The Shock Absorber

Soul Revival Church
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Thinking and doing church a little differently...

  1. 3月31日

    Stop making church more like the world. Build this instead...

    Most churches have spent the last sixty years trying to lower the cultural barriers to Christianity. Clean car parks. Professional music. Seeker-sensitive services. The logic made sense at the time. But has making church more like the world actually worked and is it still the right strategy? Joel and Stu work through the tension between institutional and organic church structures, unpack the history of the attractional church model from Donald McGavran to Willow Creek, and explain why Soul Revival has deliberately gone the other direction — building a countercultural, intergenerational Yellow Submarine that goes beneath the surface of daily life. They also answer two great listener questions from Julie about Bonhoeffer's friendship circles: whether they include non-Christians, and how kids and youth factor into church numbers. Timestamps00:00 Sharks gear, Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley and tribal fan culture05:30 The AGM and the juxtaposition of formal polity in a time of crisis08:30 Organic vs institutional structures: what's the difference and why it matters15:00 The attractional church model — McGavran, Willow Creek and the homogeneous unit principle22:00 The Yellow Submarine: Soul Revival's countercultural intergenerational alternative29:00 How Soul Revival's governance actually works43:30 Listener questions from Julie: Bonhoeffer's friendship circles and non-Christians51:30 At what stage do kids and youth count in your numbers?54:00 The Blitz, the fuel crisis and the Christian response to economic pressure Discussed on this episodeStu Crawshaw - The Yellow SubmarineSkip Bell — What is Wrong with the Homogeneous Unit Principle?Karina Koremsky — The Fallacy of the Homogeneous Unit PrincipleBill Hybels — Becoming a Contagious ChristianMark Senter — The Four Views of Youth MinistryKendra Creasy Dean — Practicing PassionDonald McGavran — homogeneous unit principle overviewJump in at shockabsorber.com.au — and send your thoughts to joel@shockabsorber.com.au

    1 小時 4 分鐘

  2. 3月24日

    Is boring people with the Bible a sin?

    Jim Rayburn, the father of modern youth ministry, said it was a sin to bore a kid with the gospel. Joel, Tim and Stu work through a sharp distinction from a new book on kids theology: distilling versus simplifying. Distillation keeps the essentials and removes the unnecessary. Simplification removes the complexity, and sometimes the truth along with it. The difference matters enormously for anyone trying to pass on a faith that lasts. They also talk about Lee Strobel's adolescent drift into atheism, why apologetics isn't landing the way it used to, e-bikes and teenage rebellion, and what it actually looks like to be a non-anxious adult presence (a wall of a swimming pool, for a generation that's pushing hard against everything) Subscribe, leave a review, and send your thoughts to joel@shockabsorber.com.auVisit the website and join the Shock Absorber Network: shockabsorber.com.au

    52 分鐘

  3. 3月17日

    Don't let them hate Jesus because of you

    Half of kids surveyed say their parents should be worried about their screen time. Jonathan Haidt thinks he missed something big in his own book. And Meta allegedly knew about the damage it was doing to children for years — and said nothing. Joel and Tim work through a raft of confronting data about childhood today, wrestle honestly with the collective action problem of smartphone culture, and then land somewhere unexpected: a conversation about preaching John 15 that produces one of the sharpest applications you'll hear. Don't let people hate Jesus because of you. Let them hate you because of Jesus. That's the order. And getting the order right changes everything about how you show up as a disciple. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro02:20 Wes Huff on Diary of a CEO — communicating the gospel to a curious generation12:00 After Babel — 30 facts about childhood today15:30 No siblings, no cousins — and what the church can offer instead28:00 Screen time, double standards and the collective action problem of smartphones44:00 Preaching John 15 — preparation process and the difference between teaching and preaching1:03:30 Don't make them hate Jesus because of you — the sharpest application of the episode Wes Huff on Diary of a CEOWes Huff on Joe Rogan30 Facts About Childhood TodayUnsealed court docs allege Meta knew for years about harms to young users, even as they fueled its growthThe Great Cousin DeclineComing of Age in a Fully Connected WorldYour Marriage Has a Third Subscribe, leave a review, and send your thoughts to Joel at joel@shockabsorber.com.auWebsite: shockabsorber.com.au

