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Deeper Questions
Third Space
26 episodes
2 months ago
Submerge in wonder, surface with hope.

Deeper Questions is a podcast by Third Space. Opening space for reflection and intelligent conversation about God, culture and ideas.

Every week Aaron/Amy invite you to listen to fascinating guests as we enter their world, ideas and expertise to answer questions that matter.

We'll bring a Christian angle to every episode, but we'll also take the time to listen to sceptics and the place of doubt in a post-Christian world. Regardless of where you stand from a belief or non-belief perspective, we hope you'll take the plunge with us for Deeper Questions.
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Society & Culture
Religion & Spirituality,
Christianity
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All content for Deeper Questions is the property of Third Space and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Submerge in wonder, surface with hope.

Deeper Questions is a podcast by Third Space. Opening space for reflection and intelligent conversation about God, culture and ideas.

Every week Aaron/Amy invite you to listen to fascinating guests as we enter their world, ideas and expertise to answer questions that matter.

We'll bring a Christian angle to every episode, but we'll also take the time to listen to sceptics and the place of doubt in a post-Christian world. Regardless of where you stand from a belief or non-belief perspective, we hope you'll take the plunge with us for Deeper Questions.
Show more...
Society & Culture
Religion & Spirituality,
Christianity
Episodes (20/26)
Deeper Questions
Ep 25: "Is Christianity good history?" with John Dickson (S2 Finale)
Episode 25: "Is Christianity good history?" (Season 2 Finale)

The question we’ve got there is deliberately vague and ambiguous, and I want to play into the double meaning a bit. We’ll be tackling a bunch of questions regarding the historicity of Christianity and the Bible, but also looking at the moral legacy of Christianity, after two thousand years of both triumphal moments and deeply shameful things as well.

Professor John Dickson is an author, speaker, historian, musician, lecturer and media presenter. He was the Founding Director of the Centre for Public Christianity (2007-17). He has published over 20 books, and held a variety of teaching and research positions over the years; such as within the Ancient History Department at Macquarie University (2002-2015), the Jewish and Biblical Studies Department at Sydney University (2011-2021), Ridley College Melbourne (2019-2022), and the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford (2015-2023). He’s also host of the popular and brilliant podcast Undeceptions which you ought to listen to straight after this. 

Other References:
  • "I'll eat a page from my Bible if Jesus didn't exist" by John Dickson in ABC opinion (17th October 2014)
  • Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History by John Dickson
  • For the Love of God: How the church is BETTER + WORSE than you ever imagined by the Centre for Public Christianity 
  • "The Church of the First Fleet Chaplain Holds January 26 Service of Lament and Thanksgiving" by Kaley Payne in Eternity News (26th January 2021)
  • The First Hymn Project
  • Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies you've Been Told by Bradley Wright

What's next?


We'll continue with some other projects for the time being. But there are two major ways you can get in touch with us and stay connected:
  • Deeper Questions Survey
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6 months ago
1 hour 12 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 24: “Does Religion help or hurt social justice?” with Tim Costello
Episode 24: “Does Religion Help or Hurt Social Justice?”

Helen Keller once said "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” And today we want to look at this confrontation between suffering and solace. We’re talking social justice, activism, charity, causes, not-for-profits and some of the reasons why these things exist in the first place. And we’ll get specific and spend a good chunk on gambling reform in Australia -  but also other issues in our modern world. On top of that we’ll discuss whether faith is a net positive in building a better world, or whether it hinders these things. 

Reverend Tim Costello AO is an Australian Baptist minister, social justice advocate, and former CEO of World Vision Australia (2004–2016). A lawyer by training, he previously served as Mayor of St Kilda (1993–1994) and Executive Director of Urban Seed, working on homelessness and addiction issues in Melbourne. He has also been the Chief Advocate for World Vision Australia, Chair of the Community Council for Australia, Executive Director of Micah Australia and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX).


