Tim Nash

Podcasts

Episódios

  1. Bart Ehrman – Are We All Followers of Jesus? (N375)

    há 3 dias

    Bart Ehrman – Are We All Followers of Jesus? (N375)

    In this conversation, bestselling historian Bart Ehrman argues that ideas we now take for granted—caring for strangers, helping those in need and expanding our moral concern beyond family and tribe—were anything but obvious in the ancient world. Bart has spent much of his career challenging traditional Christian beliefs. But in Love Thy Stranger he makes a surprising historical case for Christianity's positive legacy, while remaining candid about the harm the church has also caused. Along the way we explore Jesus' relationship to Judaism, why the early church may have changed his teaching on forgiveness, whether Christianity transformed the moral imagination of the West, and what—if anything—we stand to lose as faith continues to decline. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Nick wrestle with what it means to be shaped by Jesus’ moral vision while no longer holding all the beliefs that once came with it. Interview starts at 11m 44s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  2. Shannon Kearns – Improvising Manhood (N374)

    10 de ago.

    Shannon Kearns – Improvising Manhood (N374)

    What does it mean to become a man? And who teaches us how? In this episode, Tim is joined by author Shannon Kearns to explore the stories, expectations and assumptions that shape masculinity. Drawing on his experience as a trans man, Shannon offers a unique perspective on what it means to consciously navigate a world that many assume comes naturally. Together they explore male loneliness, friendship, vulnerability, violence, faith, and the quiet fear many men carry of not being enough. Rather than offering another culture-war take on masculinity, this conversation asks a more generous question: what might it look like to improvise a better way of being a man? After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on their own experiences of gender, friendship and vulnerability, and wonder whether some of the familiar stories we tell about men and women are quite as simple as they seem. Interview starts at 13m 13s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  3. Marissa Burt - The Myth of Good Christian Parenting (N372)

    10 de jul.

    Marissa Burt - The Myth of Good Christian Parenting (N372)

    For many Christian parents, the message was simple: if you follow the biblical formula, your children will grow into faithful, flourishing adults. But what if those promises were never true? In this episode, Tim speaks with Marissa Burt, co-author of The Myth of Good Christian Parenting, about the rise of the evangelical parenting movement, the fears that fuelled it, and the hidden assumptions about authority, obedience and control that shaped generations of families. Drawing on historical research and the stories of both parents and adult children, Marissa explores how well-intentioned families were often let down by systems that offered certainty where none could be guaranteed. Together, they discuss the relationship between love and control, the impact of shame and spiritual authority, and what healthier, more hopeful approaches to parenting and faith might look like today. After the interview, Tim is joined by his wife Hannah to reflect on how the conversation resonated with their own experiences of growing up in evangelical families, and how it has shaped the way they're raising their son, Elliot. Together they explore themes of fear, control, corporal punishment, questioning authority, and what it means to pass on faith without trying to control the outcome. Interview starts at 16m 19s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  4. Tina Schermer Sellers - Sex, Shame & Learning to Trust Our Bodies Again (N371)

    23 de jun.

    Tina Schermer Sellers - Sex, Shame & Learning to Trust Our Bodies Again (N371)

    In this episode, Tim talks with sex therapist and author Tina Schermer Sellers about the hidden legacy of religious sexual shame and the impact it can have on our relationships, our spirituality, and our sense of self. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Tina explores how messages absorbed in childhood can shape the way we experience our bodies, desire, intimacy, and even our understanding of God. Together they discuss purity culture, embodiment, safety, trust, and why our bodies often hold onto shame long after our beliefs have changed. Along the way, Tina offers a more hopeful and life-giving vision of sexuality—one rooted not in fear or control, but in connection, pleasure, mutuality, and belovedness. The conversation explores eros as a life force, the possibility of healing through relationships, and how we might begin to reclaim our bodies as places of joy, wisdom, and even divine encounter. Following the interview, Tim is joined by his wife Hannah for a thoughtful and often humorous conversation about growing up with evangelical messages around sex, dating and relationships. Together they reflect on shame, intimacy, safety, eros, and what it means to raise children with a healthier relationship to their bodies, desires and sense of self. Interview starts at 19m 08s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  5. Swami Padmanabha – Truth, Tradition and the Courage to Question (N373)

    24 de jul.