    1 小時 11 分鐘

  4. 3月10日

    A new movement: Re-launching The Shock Absorber network

    Joel, Stu and Tim are relaunching the Shock Absorber Network, and this episode explains what it is, why it matters and how you can be part of it. Ministry was never meant to be done alone. But for a lot of church leaders, that's exactly what it feels like, isolated in your local context, carrying the weight of cultural change without anyone to process it with. Stu traces the thinking all the way back to his first PhD at UNSW, where he was studying Christian youth ministry as a social movement using new social movement theory. That research, and thirty-plus years of doing exactly this kind of relational networking through Soul Revival, is the foundation of what the Shock Absorber Network is trying to build. Not an institution, not a franchise, not a brand. A relational, non-competitive, theologically grounded space where ministry leaders can pray together, share ideas and learn from each other across churches and denominations. Tim unpacks Archie Poulos' research on why networking is actually essential to long-term ministry health, not a nice-to-have when you've got spare time, but a genuine factor in whether you and your ministry survive and flourish over the long haul. The alternative, as Archie points out, is that isolation tips into competition, and competition is the opposite of what Jesus prays for in John 17. Practically, it starts simply: a new website at shockabsorber.com.au, a mailing list, and a Zoom prayer meeting once a term. No money, no compulsion, no franchise. Just friends in ministry, gathered around Jesus. Timestamps01:45 Relaunching the Shock Absorber Network — what it is and where the idea came from05:20 Memories of the Treehouse — what church networking has looked like at Soul Revival09:30 Archie Poulos on why networking is essential to ministry health17:45 Are movements dangerous? New social movement theory explained28:00 The biblical foundation — loving your neighbour, John 15 and Matthew 2236:00 What the network looks like practically — website, Zoom prayer meetings and how to join Discussed on this episodeThe High-Level Skill of Ministry Networking and Collaboration, by Mikey LynchWe need to get better at networking - Archie Poulos on The Pastors' HeartNew Social Movement TheoryCollective IdentityCollective Identity and Social Movements Jump in at shockabsorber.com.au — and send your thoughts to joel@shockabsorber.com.au

    43 分鐘

  5. 3月3日

    With or against the grain of God's design

    Everyone's chasing the algorithm. More clicks, better thumbnails, optimised titles, short-form funnels. So what does a Christian do with all of that? Joel and Tim start with football, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, identity, rivalry and what success actually means, and end up somewhere and end up with a biblical framework for thinking about metrics of success in a world that rewards inflammatory, clickbaity and often dishonest content. Along the way they work through the cultural mandate in Genesis 1 and 2, the trifecta of good, true and beautiful, Proverbs' wisdom about living with the grain of God's design, and whether Christians should be on these platforms at all — or whether the algorithm has simply evangelised us instead. If you're wrestling with digital content, social media, and what faithful presence online actually looks like, enjoy! Timestamps00:00 Intro: trains, voyages and retractable stadium pitches05:40 Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Real Madrid, Barcelona and what success actually means17:55 Chasing the algorithm: what ChatGPT says about podcast success24:45 The cultural mandate: why content creation starts in Genesis32:00 Good, true and beautiful: a biblical filter for everything you make42:30 Should Christians be on these platforms at all? McLuhan, Haidt and the pub analogy51:30 The quiet revival and Tim's takeaway Discussed on this episodeReal Madrid's retractable pitchTottenham Hotspur's retractable pitchFear and Loathing in La Liga, by Sid LoweThe Anxious Generation, by Jonathan HaidtIndistractable, by Nir EyalThe Sirens' Call, by Chris HayesAmusing Ourselves to Death, Neil PostmanThe Medium is the Message, by Marshall McLuhanCross Formed Kidmin Podcast Subscribe, leave a review, and send your thoughts to Joel at joel@shockabsorber.com.au

    1 小時 10 分鐘

  6. 2月24日

    Life and loyalty with Jesus

    Richard Dawkins likes Christmas carols. Tom Holland calls himself a Christian. Robert Greene thinks religion is great for transcending the banality of social media. Joel and Tim trace a thread from Bluey, through the culture war trap of coding everything left or right, into Skye Jethani's four distorted postures toward God, and land on the one thing that separates Christianity from every other self-improvement and philosophical framework: Jesus himself. Timestamps05:47 Bluey is not a normal kids show25:44 We can progress and conserve39:51 Life with God58:56 Tim's Takeaway - Seek the kingdom above all else Discussed on this episode‘Bluey’ Is the Most Conservative Show on TV, by Louise PerryBluey Takeaway Bud Light BoycottRobert Greene, Religion's True PurposeTom Holland on UnHerdWith, by Skye JethaniParenting in God's Family - Volume 2Subscribe, leave a review, and send your thoughts to Joel at joel@shockabsorber.com.au

    1 小時 3 分鐘

  7. 2月17日

    Have we forgotten about friendship?

