Spiritual Misfits Podcast

Meeting Ground
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  • CHRISTIANITY
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If you’ve ever felt on the fringes of Christian faith this is a safe space for you. Your questions, doubts and hopes are all welcome here. We’re creating conversations, affirmations, meditations and other resources to support you on your spiritual journey and let you know that even if you feel like a misfit, you don’t have to feel alone. 

  1. 1D AGO

    'My Body is Not a Prayer Request' (Amy Kenny) [Replay]

    This is a replay of one of our highlight conversations from the archive. Originally released September 2024. Amy Kenny, author of 'My Body Is Not A Prayer Request,' joins Will for a discussion about disability justice and ableism in the church. She shares her experiences of being prayed over for her disability to be erased and the harmful treatment she received in the church. Amy emphasises the importance of recognising the image of God in disabled bodies and reframing our understanding of healing and curing. She challenges the ableist language, assumptions, and practices that exist in churches and calls for a more inclusive and holistic approach to faith. The conversation explores the themes of inclusivity, disability in scripture, and creating communities that fully receive the gifts of all members. Amy shares her journey of accepting and being proud of her disabled identity and how her theology has evolved to embrace disability. She emphasises the need to move beyond tolerance and charity towards celebrating and learning from disabled individuals. Amy also discusses the importance of unlearning ableism, creating cultures of access, and developing a community care network for disabled members. The conversation concludes with final thoughts for both disabled and non-disabled listeners. Amy's website: https://amy-kenny.com/ Amy's book: 'My Body is not a Prayer Request' Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    1 hr

  2. FEB 28

    "Queer Blood and Fire" — the Experience of LGBTQ+ Salvation Army Officers (Brad Watson)

    Brad Watson spent years as a Salvation Army officer — humanitarian disaster responder, senior leader, insider. He's also gay. In this conversation, Brad shares what led him to research the lived experience of LGBTQ+ officers within the Salvation Army, and what he found: stories of moral injury, religious trauma, and quiet resilience, gathered from officers who trusted him with their experiences. We talk about the Salvation Army's unusual dual identity as both beloved welfare organisation and conservative evangelical church, the concept of moral injury, and what genuine allyship actually requires when the cost becomes real. But we also go looking for hope — and find it in authenticity, unexpected ministry, and a theology of grace that refuses to stay within its own boundaries. Brad's book Queer Blood and Fire is available now: https://www.queerbloodandfirebook.com/ Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    1h 6m

  3. FEB 21

    Poetry, Identity, and the Search for Belonging (Andrew Cox)

    Andrew Cox is a Filipino-Australian poet, performer, and the facilitator of Canberra Poetry Slam. In this conversation, we explore how poetry spaces can function as alternative spiritual communities — places of transcendence, vulnerability, and belonging outside traditional religious frameworks. Andrew shares his journey from earnest young performer to community curator, wrestling with questions of colonial identity, the tension between certainty and conviction, and what it means to create spaces that are genuinely safe while still allowing for healthy challenge and growth. Connect with Andrew: https://andrewcoxpoetry.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewcoxpoetry https://www.instagram.com/canberraslam Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    49 min

  4. FEB 14

    A Hidden Life in the Attention Economy (Justine Toh)

    Justine Toh is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX) and a writer whose work appears regularly in The Guardian. In this conversation, Will and Justine explore the crisis of attention in our digital age — what we lose when our attention is fragmented, what it costs to reclaim it, and if the concept of 'a hidden life' might help us. This conversation doesn't offer simple answers, but genuine wrestling with how to live consciously within the systems we're part of. Articles referenced: Justine Toh, "As the year begins, don't look away from the headlines, look better and deeper" — The GuardianJustine Toh, "A hidden life in the era of social media can still change history, as the story of Jesus shows" — The GuardianJustine Toh, "The world is burning. Who can convince the comfortable classes of the radical sacrifices needed?" — The GuardianBooks referenced: Johann Hari, Stolen FocusOliver Burkeman, Four Thousand WeeksJonathan Haidt, The Anxious GenerationJustine Toh, Achievement Addiction Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    58 min

  5. FEB 7

    What if 'picking and choosing' is actually fine? (James McGrath, Beyond Deconstruction) 

