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 The reasons given were workload, pay and retention, alongside outdated perceptions that RE teachers must have a theology degree and/or a religious belief.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 has changed from Christian instruction to an exploration of world views, helping young people move i...
Mar 15, 2023•37 min•Ep. 33
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 migrants lost at sea. Throughout his ten years, he has spoken for the marginalised and his marks of of...
Mar 09, 2023•56 min•Ep. 32
There is much more to the Kate Forbes row over same-sex marriage than secularism versus out-of-date conservative Christianity, according to commentators in this week’s Religion Media Centre briefing.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 league from political dissent. Hosted by Rosie Dawson, our guests are: Simon Barrow, director of the re...
Mar 01, 2023•48 min•Ep. 31
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 are all unique, and all have our own responsibility in the universe. In the Big Interview with the RMC...
Feb 27, 2023•20 min•Ep. 30
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 humanitarian aid with the need for food and shelter developing into provision of “psycho-social supp...
Feb 23, 2023•35 min•Ep. 29
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 meetings of old, with singing of familiar songs, free-flowing prayer, and kneeling in repentance. But ...
Feb 20, 2023•53 min•Ep. 28
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 number of churches in the city in 2010 with those that remain in 2020. Its findings were discussed in an ...
Feb 16, 2023•55 min•Ep. 27
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 antisemitism, saying the community experienced a very difficult period when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour le...
Feb 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 26
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 information they need – on the nature of marriage, the response of the worldwide Anglican communion, what...
Feb 11, 2023•54 min•Ep. 25
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 displaced people. The country is 60 percent Christian and most are Catholic, but Dr Greenshields sa...
Feb 01, 2023•26 min•Ep. 24
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://religionmediacentre.org.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RelMedCentre/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/co...
Jan 19, 2023•31 min•Ep. 23
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' saw it all coming, but he takes no delight in being proved right. He confidently predicts that thi...
Dec 16, 2022•30 min•Ep. 22
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 Sikhs, Muslims, and people of no particular faith who just like the odd carol and getting together to ...
Dec 09, 2022•30 min•Ep. 21
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 representation, if any, makes sense in the House of Lords? The team are joined by Chine McDonald, director of T...
Dec 02, 2022•30 min•Ep. 20
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 what this all means, in conversation with Matt Baker, national director for England and pastoral supp...
Nov 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 19
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 in society by the Chancellor this week just hasn’t gone far enough. They are then joined by another r...
Nov 18, 2022•28 min•Ep. 18
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular journos Rosie Dawson and Leo Devine who reflect on the religious news from the past week. They look back on the US midterm elections and Ron DeSantis' messianic claims, Catholic Bishop Paul McAleenan’s plea to the Home Secretary to tone down her language on migrants, and the new Sikh prayer book designed for use in combat zones. They are joined by Pella Thiel, a Swedish ecologist who is working to make large-scale environmental degradation an international...
Nov 11, 2022•31 min•Ep. 17
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular journalist colleagues Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson to look at some of the key stories of the week, including the impact of BBC proposed cuts on local radio Sunday morning breakfast output, where 39 local programmes will be reduced to 10 regional shows. The Bishop of Warrington, Beverley Mason, and Pauline McAdam, formerly of BBC Radio Merseyside, explain the devastating consequences for communities, where local radio is a lifeline. Other stories include the...
Nov 04, 2022•32 min•Ep. 16
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular journalist colleagues Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson to discuss the big stories of the week including the fact that we have a new Hindu PM and a rehired Buddhist Home Secretary. Hindu leader, Akhandadhi Das, and Suryagupta Dharmacharini, Chair of the London Buddhist Centre, join us to help explain how coming from these religious backgrounds might shape politicians’ decisions. It’s also Halloween this weekend and Jenny Uzzell from the Centre for Death and Life...
Oct 28, 2022•34 min•Ep. 15
Hannah Scott-Joint is joined by regular journalist colleagues Rosie Dawson and Leo Devine to discuss the key stories of the week including the state of the nation and the cost of living crisis in light of the political turmoil, and the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The Bishop of Manchester Rt Revd Dr David Walker joins the conversation to help shed episcopal light on the issues. They also hear about the fact that using precious metal for dispensing alcoholic communio...
Oct 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 14
This week, Hannah is back in the chair and is joined by Leo Devine and Amardeep Bassey to discuss the week’s top religious stories. Following on from a discussion on the Koh-i-Noor diamond and its potential contentious role in the coronation, royal expert Catherine Pepinster helps to shed light on the potential inclusivity of the ceremony to be held in May next year. Azim Ahmed who, as a Muslim representative, took part in the Welsh national service to mark the Queen’s death, speaks about his ho...
