Shows
Nomad PodcastNatalia-Nana - Decolonising FaithNatalia-Nana is a teacher, trainer, and coach in Equity, Diversity, and Liberation. In this episode we talk about what it means to decolonise our faith, why it is important and how we can go about it. Jemimah and Natalia-Nana explore the relationship between deconstruction and the work of decolonising and dismantling. They discuss the impact of colonisation on the ways we think, relate, and the way that institutions operate including in our spiritual journeys and faith communities. After the interview, Nomad hosts Jemimah McAlpine and Anna Robinson ponder how Natalia’s experiences might inform their own activism an...
2021-08-092h 24
Nomad PodcastJemimah McAlpine - The Power of EmbodimentIn this episode Jemimah McAlpine talks about her transformative experience of dance and her thinking about the theological significance of dancing. She and David Blower discuss dualism and embodiment and how reconnecting with our bodies can lead to an experience of wholeness and connection with the earth and everyone around us. Jemimah shares how embodiment has changed her understanding of God and enjoyment of life. Interview starts at 12m 32s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us...
2021-06-111h 19
Nomad PodcastDamon Garcia - The God Who LiberatesIn this episode we speak with author of The God Who Riots, Damon Garcia. Damon talks to us about how he found meaning in the God of liberation theology after questioning his beliefs and leaving the faith he inherited. We explore the importance of embodiment and community in faithful practice and how our context shapes our ideas about God. We talk about reading the Bible from the perspective of the marginalised through the example of the Magnificat and the call to listen to those on the underside of power. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and...
2021-04-211h 57
Nomad PodcastLisa Gungor - Opening Your Eyes to WonderSinger-songwriter and author Lisa Gungor’s life was all coming together. She’d married her college sweetheart and was establishing herself as a successful musician. But cracks began to form when her husband told her he no longer believed in God and they were asked to leave the Church she helped start, a close friend died, their baby girl was born with two heart defects, and her musical career began to unravel. But through the depression and despair she slowly began to let go of what she thought was true, and began to see hope and new life through thes...
2020-12-101h 42
Nomad PodcastPeter Rollins - Radical TheologyIn this episode we discuss radical theology with author, philosopher and storyteller Peter Rollins. Peter explores the freedom that comes when we accept and embrace the lack within us and the struggle within life. He believes that letting go of the frenetic pursuit of that which will make us whole and complete opens the way to accepting the lack within and finding enjoyment within the struggles of life. From this place of freedom we find God in the act of love, the depth dimension of our experiences, and in a continual transformative conversation. After the interview Nomad...
2020-09-102h 08
Nomad PodcastEmily Garcés - Hitchhiking with Drunken NunsIn this episode we speak with artist, poet and author Emily Garcés. It’s a heart-warming, heart-breaking, inspiring and challenging conversation, as Emily shares with us her journey through life and faith, with all of its joys and struggles, as she wrestles with what it means to be fully alive. After the interview, Nomad hosts Jemimah McAlpine and Tim Nash reflection on their own faith deconstruction and what has subsequently brought them life. Interview starts at 11m 48s You can buy Emily's book in the US through CreativeOnion Press and in the UK t...
2020-08-101h 36
Nomad PodcastHillary McBride - EmbodyDr. Hillary McBride is a clinical counselor in Vancouver. When she’s not doing clinical work she is researching, speaking, writing and podcasting (as a host on The Liturgists Podcast), about the intersection of spirituality and mental health, trauma, and trauma therapies, embodiment, eating disorders, body image, and sex and sexuality. But we wanted to focus in on embodiment, so we spent a hour chatting about what it means to be truly embodied, why many of us feel so disconnected from our bodies, and how a greater sense of embodiment can profoundly reshape our sense of self, gender, sexuality, sp...
2020-07-081h 52
Nomad PodcastMark Oakley - Poetry and the Journey of the SoulIn this episode Mark Oakley shares with us his lifelong relationship with poetry. He believes poetry is the language of the soul, and should therefore be the person of faith’s native language. For Mark poetry has put to words his deepest longing, has sustained him through troubled times, and has transformed the way he’s come to see God, himself and others. And Mark believes that in our ever more chaotic world, now more than ever we need to rediscover the language of poetry. After the interview, Nomad hosts David Blower and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on the ro...
