In Episode 3 we discuss Taoism. It’s often said that there are three religions in China – Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. But that statement isn’t referring to 3 different groups. As we’ve seen in the previous episodes, the religions of the East interconnect and merge and contradict each other all the time. So it’s said that for morals, the Chi…

In Episode 2 we discuss Buddhism. There are about 500 million Buddhists in the world today, making up about 7% of the world’s population. Most Buddhists live in countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, and Vietnam. Just like Hinduism, there are different schools of Buddhism and the differences between them are confus…

Season 9 has finally arrived! Sorry we've been away for so long! This season we'll be focusing on 'World Religions and Cults', we'll have conversations about Buddhism, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism. But in this first episode we discuss Hinduism. It's our prayer that each of these conversations strengthen your confidence in the better sto…

On Easter Sunday 2024 we held an Equip Live to discuss why we're so sure Jesus really rose from the dead! We also took questions from the audience. Listen now!Av The Equip Project

In this season we have been talking about the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For the past 250 years the Gospels have been a battleground. Critical scholars have done their best to portray the Gospels as fictions invented by the early Church to serve political purposes. In this episode we discussed alleged contradictions in the Gospe…

We’ve called this season ‘Battleground’ because the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – have been attacked in recent centuries by critical scholars who argue that the Gospels don’t contain an accurate record of what Jesus said and did. In this episode we will be thinking particularly about what Jesus said. Do the Gospels record Jesus act…

We’ve called this episode ‘The Quest for the Historical Jesus.’ The basic idea is that critical scholars try to dig a great ugly ditch between what they term 'the authentic Jesus', the Jesus of history, and 'the Christ of faith'. According to these critical scholars, the Gospels are the product of the early church. For mainly political reasons, the…

In the first two episodes of Season 8, we consider the historical context of the Gospels. We'll think about the blank page in our Bibles that separates the last book of the Old Testament from the first book of the New Testament. There's a 400-year gap between the end of Malachi and the Gospels. It's sometimes called the intertestamental period. Thi…

This season we're going to be thinking about the gospel records, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Those four books take us to the heart of Christianity. And, for a long time, they've been a battleground. Critics of Christianity have launched wave after wave of attacks on the historicity and the theological coherence of the Gospels. We're going to exam…

In the final episode of season 7 we’ll take a step back and survey the various storms we’ve discussed, so that our listeners can see the logic that underpins this season. And then we’ll think Biblically about how to survive the storms that are heading our way over the next few years.Av The Equip Project

We’ve called this season Twitterstorms, because we’re discussing controversies that have blown up in the US among Christians in recent years. In this episode we talk about conspiracy theories. Be prepared for questions about QAnon and the Great Reset...Av The Equip Project

Back in 2007, the term “the New Atheists” was applied to men like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. They were fairly brutal enemies of Christianity. They saw it as a poisonous thing, a belief system that had blighted humanity for a thousand years. And they were determined to destroy Christianity. So Hitchens wrote God is not great. Dawkins …

This season we've been focussing on some of the big controversies that have hit evangelicalism in recent years. In this episode, we use a case study to consider the subtle ways Scripture can be set aside in order to nudge Christians towards false theological positions and beliefs.Av The Equip Project

It's one thing to listen to a Bible teacher talk about a passage of Scripture. But in our personal study, how should we go about making sense of it? Are there any techniques that might help a young adult engage more effectively with the Bible? Our desire is that the Lord might use these episode to equip you and encourage you when it comes to studyi…

Welcome to a new season of the Equip Project Podcast! This season is called 'Twitter Storms'. We've decided to discuss some of the controversies that have erupted within Christians circles in the past year. Our aim is not to gossip, but rather to use some of these controversies to prepare ourselves for times when we face similar situations. We trus…

Welcome to a new season of the Equip Project Podcast! This season is called 'Twitter Storms'. We've decided to discuss some of the controversies that have erupted within Christians circles in the past year. Our aim is not to gossip, but rather to use some of these controversies to prepare ourselves for times when we face similar situations. We trus…