    Swami Padmanabha – Truth, Tradition and the Courage to Question (N373)

    How do you hold onto a spiritual tradition after being deeply disappointed by the people who represent it? That's a question Swami Padmanabha — a Hindu monk, teacher and author of Evolution in Divine Love — has had to wrestle with more than once. Rather than walking away, those experiences led him into a deeper exploration of authority, uncertainty, love and the possibility that healthy traditions are those that continue to evolve. In this conversation, Tim and Swami explore what it means to stay rooted without becoming rigid, to question without becoming cynical, and to remain open to wisdom wherever it is found. Along the way they discover some surprising resonances between Hinduism and Christianity, and ask whether the future of religion might depend less on having all the answers and more on learning how to keep growing. After the interview, Tim is joined by Nick to reflect on what stayed with them most. From caring for God as though God were a child, to learning from other faith traditions without losing your own roots, they explore where Swami's vision resonated, where it challenged them, and the questions they're still left pondering. Interview starts at 12m 48s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  6. Abi Millar - Meaning, Mystery and Spirituality After Faith (N370)

    8 de jun.

    Abi Millar - Meaning, Mystery and Spirituality After Faith (N370)

    Abi Millar grew up in a charismatic evangelical church where faith once felt vivid, immediate and full of certainty. But as questions about science, belief, heaven and hell began to press in, that certainty slowly unravelled. In this conversation, Tim talks with Abi about what it cost to leave, the freedom and loss that followed, and the spiritual hunger that eventually re-emerged after a long season of atheism. They also talk about some of the practices Abi explores in her book The Spirituality Gap — including yoga, ayahuasca, tarot and meditation — and the tension between scepticism and openness that runs through her journey. Along the way, the conversation touches on rootedness, community, cultural integrity, and the question of whether spirituality can truly flourish without a shared story or tradition. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Nick reflect on the burden of heaven and hell, the freedom and loss of leaving evangelical faith, and the search for meaning beyond certainty. They also explore what Abi’s journey raises about psychedelics, tarot, rootedness, and the limits of highly individual spirituality. Interview starts at 10m 34s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  7. Damon Garcia - Calling, Capitalism & Becoming Yourself (N369)

    25 de mai.

    Damon Garcia - Calling, Capitalism & Becoming Yourself (N369)

    In this episode, Damon Garcia joins us to explore the pressure of trying to find — and faithfully follow — God’s plan for your life. Growing up in a Pentecostal and charismatic church culture, Damon was taught that God had a specific calling for each person, and that missing it could mean missing the life you were meant to live. Damon reflects on the anxiety, striving, and self-surveillance that this way of thinking can create, as well as his own complicated journey into ministry and eventual departure from evangelicalism. As the conversation unfolds, the lens widens beyond church culture to ask what happens when one version of calling collapses, only for another to take its place. From hustle culture and monetised gifts to the pressure to “become somebody”, Damon reflects on the ways capitalism shapes our understanding of purpose, success, and worth. Along the way, he offers a gentler alternative: a vision of “small, simple callings” rooted less in grand destiny and more in presence, grace, creativity, and the ordinary life in front of us. Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on growing up in Pentecostal and charismatic church cultures where “calling” shaped everything from identity and relationships to work, status, and major life decisions. Together they explore the anxiety of trying to discern God’s plan, the hierarchies hidden within church culture, and the ways privilege, power, and gender shaped those callings. Interview starts at 12m 24s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  8. Meggan Watterson - Silenced Voices, Lost Christianities (N363)

    23 de fev.

