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Daniel French

J.A. Franklin

T.J. Pelham

Are you wondering how a Christian should respond to current events? What are we to think about a world that appears to be going absolutely mad? How are we to discern the signs of the times? In this podcast, featuring The Reverend Thomas Pelham, The Reverend Daniel French, The Reverend Doctor J.A. Franklin and the occasional guest, we attempt to give some answers. Email us at irreverendpod@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter @irreverendpod or on Telegram at https://t.me/irreverendpod. We also have a youtube channel which can be found by searching Irreverend: Faith and Current Affairs! If you would like to support the show, which can be done from £1.50 plus VAT per month, you can join our Patreon community. Please go to www.patreon.com/irreverend

Irreverend: Faith and Current Affairs

Revs Jamie and Thomas discuss how the fear of death has affected our society since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis. What is the Christian hope beyond death and how can it affect our response to this widespread fear? Is this fear rational, and what can the Christian faith say about it?

Mentioned in this episode:

Tom Wright - Surprised by Hope

C.S. Lewis - Out of the Silent Planet

Out of proportion: People think coronavirus is more widespread, and more deadly, than official figures show (pg. 6)

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Fear of Death

The Reverend T.J. Pelham and The Reverend Doctor J.A. Franklin discuss the status and uses of science in our society. Is there a distinctively Christian or theological response to “the science” in the context of the Coronavirus crisis? How should Christians respond to the way that science has been wielded by politicians and the media? Should we accept these things at face value or should we look for a more nuanced approach? How do we balance the effects of one set of scientific claims with the extreme amount of damage that is being caused to people who are suffering as collateral damage from the responses to the putative threat of Covid-19? 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rowina Seidler - Why Christians Must Question the Science Right Now 

Karina Reiss and Sucharit Bhakti - Corona, False Alarm? Facts and Figures

Dr Sunetra Gupta, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya - Great Barrington Declaration

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"The Science"

As restrictions tighten once again in England, Jamie and Thomas critique the ostensible communitarian basis of lockdowns, arguing that they hurt the poor and marginalized the most. They suggest, following Matthew 25:31-46, that lockdowns are not the best way of recognizing the presence of Christ in all of the world's people.

Mentioned in this episode:

World Bank - Covid-19 to add as many as 150 million extreme poor by 2021

Kaamil Almed - Hunger could kill millions more than Covid-19, warns Oxfam

Angus Dalgleish - Driven to despair, two of Professor Angus Dalgleish's colleagues took their own lives...

Spectator TV - Andrew Neil and WHO Covid-19 Envoy David Nabarro (from minute 15)

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Critiques of Lockdown

We begin this episode with a comprehensive review of a recent audit published by the Daily Mail in which many of the catastrophic effects of the lockdown are laid bare. We then review a recent article written by a Christian surgeon, which is an exhortation for fellow Christians to stop dabbling in 'pseudoscientific claptrap'. We ask if the arguments presented in this article are persuasive. We finish with a short review of some of the salient themes of the important work of political theory, Covid 19: The Great Rest, written by the head of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Shwab.

Rough Timings:

Up to 27 minutes: Lockdown's Lethal Toll Laid Bare

Also mentioned in this section: 4 Newborn Babies Die in Australia due to Coronavirus Travel Restrictions

Student Dies in Lockdown after 'Suffering Severe Anxiety'

27 - 51 minutes: Christians Must Stop Embracing Pseudo-Scientific Claptrap, Mark Surg

51 minutes: The Great Reset, Klaus Schwab/Thierry Malleret

Also Mentioned:

The Great Barrington Declaration

E-mail: irreverendpod@gmail.com
Twitter: @irreverendpod

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Catastrophic Effects of Lockdown; Christians Spouting ‘Pseudoscientific Claptrap’?; The Great Reset

In a first for our podcast, we are joined by a very special guest, priest and columnist for The Spectator, the Reverend Daniel French. We discuss Daniel's experiences over the last eight months and talk about the opportunities the Church might have as a result of the change brought about in the world due to Covid. Could this be the end of the age of reason and the beginning of a new age of faith? How can we communicate a message of life in the midst of a culture of pervasive fear?
We also discuss a widely circulated article, written by Baptist pastor John Piper, in which Piper argues that a Christian should not vote for either Biden or Trump at the US election.
We end by touching on some of the disparate stories that have caught our attention, including Lord Sumption's withering attack on the UK government from a powerful legal perspective and the UK's newest political celebrity, Maureen from Barnsley. 