2020-06-091h 32
Nomad PodcastNicola Slee - Faith in Feminism?Theologian, poet and author Nicola Slee joins Jemimah to talk about when she first encountered feminist theology and its potential to challenge, inform and enrich our Christian faith and practice. Nicola Slee is Director of Research at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theology and Professor of Feminist Practical Theology in the Faculty of Religion at VU Amsterdam. Her research interests range around Christian feminist practical theology but also encompass poetry and theology and other aspects of practical theology. After the interview, Nomad hosts David Blower and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on the increasing role feminism has...
2020-05-221h 58
Nomad PodcastJemimah McAlpine & Joy Brooks - Jemimah, Joy and JezebelIn another break from our usual interview format, we listen in on a conversation between Jemimah McAlpine and Joy Brooks as they reflect on their experiences as women who grew up immersed in evangelical Christianity. Unpicking some of the messages they absorbed over the years, they examine what it means for them to move away from repression and reconnect with their embodied and internal experiencing. Learning to value their own voice, they also explore the responsibility that comes with agency and privilege within their respective communities. Conversation starts at 4m 30s. Books, quotes, links →
2020-02-251h 03
Nomad PodcastVicky Walker - Sex, Relationships and ReligionIn this episode we speak with writer, speaker and researcher, Vicky Walker. Vicky conducted a survey with nearly 1500 people about their experiences of the changing nature of relationships and how, if at all, their faith and churches have helped them make sense of this. It turns out (spoiler alert!) the Church hasn’t always been that helpful. So where do we look for signs of hope in these confusing times? After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash, Jemimah McAlpine and Nick Thorley discuss how the evangelical faith they inherited shaped their view of sex and relationships, and how...
2019-11-121h 47
Nomad PodcastPádraig Ó Tuama - In the ShelterIn this episode Jemimah speaks with Irish poet, storyteller and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama. It’s a profoundly wise and insightful interview, touching on themes of language, story, gospel, power, community, sexuality and religion. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on Pádraig faith journey and ponder how the lessons he's learnt might shape their own evolving faith. Interview starts at 16m 10s During the conversation, Padraig reads the poems Narrative Theology 1 & 2, which are taken from Readings from the Book of Exile (Canterbury Press, 2012), and he reads a prayer...
2019-10-231h 51
Nomad PodcastAlexander John Shaia - The Four-Fold Path of TransformationHow do we face change? How do we move through suffering? How do we receive joy? And how do we mature in service? According to psychologist, spiritual director, liturgist and author Alexander Shaia, these four questions are the questions of our lives. They are universal, sequential, and cyclical, and are recognised by every major religious faith and school of psychology and forms the very heart of Christian belief and practice. In fact, Alexander made the startling discovery that each of the four gospels were written to address each of these four questions. So if we long for transformation, then...
2019-08-132h 08
Nomad PodcastBarbara Brown Taylor - Finding God in the Faith of OthersEpiscopal priest, professor, theologian and author Barbara Brown Taylor, joins us on Nomad. In the early 2000s Barbara left the ministry, an experience she described in Leaving Church, the first of a trilogy of books about redefining her faith. But it’s what Barbara got up to after church leadership that we want to talk about. Barbara spent 20 years teaching world religions, and forming relationships with local leaders from a variety of other faiths, a journey which she describe in her latest book Holy Envy. So we quiz Barbara on what she’s learnt about finding God in the...
2019-07-242h 02
Nomad PodcastSally Mann and Shane Claiborne - People, Places and Post-EvangelicalsIn this episode we bring together London based sociologist, pastor and community theologian Sally Mann and Philadelphia based social activist and author Shane Claiborne. Shane had crossed the pond to join Sally and others in launching Red Letter Christians UK. So we took the opportunity to quiz them about the state of evangelicalism in both the UK and US, what lies at the heart of their faith, their concerns about post-evangelicalism, and why they see signs of hope in the Red Letter Christians movement. After the interview Nomad hosts David Blower, Jemimah McAlpine, Tim Nash...
2019-07-031h 51
Nomad PodcastDavid Blower - We Really Existed and We Really Did ThisNomad hosts Tim Nash and Jemimah McAlpine sit down with fellow host David Benjamin Blower to talk through his new album - We Really Existed and We Really Did This. It's a conversation in which David wrestles with faith and theology, and searches for signs of hope in the increasingly chaotic times we live in. As you'd expect from David, it's a classic, full of deeply reflective, insightful and challenging observations. Interview starts at 4m 25s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoug...