    Meggan Watterson - Silenced Voices, Lost Christianities (N363)

    In this episode, Tim speaks with feminist theologian and author Meggan Watterson about the Gospel of Mary and the Acts of Paul and Thecla — early Christian texts that didn’t make it into the New Testament. They explore what these stories reveal about the diversity of early Christianities, the formation of the biblical canon, and the ways women’s voices were preserved, reshaped, or silenced. What does it mean that some communities treasured these texts enough to pass them on — and how might Christianity have looked if Mary and Thecla had been read alongside Paul and Peter? The conversation moves from history into questions of authority, embodiment, and discernment. Meggan reflects on what drew her to these texts and what she means by “inner authority,” while Tim probes the tension between personal revelation and communal accountability. Together they ask what kind of faith might emerge if we loosen our grip on a single master story without losing our grounding. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on growing up with a narrow vision of “the early church,” the uneasy relationship between canon and power, and what it means to reclaim inner authority without losing community. Interview starts at 14m 01s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  9. Rowan Williams - Christianity After Certainty (N346)

    09/06/2025

    Rowan Williams - Christianity After Certainty (N346)

    In this episode, we speak with former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams about his vision of faith as attentiveness, not answers — a path not of mastery, but of mystery. Drawing on themes from his book Discovering Christianity, Rowan reflects on the difference between faith and toxic religion, and explores how trust, not certainty, might be the deeper thread that runs through the Christian story. We talk about the appeal of other traditions, Rowan’s appreciation of Buddhism, and why — despite it all — he remains rooted in the Christian faith. Along the way, he speaks candidly about the beauty and the cruelty of the Church, the liberating potential of theology, and how contemplation can shape not only our spiritual life but our way of seeing the world. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on the complexities of letting go of toxic religion, while staying open to what faith might still become. Interview starts at 15m 2s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  10. Mark Vernon - Silence and the Search for God (N368)

    11 de mai.

    Mark Vernon - Silence and the Search for God (N368)

    What if the deepest encounters with the divine are not dramatic or ecstatic, but quiet, steady, and hidden in ordinary life?Mark Vernon returns to Nomad to explore silence, mysticism, and the search for God after disillusionment. Reflecting on his own journey through priesthood, contemplative practice, psychotherapy and spiritual direction, Mark speaks about finding a form of Christianity rooted less in performance or certainty, and more in attention, presence and the inner life. In this conversation, Tim and Mark discuss The Cloud of Unknowing, Julian of Norwich, William Blake, spiritual homelessness, and why the mystical tradition may still have something vital to offer those who feel drawn to Christ but no longer fit easily within institutional church life. Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim and Anna reflect on their own relationship with mysticism, and the way it has shaped their evolving faith. Interview starts at 12m 48s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Homegrown Conversations, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  11. Rupert Sheldrake - Psychedelics, Mysticism and the Mystery of Consciousness (N364)

    9 de mar.

    Rupert Sheldrake - Psychedelics, Mysticism and the Mystery of Consciousness (N364)

    Rupert Sheldrake joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with psychedelics and quickly opens into bigger questions. Why do some experiences feel “more real than real”? What happens when the familiar boundaries of self dissolve, and the world returns charged with meaning, beauty, and presence? Along the way Rupert reflects on his own encounters with psychedelics, the long ritual history behind them, and why he thinks they’re just one doorway into a much larger landscape. From dreams and near-death experiences to prayer, music, nature and the possibility that mind might not be contained by the brain, this episode doesn’t aim to settle the questions so much as to sit inside them — and see what they reveal. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on curiosity, caution and the strange tension between breakthrough moments and slow formation. From therapy and music to dogs, dreams and those hard-to-explain moments of connection, they explore what it might mean to live in creative puzzlement before a world that still feels charged with mystery. Interview starts at 13m 5s. Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  12. Rachel Held Evans - Losing My Evangelical Religion [Revisited] (N312)

    08/01/2024

    Rachel Held Evans - Losing My Evangelical Religion [Revisited] (N312)

