Politics in the Pulpit

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest, and next host, Eddie Boon! Eddie serves the Thames North Synod of the United Reformed Church as Discipleship Enabler (Special Category Ministry). His main focus is encouraging people, leaders and churches in becoming more intentional in whole-life discipleship as gathered and scattered church. Eddie ha...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest Anthony Lees-Smith! Canon Dr Anthony Lees-Smith is Canon Missioner at Chester Cathedral where he oversees the education programme, arts and exhibitions, and community engagement. A former primary school teacher, Anthony has spent most of the past 25 years living and working in religiously diverse commun...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest Anna Jones! This week, Naomi, Anna, and Erica explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 28th June. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 08:05 - Genesis 22: 1-14 20:22 - Psalm 13 25:55 - Romans 6: 12-23 36:33 - Matthew 10: 40-42 44:48 - Jeremiah 28: 5-9 Mentions The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing Worl...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest Kathy Bevan! Kathy is the Evangelism & Justice Enabler for the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Methodist District and also a student Deacon, studying part time at Queens Foundation.  Her work across the District involves supporting churches to consider how they might partner with their communities in the work o...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest Matt Ceaser! Matt is the 18-35s Development Coordinator for the Baptist Union, working to make space for a new generation of leaders in Baptist life. He was previously a JPIT intern (and producer of this podcast) before working on Methodists for Ukraine and then joining JustMoney Movement, a Christian c...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guests Charlotte Naylor Davis and Simon Hall!   Charlotte Naylor Davis is a part-time minister and academic based in Leeds. her church community, Revive, is small, meeting in houses, teaching is discursive and inclusive - meaning it's often challenging but valuing everyone's voice in the room. She has a PhD i...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates and features our special guest John Goddard! Revd John Goddard has been an ordained Baptist Minister for almost 30 years. Having served churches in rural Oxfordshire and industrial South Cumbria, he has been the Minister of Saffron Walden Baptist Church in Essex since 2013. Married to Karen, they have 2 adult sons and a shared love fo...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates and features our special guest Hannah Fremont-Brown! Hannah has recently come back to the Methodist church as the Justice Seeking Church Officer. She previously coordinated Let’s End Poverty, a movement of people united behind a vision of the future where poverty can’t keep anyone down. She is passionate about supporting churches and...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Naomi Oates, and features our special guest June Love! June Love is a Baptist minister based in Norfolk, serving at King’s Lynn Baptist Church. She is also the ecumenical officer for the Baptist Church in Norfolk & Waveney, and chairs Churches Together in King’s Lynn, working closely with other denominations and local organisations. June is p...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Erica Lees-Smith, and features our special guest and new season host, Naomi Oates!   The Revd Naomi Oates is a Methodist minister in the North Kent Circuit. She works with four churches and one Methodist community without a building. She loves cycling between her churches through the beautiful Kent countryside, which is thankfully fairly flat. In...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Adam Aucock, and features our special guests, the JPIT interns! This week, Adam, Erica and Thomas explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 3rd May. Timestamps • 00:00 – Intro • 11:32 - Acts 7: 55-60 • 18:36 - Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16 • 26:12 - 1 Peter 2: 2-10 • 32:42 - John 14: 1-14 Mentions Addressing Anti-Judaism in Lent, Holy Week and Eastertide...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Thomas Niblett, and features our special guest, Liz Wilson! Liz is the Vicar of St Anne, St Paul and St Augustine, Leicester, three parishes (with two churches) in the west of the city. In addition, she is the Area Dean for the City of Leicester Deanery and the vice Chair of Leicester Diocese Diocesan Board of Education. This week, Liz, Thomas an...

  This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Erica Lees-Smith, and features our special guest, Jonty Langley! Jonty Langley is a writer and commentator on religion, culture and politics. A former news columnist for Baptist Times and creative content lead at a missionary society, Jonty is now Editor of Shibboleth magazine and co-host of the Beer Christianity podcast.  This week, Erica, Jon...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Hannah Fremont-Brown, and features our special guest, Matt Forsyth! Matt, who serves currently as the Vice President of the Methodist Conference (25-26) and the Mission Team Leader in the Northampton District. A hopeful realist who lives in the Fens with his wife, three girls, and a bouncy cockapoo.  This week, Hannah, Matt and Thomas explore the...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Thomas Niblett, and features our special guest, Aniko Schuetz Bradwell! Aniko is a Church of Scotland parish minister at Lammermuir Church, a rural parish of seven villages in a farming area of East Lothian, where she has been for just over ten years, and where she lives with her husband (who occasionally works with JPIT) and our son, as well as...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit is hosted by Erica Lees-Smith, and features our special guest, David Coleman! The Reverend David Coleman is Environmental Chaplain for Eco Congregation Scotland, a post gifted by the United Reformed Church. Without formal authority, he’s nonetheless well known as a green voice in Scottish churches.  He visits grassroots churches and sometimes colleges, and en...

Listen to the latest episode of Politics in the Pulpit for Sunday 22 March. Hosted by Alex Clare-Young with guest Jenny Mills and JPIT team member Paul Morrison. 

This is the final episode of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 hosted by our wonderful host William Gibson, and features special guest, Al Barrett! Revd Dr Al Barrett has been Rector of Hodge Hill Church (a CofE-URC local ecumenical partnership) in east Birmingham since 2010. He has been involved in long-term journeys of intergenerational community-building with neighbours in the council esta...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Grace Thomas! Grace is the Canon Missioner at Manchester Cathedral, as well as Diocesan Environment Officer and Associate Tutor at Luther King Centre. Grace's publications include a chapter on ecological grief in Words for A Dying World (Malcolm (ed), 2020, SCM), a chapter about fema...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Teri Peterson! Teri is a Church of Scotland minister, serving the parish of St John’s in Gourock. She came to Scotland in 2017 from Chicago where she was a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Teri has a background in music and in mission work in the Middle East, and she is pas...

This episode of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Rachel Summers! Rachel Summers is an ordained pioneer priest in the Church of England. She lives in East London and loves that she has the forest on her doorstep and the city all around her. Being in nature is an important part of her spirituality and something she takes joy in shari...

The next episode of this season of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Jack Wakefield!  Jack is a campaigner with over a decade of experience influencing change across climate, health, justice and inequality. His work has included grassroots youth organising, regular preaching and training for churches, and leading delegations at UN n...

The next episode of this season of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Laura Durrant! Laura is a reporter and editorial team member for S(h)ibboleth magazine and a co-host of the Beer Christianity podcast. She is a communications specialist and has worked in the faith-based charity sector for the last seven years. This week, William,...

The next episode of this season of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Cat Whitehouse! Cat Whitehouse is the Faith in Action Project Worker for Student Christian Movement. Her work is shaped by a deep interest in how faith and politics meet in everyday life, and how this shapes the ways we build community, support both our neighbours...

The third episode of this season of Politics in the Pulpit for Spring 2026 is hosted by William Gibson, and features our special guest, Dave Hardman! Revd David Hardman is currently serving as the Methodist Liaison Office, Jerusalem for the Methodist Church in Britain. Ordained in 1994 he has served churches and circuits in the city centre, inner-city and suburbs of Manchester and London. He has a...