Other References:

  • She Remains Enchanted by Tim Costello in CPX 'Thinking out Loud', 5th February 2025
  • Streets of Hope: Finding God in St Kilda by Tim Costello
  • "Crown Casino: Gambling industry 'Australia's equivalent of the NRA', Tim Costello says" by Eliza Buzacott-Speer in ABC News (19th Oct 2017)
  • I’ve seen the impact of Trump and Musk’s savagery. What they’re doing is cruel and lethal by Tim Costello in CPX articles (3rd March 2025)
  • Why Christians Should Care About the USAID Freeze by Tim Costello on Micah Australia blog (10th February 2025)
  • U.S.A.I.D. Memos Detail Human Costs of Cuts to Foreign Aid by Apoorva Mandavilli in The New York Times (March 2nd 2025)
  • Isaiah 65 reference
  • Micah 6:8 reference

Got Questions?


Email us your questions or feedback to deeperquestions@thirdspace.org.au - we love chatting about anything. Feel free to check out our website for additional resources too.

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
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7 months ago
1 hour 7 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 23: “Is Christianity Anti-Intellectual?” with Mark Noll
Episode 23: “Is Christianity Anti-Intellectual?"

Historically there have been many reasons to attack and criticise Christianity - but one of the most popular attacks over the last few centuries has been to challenge Christianity's intellectual credibility and its ability to accurately understand and make sense of the world. Rather than taking on arguments and attempting to refute them one by one, I wanted to actually sit with the question and acknowledge where that argument has rung true - mainly by putting fundamentalism under the microscope.

Professor Mark Noll is a distinguished historian specialising in American Evangelicalism. He has written over 40 books with one in particular standing out for this conversation. In October 1994 he published The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind where he offered a critique and explanation of the Christian intellectual climate - and why Christians have been blinkered, parochial, and even hostile to academia and established knowledge. So we’ll be doing a bit of a retrospective on that 30 years on, and I think this will help us understand the history and complexity of Christianity, evangelicalism, fundamentalism and the place of the mind in Christian life.

Other References:
  • Why I am not a Christian: and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects by Bertrand Russell (1927)
  • The Antichrist: A Radical Examination of Religion and Philosophy by Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)
  • The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (2006)
  • The End of Faith – Religion, Terror and the Future of...
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12 months ago
59 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 22: "What is the value of art?" with Daniela Gjocaj & Nicole O'Loughlin
Episode 22: What is the value of art?

It’s been said that Art can be a Mirror or a Window to Society. Revealing deep truths about ourselves and reality. And so art plays an important prophetic role in shaping cultural conversations and bringing to life stories, themes and ideas that matter. And so for this episode we’re going to be talking with a couple of talented and thoughtful local artists. Together we chat all things art and culture and want to give you an insight into the life of an artist, and whether we, as a society, place value and importance on the practice and process of creating.

Daniela Gjocaj is an emerging Tasmanian artist and colour specialist, having worked throughout her life in the arts and fashion. Daniela spoke at Tedx Hobart in 2023 on ‘The power of colour and light’. Her bold and colourful artworks invite the viewer to experience, engage and explore all the ways in which colour can impact us.

Nicole O'Loughlin is a PhD Candidate at the School of Creative Arts and Media at the University of Tasmania, where she also lectures. She’s devoted the last few years to researching the impact of arts and creativity on health and well-being with a focus on people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds.


Other References
  • Male artists overrepresented in Australian galleries and museums, research shows by Kelly Burke in the Guardian (Aus), 30th April 2024
  • Australia should have a universal basic income for artists. Here’s what that could look like by Jo Caust in The Conversation, 2nd May 2022
  • Australian artists only earn $23,200 a year from their art – and are key financial investors in keeping the industry afloat by David Throsby & Katya Petetskaya in The Conversation, 7th May 2024
  • Real Photographer Beats Out Robots in AI Art Competition by Rhea Nayyar in Hyperallergic, 16th June 2024
  • The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dali...
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1 year ago
1 hour 6 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 21: "Is meaning overrated?" with Wendy Syfret
Episode 21: Is meaning overrated?

In 2021, 38.9% of respondents to the census declared themselves to be “no religion” in Australia. That was almost 10 million people. You might also have heard about “the meaning crisis” Some secular thinkers like John Vervaeke have been exploring the void of anxiety and emptiness since around 2017. Many thinkers in this “meaning crisis” movement have explored Eastern religions and other philosophies to find a way to quench that thirst for meaning. 

