Faith at the Frontiers – a podcast by Barnabas Aspray and Carmody Grey

Christianity faces many challenges in the world today.

Some are global crises like climate change, Covid, refugees and racism, which demand wise action rooted in a Christian way of thinking.

Others call faith itself into question, like secularism, the compatibility between science and religion, and the problem of suffering.

We believe that Christians should respond, not react, to these challenges. Reaction is unthinking, and can make the problem worse. To respond means to seek wisdom before acting.

Every challenge can be met with hope, not despair.

Difficult questions may lead to difficult and uncomfortable answers. As people of faith, we need to have the courage to follow the conversation wherever it may lead. 

Faith gives us confidence to listen to those around us and seek a larger perspective,  always seeking to understand those we disagree with.

This approach is the basis of our new podcast, Faith at the Frontiers, produced in collaboration with The Tablet, which confronts each of these challenges by inviting an expert to discuss one of them in each episode. We don’t shy away from controversial topics, but we keep the conversation peaceful and hopeful.

This podcast is for anyone with an interest in Christianity and the modern world. We are ecumenical and invite guests from all denominations and opinions. We don’t assume that you know any theology already, but we do aim to stimulate your interest in thinking theologically for yourself.

Faith at the Frontiers is a podcast that confronts the toughest challenges to the Christian faith in a hopeful way, by means of conversations with experts from a variety of perspectives. The first series is on refugees, asylum, and immigration. In the future we plan to discuss other controversial topics – always peaceably – such as climate change, racism, the problem of evil, religious pluralism, and many more. You can access it from Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, RSS, or directly from Anchor where it is hosted.

Should nations have an open borders policy?

Should nations have an open borders policy? Or do they have the right to restrict entry to whom they choose? Should the secular state be expected to enact Christian principles? In this episode, Barney puts these hard-hitting questions and others to Luke Glanville, Professor of International Relations at Australia National University. It’s a no-nonsense episode that gets straight to the heart of the controversies.

The lived experience of being a refugee in the 1950s.

It’s easy to talk about refugees without taking time to listen to refugees. In this episode, Peter Rona describes his experiences of being a refugee in the 1950s. We talk about the identity crisis that comes from being forced to be part of a new culture, the kindness of the native population in Austria and America, and how America has changed since then. Barney interviews Professor Peter Rona, a Hungarian refugee from 1956.

Why are refugees a Christian and biblical issue?

Are they a drain on the economy? Should we get involved politically, personally, or both? If so, how? In this latest episode of Faith at the Frontiers, these questions and more are discussed by Barney Aspray and Matthew Soerens.