Soul Search ABC listen

What role does faith play over the course of a lifetime? Three Christian women, each from a different generation, engage in an honest conversation about faith.

How can one nurture the soul? Or seek the divine in times of suffering and violence? These aren't new questions, but as 1.9 billion Muslims approach the peak of Ramadan, we meet a poet and a professor wrestling with these questions. 

Professor Mohamad Abdalla AM is the Founding Director of the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) at UniSA. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of Islamic Studies.

Yahia Lababidi.is a writer, poet and aphorist. His forthcoming collection of poems Palestine Wail, is dedicated to his grandmother, who had to flee her home in Jerusalem nearly 80 years ago.

Further information:

"Love that makes devils weep", "Ramadan", "What Tragedy Teaches" ©️ Yahia Lababidi 

Jesus is a film star. He’s graced the big screen since the beginning of cinema — you can probably picture him: robed and long-haired, but that’s only one way to imagine Jesus. In fact, the conversation about the image of Christ goes back a whole lot further than the story of cinema — to the earliest Christian era. There are multiple depictions of Jesus in the Bible, and artists have been giving expression to the Christ figure in different ways across time.

Dr Adrian Rosenfeldt is a Lecturer and Head Tutor in Humanities and Social Sciences at La Trobe University. He has a particular interest in sociology of spirituality expressed in film and music as well as New Atheist identities in a post 9-11 world. He is the author of The God Debaters: New Atheist Identity-Making and the Religious Self in the New Millennium and an upcoming article in the Human Studies journal titled, The “Spirit” of new Atheism and Religious Activism.

Dr Katharine Massam is Professor of History at the University of Divinity and the author of a new study of the Australian writer Kylie Tennant, whose depression-era novels offer a disruptive vision of Christ in the midst of the workers' movement.

Rituals mark moments moments throughout our lives, big and small. They are also used to draw attention to political injustice and social inequality, to express lament and to reorient the participants in the ritual toward wholeness. What role might rituals play in our lives and our politics, and who might we find participating beside us?

Cole Arthur Riley is a writer, poet and NYT bestselling author. She is also the creator of Black Liturgies, a project of The Center for Dignity and Contemplation, where she serves as Curator. Her books include This Here Flesh and Black Liturgies.

Dr Molly Farneth is Associate Professor in the Religion Department of Haverford College. Her research and teaching focus on American and European religious thought (19th century to the present), with particular attention to religion and politics, ethics, rituals, and feminist and gender studies in religion. She is the author of The Politics of Ritual.

Perhaps you've heard it said, "We are what we repeatedly do". The early Christian ascetics knew this, but you don't have to be a monk to cultivate good habits, replace bad ones, and — hopefully — become a better person.

Dr Jonathan Zecher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at the Australian Catholic University. He is a historian of Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Empire with a special interest in monastic literature and early Christian culture.

Andrew Hill is the CEO of Steiner Education Australia and a member of the Anthroposophical Society.

Flamy Grant is a drag queen who made a splash in the Contemporary Christian Music industry, charting on Billboard and iTunes' Christian charts. Previously, powerful gatekeepers at Christian record labels and radio stations excluded queer artists from their lineups for decades. Now, digital distribution and social media are revolutionising the music industry and opening doors for LGBTI+ people to contribute their art to an industry that previously excluded them.

Flamy Grant (she/her, aka Matthew Blake, they/them) is a musician and drag queen originating from North Carolina. She is the first drag performer to reach #1 on the Christian iTunes charts, and in 2023 her debut record Bible Belt Baby was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards. Prior to adopting the Flamy Grant persona, Matthew Blake worked as a worship leader for 22 years and released folk music under their own name.

Mikali Anagnostis (they/them) is a singer/songwriter who has just released their first EP, Whole with the sacred arts collective, Marion St. They are a member of Leichhardt Uniting Church on Gadigal/Wangal land in Sydney.

Music in this episode
'What Did You Drag Me Into?' by Flamy Grant
'Good Day' by Flamy Grant
'Garden' by Mikali Anagnostis/Marion St
'God is Coming' by Mikali Anagnostis/Marion St