Religion Media Centre Podcast

In this Religion Media Centre Big Interview, Rosie Dawson speaks to Robert Jones about his latest book - "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a  Shared American Future".  Origin stories are really important – they determine how America sees itself, and they are one of the reasons why we’re fighting so much over our history, right now,” says Robert P Jones, founder and president of...

Headteachers, especially in urban areas with multiple nationalities, are enthusiastic about providing Religious Education, as children are surrounded in daily life by different religious dress, symbols and customs. And the future of all children, from rural or urban settings, is global, with many religions, many cultures, many languages and a competitive global market. Religious Education has a un...

Children's book author Onjali Rauf told the Religion Media Festival 2023 that children should not be overly protected from the problems of the world today. When she speaks in schools, she finds that children ask tough and great questions, which she describes as the “Tintin moment”, after the boy reporter in Hergé's stories, who kept asking questions to solve baffling mysteries. That is why, when d...

Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, president of Theology and Religious Studies UK, told the Religion Media Festival 2023 of her passion to ensure that the study of religion is given a degree of seriousness in schools and is part of the national curriculum. But it was time to rebrand religious education to reflect world views and lived experiences, so “world views” was a good way forward. She said it was a...

The American evangelist Franklin Graham, who believes Donald Trump defends the Christian faith, now confirms that Trump definitely lost the 2020 election. In an interview with Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre, he said there was no question the election was lost, though he acknowledged that millions of people do not believe that. Aged 71, Franklin Graham attracts thousands at his rallies...

Sir David Lidington, once the de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, and long-standing member of the Church of England, has spoken of his shock at discovering a total breakdown of trust within the church: "I was used to acrimony in politics, but I hadn’t expected to find it in the church”. In this RMC "Big Interview", Sir David told Roger Bolton of the deep suspicion he found at all lev...

The rich pageantry, sacred music and innovative liturgy will make the coronation service of King Charles III a profound statement of how the modern era meets a thousand-year-old tradition. Royal authors, the Rev Prof Ian Bradley and journalist Catherine Pepinster, were joined by Canon Prof Alison Milbank to analyse the order of service. Their overriding impression is to note the centrality of the...

The Evangelical Alliance has cautioned evangelicals within the Church of England that it is too early to leave in protest at same-sex blessings, because the pastoral guidance, including words for the prayers of blessing, has not been issued yet. CEO Gavin Calver, speaking to Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre Big Interview, said that a number of Anglican churches will probably join his org...

Justin Welby was virtually unknown outside Anglican circles when he became Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2013. Ten tumultuous years later, the mild-mannered Old Etonian has become a globally recognised figure, having helped the Church of England navigate troubled times, ranging from bitter theological disputes over women bishops and gay relationships to the Covid pandemic and the death of Quee...

A campaign to attract a new generation of RE teachers has been launched by a number of Religious Education teaching organisations after applications plummeted by a third this year. The reasons given were workload, pay and retention, alongside outdated perceptions that RE teachers must have a theology degree and/or a religious belief. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel explained how RE...

Pope Francis’ election ten years ago was a huge surprise. His humble, simple style confused the faithful – he chose to live in a suite at the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, instead of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. He carried his own suitcase, took the bus, and used a small car. His first pastoral visit was to the island of Lampedusa off the coast of Sicily to pray for refugees and mi...

There is much more to the Kate Forbes row over same-sex marriage than secularism versus out-of-date conservative Christianity, according to commentators in this week’s Religion Media Centre briefing. The key issue is the place of conscience which seems fixed, infallible, and impervious to change. And the intense media commentary illustrates that religious convictions are treated in a different lea...

The doyenne of British cooking and the passionate owner of Norwich Football Club, Delia Smith, took a massive step outside her comfort zone last year. The bestselling author of countless cookery books, famed for teaching the nation to boil an egg, has made headlines with an altogether different kind of read. In “You Matter: The Human Solution”, she considers human nature, that we all matter, we ar...

As the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, the full extent of the devastation of war is being assessed. 7,200 civilians have been killed and almost 12,000 injured. 8 million people have fled as refugees and 5 million are displaced within the country. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith leaders discuss the way churches have played a critical role in providing...

For almost two weeks, a revival has taken place at Asbury College, Kentucky, where thousands of people have taken part in non-stop praise and worship. It began with students following a regular chapel service that snowballed through live feeds and social media to include thousands of people of all ages, some of whom travelled thousands of miles to be part of the experience. It resembled revival me...

Churches in England are being forced to close due to crumbling buildings, declining congregations, and loss of income. But a report from Church Action on Poverty concludes that churches in deprived areas in Greater Manchester are closing at a faster rate than in more affluent neighbourhoods. The report ‘Is the Church Losing Faith in Low-Income Communities in Greater Manchester?’ compared the numbe...

The chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Michael Wegier, has been speaking about his passionate moderation and optimism in a difficult job, with the desire of British Jews for a robust, secure community. Speaking to Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre’s Big Interview, he expressed his “absolute belief” in Sir Keir Starmer’s “root and branch” approach to stamping out ant...

Exhausted, sad, confused, anxious, and angry - the legacy of the Church of England’s tortuous eight-hour debate on same-sex blessings. The general synod re-stated church doctrine on marriage but allowed same-sex blessings, with bishops promising to produce suggested prayers and pastoral guidance by July. In this Religion Media Centre Briefing, our bewildered panel said there was so much more infor...

Journalist Ruth Peacock hosts a discussion about The Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland the Rev Dr Iain Greenshields visiting South Sudan this weekend on a “pilgrimage of peace”. South Sudan is going through an ongoing civil war, frequent floods have wiped out homes and livelihoods causing widespread food shortages and there are millions of...

Journalist Rosie Dawson hosts a debate on the Church of England bishops saying they will not agree to marry same-sex couples in church. This comes after a five-year process, Living in Love and Faith, aimed at achieving a consensus among church members where the issue is bitterly divisive. We’ve assembled people from all sides of the debate to join in our discussion. Links Website: https://religion...

Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular co-hosts Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson who reflect on the big events of 2022. They are joined by two journalists with specific expertise to discuss perhaps the two biggest stories of the year. Times columnist and Lib Dem politician, Edward Lucas sheds light on the war in Ukraine. His 2008 publication 'The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West...

Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular co-host Leo Devine who reflects with her on the main religious news from the past week and looks forward to Christmas. They are joined by regular RMC journo Amardeep Bassey; visual artist, photographer, and Jameel scholar Shaista Chishty, and the Rev Kate Bottley, who help them understand the enduring appeal of Christmas not only to Christians but also to Si...

Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular journos Rosie Dawson and Leo Devine who reflect on the main religious news from the past week which is all about the Census results.  What does Christianity’s apparent demise mean for the UK in terms of its description as a Christian country, the potential disestablishment of the Church of England, religious education in schools and what spiritual representa...

With all eyes on the World Cup, has anyone noticed the growing tendency of football players to point to the sky, or cross themselves after scoring a goal, thanking God for their success? In one striking example, Ecuador players knelt in prayer together after the ball hit the back of the net in their 2-0 win against Qatar.  Hannah Scott-Joynt and journos Rosie Dawson and Leo Devine try to find out...

Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular journos Rosie Dawson and Leo Devine who reflect on the religious news from the past week. Rosie is frustrated to discover that according to one scientific report, she could have sung in church throughout the pandemic after all, without danger of spreading infection, and Leo picks up on a report from the Methodist Church that the help offered to the poorest i...