Contact
As always, please rate and review us on iTunes if you are able and willing, and follow us on Twitter @IrreverendPod. 
Please e-mail comments, criticisms, suggestions and stories to irreverendpod@gmail.com!

Links
Daniel French, Spectator columns
Follow Daniel on Twitter @holydisrupter
John Piper, Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin: Pondering the Implications of the 2020 Election
Michael Ots, response to Marc Surg, Why 'The Science' can't be our chief guide through the pandemic
Ian James Kidd and Matthew Ratcliff, The Critic, Welcome to Covidworld
Toby Young and Lionel Shriver, Intellectual Conformism and Lockdown Scepticism
Lord Sumption, Government by Decree - Covid-19 and the Constitution, video and transcript
Maureen from Barnsley, Appearance on Good Morning, Britain
Read Jamie's recent blog, Memories of Crowds

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The Church, The Gospel and Covid; Piper and Trump; and more w/ special guest, Priest and Spectator Columnist, Rev'd Daniel French

In this very special episode, we sit down with the Venerable Doctor Edward Dowler, Archdeacon of Hastings in the Church of England. 
We discuss four articles that Edward has written over the lockdown period. We begin with a discussion of the Church's early reaction to the pandemic, including the controversial decision to prevent clergy from praying in their own churches. We talk about face coverings and the significance of not being able to sing in church. Finally we discuss how the measures implemented by the government have diminished our lives in extremely significant ways and look to a future situation in which the Church and society are restored.
If you would like to read Edward's articles, links to all of them are available below:
Let the clergy pray in their churches
We lose much when the face is covered up
Singing a new song
People need alternatives to fear

As always please email comments, suggestions, feedback, criticisms to:
irreverendpod@gmail.com
And tweet at us @IrreverendPod

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Special Episode: Interview with Venerable Dr Edward Dowler, Archdeacon of Hastings

In this momentous week, we had the great privilege of sitting down for a virtual cup of tea with freelance writer, cultural critic and American Anglophile Esther O'Reilly.
Plenty to talk about this week including the new UK shutdown and the Church's response to the Covid restrictions in general with Esther sharing her perspective from the other side of the pond. With the US election still undecided, we talk about Trump, Christianity and why Esther did not vote for either candidate this time around. Following some listener feedback, we ask what to make of Donald Trump's interactions with Christianity. Is it genuine, political expediency or something else?
As always please e-mail comments, suggestions, feedback, criticisms to irreverendpod@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter at IrreverendPod!
If you use iTunes please rate and review us. 

Esther O'Reilly
Blog - Young Fogey
Twitter - EstherofReilly
Till We (Don't) Have Face(mask)s
How Now Shan't We Vote

Also Mentioned
Trip Gabriel - A Born Again Donald Trump? Believe it, Evangelical Leader Says
Trump at March for Life
Trump at Prayer
Trump on Jesus

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US Edition with Special Guest Esther O'Reilly