    Most churches have got the small group and the Sunday service figured out. But there's a whole layer of community that's gone missing,  and it might be why people keep saying "I don't feel like I belong here." Joel, Stu and Tim dig into Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theology of friendship as an ecclesial category, and why his concentric circles of relationship,  drawn straight from Jesus' own relational model, give churches a practical framework for building community that's expansive instead of cliquey.  They also pull in Robin Dunbar's research on the cognitive limits of human relationship, and land somewhere surprising: biology and theology are telling the same story. Plus: e-bikes, convicts, the Industrial Revolution, and why teenagers might actually be ahead of the church on this one. Timestamps05:11 Friendship as an ecclesial category13:14 The 3, the 12, the 72, the 12019:24 Jesus saves us into community24:03 Cultural differences and individualism influencing friendship34:09 The Dunbar number and what friendship brings43:17 Tim's takeaway - How would your relationships at church change if you saw them as friends? Discussed on this episodeThe Lesser of Two Weevils - Master and CommanderWhen Church Was a Family, by Joesph HellermanDunbar's Number Subscribe, leave a review, and send your thoughts to Joel at joel@shockabsorber.com.au

    46 分鐘

  8. 2月10日

    He has the right to tell me how to live

    Tim and Joel are back for 2026 with a conversation about authority, hierarchy, and authentic relationship with Jesus. It starts with parenting, authoritarian (high control, low love) versus authoritative (high control, high love). But the real question: how does the parent-child relationship mirror our relationship with God? For those with great fathers, God being the perfect Father is comforting. For those with absent or abusive fathers, it's healing. This opens a bigger conversation about hierarchy and power. Postmodernism wants to deconstruct all hierarchies as inherently corrupt. But because there's an inherent power imbalance between Creator and creation, they argue there must be such a thing as good hierarchy. The difference isn't whether power exists, but how it's used, to serve others or serve yourself. Tim shares about joining the Crossformed Kids podcast, leading into intergenerational ministry and reciprocity. A five-year-old is no more or less saved than a senior minister. Equal in God's kingdom, even while maintaining appropriate roles. They discuss Tom Holland's "Dominion", how even secular progressive concern for the vulnerable is borrowed from Christian moral tradition. Marx's vision could only emerge from a Christian worldview. The conversation turns to math with Joel reading John Lennox and his son to discover how mathematics reveals God's beauty and order. The elegance of math points to a rational universe created by a rational God. Finally, parasocial relationships, Cambridge Dictionary's 2025 Word of the Year. People are forming one-way relationships with celebrities and AI chatbots. Tim contrasts this with his word for the year: abiding. "I don't want a parasocial relationship with Jesus. I want to genuinely abide in Him." The takeaway? God has the right to tell us how to live. And because He's the perfect Father, that's not oppressive, it's beautiful and relational.https://online.hillsdale.edu/TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Intro and welcome back for the new year09:33 - Parenting, hierarchies, and power and our true Father25:32 - Tim's hosting another podcast, the reciprocity of intergenerational relationships and ceding power to God's good hierarchy36:20 - God is a God who cares for vulnerable people43:20 - Science and maths explaining God's created world54:52 - Parasocial versus abiding1:13:06 - Tim's Takeaway: authentic relationship with Jesus DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, by Yuval Noah HarariRivers of London series, by Ben AaronovitchUnruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens, by David MitchellCrossformed Kidmin PodcastThe Child in God's Church, by Tim BeilharzDominion: The Making of the Western Mind, by Tom HollandAnglicare AustraliaThe Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality, by Glen ScrivenerHillsdale College online coursesCan Science Explain Everything?, by John LennoxWhy This Oxford Mathematician is Confident God Exists | John LennoxThe 2025 Cambridge Dictionary Word of the YearDeath of Rob Hirst

    1 小時 16 分鐘
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簡介

Thinking and doing church a little differently...

資訊

  • 創作者
    Soul Revival Church
  • 活躍年代
    2019年 - 2026年
  • 集數
    197
  • 年齡分級
    兒少適宜
  • 版權
    © Soul Revival Church
  • 節目網站
    The Shock Absorber