I am still here! Apologies once again for the silence. The next podcast should be published the weekend of 16/17 March—a quite lengthy conversation with our good friend Antony Rotunno. Working on it...

Blessings, Julian.

Current Programme

NigglesThis weekend (11th February) I've unexpectedly put out another short episode. To do with a certain Dr Yuval Noah Harari (yes, him). Mates with Star Fleet Commander Klaus Schwab, I believe. Anyway, Yuval said something recently—well, not quite recently; he said it almost ten years ago, but people have been sharing it recently, so I feel like he's just said it—which has niggled me slightly. So I thought I would niggle slightly back. Anyway, that's what it's about. A niggle.

(BTW: Interviews and roundtable are on the way. As I say in the podcast, as you will appreciate, it can be difficult to get guests pinned down to particular dates and times that just happen to be convenient to me and my TMR schedule. Guests are like proverbial buses. They don't come along, and then three come along all at the same time. So, while I'm waiting at the podcasting bus stop, I'll have a chat with those of you who happen to be waiting in the bus queue with me.)


Upcoming Programmes

Dr Gary SidleyWe shall welcome to the programme Dr Gary Sidley—a former Consultant Clinical Psychologist—for an interview on the UK government's use of "nudge" techniques during the Covid Event. We shall also discuss the extent to which Nudge Theory is being employed more generally by government and the serious ethical questions entailed.

Dr Sidley is a freelance writer, trainer, and blogger. In 2013 he opted for early retirement from his post as Professional Lead/Consultant Clinical Psychologist after 33 continuous years of employment in the NHS (UK National Health Service). He began his career as a psychiatric nurse in 1980, and qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1989. In 2000 he was awarded a PhD for his thesis exploring the psychological predictors of suicidal behaviour.

In early 2020 he became extremely concerned about the government’s response to the ‘coronavirus crisis’, and his writings on this subject can be found on his Coronababble blog. Gary is also a member of the Health Advisory & Recovery Team (HART), PANDA, and the Smile Free campaign to lift all mask mandates. Gary is currently leading on a research project into the UK’s deployment of behavioural science strategies during the Covid Event, and the ethical implications of the state using these methods on its own people.


ARJC1We shall be joined again by our good friend Antony Rotunno for another of our one-to-one chats that have been a feature of TMR for several years now. This time we intend to discuss something that, at first sight, might seem to run the risk of being a little hackneyed, but which, we believe, has the potential to lead to a very fruitful conversation. We shall use the film The Matrix (hold on, keep reading!) as a springboard (not a review!) for discussing the "truther" phenomenon—not "the truth movement", given that neither of us is persuaded that there is such a movement, per se—and consider ways in which popular interpretations of themes in The Matrix have helped to mould people's experiences of "taking the red pill" in response to various epistemological shocks in the real world.

(As to the claim that The Matrix has always been a hidden trans allegory, as the Wachowskis maintain, we shall largely put that aside and treat the film as a cultural artefact in its own right.)


VinceWe shall welcome back to the programme Vince McCann—author of the autobiographical Freed from Satan's Grasp and host of the Chezno1969 YouTube channel—for a conversation on Evangelism and the Witnesses.

Vince, who joined us back in 2014 to talk about the dangers of the Ouija Board, will this time speak with us from his extensive experience of ministry to the Jehovah's Witnesses  and share with us practical advice to help us in our own conversations with those caught up in New Religious Movements that claim the Bible as a foundational text.


Future Programmes

Dr Martin ErdmannWe expect to be joined again by the theologian and historian Dr Martin Erdmann for a series of interviews on the subject of his major book The Spiritualisation of Technology (2022).

"Dr Martin Erdmann studied theology at Columbia International University in the USA (Master of Divinity in Missiology and New Testament Studies), at the University of Basel in Switzerland and at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland (Master of Theology in New Testament Studies and Patristics). In 1996, he founded Online Communication Systems, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. In 1999, he was awarded a doctoral degree in Modern Church History at Brunel University London in England. From 2000-2001 he engaged in post-doctoral studies in New Testament and History of Theology at the Séminaire Libre De Théologie À Genève (Free Seminary of Theology, Geneva, Switzerland). From 2003 to 2010 he was an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies (distance education) at Patrick Henry College, Virginia. For four years Dr Erdmann headed up the NT department of the Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel (State-independent Theological Seminary), Switzerland. In his position as Senior Scientist at the University Hospital in Basel, he was involved in researching the ethical implications of Nanotechnology. In 2017 the Károli Gáspár-University in Budapest, Hungary awarded him the Dr. Habil. degree in Systematic Theology. Since 2003 he has directed the Verax Institute (Christian apologetics). Dr Erdmann is married to Joy and has two children, Estelle Chérie and Johannes Luc."


Results from TMR survey

TMR

Format: Everyone who responded said that they particularly appreciate the interviews (and other types of one-to-one conversation) and asked that these remain at the core of TMR's programming. They also generally prefer in-depth conversations.

Subjects: The majority of respondents are happy with the types of subjects covered on the podcast. (Some aren't keen on subjects that are specifically Christian, while others aren't keen on subjects that are not specifically Christian. Given that this mix is central to TMR's philosophy, such difference of opinion is only to be expected.)

Frequency: Very few asked for the podcasts to be posted at any regular interval (such as weekly or fortnightly), but instead stressed the importance of quality over quantity.

Conclusion: I shall therefore continue in much the same way, but prioritise the in-depth conversations, even though that may impact the frequency with which I post podcasts.

Many thanks to those who contributed.

Julian.


Other arrangements in the pipeline. I am currently working on the following projects (in no particular order): a follow-up interview with Jacob Hornberger on the Zapruder Film Mystery; an interview in the area of World Religions (from a Christian perspective); an interview in the area of the Philosophy of Miracle; an interview on the Orality of Scripture; an interview on "Improvising Church"; a half serious, half tongue-in-cheek roundtable on the subject of "Skience" (my word for "The Science"); and a series of interviews with Dr Martin Erdmann on his book The Spiritualisation of Technology.

 
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