For our 100th episode, Church of England vicars Daniel, Tom and Jamie are joined by journalist and author Peter Hitchens. Amongst others things, we looked at Peter’s response to and subsequent reflections upon the Covid-19 crisis, Putin and Ukraine, the gospel of climate change, the religious sensibilities of identity politics, advice for bishops in the CofE, Russell Brand and the decriminalisation of drugs, Christopher Hitchens and the legacy of New Atheism, Rishi Sunak and the end of the Conservative party, the WEF, globalism and central bank digital currencies, the seemingly bleak future of Great Britain, and a few others things to boot!
In addition to this, we also announce several new Irreverend awards for public achievement over the last period of time, look at a new story of the year contender as Matt Hancock loses the whip for joining the cast of I’m a Celeb, update you on our latest live event news (it’s exciting) and announce (finally) your opportunity to get your hands on our brand new Irreverend merchandise, available here: https://irreverendmerch.bss.design/!
It’s all here and please don’t forget to review, subscribe, share and support the podcast if you possibly can.
To support the show –
Please see: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend and https://www.patreon.com/irreverend.
Find these details and more at https://irreverendpod.com.
Links:
Matt Hancock loses the whip after joining I’m a Celebrity line-up – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/01/matt-hancock-im-celebrity-2022-contestant/
For the vacancy at The King’s School please apply via email to the head teacher at [email protected] or visit their website at www.thekingalfredschool.co.uk for more information.
Notices:
Find links to our episodes, social media accounts and ways to support us at https://www.irreverendpod.com!
Thursday Circles: http://thursdaycircle.com
Jamie’s Good Things Substack: https://jamiefranklin.substack.com
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Begins with 6 mins of unadulterated waffle and bla-bla. Enough to put anyone off, and certainly no invitation to subscribe. Better to put that kind of thing at the end.
I'm a huge Irreverend fan. One criticism I have though is: I wish Tom would stop ending some of his comments with "I dunno!". He makes excellent points, often, and I believe he should have the confidence to end them with certainty. I know he's a self deprecating man and doesn't want to come across as bombastic – but it's very frustrating when he cops out like that.
As for the Hitchens interview: I had hoped that when the Irreverend team announced an interview, that it would be either Neil Oliver, Douglas Murray or Charles Moore. My heart sank when I heard it was Hitchens. Though he's right in much of what he identifies, he's utterly unhelpful in his tone, which is profoundly defeatist and therefore arguably pointless (if he is really wishing for things to change for the better). I often agree with him, but he's tiresome – something about his writing is gratingly portentous and attention seeking. He's also much weaker than either Murray or Brendan O'Neill. Everything he says is "catastrophist" but obvious. To compensate, he always casts himself as some sort of outre voice. It's now turned into egomania – I believe he's rattled more than ever – because there are many better dissenting writers.
Mr Hitchens is almost the only public figure I bother to listen to. So often he says what one has thought but not put into words, and sometimes what one has not thought at all but agrees with immediately.
'And I don't care about being called names, it's water off a duck's back, but what I do care about is the stupidity involved in responding to an argument by name calling.' (23:46) And how neatly he dismisses the irrelevant observation about the class of the people involved in the climate change fanaticism.
I listened in the car, interesting discussion, unfortunately what made it difficult to follow was the the different audio levels between the hosts and Mr H, also the room acoustics or mic where Mr H was gave poor quality sound, I’ve seen him use that shed before, some diy sound deadening would help so much.
Hitchins is always interesting and informative but he's not exactly a laugh a minute. 10/10 for trying though. That said, well, worth the listen .
Emigrate? What fool. He became obsolete when he failed to back the Referendum. 'I don't like plebiscites.' Someone who doesn't laugh must be not be taken seriously.
The Episcopal Church, the arm of the Anglican Communion here in the United States, from what I can see, has nothing like these three in their ranks. If they did, I might rethink jumping out of the Tiber and into the Stour.
Hitchins endorsement of illegal medical experimentation by oligarchic-fascism made me wonder about his wisdom.
Hitchens is utterly delusional
I love all your work. Very thought provoking.
'People generally do not notice us, even if they notice us, they do not allow us to speak. Once they let us speak, they don't listen most often. Even if they listen, they don't usually understand what we are talking about. Even if they understand, they won't believe it most often. And even if they believe, they won't remember.'
I saw this on a Youtube comment, not sure if it is an actual quote or just an insightful remark on Youtube 🙂
Peter is obviously ignoring the sin tax that David Cameron paid to the EU, to be precise he paid around 2.1 billion Euros in 2017 for drugs racketeering and prostitution.
It's good to hear open conversation on important subjects. I am only adding this, hopefully, constructive feedback to the presenter with the longer beard (I'm not sure who is who, sorry), you have a habit of pulling on the corner of your beard as you're concentrating which was a bit distracting BUT that doesn't diminish the overall programme.