In the final episode of Season 6 we ask: 'How should we go about studying the Bible?' It's one thing to listen to a Bible teacher talk about a passage of Scripture. But in our personal study, how should we go about making sense of it? Are there any techniques that might help a young adult engage more effectively with the Bible? Our desire is that t…

In this episode we discuss 1st and 2nd Samuel. In the original Hebrew manuscripts, Samuel was a single book, but it was divided into two by the translators who produced the Septuagint. The historical background to Samuel is really dark. The period of Israel’s history known as the Judges had left the nation at its lowest ever point. Israel was riddl…

In our first ever Equip Live we address the question 'What's Wrong With the World?' before turning to questions submitted by the audience. God used this live event to greatly encourage us, it was brilliant to get the chance to meet so many Equip listeners. Thank you all for coming along! We hope to run more live events in the coming months, so keep…

This week, we tackle one of the longest books in the Bible – the prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah is 66 chapters long and has been called the Romans of the Old Testament. But the truth is that most preachers just dip into it. Chapter 9’s promise of the Messiah is read in most Carol services. Isaiah’s vision of the Holy One in Chapter 6 is really famous, …

This season we are going to try something that we’ve never attempted before. In each episode, we’ll take a book of the bible and ask: 'what is the big idea that underpins this book?' So we won’t be delving into individual chapters or verses. We’ll take a helicopter view of the entire book, and ask: what would be missing in the canon of 66 books if …

In this bonus episode, Ollie chats to evangelist Rico Tice about sharing the Gospel in a hostile culture. Listen and be encouraged as Rico outlines the Biblical motivation for evangelism, and provides us with plenty of practical advice.Av The Equip Project

We give thanks to God for Queen Elizabeth II, for her 70 years of faithful service, and for her consistent witness to her Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In this special episode we reflect on her Christian faith.Av The Equip Project

This season we are going to try something that we’ve never attempted before. In each episode, we’ll take a book of the bible and ask: 'what is the big idea that underpins this book?' So we won’t be delving into individual chapters or verses. We’ll take a helicopter view of the entire book, and ask: what would be missing in the canon of 66 books if …

This season we are going to try something that we’ve never attempted before. In each episode, we’ll take a book of the bible and ask: 'what is the big idea that underpins this book?' So we won’t be delving into individual chapters or verses. We’ll take a helicopter view of the entire book, and ask: what would be missing in the canon of 66 books if …

This season we are going to try something that we’ve never attempted before. In each episode, we’ll take a book of the bible and ask: 'what is the big idea that underpins this book?' So we won’t be delving into individual chapters or verses. We’ll take a helicopter view of the entire book, and ask: what would be missing in the canon of 66 books if …

In this series we're thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. In episode 6 we consider the origin of war.Av The Equip Project

In this series we're thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. In episode 5 we consider the origin of the metaverse.Av The Equip Project

In this series we're thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. In episode 4 we consider the origin of cities.Av The Equip Project

In this series we're thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. In episode 3 we consider the origins of law.Av The Equip Project

In this series we're thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. In episode 2 we consider the origin of money. Our real focus isn’t so much on pound coins or five-pound notes found in our coat pockets. We’re going to…

This series we’re going to be thinking about 'origins'. The idea of origins is relevant for everyone. Because we all live within a story. And the beginning of a story is the seed from which everything grows. Charles Darwin’s book changed the world precisely because it gave society a new origin story. The origin of species. The grand opening words o…

Hi everyone, A very Happy Christmas to you all. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement this year, it’s been greatly valued! I hope you’re able to find a few moments of quiet during this busy season to listen to this short Christmas Reflection from Jim Crookes.Av The Equip Project

In this fourth season of the Equip Project Podcast we’ll be focussing our attention on a pastoral question that is very relevant to young adults today: the question of our mental well-being. We're going to consider five key concepts that underpin a healthy mind. If, with the Lord's enabling, we can build these five truths into the base of our minds…

In this fourth season of the Equip Project Podcast we’ll be focussing our attention on a pastoral question that is very relevant to young adults today: the question of our mental well-being. We're going to consider five key concepts that underpin a healthy mind. If, with the Lord's enabling, we can build these five truths into the base of our minds…