Back to the home team this week as T.J. and J.A. consider an article written by Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes, in which it is asserted, amongst other things, that lockdown sceptics are looking for an easy way out. We discuss the nature of lockdown scepticism and whether the bishop's claim is justified. Is the lockdown sceptic position really an "easy" position to take? Are lockdown sceptics ignoring all the evidence? Or is the position actually counter-cultural and therefore more difficult to maintain in the face of the majority? Is it reasonable to imply that eminent scientists like Sunetra Gupta and Carl Heneghan are not interested in evidence? More broadly we consider what kind of "offence" Christians are supposed to cause and on which issues we are supposed to take a stand.
After that, we respond to the news of an apparent breakthrough in the Pfizer vaccine trial. We talk about the ethical and theological implications of mandating or coercing people into taking vaccines and other medical treatments, and we touch on the fact that aborted fetal tissue is often used in the production and testing of vaccines.
Finally, we look at on a headline claiming that the SAGE committee are interested in asking people to relocate Christmas to Summer 2021. We ask whether SAGE really has the power to make such profound ecclesiological pronouncements
Many apologies if you struggle to hear any of this episode. We hope it is almost all fine, but there may be one or two points when one of the speaker's volume drops a bit. We are new podcasters and produce the show ourselves. We are still tweaking our microphone and recording techniques and will endeavour to perfect them going forward!
As always, please send feedback, comments, questions, criticisms, suggestions to irreverendpod@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter at @irreverendpod. Please rate and review us on iTunes!
Links from this episode:
Rt Revd Paul Bayes - Uphill Struggles and the Road to Peace
Dr Lisa Forsberg et al - Compulsory Vaccination for Covid-19 and human rights law
Catherine Neilan, Telegraph - Give three month freedom pass to people who have recovered from Covid
Karina Reiss, Sucharit Bhakdi - Corona, False Alarm? Facts and Figures
Laura O'Callaghan, Express - Now SAGE wants to move Christmas celebrations to SUMMER because of Coronavirus

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Are "lockdown sceptics" looking for an easy way out?; Ethical and theological considerations of vaccination; SAGE wants to move Christmas

A lucky dip this week as we desperately try and keep up with the mad goings on in the world. 
In our weekly look at science, we review the suppressed Danish mask study, which shows that wearing masks in the community made no difference to viral transmission - why does this sort of scientific evidence not affect government policy and what is the true significance of being forced to wear a mask in public? We also review the various disturbing announcements and suggestions made by state actors such as the Metropolitan Police and the Labour Party that any "misinformation" about coronavirus vaccines disseminated in public should be criminalized - why do the authorities want to shut down discussion of vaccines rather than having a debate in the public sphere? We also play out a widely commented upon clip of the health secretary Matt Hancock eulogising about the coming coronavirus vaccination programme. We discuss the NHS and the quasi-religious nature that it has taken on in our society.
We touch on the story of a baptism in North London which was broken up by the police and Jamie gives a short summary of a series of excellent lectures given by Richard Turnbull for the Christian Institute. These lectures, entitled Christian Leadership in Times of Crisis, provide an overview of biblical and historical approaches various challenges, including times of plague, and contrasts that analysis with present day responses from our Christian leaders to the Coronavirus: Part One - Biblical Teaching on Leadership in Times of Crisis; Part Two - Christian Leadership in Times of Crisis; Part Three - A Failure of Spiritual Leadership.
We end with our weekly 'Christmas Watch' section in which we note the government's ardent desire to give us at least a few days of Christmas and the penalty we might need to pay, and we comment on Lorraine Kelly's suggestion that Christmas "is gone" and that it is only a meal and a family get together anyway. 
Also Mentioned:
A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers
Scottish Episcopal Church - Updated Guidance on Coronavirus
Contact
Please send suggestions, comments, criticisms, questions to irreverendpod@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter @irreverendpod and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

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Facemasks and Faith; Injecting Hope into our Arms; the Criminalization of Baptisms and Free Speech; Lorraine Kelly and Christmas

We begin our new episode with some correspondence concerning difficulties faced by doctors and nurses working in the NHS in the current circumstances. And we discuss a message from a listener who raises the issue of an altruistic comparison between abortion and lockdowns.
Our main theme this week is an analysis of the nations' behaviour with regard to Covid as a religious response to an ultimate enemy. Along the way we consider Rowan Williams' take on church closure and an ostensibly heroic Christian response, and we comment on the most recent release of the two archbishops of the Church of England during the recent General Synod. Can the Church expect a season of blessing and growth on the other side of the Covid crisis, or does it need to address other issues of faithfulness to God in order to obtain such a blessing?
Do email in any questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions or anything else to irreverendpod@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter if you are so inclined @IrreverendPod!
Also Mentioned
WebMD - Coronavirus on Surface: What's the Real Risk?
Retraction
When we recorded this episode we were not sure who the "prolocutors of the two provinces" are and speculated that this might refer to the two archbishops of the Church of England. We have subsequently found out that this term refers to the two senior members of the house of clergy in each province. We apologize for this mistake and we will give more details next week.

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Critiques of Lockdown

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