Being Human
Evangelical Alliance
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Join Jo Frost and Peter Lynas for a conversation asking what does it mean to be human. We will be looking behind the headlines, into the stories that form and shape us, exploring how we can ensure that it’s God’s story that ultimately defines being human today.
Available episodes
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Oct 14, 2021
Sarah Williams
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 recently in the relationship between Christianity and perceptions of gender, sexuality and the spirituality of time.
In this interview, hear Sarah share powerfully from her own story, as well as drawing on her work that are seeks to empower the church through history, language and prayer, that we may learn to wonderfully articulate the beautiful gospel to a culture that is suspicious of it.
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Oct 7, 2021
Israel Olofinjana
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 this interview, hear him draw powerfully from his own story and journey with cultural identity, as well as his current position on climate justice, mental health and creating intercultural safe spaces to tackle racial injustice.
How can we effectively care for each other and our planet as a unified church? Listen to this essential and timely interview today.
Want to discover more about Rev Israel, and the work of the Evangelical Alliance’s One People Commission? Visit the website today.
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Sep 30, 2021
Carl Trueman
“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, Peter and Jo peel back some of the underlying ideologies of the day, and ask Carl how the church can navigate the opportunities and challenges of this ‘cultural climate change’ in which we are immersed.
Interested in reading The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self? Purchase it from SPCK here.
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Sep 16, 2021
Hannah Thomas
Do we fully appreciate the power of art and creativity in reconciliation processes? When considering conflict, both global and local, how can understanding the imago dei (image of God) influence advocacy?
Peter and Jo chatted with artist and activist Hannah Thomas. Hannah was selected for Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019, and nominated for a UN Women UK Award in 2020, and her art projects have been exhibited in Buckingham Palace, the Scottish Parliament and the Saatchi Gallery. Through portrait painting and participant-led workshops, she seeks to bring the stories of those who have faced displacement and conflict-related sexual violence into places of influence in the Global North.
Particularly amid an ongoing pandemic, how can we learn from Hannah’s experiences in post-conflict settings and seek to engage in our own communities in need of restoration? Listen along to the conversation today.
You can also discover more about Hannah’s work, including examples of her art projects, on her website here.
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Sep 9, 2021
David Bennett
In a culture that idolises desire, but lacks real intimacy, can we tell a better story? And is this possible when some mainstream theology has perpetuated unhelpful conceptions of desire, and its potential for knowing God?
Originally from Sydney, Australia, David Bennett is an author, communicator, and scholar currently completing a doctorate in theology at Oxford university. His first book, A War of Loves (2018) describes his own story from atheistic gay activism to becoming a follower of Jesus.
David chatted with Peter and Jo about the opportunity for our theology and conversations around faith, sexuality, and desire to be transformed for good. As someone who is passionate about the potential for people to live and flourish through Jesus’ teaching, listen to David uncover his thinking around the most fundamental part of what makes us human.
Want to learn more about David Bennett and his work? Visit his website at https://www.dacbennett.com/
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Sep 2, 2021
Karen Swallow Prior
In an age characterised by information overload and difference of belief, it can be challenging to learn how to engage well in discourses swirling round in our headlines, Twitter feeds and churches. As followers of Jesus, our engagement can start with learning how to read well and listen attentively.
Nobody understands this better than reader, writer and academic Karen Swallow Prior. As a professor of English and Christianity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, she draws on her love of literature to transform our understanding of culture, the Bible and each other. With a history of activism within the pro-life movement, and more recent campaigns in the Southern Baptist Convention surrounding gender-based violence and anti-racism, her nuanced and compassionate voice speaks volumes into debates concerning the value of human life.
Join Peter and Jo in our first episode of this interview season as they cover a range of topics with a commentator who defies the boxes that society tries to place her in.
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Feb 18, 2021
The end is nigh
How we think our story is going to end has massive implications on the lives we live today. Is the outcome certain or left contingent on the rises and falls of social opinions and actions?
On the right and left we face stories of utopia and dystopia with no clear vision of a bright and beautiful destination. But advertisers are keenly aware that there is power in our telos stories to shape our behaviours, and we want to shape our work on the proper vision of the end.
Join Peter and Jo as we wrap up season two’s march through the God story. We turn our attention to judgment and paradise, to the New Jerusalem and garden city, and to resurrected life with our King Jesus in the here and now and what’s still to come.
Introduction (00:00)
00:15 We’ve reached the end of season 2! Stay tuned to beinghumanproject.co.uk
01:24 We close our journey through the God story by looking at where this is all heading and how the story ends.