Oct 14, 2022•33 min•Ep. 13
Leo Devine hosts this week’s podcast and is joined by regulars Rosie Dawson and Amardeep Bassey to reflect on some of the top stories including the newly published hate crime figures and the response to the new PM’s desire to move the British Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Two other journalists, veteran Nicholas Jones and Rome-based Filipe Domingues, join the team to reflect back on a previous conservative PM’s relationship with the church and the growing phenomenon of “faith voti...
Oct 07, 2022•31 min•Ep. 12
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by journalists Rosie Dawson, Amardeep Bassey, and Leo Devine to chew over some of this week's religious news. Activist Negin Shiraghaei helps the team to understand the Iranian protests about the wearing of the hijab, and writer and journalist Lamorna Ash gives the backstory to her striking long read in the Guardian about two of her friends who have surprisingly turned from non-believing comedians to ordinands in the Church of England. With Hannah and Leo’s close lin...
Sep 30, 2022•28 min•Ep. 11
This week, Hannah Scott-Joynt looks back at the RMC Annual Lecture which was delivered by Professor Linda Woodhead from King's College London on Tuesday evening. In it she painted quite a pessimistic future for traditional religion in the UK – not a view shared by all attendees – so Hannah asks co-hosts Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson what they made of it. But the main focus of the conversation is the troubles between different factions in Leicester this week. To help understand what has been going ...
Sep 23, 2022•32 min•Ep. 10
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular co-hosts Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson to reflect on the extraordinary response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. With thousands of people queueing for miles to process past her coffin, the team welcome Abby Day Professor of Race, Faith & Culture at Goldsmiths to try and understand what is happening from a sociological perspective, and whether religion has anything to do with it. Links Website: https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/ Twitter: https://twitt...
Sep 16, 2022•27 min•Ep. 9
Hannah Scott-Joynt is joined by regular co-hosts Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson to reflect on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Journalists Catherine Pepinster and Stephen Bates add stories and insights from their own years reporting on the Royal Family and tributes are paid by Rabbi Nicky Liss, former chair of the United Synagogue Rabbinic Council, and Imam Qari Azim MBE. Links Website: https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RelMedCentre/ LinkedIn: https://www....
Sep 09, 2022•33 min•Ep. 8
In a new style weekly RMC podcast, presenter Hannah Scott-Joynt welcomes her regular co-hosts Leo Devine and Rosie Dawson to discuss key stories from the week including the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Pope’s appointment of new cardinals, and the controversial St Austell Earth Goddess statue. 00:00 Hannah Scott-Joynt welcomes her regular co-hosts to the podcast and asks them to comment on this week’s top stories. 04:36 Rosie Dawson welcomes fellow journalist Jonathan Luxmoore, an expert on Ro...
Sep 02, 2022•30 min•Ep. 7
Presenter Hannah Scott-Joynt and her regular house guests discuss a range of topics including the Roe v Wade judgement reversal by the US Supreme Court, the Golf Club opening its doors to Muslim women, and an exclusive interview with the imam recently sacked as the government adviser on Islamophobia. Intro | 00:00 Hannah welcomes her regular co-hosts to the podcast and asks them to introduce their upcoming features. Journo's Notebook | 02:26 Rosie Dawson is joined by the new BBC Religion Editor,...
Jul 01, 2022•55 min•Ep. 6
In this special episode of the Religion Media Centre Podcast, presenter Hannah Scott-Joynt gives a flavour of all that went on at the 2022 Religion Media Festival "Exploring Belief". Intro | 00:00 Hannah introduces highlights of the 4th Religion Media Centre festival "Exploring Belief" held at JW3, London on Monday 16 May 2022. Keynote Interview | 00:43 Roger Bolton interviews Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wa...
May 25, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 5
Presenter Hannah Scott-Joynt and her regular house guests discuss a range of topics including the role of religion in politics, the results of the French election, and Bucky Day - a celebration of a controversial drink brewed by monks. Intro | 00:00 Hannah welcomes her regular co-hosts to the podcast and asks them to introduce their upcoming features. Journo's Notebook | 02:18 Rosie Dawson and Hannah welcome journalists Tim Wyatt and Paris-based Wafa Jawad Abbas to discuss the French election re...
Apr 28, 2022•50 min•Ep. 4
