Being Human Evangelical Alliance

What is the impact of social media on mental health, especially kids and young people? Jo and Peter share from their own experiences as parents attempting to navigate how to wisely use and limit social media in their own lives and the lives of their kids.
Being Human 502 is taking a deep dive on the online space and explores the impact it’s having on particularly the minds of young people. Although social media can be a force for good, the way in which our tech competes for our attention is something we all can relate to.
Jo and Peter open up the conversation with the tragic story of teenager Molly Russell and shed light on the dark side of the online world. From self-image and filters to the power of algorithms, they explore the rise of anxiety, depression and loneliness which has been reportedly linked to social media use. What role can both parents and individuals play in navigating these challenges for our kids, friends and ourselves?
And as we look at these issues through the Being Human lens, what does the God Story have to offer us in the face of these challenges? How can we use the apologetic tool of the Being Human lens to help shape a better story for our mental health and online lives? This episode rounds-off with personal tips and habits for healthy and balanced engagement with social media.
Part one (00:00) 02:17 Welcome back and teeing up the question that Jo and Peter get asked the most – what is the impact of social media on the mental health of our young people? And what do we do about it? 03:40 The Molly Russell Case: a wake-up call and an opportunity to open up the conversation. 05:46 Putting today’s conversation in the focal point of the Being Human Lens and asking is there a better story when it comes to our engagement with social media and understanding mental health?   07:16 Exploring significance and identity in the digital age. What impact does an all-loving, all-knowing God have into a social media swirl that perpetuates self-doubt and insecurity?  
Part two (18:08) 18:12 From dating apps to algorithms to Ted Lasso - looking at connection and social media’s impact our relationships with one another.  23:54 ‘I can buy myself flowers’: exploring the cross over between the drive for self-love and experience of loneliness in modern connections.  27:52 With filters, deep-fake and AI how might we navigate the blurred lines between online and real life? 38:22 Finding balance: strategies for healthy engagement with social media. Adopting small habits that lead to significant change over time. 49:45 Finishing up – championing mental health support and community engagement.  
Keen to develop your own habits of healthy social media use? Read 5 Ways to Cut Back on Social Media from PCMag. 

Welcome back to season five! Jo Frost and Peter Lynas return, exploring what it means to be human in 2024.  
In this first episode, Jo and Peter are chatting all things elections, democracy and nationalism. With four billion people headed to the polls this year, how does the God story affect our engagement with politics? From Taiwan and India to the Trump vs Biden rematch and our own issues on domestic soil, this is shaping up to be a big year.  
This season we’re going to be using the Being Human Lens, which focuses on four core aspects of humanity: significance, connection, presence, and participation, as a framework to help think through these big issues. Amongst divisive issues like abortion and Israel-Palestine, the concerning rise of Christian nationalism and the votes of young people in the UK – is it possible for our connections, place, and participation to play a positive role in our lives and politics? We’re asking how we as followers of Jesus can model a better story when it comes to disagreeing well and being others-orientated, as well as exploring some everyday spiritual habits to help us follow the way of Jesus as we engage with our democracy.    
Part 1 (00:00)  00:00 Welcome to season five: exploring what it means to be human in 2024! 01:41 This season, we are taking the big issues of our day and looking through the Being Human Lens to understand how we form and shape our humanity. 03:24 With four billion people heading to the polls this year, lets deep dive on elections, democracy, and nationalism. From Taiwan and India to the Trump vs Biden rematch and our home soil: the elections we can anticipate this year.  09:53 Refresher: what is the Being Human Lens? How might we use it to understand our world?  12:26 Israel-Palestine, US polarisation and exploring significance in divisive political landscapes. How might an identity in Christ affect our engagement in politics?  
Part 2 (20:37) 20:54 Connection in democracy: building coalitions and community amidst a society that emphasises the needs of the individual above others.  28:58 Nationalism and migration – is it possible for place and presence to play a positive role in our lives and politics?  36:36 As Christians, how might we creatively and compassionately participate in democracy beyond just voting? 42:30 Intercessory prayer, digital abstinence, and hospitality: everyday spiritual habits to help us grow into the likeness of Jesus as we engage with politics.  