04:00 The advertising industry has built itself on the notion that if you change the story, you can change lives and behaviours. Stories shape us whether we realise it or not.
Act I (09:03)
09:13 Our culture tells telos stories that shape our lives based on how things will end. The most common scientific story ends in annihilation and destruction.
11:44 Yet the common progressive story ends in utopia and has led many to trust in social reform and education to get us there.
13:01 On both the right and left of the political spectrum, we’re presented with variations of utopia and dystopia at the end or telos of our story. Neither offers great hope or surety.
Act II (14:56)
15:06 We’re all looking for an arrival at home at the end of the story, and the God story offers us the certainty that cultural stories can’t offer.
17:33 Despite some version of Christian end stories that leave us with doubts about the future, the overwhelming trajectory of the Bible points toward victory and beauty.
20:47 Our trajectory toward the New Creation in the Kingdom of God gives us vision and purpose for our work here and now.
Act III (25:31)
25:41 The book of Revelation paints a vivid and dynamic picture of our eternity in the presence of God with resurrected bodies in a renewed creation.
27:37 The end of the story also includes judgment on those who chose the love of self above all else and separate themselves from the beauty of life with God.
Conclusion (29:42)
29:52 We find great hope in the crescendo of the biblical story into the beauty of the King and His Kingdom.
31:52 We have work to do to get our narrative right, because the story we believe shapes our lives today. Stay with us as the Being Human project develops, as we keep pressing in.
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Feb 11, 2021
Church versus Community
The pandemic has challenged how all of us think about community. Our assumptions have been exposed. We find ourselves rethinking what it means to be a human in community.
The church has a long tradition of prophets and reformers who have challenged and deconstructed for the sake of rebuilding on a firm foundation. While not all deconstruction is constructive, some Christian leaders are using this moment to realign our church practices with our God-given mandate and mission.
So what is the church when we gather? What about when we scatter? Join the conversation with Jo and Peter for another episode of Being Human.
Introduction (0:00)
00:15 Follow us on Twitter or check out our website beinghumanproject.co.uk
02:44 This we’re looking at community and the church. The pandemic has shaped and exposed so much about how we think about our interconnection.
08:50 The church is designed to be a model community for the world, but the pandemic has challenged even the church’s approach to community
Act I (11:10)
11:20 The biblical prophets, church reformers, and other thinkers have given us a long tradition of deconstructing to rethinking how
13:40 Sometimes deconstructions are simply attempting to tear down without rebuilding on a Biblical foundation.
17:34 The pandemic has given us an opportunity to rethink how the church forms community and has been an incredible challenge for pastors and church leaders.
Act II (19:39)
19:49 The gathering has always been an important component of the church and how we form and disciple Christians.
23:26 Some churches are renewing an interest in our communal confessions of shared truths.
27:27 What is encouraging about the way many churches are approaching the pandemic is that it shows they are thinking about God’s design afresh.
Act III (28:56)
29:06 The scattered church is essential to the mission Jesus gave the early church and has been carried on until now.
31:50 Our worship is not simply about what happens when we gather to serve God but includes our work that serves our neighbor.
Conclusion (35:44)
35:54 The church, in all its brokenness and pain, is the hope for the future. Because it’s in the church, the body of Christ, where we can meet Jesus.
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Feb 4, 2021
Hope-
It’s in the backdrop of darkness that the light shines brightest. When God’s people felt abandoned in exile, the gospel changed everything. The marginalised were brought in and the powerful were humbled.
The pinnacle of the God story is all about the beautiful paradox that sacrifice is the mechanism of hope. Our fears and doubts are no longer barriers to God, but become the occasion our Saviour draws us near.
If you’re feeling at all like Peter and Jo, you’re ready for some good news in the midst of a long and exhausting lockdown. Tune in for this week’s episode of Being Human as we turn our attention to some good news: King Jesus brings us hope.
Introduction (0:00)
00:15 Follow us on Twitter or check out our website beinghumanproject.co.uk
03:05 This week we talk about the good news of King Jesus!
Act I (07:15)
07:25 Abandonment has been a major theme in politics recently as groups have backlashed out of feeling marginalised.
09:52 The gospel comes in the God story right after exile. When the people of Israel were the most tempted to feel abandoned, good news breaks in.
13:23 Subversion is this notion all around us that seeks to deconstruct and radically reinterpret norms and traditions.
