Advertise on podcast: MannaCast

We use money everyday, and we trust it implicitly, but what is it? It is stranger than you think. Where did it come from? How does it work? Jonathan and Jacob unpack the strange history, character, and power of money, with particular attention to its spiritual significance. Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Can you remember a time before smartphones, before social media, before the internet? Our guests on this episode can't, and they sit down with Jacob to describe what it's like growing up in a world which has been so dramatically shaped by these things. Along the way they talk about some of the upsides and downsides of digital tech, how they feel about AI, and how they have personally tried to seek a healthy relationship with these technologies. Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

After eleven episodes exploring the history and themes of settler colonisation, Jon and Jacob step back to reflect on the legacies that live on today, not just for First Nations people, but for the whole nation. And what does all of this mean for a Christian response to the legacies of the past in the present moment? Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Jonathan chats with Aunt Esme Bamblett about her long life of activism struggling for First Peoples' justice, and her involvement at the centre of contemporary processes of truth-telling and treaty-making in Victoria today. Esme Bamblett is a Bangerang, Taungurung and Wiradjuri woman; CEO of the Aborigines Advancement League; and Member of the First Peoples' Assembly in Victoria. Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Jacob sits down with Safina Stewart to discuss the how and why of building relationships between the First and Second Peoples of this continent. Along the way, Safina shares some of her own experiences and some of the challenges she has observed to doing this well. Safina Stewart is a proud Wuthithi and Mabuiag Island woman, an award-winning artist, and Common Grace's Storyteller and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Lead. You can find out more about Safina and her work at commongrace.org.au and artbysafina.com.au. Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

There's a lot to unpack if we're to understand the role of Christianity in the process of Australia's colonisation. From the historical context and the history itself, to the theology and the experiences of the actual people on the ground, as well as the contemporary legacies of these things, Jonathan and Jacob settle in for a long and chewy discussion. If you're a Christian and you're Australian, this one's for you. (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions

With the conquest of Australia pretty much complete by federation in 1901, what will be the status and role of the conquered peoples in this new nation? How does this change over time, and why? On the longest episode of the MannaCast to date (!), Jon and Jacob focus on the story in Queensland and the reality of life for Indigenous peoples in the early-mid 20th century.  (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Between 1788 and 1901, the great southern landmass went through a process of enormous change both in the human sphere and beyond. On this episode, Jonathan and Jacob pause the narrative to chew the fat, examining some major themes and turning points in the story so far. How can we characterise this process, and how do we begin to come to terms with it legacy?   (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Was Australia settled or was it conquered? How do you conquer a continent in the space of 70 years? This episode charts the explosive growth of colonisation after 1835 to cover pretty much the entire continent by the time of Federation in 1901.  But that was not the end of frontier violence... (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

The influx of pastoralists and land speculators into Victoria's grasslands was one of the fastest and largest land grabs in colonial history, but it begun with the only known formal land agreement between the First Peoples of Australia and British settlers. What was this agreement between Kulin leaders and John Batman's Port Phillip Association, and how did it usher in the end of the world as they knew it? (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

By 1815, the extent of British colonisation in Australia is still a tiny speck on a vast continent, but that’s all about to change. From about 1820, a radical shift occurs in the British colonial project which leads to a world-shattering experience for Australia’s First Peoples. In this episode we focus on the key part that Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) plays in this story. (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Was there war between First Peoples and the newcomers from Britain? If so, when did it begin, and how? This episode takes us beyond the limits of Sydney town to discover what was going on in the bush and the reasons for conflict. Who drove these developments, and where did they lead? Note: some parts of this episode may not be suitable for younger listeners. (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

The arrival of the First Fleet and the establishment of a penal colony at Port Jackson meant a collision of worlds on an almost science fiction scale. Did these aliens from Britain think of themselves as "invaders"? How was their arrival received? How do the early years of this story set the trend and the tone for much to come? Jonathan and Jacob zoom in on Sydney town to find a surprisingly human story full of complexity and tension. (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

There is probably no bigger fact for the Australian economic context than the fact that we are a settler colony, so it’s no surprise that colonisation is one of the most contested subjects in Australian politics today. But how many of us actually know the history of what happened? With both sides of the culture war seeming to prefer their own idealised stories, how should Christians begin to get a handle on things here? This episode marks the beginning of our deepest dive series yet for the MannaCast, so strap in – this one may ruffle some feathers! (Episode notes available here.) Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.

Jonathan interviews Dr Siu Fung Wu about his book, Suffering in Romans. Siu Fung describes how his own childhood experience of poverty in Hong Kong led him to explore themes of suffering in Paul's letter to the Romans, and how understanding the economic hardship of many of the Roman Christians to whom Paul was writing helps us better understand these deep themes in his writing. Theme music: © Don Stewart, Recorded/Mixed by Unmuzzled Music Productions.