While we are no longer producing new Tent Talks episodes every now and then we will take the opportunity to point listeners to new projects. Tent producer and co-host Chris Marchand has just begun releasing a new podcast we wanted you to be aware of: Wall of Silence, about church abuse and mishandling in the Anglican Church in North America. This i…

While we are no longer producing new Tent Talks episodes every now and then we will take the opportunity to point listeners to new projects. Tent producer and co-host Chris Marchand has just begun releasing a new podcast we wanted you to be aware of: Wall of Silence. Here is the description: In this first episode we introduce the sexual abuse case …

The start of the new season in 2024 marks the end of the current season for Tent Talks. We are bringing our podcast in to land, with a series of final thoughts from former guests, hosts and friends of the show. Join Stephen Backhouse in a series of conversations as we explore The Last Word. This final episode contains conversations with Eve Poole a…

The start of the new season in 2024 marks the end of the current season for Tent Talks. We are bringing our podcast in to land, with a series of final thoughts from former guests, hosts and friends of the show. Join Stephen Backhouse in a series of conversations as we explore The Last Word. Episode Three features co-host Sean McCoy in a conversatio…

The start of the new season in 2024 marks the end of the current season for Tent Talks. We are bringing our podcast in to land, with a series of final thoughts from former guests, hosts and friends of the show. Join Stephen Backhouse in a series of conversations as we explore The Last Word. Episode Two features co-host Chris Marchand offering a cod…

The start of the new season 2024 marks the end of the current season for Tent Talks. We are bringing our podcast in to land, with a series of final thoughts from former guests, hosts and friends of the show. Join Stephen Backhouse in a series of conversations as we explore The Last Word. Episode One features Brad Jersak, Natasha Beckles and friends…

Left, Right, or in the middle? Guest host and previous guest to the Tent Sheyi Martin-Allens presents a series of conversations with black and brown friends from across the political spectrum to discuss their thoughts on having Britain's first Asian prime minister along with a government containing an increasing amount of ethnic minorities. The ser…

Left, Right, or in the middle? Guest host and previous guest to the Tent Sheyi Martin-Allens presents a series of conversations with black and brown friends from across the political spectrum to discuss their thoughts on having Britain's first Asian prime minister along with a government containing an increasing amount of ethnic minorities. The ser…

Left, Right, or in the middle? Guest host and previous guest to the Tent Sheyi Martin-Allens presents a series of conversations with black and brown friends from across the political spectrum to discuss their thoughts on having Britain's first Asian prime minister along with a government containing an increasing amount of ethnic minorities. The ser…

Left, Right, or in the middle? Guest host and previous guest to the Tent Sheyi Martins-Allens presents a series of conversations with black and brown friends from across the political spectrum to discuss their thoughts on having Britain's first Asian prime minister along with a government containing an increasing number of ethnic minorities. The se…

Dr. Emily Hunter McGowin has entered the Tent to take part in Chris Marchand's annual Christmas episode. She has just released her new book Christmas: The Season of Life and Light which offers reflections, insights, and gentle challenges about how we celebrate the holiday season. The conversation dwells on the major themes Chris addressed in his ow…

Austin M. Freeman, professor at Houston Christian University, joins the tent for another bonus episode to discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's views on non-violence and war. Who exactly is the "pacifist" in The Lord of the Rings and why isn't it Tom Bombadil? In two archival episode segments Melody Green, dean of Urbana Seminary, is featured with her owns thou…

Musician, songwriter, and worship leader Rachel Wilhelm joins the Tent with Chris Marchand to discuss her new album Jeremiah and how she approached writing songs that speak truth to leaders in power while also calling for communal repentance. Though a bonus episode, this conversation pieces together a number of elements from previous Tent Talks ser…

One of the episodes we received the most feedback about was when Clare Backhouse, Stephen's wife, appeared in our "How to Love" series. Clare, a qualified and registered nutritional therapist, is now launching her own podcast, "Nutrition With Love." Her first episode, which we are releasing as a bonus, goes into her background story and why nutriti…

Previous Tent guests Danielle Shroyer and Thomas Jay Oord join Sean for the fifth episode of the Disagree series to offer their perspective on how to enter into difficult conversations with calmness and an inner peace that does need to force other people to switch to your side of an argument. It may take us years to do so, but they point the way to…

Ryan Walker joins Sean McCoy for the fourth episode of the Disagree series to discuss the ins and outs of being a lobbyist and policymaker within the U.S. Government. Taking a relational approach Ryan hopes to help groups in Washington D.C. "wade through the bureaucracy and manage the increasing unpredictability of politics" in order to help them c…

