Podcasts
Podcasts are audio recordings that you can subscribe to, so you can listen whenever a new episode is released. You can listen directly on a web site, but it’s often more convenient to use an app on your phone such as AntennaPod or Apple Podcasts.
Many people find podcasts a great way to learn, contemplate and grow in our faith, and on this page we want to recommend some podcasts that you may find helpful.
Disclaimer: St John’s welcomes open debate and questioning, and encourages you to listen to voices with many different perspectives. As such, we may recommend podcasts on this page which express a broad range of views, some of which we may disagree with!
Recommended contemplations and meditations
Podcasts can be a great support in prayer, and several of our favourite podcasts provide “contemplations” or “meditations” that guide us through praying in a particular way. Here are some you might like to try out:
- 24-7 Prayer provide a daily devotional resource that is available in audio and text versions, with an app you can install on your phone: Lectio 365.
- The Bible Project podcast provide an additional podcast of reflections on Bible passages: Bible Project Reflections.
- Nomad contemplations – if you donate to Nomad podcast, you can access the Nomad Contemplations and Nomad Devotionals feeds, but for a taster, several are available on the free feed too. For example, try: Julian of Norwich, Peace and Presence or Freedom from the Tyranny of Fear.
- Kate Bowler from Everything Happens podcast is posting very personal messages of blessing on her Instagram page: Kate Bowler on Instagram and has blessings in written form in her Blessings Archive.
Do you have other podcast recommendations? Please submit them to our podcast page maintainer, Andy Balaam.
Listen to Esther on Justice Worriers!
A real treat to hear some of our vicar Esther’s personal story in a special episode of the Justice Worriers podcast.
Andy, Jörg and Leah talk to Esther, who hears a song of Jesus’s approval even when other voices clamour to overwhelm her. She describes her journey of salvation through acceptance to repentance and being home, and discusses the forgiveness she is able to live out through her understanding of the fall.
Listen and subscribe to future episodes at Justice Worriers.
Nomad
Nomad podcast is certainly not for everyone at St John’s: it describes itself as “Stumbling through the post-Christendom wilderness, looking for signs of hope,” and it frequently discusses rejection of some of the ideas of Evangelical Christianity.
For people who recognise the challenges, doubts and seeking though, Nomad can prove a very safe space for reflection. It is clear that the presenters are genuinely seeking God, and trying to understand what that means, even while they question and doubt the stories and institutions that were handed down to them.
For example, try “Janet Williams – Seeking the God Beyond”:
To subscribe, visit the Nomad Podcast page or add the RSS Feed to your podcast app.
Leadership Conversations with Nicky Gumbel
Leadership Conversations with Nicky Gumbel is a podcast where Nicky interviews Christian leaders from diverse areas of the church.
“Each episode introduces a new voice from the world of Christian leadership. In these free-flowing conversations, Nicky interviews an array of global leaders, exploring the intersection of their faith story and leadership.”
For example, try this interview with Archbishop Thabo Makgoba from South Africa:
To subscribe, visit the Leadership Conversations with Nicky Gumbel page, or use the RSS feed.
Living in Love and Faith
Living in Love and Faith is a podcast from the Church of England exploring how questions about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage fit within the bigger picture of the good news of Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to live in love and faith together as a Church? Find out more about Living in Love and Faith by watching the video and listening to the podcast:
To subscribe, visit the Living in Love and Faith home page.
GodPod
With a casual style, and deep theological roots, GodPod is inspired mostly to try and answer questions from listeners on the most searching questions in our faith.
GodPod is a podcast from St Paul’s Theological Centre in which theologians Graham Tomlin, Mike Lloyd, Jane Williams and guests discuss burning issues of God, theology, life and much more, over a supply of coffee and biscuits.
Sample an episode here:
GodPod: 149 (23/07/2020) In the light of the death of George Floyd, Jane and Graham are joined by Sharon Prentis, Intercultural Mission Enabler in the Anglican diocese of Birmingham UK, to discuss why Christians should care about the sin of racism, and why every church needs to be multicultural.
You can subscribe at the GodPod home page or add the RSS feed to your favourite podcast app.
Justice Worriers
Created by members of our congregation at St John’s Egham, Justice Worriers attempts to provide a space to discuss our hopes, fears, doubt and faith about how we as Christians understand and confront justice and injustice in the world.
You can listen to the introductory episode here:
and listen and subscribe to future episodes at Justice Worriers.
The Bible Project
With the aim of “Helping people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus”, The Bible Project makes videos and study guides explaining Bible stories and ideas. The creators make a podcast where they talk about the videos they are working on, and explain the ideas in much more detail.
(You can subscribe by choosing “podcast” above, or copy this link: Bible Project RSS feed.)
We recommend the series called The Day of the Lord, which may help us to process the turbulent politics of our time with a longer-term perspective.
The first episode of The Day of the Lord series is called “What’s The Deal With Babylon?”:Transforming Generosity
Reflections on the Gospel of Luke by members of the Guildford Diocese, created for each day of October 2020. You can listen to the introductory episode here:
and subscribe to all the episodes at Transforming Generosity.