The Mind Renewed : Thinking Christianly in a New World Order

"I'd like to report a truck driver that's been endangering my life."—David Mann (Dennis Weaver) in Duel. For the 20th TMR Movie Roundtable we are joined once again by our good friends Frank Johnson, Antony Rotunno, Mark Campbell and Oscar Campbell for a five-way discussion on the nerve-rattling 1971 thriller Duel, directed by the young Steven Spielberg and starring Dennis Weaver as Everyman pushed to the edge by a relentless, anonymous foe. David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is just an ordinary chap minding his own business and driving his beloved red Plymouth Valiant through the California desert, when a predatory monster of a smoke-spewing lorry (sorry, truck) inexplicably picks him as its unsuspecting prey. What starts as a routine car journey swiftly spirals into a heart-pounding game of cat-and-mouse with no rules and no escape. What's fuelling the truck's murderous pursuit? How does Spielberg turn a regular highway into a battlefield of primal fear? And what might this filmic clash of Man versus Machine have to say to us today? Join us as we examine the tension, explore the film's minimalist brilliance, and ask what "takeaways" might be gleaned from Spielberg's early TV/cinematic masterpiece. [Podcast theme music by Antony Raijekov (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). In accordance with the conditions of that licence TMR wishes to state that the fact that this music appears in TMR podcasts should in no way be understood as implying that its creator endorses anything produced by TMR.] [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

"It's time to stand up, with eyes open, ears down to the ground. A change is long overdue. So, wake up. Question everything. Are you awake?"—One by One (2014) For the 19th TMR Movie Roundtable we welcome back our good friends Frank Johnson and Antony Rotunno for a three-way discussion on the cult British "truth movement" film One by One (2014), starring the well-loved (and much-missed) comedian and actor Rik Mayall, written and directed by Diane Jessie Miller. A young woman, Dion, is befriended by an unconventional group of people while she's working in a UK town cafe. Although her policeman boyfriend is not happy about this, because he thinks she should aspire to greater things than waitressing and considers her new pals too idealistic and eccentric, Dion sticks with her friends because they bring a fresh sense of joy and peace into her life. But when tragedy strikes, Dion's life is turned upsidedown; and thus begins her journey "down the rabbit hole" as the group reveals to her the unsettling truths that they have come to understand. Incredulous at first, Dion eventually comes to the same realisation, and the film closes with (what seems to be) the initial stages of the anticipated calamity. Join us as we discuss the production, consider it in relation to the so-called "truth movement", and ask what the filmmakers might have meant by admonishing audiences to "Wake up, now!" [Podcast theme music by Antony Raijekov (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). In accordance with the conditions of that licence TMR wishes to state that the fact that this music appears in TMR podcasts should in no way be understood as implying that its creator endorses anything produced by TMR.] [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

"The absolute key thing which God needs from the Church is a commitment to the Word of God."—Rev Phill Sacre We are joined once again by Rev Phill Sacre—an ordained minister (Church of England), housechurch leader, and blogger on Substack—for a conversation on "Plausibility Structures and the Church." Our conversation grows out of a podcast series that Phill produced late last year called "How the church was sabotaged", in which he reflected upon a 1980s book by the famous Christian thinker and writer Os Guinness. Though published over 40 years ago, Guinness's "The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church" caught Phill's attention because of its apparent prescience on a number of important cultural issues facing the church today. So, please join us as I "get in on the conversation", and we discuss what's happened to so many modern churches, and think about ways in which we might "push back" in the culture to reveal the Gospel's "plausibility structure" to church and world alike. (Phill is a Christian minister. Ordained in the Church of England, he formerly served in a parish on the Essex coast, but now leads an independent housechurch. He also runs the online ministries "Understand the Bible" and "Sacred Musings : Thinking Christianly about the World" on Substack.) [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

When will Sir Keir get his sausages back? Is it safe for an asparamancer to eat a 74-year-old omelette? Does Tom Hanks have eight legs or six? And will Frank Johnson raise enough cash through this evening's kickstarter to fund his research project to obtain superpowers by microwaving spiders from around the world? These (and other vitally important questions) are answered as we kick off 2025 here at TMR with our annual New Year's Eve show—a crazy roundtable chat with high-ranking members of The Fireside Nephilim Chaps secret society. Join us—Jenifer Thyssen (classical singer), Frank Johnson (microwave spider skientist), Crusy (Like Flint Radio), Jeff Bankens (Strongman for Christ), The Right Honourable Sir Keir Rodney Starmer, Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, MP (the UK's selected "Prime Minister") and Yours Truly—as we put aside the cares of this world for just over an hour and discuss everything under the sun in aid of Frank's latest arachnophilic skientific research. [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

"Our lives are woven together in a fabric, but the connections that make society strong also make it vulnerable."—Threads (1984) For the 18th TMR Movie Roundtable we welcome back our good friends Antony Rotunno, Frank Johnson and Mark Campbell for another of our four-way discussions, this time on the disturbing (because uncomfortably realistic) nuclear-apocalyptic BBC/Nine Network (Australia) film Threads from 1984. Written by Barry Hines ("A Kestral for a Knave", 1968 / "Kes", 1969) and directed by Mick Jackson ("The Bodyguard", 1992), Threads is a merciless exploration—supported by considerable scientific and government policy research—of the devastating physical, psychological and societal effects of thermonuclear war. Set in the UK city of Sheffield during a period of spiralling tensions between the United States of America and the former Soviet Union, Threads takes the viewer on a uniquely challenging journey: from kitchen sink drama to pseudo-documentary, as we witness the lives of everyday people (just like ourselves) being destroyed, or changed forever, by the blast, heat and radiation of a thermonuclear event. (Please be warned: Threads is a disturbing film—it's supposed to be—but it's also a very important film, which I think as many people (adults) as possible should see. But, again, please do be prepared to watch something that might affect you deeply.) Join us as we discuss the production and consider its message during this period of rising international tensions in the world today. [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

