Makerspace

Sam Burrows & CEN

Makerspace is a christian education podcast run by Christian Education National, a network of Christian schools across Australia. Find out more about us at https://cen.edu.au Hosted by Sam Burrows

  1. Edward David: The Spiritual Narratives of Generation Z

    5D AGO

    Edward David: The Spiritual Narratives of Generation Z

    This week I get to chat with Edward David, the director of associateship and lecturer of ethics and values at King’s College London, as well as a research fellow at Oxford. Edward has recently lead a research team in a pioneering study into the spirituality of generation Z. Instead of just asking questions, this study uses story completion—letting young people finish the narrative to reveal the hidden spiritual maps they’re actually using to navigate the world. They have identified 5 main ways people are understanding spirituality today and so in this conversation I chat with Edward about what these results mean for teachers, but also how they help us to understand the spiritual climate our young people are growing up in.

    54 min
  2. Dean Ashenden: The Tensions in Australian Education

    APR 19

    Dean Ashenden: The Tensions in Australian Education

    This week our guest is Dean Ashenden, a former teacher, researcher, political advisor, and veteran observer of the Australian school system and the author of Unbeaching the Whale. Dean’s work cuts through the political noise to examine the structural bones of our education system. He’s a regular contributor to mainstream publications and one of the sharpest minds in the country when it comes to the politics of the classroom. This conversation is a challenging one, as Dean presents us with big questions to ask of Australia’s education system, and the inequalities present within it.

    45 min
  3. Chris Watkin: The Questions AI is Forcing Us to Answer

    APR 5

    Chris Watkin: The Questions AI is Forcing Us to Answer

    Our first guest this season is a returning guest, Chris Watkin, author of Biblical Critical Theory and more recently, The State of Nature and the Shaping of Modernity. Chris speaks into a variety of areas, one of them being AI. He’s launching a course on the underlying philosophy of this, so we jump on to talk through some of the contours of the content. We go big picture here, not so much about how to use AI, but asking the questions that need to be addressed before we do.

    55 min
  4. Jessica Schroeder: Appearance Culture, Beauty Standards and Biblical Perfection

    FEB 22

    Jessica Schroeder: Appearance Culture, Beauty Standards and Biblical Perfection

    This week I’m joined by Jessica J. Schroeder, who has published a chapter recently about The Cult of Perfection and beauty standards. In this conversation I chatted to her about her ideas In it, and we discuss the pressures of appearance culture, and how Scripture redefines what it really means to be perfect and beautiful. We also tackled the complicated space of feminist theology and a little plug for more women to get involved in theology itself.. https://jessicajschroeder.substack.com

    40 min
  5. Dr Travis Stevick: T.F. Torrance and a Theology of Knowledge

    FEB 8

    Dr Travis Stevick: T.F. Torrance and a Theology of Knowledge

    This week we welcome Dr Travis Stevick, a theologian, author, and ordained elder in the the Global Methodist Church. Travis earned his doctorate from the University of St. Andrews and has spent years bridge-building between the local church and systematic theology. He is the author of Encountering Reality,, a work that explores how we engage with truth at the intersection of theology and science. What Travis and I are trying to do in this technical conversation, is pinpoint what difference Jesus makes to knowledge and how we know things. We’re constantly coming back to the idea that language can only go so far, and that means we need humility with our ideas. We also keep coming back to the fact that the incarnation changes everything because it is God making truth known to us, not just giving us facts to believe. We’re drawing on Scottish Reformed theologian, TF Torrance for this stuff. I hope that if this sort of thinking is important to you, you’ll find thinking through this connective work helpful. https://travisstevick.substack.com

    56 min
  6. Dr Sylvia Keesmaat: Resisting Empire and Forming Communities

    12/21/2025

    Dr Sylvia Keesmaat: Resisting Empire and Forming Communities

    This week I got to speak with Canadian theologian and prominent author, Dr Sylvia Keesmaat. Sylvia is a biblical scholar, obtaining her doctorate at Oxford University, studying with N.T. Wright. She is a professor of biblical studies and hermeneutics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. Sylvia is the co-author, with her husband, Brian Walsh, of the popular books Romans Disarmed and Colossians Remixed, both books highlighting how the gospel challenges dominating powers and invites alternative, justice‑oriented ways of life both in the first century and today. In this conversation we talk about her work that centres around hearing Paul’s letters in their socio-political terms, about his anti-Empire language and what that means for us today. We also talk about hope and lament, and how we need to be forming communities that are grounded in the place they’re in, as well in important teachings.

    50 min
  7. Justin Ariel Bailey: The Current Worldview Conversation

    12/07/2025

    Justin Ariel Bailey: The Current Worldview Conversation

    In this episode I speak with Dr Justin Ariel Bailey, a prominent voice in Christian ministry and theological writing, Justin is a professor of theology at Dordt University in Iowa, and published a book, Interpreting Your World in 2022. In this conversation we talk about the changing nature of worldview studies, and how to find the balance between an appreciative and critical approach when Christians engage with culture. We chat through the history of the term "worldview" and what it might mean to lead students in important conversations now.

    46 min
  8. Ken Dickens and Rod Thompson: The History of CEN

    11/23/2025

    Ken Dickens and Rod Thompson: The History of CEN

    This I got to sit down with Dr Rod Thompson and Dr Ken Dickens, a couple of men that have been a significant part of our network for a number of decades. Rod as the coordinator of biblical foundations and lecturer in the National Institute, and Ken serving for a stint as the CEO of the network, principal of the national institute, and in more recent years, a lecturer too. Ken is part of a team that is putting together a history of our network to be released early next year, and I thought as part of the lead up to the book, I would sit down with him and Rod to get a sense of what it’s been like to have been part of the ongoing character and story of CEN. This is an extended episode because we cover a lot here, from the beginnings of the network including its underlying theological commitments, through to the growth phase, interactions with other groups and networks, and challenges looking forward. It was a really nice way to get a snapshot of what has made us who we are and capture something of these two guys as the pass on the baton.

    1h 24m
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About

Makerspace is a christian education podcast run by Christian Education National, a network of Christian schools across Australia. Find out more about us at https://cen.edu.au Hosted by Sam Burrows

Information

  • Creator
    Sam Burrows & CEN
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sam Burrows, CEN, 2024
  • Show Website
    Makerspace

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