In this fourth season of the Equip Project Podcast we’ll be focussing our attention on a pastoral question that is very relevant to young adults today: the question of our mental well-being. We're going to consider five key concepts that underpin a healthy mind. If, with the Lord's enabling, we can build these five truths into the base of our minds…

In this fourth season of the Equip Project Podcast we’ll be focussing our attention on a pastoral question that is very relevant to young adults today: the question of our mental well-being. We're going to consider five key concepts that underpin a healthy mind. If, with the Lord's enabling, we can build these five truths into the base of our minds…

In this fourth season of the Equip Project Podcast we’ll be focussing our attention on a pastoral question that is very relevant to young adults today: the question of our mental well-being. We're going to consider five key concepts that underpin a healthy mind. If, with the Lord's enabling, we can build these five truths into the base of our minds…

A five episode series on Church History from the Equip Project Podcast! The first three episodes will take history in 500-year blocks, so we’ll think about the period up to the fall of Rome in 476AD, then the so-called Dark Ages up to the year 1000AD, and then we'll talk about the High Middle Ages which takes us up to the story of Columbus landing …

A five episode series on Church History from the Equip Project Podcast! The first three episodes will take history in 500-year blocks, so we’ll think about the period up to the fall of Rome in 476AD, then the so-called Dark Ages up to the year 1000AD, and then we'll talk about the High Middle Ages which takes us up to the story of Columbus landing …

A five episode series on Church History from the Equip Project Podcast! The first three episodes will take history in 500-year blocks, so we’ll think about the period up to the fall of Rome in 476AD, then the so-called Dark Ages up to the year 1000AD, and then we'll talk about the High Middle Ages which takes us up to the story of Columbus landing …

A five episode series on Church History from the Equip Project Podcast! The first three episodes will take history in 500-year blocks, so we’ll think about the period up to the fall of Rome in 476AD, then the so-called Dark Ages up to the year 1000AD, and then we'll talk about the High Middle Ages which takes us up to the story of Columbus landing …

A new five episode series on Church History from the Equip Project Podcast! The first three episodes will take history in 500-year blocks, so we’ll think about the period up to the fall of Rome in 476AD, then the so-called Dark Ages up to the year 1000AD, and then we'll talk about the High Middle Ages which takes us up to the story of Columbus land…

In this, the last episode of season 3, we discuss the role of education in society. Education has unfortunately moved centre stage in the various culture wars that rage in society just now. Christian parents are worried that schools are becoming hostile to Christianity. There is an increasing concern about indoctrination of even very young children…

In this episode we think about a hugely controversial topic called conversion therapy. There has been so much in the media in recent weeks about the campaign to ban this practice. We consider what conversion therapy is, and discuss how christians should think about it.Av The Equip Project

We live in a society that has turned history into a battleground. And that should set alarm bells off in the minds of Christians, because we hold to an historical faith. Christianity is not a philosophy. It isn’t just a set of speculative ideas. It claims to be truth revealed in history. We claim that the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Chr…

We are continuing to think about the big elements that make up our society. And one really important element in modern culture is Islam. There are about 3.5 million Muslims living in the UK. That’s about 5.5% if the population, and that percentage is growing fast because of a disparity in birth rates. In some London boroughs, over 30% of the popula…

Language, and how we use it, has become an immensely powerful factor in how we engage with this culture. It’s as if society no longer has a shared, stable, language. There is this increasing pressure to learn a new language, because this new language is the passport we need to engage in the modern world. To refuse to learn the new language is a dec…

In this special bonus episode, recorded by Christian Unions Ireland (CUI), Jim Crookes is joined by world renowned author and social critic Os Guinness, to discuss the Christian and politics. The world watched in shock at the events that unfolded on January 6th outside the Capitol building in Washington DC. Protesters held signs that said “Jesus Sa…

In this episode, we discuss the role of the media in society. There is no doubt that organisations like the BBC or CNN have a massive impact on western societies. The tabloid newspapers in the UK have been credited with winning elections for both New Labour and the Conservative party over the past few decades. More recently, we’ve seen the rise of …