At long last, here is Part Two* of our latest conversation with UK evangelist Vince McCann—host of the Chenzo1969 YouTube channel—on his long-time ministry of speaking with Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons (and others) on the streets of UK towns and cities in the prayerful hope of reaching people for Christ. Drawing upon his extensive experience of such street ministry, Vince shares with us some practical advice that might help us in our own conversations with people caught up in New Religious Movements that claim the Bible as a foundational text. (*I decided, for reasons explained in Part One, to publish this interview in two parts.) [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

It is with great pleasure that we welcome back to the programme the UK evangelist Vince McCann—host of the Chenzo1969 YouTube channel—for Part One* of a relaxed and unstructured conversation on his long-time ministry speaking to Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons (and others) on the streets of UK towns and cities in the prayerful hope of reaching people for Christ. Drawing upon his extensive experience of such street ministry, Vince shares with us some practical advice that might help us in our own conversations with people caught up in New Religious Movements that claim the Bible as a foundational text. (Vince joined us back in 2014 to talk about the dangers of the Ouija Board.) (*I have decided, for reasons explained in the podcast, to publish this interview in two parts. Please check back in a couple of weeks or so for part two.) [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

"...we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof."—Kimberly Cheatle Once again out of the blue—or out of the red, white and blue (sorry, I couldn't resist)—I'm putting out another short podcast, this time in response to the events of last Saturday in Pennsylvania, in which Donald Trump, as we all know, was very nearly assassinated by an allegedly "lone gunman" in front of the watching world. It's amazing how the "news cycle" speeds along though, isn't it? Already it's getting harder to find mention of it in "mainstream" news outlets. But this was a momentous event—and one that, as nearly everyone is saying, may well propel Trump into the White House for a second term (assuming another assassination attempt isn't successful). Anyway, essentially what I'm doing here is to "riff" in audio form on some notes that I've been making at TMR over the last several days. It's not a deep analysis; I'm not claiming that I've got everything right, and I'm certainly open to changing my mind on any of it as I'm exposed to new information. So, please take it for what it is: thoughts, musings, trying to make sense of what happened... and basically being someone, who, like you, has the audacity (nay, effrontery) to think about matters that one is told one should leave entirely to unimpeachable organs of the state (like the FBI). [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

For the 17th TMR Movie Roundtable we welcome back our good friends Frank Johnson, Antony Rotunno and Mark Campbell for another four-way discussion, this time on the cult British supernatural horror film The Appoinrment (1981/2) starring Edward Woodward and directed by Lindsey C Vickers. "An evil and enigmatic entity throws a family into turmoil in Lindsey C. Vickers' much sought-after cult horror. Unable to attend his daughter’s violin recital, suburban father Ian—played by Edward Woodward (The Wicker Man)—is haunted by a series of prophetic nightmares that seem to foresee a looming tragedy. Are dark forces gathering to be unleashed upon him?"—BFI.org.uk After initial screenings at film festivals in the early 1980s, The Appointment wasn't released in cinemas or on television (for various unfathomable reasons) but only on home media, although it did eventually get broadcast on UK regional television in the 1990s—a showing that, ironically enough, its director missed!. Ever since, many have searched for the film—religiously scanning TV schedules and hunting in second-hand shops in the hope tracking down one of those old VHS or Betamax video tapes—but it was not until 2022 that the film became widely available once again thanks to the British Film Institute and the film's director Lindsey Vickers (who was extensively involved in the project). The Appointment is now available on Blu-ray Disc as part of the BFI Flipside series (see show notes). Join us as we discuss the production and reflect theologically/philosophically on the themes and meanings of this almost-lost cult British movie. [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]

"I think, as we are forced from the centre—but, even better, as we relinquish the centre, and let go of power among ourselves and in culture, and become more dependent on God—that our spiritual power will, in a sense, return."—Dr Mark Glanville We welcome to the programme Dr Mark Glanville, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regent College, Vancouver, for a conversation—in words and music—on his recently published book, Improvising Church : Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul (InterVarsity Press, Academic, 2024). "The post-Christian cultural turn is creating the conditions for a crisis of confidence in the church and in pastoral ministry. While such changes can be disruptive and disconcerting, our new cultural reality makes the present moment a uniquely exciting time to reimagine churches that bear witness to Christ. How do we move beyond cookie-cutter approaches (which may have worked in the past) to building the creative, compassionate, and incarnational churches we long for? Biblical scholar and accomplished jazz pianist Mark Glanville plays with a metaphor of improvisation to chart twelve themes as the key "notes" on which Christian communities play as they bear witness to God in the world today. Building on these two dynamic traditions—jazz music and Christian community—Improvising Church unfolds a biblical, practical, and inventive vision for churches seeking to receive and extend the healing of Christ."—(IVPress.com) [For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com]