Dr. Anika Prather is a literature professor, classical educator, and author. She is currently the Director of High Quality Curriculum and Instruction at Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and with her husband founded The Living Water School. She joins the Disagree series to discuss with Chris Marchand how to approach teaching about and ha…

Pete Wehner is an American writer and former speechwriter for the administrations of three Republican U.S. presidents. He is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and a contributing editor at The Atlantic, He joins Stephen Backhouse for a respectful and honest conversation on violence, patriotism and the Christian witness: topics abo…

This is the first episode in our new series "Disagree". We are talking with people from different sides of different aisles and from people on the frontlines of some of the most contentious issues of the day. How can we disagree well? What is the value of disagreement? Is it worth it? Can be it good? What happens when it goes bad? To help kick off …

In the final episode of her series on Interrupting Serious Youth Violence Rev. Natasha Beckles covers how the Compassionate Communities toolkits are centered around helping churches to work within their communities to interrupt serious youth violence. Using the meaning behind the figure of the Pieta as a foundational image (Mary holding Jesus after…

In episode 3 of Interrupting Serious Youth Violence Tent Talks co-host Rev. Natasha Beckles discusses power and privilege with Leroy Logan. Logan is the UK's most highly decorated and well known black police officer and is the founding member of the Black Police Association. He is the author of "Closing Ranks", which detailed his time as a senior p…

Tent Talks co-host Rev. Natasha Beckles continues her series on Interrupting Serious Youth Violence with a discussion about education and belonging in a conversation with education thought leader Rachel Clarke. Through conversations and interviews, Natasha takes on the systemic and personal issues that create unsafe communities for our children and…

In this episode Tent Talks co-host Revd. Natasha Beckles begins her series on Interrupting Serious Youth Violence. Through conversations and interviews, Natasha takes on the systemic and personal issues that create unsafe communities for our children and looks to solutions for what schools and churches can do about it. This first episode gives an o…

Brad Jersak's most recent book Out of the Embers deals with deconstruction in all its forms. Tent Talks invited Brad to make a four-part series on the themes of his book. In this fourth episode has a conversation with Judith Moses, a seasoned indigenous political activist in Canada who is known for working on the committee that worked with Canadian…

Brad Jersak's most recent book Out of the Embers deals with deconstruction in all its forms. Tent Talks invited Brad to make a four-part series on the themes of his book. In this third episode he sits down with Felicia Murrell to explore deconstruction from a path of love and understanding but also as a black woman in the American context. Felicia …

Brad Jersak's most recent book Out of the Embers deals with deconstruction in all its forms. Tent Talks invited Brad to make a four-part series on the themes of his book. In this second episode he sits down with David Hayward, the NakedPastor, to talk about deconstruction, staying in relationship as we go through the process of reshaping our faith,…

By Brian Zahnd, Brad Jersak, Stephen Backhouse

Clare Backhouse is a nutritional therapist who specialises in human system and lifestyle health. She joins the Tent to talk about the chemistry and biology of anxiety, safety and affection, and tackles the question of how what we eat helps us how to love. You can find out more about Clare's practice and writing at www.transformationnutrition.org. H…

Thomas Jay Oord is the Professor of Open and Relational Theology at Northwind Theological Seminary and the author of a number of books on love, and what this might mean when we talk about power and God. You can find out more about Thomas Oord and his works HERE. Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us b…

The love of enemies is the most famous, and least practiced, of all forms of love. We talk with Melissa Florer-Bixler, who is an Anabaptist activist, Mennonite pastor and author, amongst other things, of How to Have an Enemy. You can find our more about Melissa and her work HERE. How to Have An Enemy is available widely. You can find out more about…

Dr Chris Green is a theologian of great stature and a wise and gentle soul. He sits down with Stephen to discuss the theologies and movements of love: if love is so central to divine revelation then why do so many Christian systems seemed designed around anything but? All about Chris and his works can be found HERE. Has anything we make been intere…

Tinasha LaRayé is an actor, poet, pastor, activist and a powerful force of goodness in this world. She joins the Tent to kick off our first episode in a new series on Love. Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.…

Chris interviewed four women from different backgrounds asking them each the same questions about their experiences as women and leaders in the Church. He talks to Abbi Nye, archivist at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and researcher with CFCToo and ACNAToo, Dr. Emily McGowin, associate professor of theology at Wheaton College and canon theol…

