In the Shift

Episode 115: In the last episode of our series on non-coercive community, we ask the question: what if Christianity is actually just coercive? If that's the case then all this talk of non-coercive community is just pushing against the inherent nature of Christian religious belief, our ideas about God, and the story of Jesus.

We discuss belief in an all-powerful God and the concept of hell as eternal punishment/suffering. If these are at the centre of a faith system, then they give rise to something that is fundamentally coercive at its very core. But we also talk through the fact that everyone makes choices about the kind of story they're going to embrace, and that we all have the freedom and permission to evaluate our beliefs about God and make different choices. An all powerful deity who threatens eternal conscious torment has never been the only way to read the story - and when we move in a different direction we may find room for a life-giving and nourishing spirituality that is non-coercive, even as it calls and invites us to care more deeply about others and the world around us.

Episode 114: We're back and talking about the challenges and possibilities of non-coercive community. In this conversation, Shane and Michael dive into the complexity of what happens when the forces of capitalism and individualism and/or the toxicity and abuse of previous religious communities make belonging to any community really challenging. One of the really potent aspects of high-demand religious communities is the degree of belonging people can experience, and then the overwhelming betrayal when that belonging is ruptured. What does this mean as we attempt to build safer non-coercive communities of trust and care in non-coercive ways? Are there still ways to belong to community when our previous experiences make this so difficult? How do communities speak about reciprocity, sustainability, mutual obligation and so on, when people have become understandably suspicious or triggered by the dynamics of community life?

Shane Meyer-Holt co-leads Fitzroy North Community Church in Melbourne and Michael Frost is involved in leading Edge Kingsland in Auckland.

Episode 113: In the Shift is back for 2026, and so is Shane – and we’re continuing our conversations about non-coercive community and how we build communities of care in a world shaped by capitalist individualism. In this episode we look at how society has changed over time, toward what is often called secularisation. In the secularised West, participation in communal life has become something of a free market choice that we must add to our already full lives. In that sense, participation in faith communities and other communities of care become choices we need to continually make, against the overwhelming tide of energy, demand and resources. But what if the full life we live is not neutral or a given, but is itself shaped by a set of default fundamental commitments built into contemporary capitalist society? Is it possible to ‘convert’ away from this mode of being, toward something more sustainable and life-giving?

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For more information on the Open Table gathering in Auckland this coming June, visit https://theopentable.nz/

Episode 112: In this episode Shane Meyer-Holt returns for another conversation about the journey of engaging in and building non-coercive communities. We talk about how individualism and capitalism have profoundly shaped so many of us in themes of self-reliance and the importance of opportunity (as well as the freedom to take up those opportunities). These are deeply inbuilt into the psyche of our societal assumptions - and they happen to make regular sustainable commitment to communities of care and mutual obligation an incredibly difficult prospect. If we ultimately believe (and in many respects, understandably so) that we are on our own in keeping our heads above water - then commitment to community can come into conflict with our need for self-reliance. And if we think that we must be free to take every opportunity available to us, then mutual care and genuine healthy obligations to one another may well get in they of those opportunities. In many respects, all modern collectives are struggling with this new reality. Some embrace a model of high-reward, high-punishment community as a mechanism to sustain participation. But what happens if you don't believe in that kind of church or collective dynamic?

We come to this conversation as people involved in leading church communities (Shane, at Fitzroy North Community Church in Melbourne, and Michael, at Edge Kingsland in Auckland).

Contact: feedback@intheshift.com

Support: www.patreon.com/intheshift

Episode 111: In this collab episode between In the Shift and Sunday Sanctuary, I’m joined by Petra Bagust to discuss “why church?” In this conversation we chat through a bunch of reasons why church communities and collectives can be both challenging and nourishing/meaningful. We talk about the place of ritual, song and storytelling in human communities and identity formation, the challenges of individualism, acknowledging both the harm that churches and religious institutions can be complicit in, as well as the possibilities and hopes that remain important.

You’ll find a more edited version of this conversation along with other reflections, practices and more over at the Sunday Sanctuary podcast, so check it out!

Petra is a familiar face in Aotearoa New Zealand, having been on TV and radio over the last 30 years, beginning with cult-favourite TV show, Ice TV. She is a media chaplain with Media Chaplaincy New Zealand, host and broadcaster, hosting two podcasts - Sunday Sanctuary and the award-winning Grey Areas with Petra Bagust.

Sunday Sanctuary is a podcast that brings hopeful spiritual conversations about our shared humanity. It began as a live radio show on Today FM, before becoming a podcast for those curious about Christian spirituality, as well as those who aren't currently part of a church community.

Instagram: @sundaysanctuarynz

Website: sundaysanctuary.nz

Support In the Shift by heading to www.patreon.com/intheshift, and send your reflections, stories, experiences via email: feedback@intheshift.com