But what if there was another way to think about meaning? What if meaning was just overrated? Do we ascribe meaning to things we don’t need to? Is there a surplus rather than a deficit of meaning? To explore this question, we reached out to Wendy Syfret, author of “The Sunny Nihilist: how a meaningless life can make you truly happy”. She has some interesting ideas that we can all benefit from, regardless of whether we are religious or of 'no religion'. 

Other References:
  • The Sunny Nihilist: how a meaningless life can make you truly happy, by Wendy Syfret.
  • Optimistic Nihilism from the Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell Youtube Channel. 
  • The Book of Ecclesiastes from Biblegateway 
  • John Vervaeke’s Youtube Channel
Got questions?

Some people find this philosophy liberating, others might find it confronting, let us know how it made you feel. You can shoot us an email at deeperquestions@thirdspace.org.au - we'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too!

Feel free to follow us on social media too.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linked In
  • YouTube 

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
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1 year ago
50 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 20: "Are we taking freedom for granted?" with Lyndsey Stonebridge
Episode 20: "Are we taking freedom for granted?" with Lyndsey Stonebridge

In the previous episode we talked about the fragile state of Democracy, and we’ll be continuing many of those themes in today’s episode, almost like a Part 2. But rather than talking through the lens of US politics, we’re going to completely change tact and talk through the lens of human rights. And to do that we’ll be channeling and discussing one of the most prominent political philosophers of the 20th century; Hannah Arendt - The Jewish philosopher who fled the holocaust to become one the most influential writers and thinkers of the 20th century.

For this conversation we have someone uniquely positioned to think in the place of Arendt, who offers us wisdom and insight for an unstable moment. Lyndsey Stonebridge is a writer, critic, and Professor of Humanities and Human Rights at the University of Birmingham in the UK. She works across traditional disciplines, bringing literary and historical insights to law and political theory. She has followed the work of philosopher Hannah Arendt for over 30 years and recently wrote a beautiful biography titled We are Free to Change the World which is an enthralling journey into the life and mind of Hannah Arendt.

Other References:
  • Placeless People: Writings, Rights, and Refugees by Lyndsey Stonebridge
  • The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
  • Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt
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1 year ago
1 hour 6 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 19: "Will Democracy Survive 2024?" with David French
Episode 19: "Will Democracy Survive 2024?"

2024 has been an incredibly historic year for democracy around the world. With over 4 billion people having voted, or looking forward to voting in various elections across more than 40 countries. And yet, one country will likely overshadow all of these global elections; The US election on Tuesday, November 5th 2024. Everyone will be watching, everyone will have an opinion*, and no one knows what will happen. 

To guide us through this episode we’re talking with New York Times columnist, David French. He has an acute level of awareness when it comes to understanding the complexities of American Politics, Law, and Evangelicalism. We discuss some of the defining factors of the Presidential Race in 2024**, his experience as a ‘Never Trump’ conservative, and the potential dangers of a second Trump term. 

Other References: 
  • Divided we Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation by David French 
  • Never Trumpers Never Had A Chance by David French in The New York Times, Jan 25, 2024
  • Against David French-ism by Sohrab Ahmari in First Things, May 29, 2019
  • The Spiritual Blessing of Political Homelessness by David French in The Dispatch, Oct 18, 2020
  • What is Christian Nationalism, Exactly? by David French in The New York Times, Feb 25, 2024
  • The After Party
  • A Terrible Phone Call and What Came Next by David French in The New York Times, Jan 7, 2024
  • The G.O.P. Can No Longer Be Relied Upon to Protect Democracy by John Cassidy in The New Yorker, Dec 12, 2020
  • Jack Posobiec on ending Democracy
  • ’The More Knowledge more Sorrow’

*My views aren’t necessarily representative of all views within my organisation.