14:48 Yet the gospel has its own version of topsy-turvy, as the Kingdom of God uplifts the downtrodden and tears down the high places.
Act II (17:42)
17:52 Sacrifice is another word we hear in our current moment of global pandemic.
19:30 The pinnacle of the God story is that sacrifice is the mechanism of hope.
21:14 Doubt has become more than a skepticism of having the right answer into questioning whether an answer might even exist.
24:26 Jesus’s response to Thomas reminds us that doubt does not mean the end of faith, but is the very opportunity to believe.
Act III (27:25)
27:35 The Gospel means good news, but we lose something core to the gospel when we don’t share it because we don’t believe it’s beautiful.
33:23 Christians are invited back in to the mysterious and the supernatural. And we are meant to experience this together.
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Jan 28, 2021
Exile
The world is changing. It can feel like it’s changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up. Things we once thought were true or good or right are now either up for questioning or seen as downright wrong. Our culture has changed so much that it can feel like we’re living in exile even in our homeland.
Our culture today tells a story of individual expression, where being human is fundamentally about living out of our internal identity, working out what’s true for ourselves and pursuing our 'best self'. If anyone tries to change me or tell me I’m wrong, they are harming me.
In our rapidly changing world, Christians can find it increasingly hard to stand firm in our convictions, facing pressure to change our actions and attitudes to conform. It's tempting to totally isolate ourselves from the world around us.
But the God story reminds us that living in exile is not about isolation but about mission. Together, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christian exiles make public claims about the kingdom of God.
Join Peter and Jo as we discuss what exile teaches us about being human.
Introduction (0:00)
00:15 Follow us on Twitter or check out our website: beinghumanproject.co.uk
02:33 This week we’re looking at the theme of exile and what it’s like to be cast out.
Act I (3:38)
04:48 People who identify with sexually marginalised communities often reference language about being trapped in the wrong body or a repressive system.
09:02 Our culture’s story says that to be human is to live out and express our inner thoughts and feelings with complete authenticity.
12:18 So we come to believe that institutions shouldn’t shape us, and that trying to change behaviour is an issue of personal safety and harm.
Act II (17:04)
17:14 When culture changes so fast around us, we can sometimes feel like exiles in a re-education programme, just like Daniel in Babylon.
20:28 Not even Daniel, a prophet of God, tried to resist the cultural forces around him alone, but he resisted with his friends and engaged his captors relationally.
23:13 Daniel is a precursor to Jesus, and both of them relied on the Holy Spirit’s power as they bore witness to the kingdom of God as a public reality.
Act III (25:14)
25:24 How do we live when we find ourselves in exile in our own culture? We have to know the God story deep in our bones and learn to read the story around us.
27:39 We’ve learned how not to engage culture: fight, flight, and fold. Instead, we can pursue faithfulness, fruitfulness, and flourishing
31:41 Exile isn’t an obstacle to mission, it is the basis for mission. Like Daniel and Jesus, we publicly bear witness in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Jan 21, 2021
Justice and power
Are all of our disagreements about justice in the world simply power struggles? Our global and neighborhood communities seem to constantly clash over imbalances and injustices. It seems as if we are watching a stage play where different actors constantly switch the roles of victim and oppressor.
The standard of true justice in the God story is not contingent upon the shifting sands of power struggles. Rather, we see that real justice is rooted in morality and defined by the character of God. In the Bible we see the improbable mingling of justice and mercy in the person and cross of Jesus Christ.
Join Peter and Jo in this week’s episode of Being Human, as we seek to understand an often-contested word.
Introduction (0:00)
00:15 Follow us on Twitter or check out our website http://beinghumanproject.co.uk
02:08 People in a society have to trust that there is a fair place to resolve disagreements, and yet we clash over our definitions of justice.
Act I (3:40)
03:50 Our conversation…
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Jan 14, 2021
Choice, Contracts and Cancel Culture
What does it mean to live in relationship? Culture today governs our relationships through the ideas of choice, consent and contracts. As individuals, we relate to ours on our own terms and break relationships when they fail to meet our needs. We see these stories bubble up in marriages, international commitments and through the latest hashtag #cancelculture.
The God story invites us into covenant relationship with God and his people. The books of Joshua and Judges present a robust alternative to cancel culture and consumerist choice in managing our lives together.
Join the conversation as Jo and Peter explore another facet of what it means to be human in light of the God story.
Introduction (0:00)
00:15 Follow us on Twitter or check out our website http://beinghumanproject.co.uk
02:34 The post-modernity story tells us human freedom and autonomy from restrictions and oppression.