2019-05-211h 11
Nomad PodcastNatalie Collins - Power, Privilege and PatriarchyNatalie Collins is a gender justice specialist, who speaks, writes and trains on issues of violence against women and wider gender injustice. In trying to make sense of her own experience of domestic abuse - and the fact that over the course of a lifetime over a quarter of women experience domestic abuse - Natalie began to ask questions about the patriarchal nature of our society (and Church) and how this shapes the way men view women and themselves. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on their own experiences of p...
2019-05-081h 54
Nomad PodcastJanet Williams - Seeking the God BeyondJanet Williams joins us to discuss apophatic theology and spirituality. I know, it doesn’t sound like the most riveting topic. But trust me, it’s essential listening for anyone who’s been through some kind of deconstruction, faith evolution or dark night of the soul, anyone who’s interested in mysticism, or who’s gown tired and disillusioned with the Church’s obsession with trying to tightly define God. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on Janet's experiences and insights and ponder whether they shed new light on their own evolving faith journe...
2019-02-221h 45
Nomad Podcast10th Anniversary Q&A MarathonIt was 10 years ago that Nomad first uploaded an episode. 10 years!! So to celebrate we’d like to give you a gift as a thank you for all your support and encouragement. But what to give the beloved listener to mark such a special occasion? How about a 3 hour 40 minute Q&A marathon episode with the whole gang, Jemimah McAlpine, David Blower, Tim Nash, Nick Thorley, and Dave Ward. If you'd like to give a gift back to us, why not leave us a nice review on whichever podcast app you use. Books, quotes, links →
2019-02-083h 40
Nomad PodcastEdwina Gateley - Missionaries, Mystics and Mother GodEdwina Gateley is a mystic, and a social activist. Her life has been a rhythm of extended periods of prayer and solitude (including 9 months of silence in a caravan in a forest!) and activism (including establishing a mission agency that has sent hundreds of people into missions work around the world, and working with prostitutes on the streets of Chicago). Through both her radical activism and deep contemplation Edwina’s understanding and experience of God and Church has been radically challenged and reshaped. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Jemimah McAlpine reflect on Ed...
2019-01-211h 39
Nomad PodcastLiz West - The Enneagram: 9 Pathways for Spiritual GrowthEnneagram trainer Liz West joins us on the show to talk about this ancient tool for transformation. You may have seen the rather "dodgy" looking enneagram symbol, but don’t be put off. This is an ancient treasure that goes right back to the fourth century desert mothers and fathers who began to discern the things that blocked our relationships with ourselves, with others and with God. And that’s what make the enneagram unique. It doesn’t so much reveal who you are, as the coping mechanisms you’ve developed that have become blockages to your transformation. After...
2018-11-231h 31
Nomad PodcastSteve Aisthorpe - The Invisible ChurchYou're no doubt aware that the Church has been in steady decline in the West for a number of decades now. In the UK for example, Church attendance has roughly halved in the last thirty five years. But what do we know about all the people who left? Why did they leave? And what are they doing now? Researcher Steve Aisthorpe contacted 5000 church leavers to find out more. And what it discovered revealed a much more hopeful, but no less challenging picture of the Church! After the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash, Jemimah McAlpine and David Blower r...
2018-08-201h 21
Nomad PodcastVicky Beeching - From Shame to PrideVicky Beeching was the darling of the Christian worship scene. For a decade she wrote hit albums and toured American mega-churches, leading worship for thousands of people every week. Her songs become some of the most sung around the world. But from the age of 13 Vicky had kept a secret. She was gay. When finally at the age of 35 she came out, the evangelical Church she loved turned on her. Boycotting her music, they ended her career over night. This was backed up with an unrelenting flood of online abuse. We chat with Vicky about t...
2018-06-221h 17
Nomad PodcastDanielle Shroyer - Original Blessing (N170)Danielle Shroyer believes that more than any other idea, the doctrine of original sin has "slowly eroded our understanding of our relationship with God". Not only that, she believes it is unbiblical, and was rejected by Judaism and many Christian traditions, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church. So we ask Danielle how she understands sin, separation, and our relationship with God. Her answer? Original Blessing. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and new host Jemimah McAlpine reflect on the role Original Sin played in shaping their faith, and what a more hopeful and live-giving theology might lo...
2018-04-091h 27