**This episode was recorded and produced mid 2024. The campaign news cycle is starting to gather breakneck speed, and there have been some massive developments in the last few weeks (including the Supreme Court decision/case aptly called Donald J Trump vs The United States of...
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1 year ago
1 hour 23 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 18: "Whatever happened to New Atheism?" with Justin Brierley (Season Finale)
Episode 18: “Whatever happened to New Atheism?" (Season Finale)

Around the mid 2000s atheism became sexy. It was everywhere. Headlined by Richard Dawkins and the other ‘four horsemen’ of New Atheism; Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett. They -and many other public atheists- were dominating best seller lists, YouTube algorithms and making news with their witty and swashbuckling commentary. But it seems like those days have moved on pretty quick. We only really hear about Richard Dawkins now when he’s being cancelled, and atheism hasn’t really risen at all when you look at the numbers. So what happened to New Atheism, and what could be taking its place?

Well, for our final episode of season 1, we’re delighted to have Justin Brierley joining us from the UK. Thanks to his popular Unbelievable? Radio show which brought (and still brings) prominent Christians and sceptics together for dialogue, he was able to have a ringside seat to many of the proponents and arguments of New Atheism. His new book ‘The surprising rebirth of the belief in God’ covers the downfall of the movement along with the cultural shift that seems to be happening. You can also listen to the podcast docu-series with the same title, you won't regret it.

Other References:

  • The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
  • Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate by Terry Eagleton
  • 'Dear Muslima' controversy
  • Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O'Hagan
  • The Rest is History Podcast
  • AC Grayling and Tom Holland Conversation on Unbelievable?
  • The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray
  • The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist
  • The...
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1 year ago
1 hour 11 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 17: "How do we find our voice?" with Grace Tame
Episode 17: “How do we find our voice?"

Deeper Questions is a show that seeks to explore a vast array of topics and experiences in the spirit of curiosity and listening. This exploration will sometimes include heavy and uncomfortable themes that may shake us up and affect us in important ways, but they may also change us for the better. For this episode we have a very special guest joining us - the one and only Grace Tame. We spend the episode zigging and zagging through some of her experiences and reflections on life. I find her voice refreshing and something that can help us find ours in the midst of adversity and trials. Very thankful for her honesty and openness here.

Since being announced Australian of the Year in January 2021, Grace has become a household name as a brave and passionate advocate for a number of important social causes, but especially for the systemic change to prevent child sexual abuse. The Grace Tame Foundation works with government, not-for-profits, legal experts and educators to improve protections in legislation and to inform and educate people in our communities about sexual abuse and survivor issues. She’s also written a memoir The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner, which we discuss at length here.

*Warning: This episode contains references to the sexual abuse and assault of minors, trauma, and other graphic content which some listeners may find distressing. Resources are available below if you’d like to talk to someone.

Survivor Resources:
  • 1800 RESPECT - 1800 737 732
  • Bravehearts
  • Grace Tame Foundation

Other References:
  • Silver Bullet Podcast
  • Grace's commissioned piece for John Cleese
  • Georgia M. Winters & Elizabeth L. Jeglic (2016): Stages of Sexual Grooming:Recognizing Potentially Predatory Behaviors of Child Molesters, Deviant Behavior
  • Review of ‘The Game’ on the Podcast “If Books Could Kill”
  • Grace’s article on Crikey
  • Spotlight movie (2015)

Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything by contacting us at deeperquestions@thirdspace.org.au - We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have...
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1 year ago
1 hour 14 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 16: "What does healthy masculinity look like?" with Al Stewart
Episode 16: "What does healthy masculinity look like?" with Al Stewart

The last 50-60 years have brought unprecedented change when it comes to understanding, and re-writing our understanding, of gender roles in society. Today’s episode is not so much going to look at all the aspects of gender we could cover, but we want to zero in on manhood and masculinity. Being a man has always brought a range of advantages and power dynamics that we’re coming to understand more and more, but there also challenges that we’d do well to try and dig into as well.

Today we have Al Stewart who has recently written a book on masculinity, called The Manual: Getting Masculinity Right. I’m privileged to call him a friend and someone that I’ve admired and worked alongside over my time with Third Space and City Bible Forum. He’s currently the director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, and has extensive experience in Christian ministry. We don’t tend to get pastors on this show much, but he’s learnt a lot about blokes over the last few decades, and has plenty of great insights.

