We are taking a short break in the season, but while you wait for the next episode why not join us for our webinar series? Join us for three 60-minute online webinars on June 11, 18 and 25 with Jo and Peter as they explore Being Human as a new apologetic for the 21st century and unpack its resources for your church. These interactive webinars will cover a range of topics: from the cultural stories of our day, to the narrative of the God story, as well as research on the different kinds of...

In this episode Jo and Peter use the apologetics tool - the Being Humans Lens - to chat all-things artificial intelligence (AI). They ask: does AI know us better than we know ourselves? Can AI really become a source for our relationships? And how might we draw on the wisdom of the God Story when it comes to navigating the future of tech?  Through exploring significance, connection, participation and presence the conversation covers AI’s benefits and challenges, from ChatGPT and self-driving...

In this episode climate change is at the focal point of the Being Human lens. Jo and Peter chat through presence, significance, connection and participation as they tackle one of the biggest issues facing humanity today. How might we shift some of culture’s most dominant climate conversation from blame and hopelessness, to care and stewardship?   From micro stories of London’s ultra-low emission zone to larger macro-stories of rising sea levels and climate refugees, they consider the...

This episode explores the limits and boundaries of human life, particularly when it comes to abortion and euthanasia. Jo and Peter use the Being Human lens as a tool to help us think faithfully and compassionately about the start and end of life, recognising these are hugely contested areas in public debate.   They take a look at the law surrounding abortion and euthanasia as well as stories from around the world on where these debates are bubbling up across the media. The conversation...

If every human being is made in the image of God, but we are each rooted into a particular place and culture, how might we as Christians better engage in conversations on migration, asylum and refugees? In this episode Jo and Peter discuss this global issue and why it should matter to us all. From political slogans and dramatic headlines, the conversation starts by peeling back some of misconceptions and complexity of this issue; investigating who’s coming into UK and for what reasons. Jo and...

In episode three, Jo and Peter tackle one of the most contested topics in our culture today – the trans debate. They explore the complex questions surrounding sex, gender and being embodied humans. With the transgender and feminism conversations often feeling charged and toxic, it can be difficult to know how to engage when this issue can affect us personally and divide opinion so quickly.    So, this episode provides a hopeful look at what it means to be human when it comes to such a...

What is the impact of social media on mental health, especially kids and young people? Jo and Peter share from their own experiences as parents attempting to navigate how to wisely use and limit social media in their own lives and the lives of their kids. Being Human 502 is taking a deep dive on the online space and explores the impact it’s having on particularly the minds of young people. Although social media can be a force for good, the way in which our tech competes for our attention is...

Welcome back to season five! Jo Frost and Peter Lynas return, exploring what it means to be human in 2024.   In this first episode, Jo and Peter are chatting all things elections, democracy and nationalism. With four billion people headed to the polls this year, how does the God story affect our engagement with politics? From Taiwan and India to the Trump vs Biden rematch and our own issues on domestic soil, this is shaping up to be a big year.   This season we’re going to be using the Being...

We have reached the end of season four! After a season of listening and learning from a variety of people, ideas and experiences, Jo and Peter sit down together and pull out some of the threads and themes woven throughout this season.     This season spanned a wide range of topical subjects, from young people and mental health to class and heritage, to identity and power, revealing a resounding common theme of crisis. Our world and sometimes our own faith feels fragile and fractured. So, in...

Are we becoming more anxious as a society? And how can following Jesus build resilience in the face of increasing mental fragility? In our final interview of the season, Jo and Peter are joined by Will van der Hart. Anglican priest, author, coach and pastoral specialist, he brings a breadth and depth of knowledge to conversations surrounding faith and mental health. Having suffered from PTSD and an acute anxiety breakdown following his involvement in the London 2005 bombings recovery, Will is...

We take a break from the interviews for this one-off special episode marking the release of our co-hosts Jo and Peter’s book: Being Human: A new lens for our cultural conversations.  Who am I? Does my life matter? What will make me happy? From our politics to churches, from media to the marketplace, from everyday mundane moments to the conversations held on this podcast, we all ask life’s big questions about what it means to be human. So, Jo and Peter dive into this fundamental question,...

Is the tide turning on a belief in God? Are we witnessing a wave of curiosity towards the Christian story?  In this episode, Jo and Peter sit down with the renowned author and former host of the Unbelievable? podcast, Justin Brierley, to delve into his latest book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God.  Join our co-hosts as they explore the journey Justin undertakes in his book, where he uncovers the unexpected resurgence of belief in God in an age supposedly characterised by scepticism...

Many parts of the church are sick because so often it does not follow its Lord. How do we come to terms with abuse and misuse of power within the body of Christ? In this episode, Jo and Peter are joined by Dr Diane Langberg for a timely conversation on power, balancing justice and forgiveness, and honouring the stories of the oppressed. Dr Langberg is globally recognised for her 52 years of clinical work with trauma victims from war-survivors to church leaders. She has trained caregivers on...

Being a disciple of Jesus is not about becoming like the people around us, it’s about becoming more like Him – so why are most western churches predominantly middle class? Having grown up in relative poverty in a deprived seaside town, Natalie Williams’ life was changed when she became a Christian at age 15. Now she is the chief executive of Jubilee+, a national Christian charity that seeks to equip Christians and churches to alleviate poverty and injustice in their communities. Natalie joins...

This pandemic has compounded the acceleration of change, disorientation, and in many ways, hopelessness. However, is there something rooted in our history that can give us hope for the possibility of change in the present day? With a diverse and impressive career, historian, Sarah Williams, continues to grapple with the very heart of what it means to be human. As a teacher of the history of Christianity to international postgraduates at Regent College, Sarah’s research interests lie more...

In a time of fragility around us and within us, from the climate to our identity, how can we live a life with Christ that is both holistic and justice-focused? In this episode, Jo and Peter chatted with theologian, former church leader, and director of the One People Commission, Rev Dr Israel Olofinjana. Originally from Nigeria, Rev Israel moved to the UK to pursue a calling to be a reverse missionary and has since become a leading figure in the UK church on unity and ethnic diversity. In...

“Apologetics today is more about explaining to the church what is going on in the world than explaining to the world what the church teaches.” This is a view held by author, theologian and ecclesiastical historian Carl Trueman. In his latest book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (2020), he investigates the foundations and developments of the current secular age and sexual revolution as symptoms, rather than the causes, of the human search for identity. In this latest interview,...