    What if the beliefs you were taught don't all have to stand or fall together? James McGrath, a New Testament scholar who went through his own faith reconstruction, joins Will to talk about what comes after deconstruction. Using the metaphor of DIY home renovation, James explores how we can take ownership of rebuilding our worldview without guilt - recognising that even the most conservative Christians are already "picking and choosing," doing it thoughtfully is what matters. We discuss the time machine thought experiment that revealed what's actually load-bearing in James' faith, why certainty and conviction are fundamentally different things, and how early Christian apologists actually sought to integrate the best of secular philosophy rather than argue against it. James makes the case that the most basic question about God — does ultimate reality exist? — is actually less debatable than we think, freeing us to focus on the more important questions about attributes, meaning, and how we live. Order James's book: Beyond Deconstruction: Building a More Expansive Faith Available February 3, 2026 https://eerdmans.com/9780802884596/beyond-deconstruction/ Connect with James:  Blog: Religion Prof (patheos.com/blogs/religionprof)  X/Twitter: @ReligionProf  Instagram: @jamesfmcgrath  TikTok: @ReligionProf Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    1h 2m

  6. JAN 31

    Pub Theology: the breakdown of our shared reality

    Mitch and Will hang out with a cuppa in Mitch's lounge room and discuss the state of the world. They talk about raising kids in progressive faith communities, Australia's social media ban for under-16s, and why it's so hard to build thick community when everyone wants the benefits of belonging without the commitment. They wrestle with whether their kids are learning to intuit God or just vibing with religious practice, and Mitch shares what 13 years off social media has done to his tolerance for difference. Like all Pub Theology episodes, it's loose, it's free-form and Mitch  brings up universalism at least once. Settle in with your drink of choice and join us in Mitch's lounge room. Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    58 min

  7. JAN 24

    Second-time-around spirituality: 'To Rebehold the Stars' (Tiffany Yecke Brooks)

    What comes after faith deconstruction? Tiffany Yecke Brooks joins Will to talk about "second-time-around spirituality" — the beautiful, uncertain space of rebuilding after everything falls apart. Drawing on the final image from Dante's Inferno, Tiffany explores what it means to emerge from hell and 'rebehold the stars'. Tiffany and Will discuss why our understanding of God is only as big as our language for God, how to develop a unique spiritual lexicon that fits your experience, and moving from cynicism to wonder without losing discernment. Tiffany shares practical exercises from the book including body-mapping emotions and church words, reimagining spiritual practices and evaluating faith communities by asking "what story is this church telling?"  Pre-order Tiffany's book: To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith and Formation After Deconstruction Available March 30, 2026 https://eerdmans.com/9780802884367/to-rebehold-the-stars/ Tiffany's Website: https://www.tiffanyyeckebrooks.com/ Tiffany's Substack: The Leros Project Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    1h 3m

  8. JAN 17

    If the world doesn't end and we're still neighbours (Amar D. Peterman)

    Amar D. Peterman joins Will to discuss his forthcoming book Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local — a constructive vision for how Christians might practice radical neighbour love in a world that often rewards self-sufficiency and tribalism. Born in India and raised between a Polish Catholic neighborhood and a white evangelical megachurch in Wisconsin, Amar knows what it's like to be a spiritual misfit. Now a PhD student at the University of Chicago and former assistant director of civic networks at Interfaith America, he's asking Christians a simple but radical question: What if we actually came to the table and loved our neighbours? "What will we be to each other if the world doesn't end? When we believe our entire future depends on the outcome of an election or policy, we'll justify almost anything. But if we live knowing we'll still be neighbors tomorrow, it changes how we show up today." Resources: - Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local by Amar D. Peterman (Eerdmans, March 2026) Amar's Substack: This Common Life https://www.instagram.com/amarpeterman Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we’d love to hear from you. The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguide Sign up to our mailing list: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/ Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcast Support the pod: https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/ View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

    59 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

If you’ve ever felt on the fringes of Christian faith this is a safe space for you. Your questions, doubts and hopes are all welcome here. We’re creating conversations, affirmations, meditations and other resources to support you on your spiritual journey and let you know that even if you feel like a misfit, you don’t have to feel alone. 

Information

  • Creator
    Meeting Ground
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    212
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Spiritual Misfits Podcast
  • Show Website
    Spiritual Misfits Podcast

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