Other References:
  • Bridge Street Fellowship is the Sydney chapter of our National Men's Fellowship
  • "Middle-aged men are among the loneliest in Australia. What could help to change that?" by Nick Baker and Isabelle Summerson for ABC Australia (13/7/23)
  • Jordan Peterson’s ‘letter’ to the churches
  • The New Manhood: Love, Freedom, Spirit and the New Masculinity by Steve Biddulph
  • The Men We Need: God's Purpose for the Manly Man, the Avid Indoorsman, or Any Man Willing to Show Up by Brant Hansen
  • The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy Pearcey
  • "The growing need for ‘lazy time’ amongst Aussie men" by McCrindle Research (2016)
  • Additional infographic by McCrindle
  • Show more...
2 years ago
1 hour 3 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 15: "Can trees save the world?" with Tony Rinaudo
Episode 15: "Can trees save the world?"

When people think of climate change I imagine they think of the smog and smoke pouring into the atmosphere as we burn fossil fuels to power our cities, cars, and lifestyles. And you would be right. But perhaps an understated accelerant is the loss of vast forest ecosystems which are often destroyed for agriculture, housing development, and the forestry industry. Not only are trees a vital source of oxygen that ensures we can breathe the breath of life, but they are also one of our most powerful defences against climate change. The original carbon capture technology immaculately designed by the first agronomist.

Speaking of agronomists, today we have Tony Rinaudo joining us. Also known as 'The Forestmaker'. Tony works for World Vision and has been a force in the climate change story. He worked in Niger for a couple of decades helping farmers with work with nature to restore native forest land, and to grow enough food to support their local communities. His focus has been in Africa, but his work is going global, thanks to a strategy called ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ which well get to. In 2018 he won the Right Livelihood Award (Alternate Nobel Prize) "for demonstrating on a large scale how drylands can be greened at minimal cost, improving the livelihoods of millions of people".

Other References:
  • The Forest Maker (documentary) directed by Volker Schlöndorff
  • The Forest Underground: Hope for a Planet in Crisis by Tony Rinaudo
  • Richard Saint Barbe Baker
  • ISCAST - the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology
  • I Want to Fix Ears: Inside the Cochlear Implant Story by Graham Milbourne Clark
  • Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison
  • Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth by Charles Massy
  • "Gardens of Eden: the Church Forests of Ethiopia – a photo essay" by Kieran Dodds in the Guardian (8th November 2021)


Got questions?
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2 years ago
57 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 14: "Who am I?" with Christopher Watkin
Episode 14: "Who am I?"

We know more about ourselves than ever before, we can get a DNA sample to 23 and me and discover extensive information about our biological family and our own physical characteristics. We can develop an online persona for a cluster of social media platforms and present ourselves any way we want. But how can we know who we really are?

Dr Christopher Watkin is an Associate Professor in French Studies at Monash University, where he holds an ARC Future Fellowship. Chris writes books and journal articles, teaches, makes YouTube videos and is the author of the recent Australian Christian Book of the Year Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture.

References:
  • A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
  • The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman
  • Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life by Robert Bellah
  • The First and Second Treatises of Government by John Locke
  • The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke by C. B. McPherson
  • Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism by Alain Badiou
  • Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism by Larry Siedentop
  • Confessions by St Augustine
  • Oneself as Another by Paul Ricoeur
  • Psalm 139

Got...
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2 years ago
53 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 13: "What's your favourite drink (and why is it single malt whisky)?" with Jane Overeem & Bec Polmear
Episode 13: "What's your favourite drink (and why is it single malt whisky)?"

Sometimes on Deeper Questions there’ll be niche, and then there’ll be next level niche like today. Digging into a topic that is ridiculously particular and concentrated where you might come in knowing absolutely nothing of what we’re talking about. Well if that’s you today then don’t worry! I think we manage to handle it in a way that caters to people with no prior knowledge, people that associate whisky with ‘that unnatural burning sensation in my throat and chest’ - as well as some juicy bits for those who have a decent top shelf when it comes to whisky.