    To kick off 2024 we thought we’d share a Nomad Revisited episode with you. Each month on Revisited Tim and Nick raid the Nomad archives, dust off an old interview, and ponder where their faith was then, where it is now, and what influences shaped that transition. Nomad Revisited is usually tucked away behind a paywall on our Patreon page as a little thank you for the listeners who help us pay the bills. But we’re making this one freely available as a little New Years treat. In this Revisited, we travel back to 2015 and a conversation Tim had with the much loved blogger and author Rachel Held Evans. Rachel was one of the early pioneers in the deconstruction space, blogging about her experiences of growing up in a fundamentalist Bible Belt culture, and her experiences of publicly questioning this. Rachel became a beacon of hope for thousands of people wrestling with an evolving faith. But sadly she died suddenly in 2019 at just 37, leaving a husband and two young children. So this is an episode marked by sadness, but also a celebration of a beautiful life.  Interview starts at 15m 42s  Books, Quotes, Links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  13. Dan McClellan - Does the Bible Say Jesus is God? (N344)

    09/05/2025

    Dan McClellan - Does the Bible Say Jesus is God? (N344)

    In this episode we speak with Bible scholar Dan McClellan about one of Christianity’s most foundational claims: the divinity of Jesus. Drawing from his deep engagement with biblical scholarship, Dan invites us to consider whether the Bible actually presents Jesus as God in the way later doctrine insists. He explores how early Christian texts reflect diverse and competing understandings of Jesus’s nature, and how ideas about divinity were shaped as much by evolving theology and politics as by the biblical text itself. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Anna Robinson reflect on their own relationship with Jesus’s divinity, and what it means to engage these questions with both intellectual honesty and spiritual openness. Interview starts at 15m 22s If you’d like to sponsor Tim on his 165 Mito Miles in May challenge, go to his GoFundMe page.  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  14. Lamorna Ash - Faith on the Edges (N345)

    23/05/2025

    Lamorna Ash - Faith on the Edges (N345)

    In this episode, we speak with writer Lamorna Ash about her two-year immersion in Christianity—an unexpected journey that took her from conservative Bible studies and charismatic worship to Quaker silence, Jesuit retreats, and the poetry of mystical experience. Inspired by the sudden conversions of two close friends, Lamorna set out to understand what faith might look like from the inside. Along the way, she wrestled with the limitations of belief, the beauty of ancient rituals, and the uncomfortable weight of institutional Christianity. Her story is one of tentative openness—a slow, uncertain movement toward mystery rather than certainty. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflects on their own journey through doubt, deconstruction, and the quiet possibility of faith on the edges. Interview starts at 16m 22s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  15. John Philip Newell – Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home (N354)

    10/10/2025

    John Philip Newell – Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home (N354)

    Many of us have left behind the religion we inherited. But what, then, are we reaching for? In this conversation, Celtic teacher John Philip Newell reflects on what he calls the Great Search—a deep yearning for soul, earth, and home at a time of ecological breakdown and religious collapse. John Philip explores the tension between temple and wilderness, soul and ego, doctrine and direct experience, and reflects on the relinquishment of his ordination, the sacredness of the Earth, and the wisdom found in mystics across traditions. With poetic depth and prophetic insight, John Philip shares why returning to the light within ourselves, one another, and the Earth might be the beginning of something truly new. After the conversation, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on what it means to live with two wings of awareness — beauty and suffering — and how spiritual friendship, embodied practices, and a relationship with the Earth might help us navigate a time of profound unraveling. Interview starts at 17m 37s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  16. Kira Austin-Young - Compassion and Complexity: Faith and Reproductive Freedom (N349)

    25/07/2025

    Kira Austin-Young - Compassion and Complexity: Faith and Reproductive Freedom (N349)

