nz   To download the Safe Surfer mobile app, head here.   Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/safe-su...  Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... #safesurfer #internet #digitalsafety   

Welcome to the More than Theology Podcast. A warm welcome to Zoë Forrest as she discusses her journey as a Pākehā women seeking to engage with Maori better in Aotearoa, New Zealand. #morethantheology #maori #pakeha

Welcome to the More Than Theology Podcast.  In this episode we invite Taryn Dryfhout to share what a Māori perspective on family and adoption looks like.   #maori #family #adoption #morethantheology

To vaccinate or not vaccinate? That is the question people are asking in our ministries—so what should a church or ministry leader say? In this episode, we interview Dr. Jacob Martin, an accomplished scientist and a Christian, about the COVID-19 vaccine and get his advice for talking about vaccines with your church, youth group or ministry.   To read the blog Jacob mentioned on this podcast, follow this link: http://www.nzcis.org/uncategorized/vaccination-communion-and-sacrifice/ Websites to further explore on this topic:  https://biologos.org  http://www.nzcis.org  #COVID19 #vaccines #vaccination #faithandscience #christianworkinginscience

Join Rosie Devery our SOWL Co-ordinator and Chris Opie (Worship Development Coach Chase Oaks Church) as they talk about the role of invitation in our worship and much more.

Join Richard and Jeremy as they talk about innovation in the context of ministry.

Welcome to our More Than Theology Podcast. More Than Theology is created by Pathways College of Bible and Mission. Join Richard and Ben in this episode as we launch this exciting new endeavour, share who we are and what this podcast is all about.