Today we have Jane Overeem, the co-owner of Overeem distillery, as well as Bec Polmear, the co-founder at Waubs Harbour Distillery. Both distilleries have been recognised on the world stage with Overeem taking home awards from the World Whiskies awards in 2019, and a gold medal in 2023 for their Port Cask. Waubs Harbour are new to the scene and have been recognised almost immediately, winning a master medal and two gold medals at the World Whisky masters 2023.

Other References:

  • "India's whisky consumption rises by 200pc in 10 years" by Sunil Badami for ABC (12th May 2023)
  • "On the rocks: The untold story of the Nant Whisky scandal" by Josh Robertson for ABC (10th March 2019)
  • "Whiskies from Van Diemen’s Land: Waubs Harbour vs Overeem vs Callington Mill's Dark Secret" by AW in Time and Tide (June 24th 2023)
  • The World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom
  • Tasmanian Whisky: The Devil's Share by Bernard Lloyd
  • Drinks Adventures Podcast

Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything by contact us at deeperquestions@thirdspace.org.au - We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!

Support the show

If you’re a fan of the show and want to help us grow...
Show more...
2 years ago
52 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 12: "How can we help save a life?" with Mitch McPherson
Episode 12: “How can we help save a life?"

Suicide is one of those taboo topics that we push as far out of minds we possibly can. And for good reason. It’s utterly tragic when someone takes their own life. When their circumstances and emotional wellbeing reach such a point that they no longer feel they can go on. Where it feels so bleak, so hopeless, and a permanent escape is the only option. And so today we wanted to bring it front of mind, with a guest who is doing some incredible work in this space to help get us talking.

Mitch McPherson who is the founder of SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY – a not-for-profit organisation working in the mental health space, promoting positive mental health and prevent suicide by normalising conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when they need it. Mitch established the organisation in 2013 after his younger brother Ty died by suicide, and has been a champion in the mental health space ever since - sharing that it’s OK to not be OK, that we can find help, and that we can help each other out in tough times.

Other References:

  • Beyond Blue
  • Lifeline or call 13 11 14
  • Get Frank Podcast
  • Mindframe
  • Global stats on suicide
  • Suicide rates by country
  • Suicide by Emile Durkheim
  • St Augustine on Suicide - See City of God Book 1 sections 17-23
  • Why Religious belief provides a real buffer against suicide risk by David H Rosmarin in Psyche (7th August 2023)


Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything by contact us at deeperquestions@thirdspace.org.au - We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!


Support the show

If you’re a fan of the show and want to help us grow our audience or make a contribution, you can sign up to our Patreon page here.

Deeper Questions is produced by Show more...
2 years ago
1 hour

Deeper Questions
Ep 11: "What’s with our obsession with True Crime?" with Michael Guerzoni
Episode 11: "What’s with our obsession with True Crime?"

In early 2023, Triton Digital‘s Australian Podcast Ranker showed that Casefile, an Australian True Crime podcast - had risen to number 1 in Australia, beating Hamish and Andy. Apart from Casefile, there are approximately 120 podcasts about true crime, just from Australian content creators. Since Serial, the popular spinoff from This American Life, in 2014, it seems our appetite for this kind of journalism meets narrative nonfiction is insatiable. What does it tell us about us as people and as a society?

Dr Michael A. Guerzoni is a criminologist at the School of Social Sciences in the College of Arts, Law and Education. Michael’s research examines organisational culture, deviance, and crime prevention, with a particular focus on the safeguarding of children within religious institutions. The results of his doctoral thesis was published as a book titled Child Protection in the Church: An Anglican Case Study (Routledge Studies in Crime and Society). He’s also the author of a number of scholarly journals and book chapters. Michael has done way too much reading on this subject and brings compassion as well as expertise to this episode.