    In this episode, Tim speaks with Episcopal priest and author Kira Austin-Young, about the moral, theological, and pastoral dimensions of abortion. Together, they reflect on the silence in progressive churches, the complexity of personhood, biblical texts often used in the debate, and how Christians might begin to hold space for compassion and moral complexity in conversations around reproductive freedom. It’s a thoughtful, grounded, and emotionally honest conversation that resists easy answers. After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on how silence and inherited assumptions shaped their early views on abortion. They explore how personal experience, grief, and discernment invite a more compassionate and complex conversation—and ask what it means for faith to hold space for all of that. Interview starts at 16m 40s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  17. Sami Awad – Christ Consciousness Under Occupation (N356)

    10/11/2025

    Sami Awad – Christ Consciousness Under Occupation (N356)

    Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad has lived his whole life under military occupation. He’s witnessed violence, loss, and deep injustice. Yet rather than turning towards hatred or certainty, he’s journeyed into a spirituality rooted in compassion, healing, and what he calls Christ consciousness — a way of seeing that refuses separation and fear. In this conversation, Sami reflects on what it means to love your enemy amid war, to resist without hatred, and to awaken to the divine even in the midst of suffering. He speaks about his rejection of institutional Christianity, his lifelong commitment to nonviolence, and how ritual, grief, and steadfastness have become his practices of hope. Following the interview, Tim and Anna reflect on how Sami’s experience of faith under occupation challenges their own journeys. They discuss privilege, embodiment, and what it means to find Jesus beyond the institution. Together they explore sumud — steadfastness — as a contemplative form of resistance, and how love, rather than fear, can become the organising principle of faith. Interview starts at 17m 39s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  18. Phil Togwell - Prayer Spaces in Schools (N44)

    24/02/2012

    Phil Togwell - Prayer Spaces in Schools (N44)

    Phil Togwell is part of the 24/7 Prayer, an internatinal, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice. Over the last few years Phil's been involved in setting up spaces in schools for children to honestly and naturally begin to connect with God. It's an inspiring story! “I think so often in most of our church lives, everything is done for us. But as soon as we behave like a New Testament church – ‘a priesthood of all believers’ – where we all have access to God and discover that God wants to engage in our lives, it is transformative. It spills out of those upper rooms into everyday life.” - Phil Togwell  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  19. Rachel Held Evans - Losing My [Evangelical] Religion (N97)

    23/05/2015

    Rachel Held Evans - Losing My [Evangelical] Religion (N97)

    Rachel Held Evans is a hugely successful and influential progressive Christian blogger, author and speaker.  We talk to Rachel about her journey from a conservative evangelical faith characterised by certainty, to wrestling with questions, doubt, cynicism and despair, through to a new kind of faith. And we discuss the trials and tribulations of embarking on this journey under the gaze of social media. It's a fascinating and insightful story. “You’re allowed to ask questions, but only up to a certain point. And there were a lot of predetermined answers. Like, ‘We want you to wrestle, we want you to struggle a little bit…but only if you come back around to believing this, this, this and this.’ So, it felt like the inquiry was very limited and restricted, which didn’t feel like actual inquiry to me.” - Rachel Held Evans Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

  20. Brian McLaren - Spirituality at the End of the World (N350)

    11/08/2025

    Brian McLaren - Spirituality at the End of the World (N350)

    In this episode, Tim chats with author and activist Brian McLaren about his new novel The Last Voyage, a provocative and emotionally rich exploration of what might happen when the powerful elite try to escape a dying Earth and build a new civilisation elsewhere. Drawing on decades of theological reflection and his recent work on collapse and ecological crisis, Brian reflects on what spirituality might look like at the end of the world. Can faith survive without institutions or certainty? What happens when spiritual practices are reduced to survival strategies? Is surrender a form of wisdom, or just disguised defeat? And what does it mean to live meaningfully when the future is fragile and unknown? After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Nick reflect on how Brian’s novel resonates with their own faith journeys—particularly their experiences of institutional loss, their relationship to hope in a time of climate breakdown, and the challenge of staying spiritually open when despair feels like the path of least resistance. Interview starts at 15m 34s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.