08:08 In all this deconstruction, have we lost something central to what it means to be human?
Act I…
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Dec 17, 2020
How free are we?
The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted so many of our personal liberties and limited our daily choices. Does that mean we are no longer free? Join hosts Peter and Jo in this week’s episode of Being Human as we look at a foundational God story of what it means to have freedom.
The great novelists always seem to worry human beings risk losing their freedom, but they don’t always agree what that will look like. Recent conversations about social media has have suggested we worry so much about losing our privacy, we don’t even notice when we lose our freedom.
God set his His people free in a costly display of power. Yet, this freedom came with responsibilities.
Join us as we discuss what it really means to be free in 2020, even in times when we can’t do everything we’d like.
Introduction (0:00)
00:20 Welcome back! Thank you for listening and check out our website.
02:22 The pandemic has once again raised the question: What is freedom?
Act I (03:43)
03:53 Novelists George Orw…
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Dec 10, 2020
Being human in a networked world - Part 2
Being human in a networked world - Part 2
Are conspiracy stories the real pandemic of 2020? Stories like QAnon have spread with just as much vigor and speed as the novel coronavirus. What parables can Christians hear in recent events?
Mark Sayers, author, thinker, speaker, podcaster, and pastor from Melbourne, Australia, joins Jo and Peter for a two-part conversation around what it means to be human in the global network of connections we find ourselves in today.
Listen now to part two of our bonus episode.
Act I (00:00)
01:38 Why is QAnon gaining a global following when it is based on US politics?
08:12 In our age of information overload, we crave prophets and interpreters.
13:58 We are learning more about the power of community in the spread of ideas.
Act II (17:01)
17:12 The global church has an opportunity to offer better communities and stories.
24:15 Crisis elevates and exposes our insecurities and questions.
Act III (25:58)
26:08 How can Christians make sure this cri…
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Dec 3, 2020
The problem is me
S2E03: The problem is me
What’s wrong with our world? What drives us apart? Things get gritty in this week’s episode of Being Human, as Peter and Jo wrestle with the conflict driving our story forward.
We all seem to know something is off, but in the stories we listen to, what carries the plot along? If conflict is the engine, who is driving the car? Are we the heroes in the stories we tell ourselves, and if so, who is the villain?
The God story surprises us with an inconvenient narrative. The real problem we feel isn’t outside us but comes right from within us. Sin deceives us with the poisonous idea that God cheats us, and we can do better without Him. This lie drives a wedge between us and God and between our fellow human beings as well.
Join us as we consider how the God story gives us a more compelling explanation for the conflict in our heart and in our world.
Introduction (00:00)
00: 17 Welcome back! We’re still in lockdown.
01:55 All good stories have conflict.…
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Dec 3, 2020
Being human in a networked world - Part 1
Being human in a networked world - Part 1
The COVID-19 virus has shown us all just how connected our world has become. Just like a tiny virus can spread across the globe, our connected societies have shown us that stories can travel with just as much speed and impact.
Mark Sayers, author, thinker, speaker, podcaster, and pastor from Melbourne, Australia, joins Jo and Peter for a two-part conversation around what it means to be human in the global network of connections we find ourselves in today.
Listen now to the first of two bonus episodes – part two out next week.
Act I (00:00)
00:20 Meet our guest, Mark Sayers.
02:45 The rate of change is accelerating with the internet and connectedness.
06:10 Globalisation is decentralising and fragmenting power, with surprising results.
Act II (10:05)
10:17 Stories are clashing more than ever in our connected world.
12:50 We are also becoming more suspicious and critical of our stories.
15:24 Cultural and personal narratives are much…
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Nov 26, 2020
Foundation stories
S2E02: Foundation stories
What are the stories that we build our lives on? Are they strong enough for us to build our purpose, identity and behaviour upon? Join us for a new episode of Being Human as our hosts Jo and Peter examine the different stories that are trying to frame the deepest parts of who we are.
Some of the narratives promoted by public figures in our culture—from David Attenborough, to Marie Kondo, to Jordan Peterson—may offer some helpful advice or call us to do good and noble things. But underneath all of their “what?” and “how?” answers to our questions about being human, they leave us hanging and fail to provide a satisfying answer to the deepest “why?” questions.
The opening to the God story was written to challenge other ancient foundation stories, and ultimately teaches us that humans are made in the image of God. We are earthlings made from the earth, and because we are part of God’s good creation, we matter. As God’s image bearers, we join…
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Nov 19, 2020
Whose lives matter?