Other References:
  • Guerzoni, M. A. (2020). Vicarious trauma and emotional labour in researching child sexual abuse and child protection: A postdoctoral reflection. Methodological Innovations, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2059799120926342
  • Macdonald, Lucy (2023, May 8). Groups of roaming juveniles “continually committing offences”, Tasmanian Police association says. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/surge-in-youth-crime-repeat-offenders-tas-police-worried/102316044
  • Boling, K. S., & Hull, K. (2018). ‘Undisclosed information—Serial is my favorite murder: Examining motivations in the true-crime podcast audience’. Journal of radio & audio media, 25(1), 92-108.
  • Meade, A. (2022) ‘The Teacher’s Pet: hit podcast thrust Lynette Dawson’s 1982 disappearance into the spotlight’. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/aug/30/the-teachers-pet-hit-podcast-thrust-a-spotlight-on-lynette-dawsons-1982-disappearance.


Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything! We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too!


Support the show

If you're a fan of the show and want to help us grow our audience/contribute towards production you can sign up to our Patreon page here.

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
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2 years ago
52 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 10: "Are you spiritual but not religious?" with Natasha Moore
Episode 10: “Are you spiritual but not religious?"

Every time the census rolls around there is intrigue, vigorous campaigning, non-stop commentary and at times feverish hysteria about the decline of institutional religion. And while Australia continues to become more and more secular, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is becoming less spiritual. For this episode we’ll meander through a bunch of topics, disciplines, authors and ideas that we hope you’ll find as interesting as we did.

Natasha Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at The Centre for Public Christianity: a not-for-profit media company that offers a Christian perspective on contemporary life. She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of For the Love of God: How the Church is better and worse than you ever imagined as well as The Pleasures of Pessimism. She spoke recently in Hobart as part of the Henry Baldwin Lecture series, and our conversation interacts with the lecture.

Other References:
  • We asked Australians if they believe in God or the supernatural. Here's what they said by Natasha Moore in ABC Religion & Ethics (4th April 2021)
  • Eastergate by Natasha Moore on the CPX website (13th April 2021)
  • Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton
  • For statistic regarding 49% of Australians not having spiritual conversations see “Aussies more open to spiritual conversations through Covid” by Eternity News April 1st 2021
  • You Are You. We Live Here. This Is now. by Freddie de Boer on his personal Substack (28th March 2023)
  • The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch
  • Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here by Heather Rose
  • Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Still Makes Surprising Emotional Sense by Francis Spufford
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2 years ago
1 hour 5 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 9: "Would Jesus identify as an Evangelical?" with Con Campbell
Episode 9: “Would Jesus identify as an Evangelical?"

Evangelicalism seems to have a massive PR problem. You probably see in the news the same thing that I do: high profile scandals, a loud voice in the culture wars, and behaviour that doesn’t line up with the historical Jesus. So I wanted to discuss the perception and the reality of Evangelicalism - both the label and the movement. As well as how it lines up with the central figure of Christianity; Christ, and his teachings.

Constantine Campbell is a Professor and Associate Research Director at the Sydney College of Divinity, and previously served as Professor of New Testament studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and Moore Theological College in Sydney. He specialises in ancient Greek language and completed his doctorate at Macquarie University 2007. Con is also the author of 16 books, with a focus on ancient Greek linguistics, New Testament interpretation, and the writings of St Paul. His latest book is Jesus vs Evangelicals.

Other References:
  • Taking America back for God by Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry
  • Faith and Belief in Australia Report (2017) by McCrindle Research. See pages 26 and 34 about Christians being known as ‘caring’
  • Australia’s changing spiritual landscape Report (2021) by McCrindle Research. See page 11 for stat where 76% of Australians think churches make meaningful difference to their community.
  • Jesus more popular than evangelicals: See “Openness to Jesus Isn’t the Problem—the Church Is” by Barna Research (May 2023).
  • Matthew 23: A warning against hypocrisy from Jesus.
  • PSA = Penal Substitutionary Atonement
  • We discussed a significant posture shift that occurred due to ‘Constantine’. We were of course referring to Emperor Constantine from the early 5th century, and not Con Campbell!
Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything! We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
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2 years ago
1 hour 4 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 8: "How can we combat misinformation?" with John Cook
Episode 8: "How do we combat misinformation?"

How do we know what we know? And how can we be sure? No one wants to be gullible, and most of us pride ourselves for being independently minded. And yet... we’re way more dependent on our social groups than we probably realise, which makes us susceptible to believing falsehoods. Today we’re going to jump into the wild world of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories.