We have reached the end of season four! After a season of listening and learning from a variety of people, ideas and experiences, Jo and Peter sit down together and pull out some of the threads and themes woven throughout this season.  
 
This season spanned a wide range of topical subjects, from young people and mental health to class and heritage, to identity and power, revealing a resounding common theme of crisis. Our world and sometimes our own faith feels fragile and fractured. So, in this episode Jo and Peter take three of the major cultural stories – secularism, expressive individualism and postmodernism, and ask: ‘what do we mean by each, why are these stories here, and why are they creating crisis?’.
 
Ultimately, the hope-filled news is that these cultural stories exist within a wider and deeper one. A good, true and beautiful story of what it means to be human, that we are invited into to bring about cultural renewal.  
 
Although season four has come to a close, you can dig even deeper by reading Jo and Peter’s book and staying up to date with the latest content on our website.  
 
Part one (00:00) 
02:29 – The wrap up episode: reflecting on what we’ve heard and noticing commonalities within the themes of the cultural stories throughout the podcast season.  
06:00 – Why are we feeling as though we are living in crisis? Increasingly people are reevaluating the story they are living, but what if there is another story that doesn’t inhabit crisis?  
08:27 – Exploring story one: Secularism. Why aren’t we as secular as we pretend to be and the lack of coherency this story offers.  
  
Part two (15:30)  
15:43 – Exploring story two: Expressive individualism — what do we mean by this, why is it here and why is it creating crisis?  
19:00 – Some of the challenges of expressive individualism, and why receiving an identity from God and belonging to Him is so important in light of this story.  
21:10 – Exploring story three: Postmodernism. Understanding the goodness that can be found in this story – from calling out power abuse to tearing down injustice. However, there are challenges to this story that leave us fumbling, searching for truth
29:30 – Our cultural stories run within the larger, wider one that God shares with us. As kingdom-carriers, we are to be a light to the surrounding world, to partner with Him to bring about cultural renewal.  

Are we becoming more anxious as a society? And how can following Jesus build resilience in the face of increasing mental fragility?
In our final interview of the season, Jo and Peter are joined by Will van der Hart. Anglican priest, author, coach and pastoral specialist, he brings a breadth and depth of knowledge to conversations surrounding faith and mental health. Having suffered from PTSD and an acute anxiety breakdown following his involvement in the London 2005 bombings recovery, Will is now a leading voice on equipping leaders to look after their emotional health.
This interview covers a lot of ground, spanning from deep theology to psychology to cultural commentary, as well as practical advice on building resilience. Ultimately, Will shares that belonging to Jesus can help us in the way we view our psychological health and our ability to battle shame.
If you would like to explore more of the themes of this episode, do check out Christian mental health charity Mind and Soul Foundation, where Will is a director. Will’s book, talks and further resources can all be found there.
Part one (00:00)00:35 – Two very different stories to get to know Will: an all-inclusive holiday gone wrong, and the impact the 2005 London bombings had on his mental health.05:14 – Will's own experience of complex PTSD and anxiety led to a ministry integrating and advocating for faith and mental health. But in wider society, are we becoming more anxious or are we just talking about anxiety more?13:00 – As Christians, do we recognise that we are truly forgiven and free? What is ‘disassociated guilt’ and why is it ‘the culture war of old’?19:00 – “If it's not a paradox, then it's probably not God”. Learning to hold the mind, spirit and body together in unity, even if that causes tension.
Part two (21:10)21:20 – The power of ‘unbelonging’: much of today's cultural stories surrounding ‘the self’ are rooted in a deep desire for belonging and fear of shame.27:00 – Why belonging to Jesus can benefit our psychological health.29:00 – Unpicking the challenges that Christian leaders are facing and dismantling the ‘catastrophe of leadership narrative’.35:30 – To build resilience against a culture of shame, we must share grace often and seek a soft heart in the centre of the church.40:00 – Where to go next – Will’s books and further resources, as well as an important reminder for prioritising recreation.