Chris interviewed four women from different backgrounds asking them each the same questions about their experiences as women and leaders in the Church. He talks to Abbi Nye, archivist at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and researcher with CFCToo and ACNAToo, Dr. Emily McGowin, associate professor of theology at Wheaton College and canon theol…

This is the second episode of the new series "Women in Church Leadership." Today's episode is about the scrutiny women face as leaders and the issues they thought they would have been able to move passed by this point in their careers. If you have degrees and years of experience in your area of expertise should women still expect men to disrespect …

This is the first episode of the new series "Women in Church Leadership." Chris interviewed four women from different backgrounds asking them each the same questions about their experiences as women and leaders in the Church. He talks to Abbi Nye, archivist at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and researcher with CFCToo and ACNAToo, Dr. Emily M…

Please enjoy the release of Chris Marchand's latest Christmas song recording "Coventry Carol," along with an excerpt from an extended conversation Chris and Sean had about sad Christmas songs. You can purchase and download Chris' song along with his other music here: https://chrismarchand.bandcamp.com/track/coventry-carol His album Gentle Spacemake…

Chris Marchand continues the tradition of giving an annual Christmas Tent Talk this year by acknowledging the role sad Christmas songs play in our lives. Sometimes we simply cannot sing a happy song and instead need to sing something with more weight, something that allows us to lament. Chris touches on some of the classic "sad" carols as well as t…

The fourth and final episode in our series looking at the phenomenon of White Tears. This episode features Mark Charles, Rachel Clarke, and Golibé Omenaka. You can discover more about Mark Charles HERE. Rachel Clarke's consultancy Apex Education can be found HERE. You can find out more about Golibé Omenaka (a former guest on Tent Talks) by listenin…

The third of four episodes in our series looking at the phenomenon of White Tears. This episode features Sara Moslener and Lisa Sharon Harper. You can find out more about Sara Moslener at her website: https://www.afterpurityproject.com/ You can find out more about Lisa Sharon Harper (a former guest on Tent Talks) at her website: https://lisasharonh…

The second of four episodes in our series looking at the phenomenon of White Tears. This episode features John Goodfellow, Brad Onishi, and Sara Moslener. You can find out more about Brad Onishi on his Straight White American Jesus podcast: https://straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/ and his website: https://www.bradonishi.com/ You can find out more ab…

Join us for a bonus recording of the live launch of Kester Brewin's latest YoHo Journal "Pirating the Pirates", published by Unfold Media. Use the code TENT10 for a discount and get yourself a copy HERE. More about Kester Brewin and his books can be found HERE. More about Alex Barker and her book Be More Pirate can be found HERE. Play Dead, the pun…

The first of four episodes in our series looking at the phenomenon of White Tears. This episode features Terry Wildman, Sheyi Martins-Allen and Golibé Omenaka. You can find out more about Terry Wildman, Rain Ministries, and the First Nation's Version of the Bible at his website or wherever books are sold: https://firstnationsversion.com/ You can fi…

Richard Beck joins the tent once again to finish out Sean's Translation and Interpretation series to discuss how people wrestle through meaning as groups. What are the hills of meaning we are willing to die on and what areas of tension are we willing to live with if it means staying in community with those we love? Rather than coming to definitive …

Part 3 of Sean's Translation and Interpretation series is a conversation with author, speaker, and spiritual director Danielle Shroyer surrounding our conception of "original sin" versus "original blessing" and placed within the context of how the Hebrew language is interpreted within our Bible translations. You can find out more about Shroyer's wo…

The second episode of Sean's Translation and Interpretation series features a conversation with Neil Douglas-Klotz about reimagining how we approach speaking and praying the Lord's prayer by taking a look at its Aramaic roots and learning how to pray it in rhythm with our own breath. You can find more of Douglas-Klotz's teachings and books at his w…

Host Sean McCoy introduces us to his four part Translation and Interpretation series through a conversation with Adam Hansen about the role bias plays in our lives by causing us to avoid difficult topics and ideas. After describing how anxiety and trauma have shaped our thought patterns throughout the generations, they then cover the different cate…

Register for the Tent Autumn School on the Gospel of John HERE. Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.By Stephen Backhouse

Register for the Tent Autumn School on the Gospel of John HERE. Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.By Stephen Backhouse

Scholar and activitst Bob Ekblad joins Stephen in the Tent for a personal conversation and Bible study on the life of Elijah that ruminates on being wearied by a toxic and unchanging culture, wanting to give up and run away into the wilderness, and how to even begin considering facing the world again when self-exile (whether physical or emotional) …