Thank you
It’s all being done on purpose. Things can’t be this bad by mistake or by ignorance.
Good conversation. But, I can't help but guess that all of these people are jabbed up (Hitchens is, despite all his 'talk').
Well done inviting a guest, interviewing him for an hour then talking about him when he's gone lmao
If no one listens to a word you say, as Peter maintains, what was the point of Jesus? If people are too selfish or dim to understand their own best interest, why would God sacrifice his only begotten son? Did God not foresee this?
Listening to this podcast, Deuteronomy 28:43-45 came to mind ; "The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail.
All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you." And the words of Jesus Christ, quoted in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
AMEN
I couldn't quite make out the Scottish Presbyterian story by Hitchens, any hear what he said at the end of it?
"I found out recently that I shared a birthday with Bill Gates, I guess I must be one of his guys". 😂
Well done guys I’ve just found your platform interesting conversation
Hitchens mic volume makes this unwatchable I'm afraid
Great show
Another great episode. My wife and I are now packing up to leave England but we've hit the same problem as the team, we have no idea where to go…
Came for the grandmaster hitchens but will definitely check out the show again. It is great to see 3 vicars doing a great job. After searching many years I was recently baptised in the Orthodox church. God bless
I like Peter and most of what he says is correct. But the relentless misery and pointing out the issues isn't helpful. Where are the solutions Peter ? Id like to have more arrows in my quiver than just praying. If we're doomed id rather we just get on with it quickly and save us all a lot of energy.
I certainly wouldn't trust Russell Brand, if you've seen how he 'tried' debating Hitchens on the issue of drugs you'll see he's a very childish person with the gift of the gab, and has very little real moral foundations to his views.
Hitchens consented, so he could go on holiday.
You could consider Hungry but who knows how long these places will remain appealing and free.
Whilst I appreciate the effort of you three clergymen in doing interviews and discussions like this, perhaps you should go see how dire it is in certain areas of this country, or to places like where I work and see if there are any up-takers of Christianity. Because if you were to see this I think you would see Hitchens' angle all the more clearly as I do, despite being from a very different class and background to him.
See how they utterly transformed this nation and isolated native English speaking people within their home country, towns, and workplaces. If you were to have to do my job day in day out as I have done for 11 years and had the experiences I've had then perhaps this would perhaps cast some of this theoretical optimism into doubt.
It's okay trying to preach a message of hope, provided it isn't false hope, because many people (like myself) feel betrayed enough as it is by lies. As such I have no current desire to return to church I was raised to be part of.
Great show guys, re the question of where I grew up in Zimbabwe and have settled in South Africa. This might sound mad but an escape from globalism bizarrely exists here. It is chaotic and dangerous, but our government is so incompetent and corrupt they couldn't organize well enough to opress anybody. There' s a freedom in the chaos
There was never any point in arguing with Cassandra. The "If I was a young man I would leave the country" is a descendent of a famous anecdote about Jim Callaghan the last PM who oversaw a disintegrating society; who it is alleged said it to to a junior civil servant at some crisis meeting at Chequers. People rarely recall the conclusion of his remark "..but where would I go?" Also those old Trots like Peter never really apostatise (although they may think they have) the ideology is essentially apocalyptic, and the failure of the revolution to create that paradise where the proletariat enjoy Sophocles ("Fields and fields of wheat, and ballet in the evenings" as Fred Kite had it), leads inevitably to pessimism – which is surely sinful thinking. He is however a very entertaining pessimist and that is truly his point.
Hitchens with his head up his srse on the really big story of the globalist takeover as usual. He really is a pointless buffoon well fitted to the crusty dusty lounges of Oxford's dreary faux intellectualism.
When Peter was debating his brother Christopher, one of the questions put to Peter by the audience was, 'what about the dinosaurs', Peter was flabbergasted saying what has that got to do with anything. His brother Christopher explained to him that what you believe about the dinosaurs determines how old you consider the earth to be and if holding to a billions ofyears model, you cannot hold to the Veracity of the Bible! For the earth is a little over 6000 years old according to the Bible!
The major problem of the west is that has bought the ancient pagan belief of evolution and the subsequent lawlessness is a result from it, how so? The evolution belief has not only no moral codes, ethics, laws save one….the survival of the fittest….a charter for the most ruthless foundation for society ever.
Who is to blame…..the Church! Particularly the Anglican Church, who having bought into evolution has married it with the Christian faith, thus undermining the authority of the Bible and therefore the undermining of the Christian witness in society.
Peter by his ignorance is part of the problem he rail's against and so is a any pastor who has bought into and promotes the lie of big bang and evolution….yes the fall of the UK and West is your fault!