John Cook is a Senior Research Fellow with the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne. He researches how to use critical thinking to counter misinformation. He created the Cranky Uncle game, combining critical thinking, cartoons, and gamification to build resilience against misinformation. He currently works with organizations like Facebook, NASA, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and UNICEF to develop evidence-based responses to misinformation. He also founded skepticalscience.com has coauthored/contributed to a vast amount of books including The Debunking Handbook and Conspiracy Theory Handbook..

Other References:

  • Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them by Joseph Uscinski
  • Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America by Will Sommer
  • “Birds Aren’t Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory” by Taylor Lorenz in the New York Times (Dec 9, 2021)
  • John’s paper quantifying the 97% scientific consensus on climate change
  • John Oliver segment referencing John's paper (language warning)
  • ThinkingIsPower.com
  • Hebrews verse John mentioned was Hebrews 11:1 “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Got questions?


You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything! We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
Show more...
2 years ago
1 hour 3 minutes

Deeper Questions
Ep 7: "Why am I still alone?" with Dani Treweek
Episode 7: “Why am I still alone?"

The rates of people who live alone are the highest they have been in over a century. Compared to life 100 years ago, fewer people are marrying, there are more single parent families than ever recorded and more people are living together but not getting the piece of paper to confirm it. Being alone is a normal part of being human, so why is so much of our culture built around people having a romantic partner?

Dr Danielle Treweek did her PhD in singleness from a theological and anthropological perspective, she’s since gone on to write a scholarly book called “The meaning of Singleness”. Dani blogs on her substack and eloquently speaks her mind on twitter.

Other References:

  • Marriage a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz
  • Intimacy in a time of pandemic Dani Treweek, ABC Religion and Ethics
  • From Queerness to Celibacy, how young Christians navigate relationships, Dani Treweek, ABC Radio National
  • Scene from Lego Batman Film If you haven’t seen it, give it a go for a surprisingly deep exploration of friendship, self-reliance and relationships.
Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything! We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
Show more...
2 years ago
1 hour

Deeper Questions
Ep 6: "How do we manage burnout?" with Amy Imms
Episode 6: "How do we manage burnout?"

Burnout has become one of those topics that seemingly every work place talks about now. And if they’re not, well they should be. According to a study from McKinsey in 2021, Australians suffer the highest rates of burnout of any country with around 61% of Australians having experienced some form of burnout (compared with the global average of 48%).

Dr Amy Imms is a medical doctor and the founder of The Burnout Project – An Australian organisation helping people recover from burnout and create a life of meaningful work and joy. She is the author of Burnout: Your first Ten Steps and believes that we can thrive instead of merely surviving with evidence-based burnout-specific support. She provides group support, individual counselling, online courses, retreats, workshops, and hosts Thrive Symposium. Amy is passionate about preventing burnout in the workplace and supports organisations through workshops, training, and consulting.

Other References:
  • “As life speeds up and pandemic drags, burnout is biting hard” by Wendy Tuohy in the Sydney Morning Herald 9/12/22
  • impostorsyndrome.com (Valerie Young)
  • self-compassion.org (Kristen Neff)
Got questions?

You can shoot Aaron or Amy an email about anything! We'd love to hear your brutally honest or delightfully encouraging thoughts on the show and the topics that come up each week. There's a good chance we have stuff on our website at Third Space too.

Feel free to suggest potential guests or topics as well. No doubt there are heaps of important ideas and stories out there worth hearing!

Deeper Questions is produced by Production Farm Studios
Show more...
2 years ago
58 minutes

Deeper Questions
Submerge in wonder, surface with hope.

Deeper Questions is a podcast by Third Space. Opening space for reflection and intelligent conversation about God, culture and ideas.

Every week Aaron/Amy invite you to listen to fascinating guests as we enter their world, ideas and expertise to answer questions that matter.

We'll bring a Christian angle to every episode, but we'll also take the time to listen to sceptics and the place of doubt in a post-Christian world. Regardless of where you stand from a belief or non-belief perspective, we hope you'll take the plunge with us for Deeper Questions.