S2E01: Whose lives matter? Through the global pandemic, black lives matter and political crises, why does it feel like the protection and affirmation of human rights is a zero-sum game? Diving in at the deep end, Jo Frost and Peter Lynas are back for a new season of the Being Human podcast.
In this episode we compare two very different stories that offer an answer to the question, whose lives matter? The world tells a story of “utilitarianism,” which claims that useful lives matter. Jo and Peter help us to start considering the serious flaws in this story and questioning its basic assumptions.
In the God story, we see a very different answer to the question, whose lives matter? Human lives matter because they are all created in the image of God. Even more importantly, God gave human life unspeakable dignity when he himself took on humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
Join us as we consider the discipleship opportunities for this intersection God’s story and the world’s…
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May 18, 2020
In Lockdown - Dignity
Being Human in lockdown; special edition. Peter and Jo are back! With a series of specials looking at the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the fundamental questions we ask about who we are and how we are to live. In this episode we look at dignity and the value of life.
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Mar 19, 2020
I'm only human after all
Episode 8: I'm only human after all. Jo and Peter, separated thanks to the coronavirus, chat through the series so far. Reflecting on some of the bigger stories we've looked at, from Love Island to China, from Augustine to Donald Trump we are asking what does being a person of freedom look like when we live through times of extreme restriction. As well as looking back, we also look forward to conversations we have planned for Being Human; image, identity, relationship and purpose are all in our future. And what a future it is!
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Mar 12, 2020
Free speech
Episode 7: Free speech. Through issues surrounding no platforming, cancel culture, Donald Trump and hospitality, Peter and Jo discuss many of the stories that have been hitting our news feeds recently. Exploring the idea of freedom of speech, and the role of control, we chat about how we can extend hospitality to those we disagree with.
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Mar 5, 2020
Freedom, justice and jubilee
Episode 6: Freedom, justice and jubilee. Jo and Peter discuss stories and ideas around the massive ideas of forgiveness, reconciliation, power and retribution. With a minor diversion to tech and social media and some misquoting of the Bible, we look at the intractable relationship between freedom and justice, issues of the misuse of power in places like Myanmar and how poverty feeds injustice. We look at the impact of focusing on Jesus at the centre of our story, and how understanding jubilee can be about the proclamation of justice to others.
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Feb 27, 2020
Freedom, liberalism and democracy
Episode 5: Freedom, liberalism and democracy. Jo and Peter geek-out exploring the critical role of the public square. From Reith lectures, through pelagianism, with a brief stopover with Harry and Meghan, to Tim Farron and the current state of political parties. Throughout it all we're asking "Is liberal democracy under threat and should we care?"
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Feb 20, 2020
Freedom of religion, China and AI
Episode 4. Freedom of religion, China and AI. How does technology and the control of data affect our freedom? Peter and Jo discuss China’s global influence, advances in AI and the implications for freedom of belief and religious and minorities persecution.
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Feb 13, 2020
Freedom and the attention economy
Episode 3. Peter and Jo discuss Facebook, Tinder, and data mining. They explore how we as followers of Jesus can seek the presence of God in a culture where image shapes identity and technology is a significant driving force shaping the story in our society today.
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Feb 6, 2020
Are you human?
Episode 1. Jo and Peter explore the meeting place between what our culture talks about in terms of being human and what the Bible says. When we talk about ideas of freedom, identity, purpose, meaning, do we mean the same thing? Jesus offers life in the fullness, Paul wrote it is for freedom that we have been set free. Does the picture our culture paints of what freedom looks like, match the bigger story outlined in the Bible?
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Feb 6, 2020
Love Island, dating apps and desire
Episode 2. How does Love Island or dating apps form, reform and deform our desires? What impact does that have on our understanding of, and access to, freedom? We are storied creatures, stories shape who we are. The story of the world appears to be one of individual freedom - I get to be who I want to be and date or sleep with whom ever I like - that is being free. But freedom isn’t about choice, it isn’t even about control. The biblical story shows us that ultimately freedom is rooted in a life lived in relationship with God.
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Jan 29, 2020
Being Human - Trailer
Join Jo Frost and Peter Lynas for a conversation asking what does it mean to be human. We will be looking behind the headlines, into the stories that form and shape us, exploring how we can ensure that it’s God’s story that ultimately defines being human today.
Find out more at eauk.org/beinghuman
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