We take a break from the interviews for this one-off special episode marking the release of our co-hosts Jo and Peter’s book: Being Human: A new lens for our cultural conversations. 
Who am I? Does my life matter? What will make me happy? From our politics to churches, from media to the marketplace, from everyday mundane moments to the conversations held on this podcast, we all ask life’s big questions about what it means to be human. So, Jo and Peter dive into this fundamental question, their new book and the wider Being Human project. 
If you have enjoyed this season so far and are interested in taking the conversation further, visit beinghumanlens.com to order your copy of Being Human, check out our small group video series and find out how to stay up to date with future resources. 
Part one (00:00)  01:50 – Recapping the season’s standout moments so far and introducing today’s episode – a book launch! 05:32 – What drew Jo to the cultural conversation about being human? When Jesus didn’t seem like good news – recognising the growing disconnect between evangelism and the questions the world is asking today. 08:45 – What drew Peter to the cultural conversation about being human? Jesus stood in the meeting place of the God story and cultural stories. But as disciples today, whether it’s on social media or at the school gate, do we really feel equipped to do the same? 
Part two (13:45) 13:40 – The ‘what’ behind the Being Human project: the journey from an idea to Jo and Peter’s book and wider initiative. 18:32 – The Jenga tower and oak tree – why drawing on everyday analogies is so helpful in understanding the cultural climate we find ourselves in. 23:00 – Introducing the book and a new lens – a new way to engage with our cultural conversations, using four key aspects of humanity: significance, connection, presence, and participation. 31:15 – To bridge the discipleship gap, we must live out the biblical vision for humanity in everyday habits and practices. 33:00 – Beyond the book: opportunities to take the Being Human project further, with the small group series, personas workshop, and much more to look out for in the future. 

Is the tide turning on a belief in God? Are we witnessing a wave of curiosity towards the Christian story? 
In this episode, Jo and Peter sit down with the renowned author and former host of the Unbelievable? podcast, Justin Brierley, to delve into his latest book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. 
Join our co-hosts as they explore the journey Justin undertakes in his book, where he uncovers the unexpected resurgence of belief in God in an age supposedly characterised by scepticism and secularism. He considers what might it look like for the world to be ‘re-enchanted’ by the God story in new and imaginative ways, and the thought-provoking questions his book raises about the intersection of science, reason, and spirituality in our modern world. 
For more conversations like this one, Justin also co-hosts the Re-Enchanting podcast. To listen to this and order your copy of his latest book, head to: justinbrierley.com 
Part one (00:00) 01:54 – Are we looking at the birth of a new cultural tide where people are ready to hear the Christian story once again? Introducing Justin’s new book: The surprising rebirth of belief of God. 05:43 – The rise and fall of the mid-2000s ‘new atheism movement’ – why many people are no longer satisfied with atheism. 10:50 – “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything…” Atheism opened a void that was filled by numerous other stories on life, meaning and purpose, that took people in all kinds of directions. 
Part two (13:21) 13:36 – Since the Enlightenment, there has been a ‘disenchanting’ of the world – what does this mean? What problems does it pose? And does the Christian story have anything to offer? 18:47 – What story are you living for today? And other questions that might shift how we share the story of God in today’s culture. 22:45 – Christians have often sold the God story short, but what might it look like to re-enchant a world that is looking for meaning, belief and imagination? 27:27 – With a rise in cynicism towards the church, it’s important to recognise our own flaws while not becoming disenchanted with our own story. 31:15 – From Tom Holland to Jordan Peterson, how can we be careful about how we engage with so called ‘secular prophets’?